Retargeting campaigns help you reconnect with people who already know your brand. These are people who visited your site, viewed your content, or explored your offers. They showed interest but did not take the final step. Now you must guide them from warm interest to a conversion. By using a structured retargeting campaign, you give Facebook’s algorithm the data it needs to deliver the right message at the right time.
This tutorial explains how to create a simple but effective retargeting campaign using Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO). It also shows how to adjust your messaging for people who have seen your top-of-funnel ads but not yet acted. You learn how to group all warm audiences into one stacked retargeting set, set the right budget, and create ads that address trust, objections, and risk.
Create a New Campaign
Start by creating a new campaign focused on sales or leads. For most e-commerce goals, choose “sales” as your objective. If you focus on leads, pick “leads.” The structure stays the same. After choosing your objective, select a manual sales campaign.
Name your campaign something clear, like “M/BOF Retargeting.” “M/BOF” means “middle/bottom of funnel.” This campaign will serve people who engaged before but did not convert. Turn on Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO). This setting pools your budget at the campaign level. Facebook then allocates the spend to find the best results.
Set the retargeting budget between 10% and 20% of your total daily spend. Keep it lean. Most of your funds should bring in fresh leads at the top of the funnel. Retargeting ads serve people already warmed up by your top-of-funnel ads. A small but steady retargeting budget encourages enough frequency without oversaturating.
Build a Stacked Retargeting Ad Set
Inside your campaign, create one ad set for all warm audiences. Name it “M/BOF Stacked Retargeting.” Grouping all warm custom audiences together helps Facebook’s algorithm. Larger audience sizes allow more data and better optimization. In the past, people split retargeting audiences by intent levels. Now, Facebook’s algorithm prefers bigger pools. It finds the best users within your combined set.
Choosing Audiences:
- Include website visitors from the last 180 days.
- Include Facebook and Instagram engagers (e.g., last 365 days).
- Include video viewers who watched a large portion (e.g., 75%) of your videos.
- Exclude recent buyers or leads so you do not waste spend on people who already converted.
No Advantage+ Audiences Here:
For retargeting, switch to “original audience.” Turn off Advantage Custom Audience. You want complete control. Retargeting ads deliver different messages than top-of-funnel ads. You do not want the algorithm pulling in new, cold users. Retargeting is about people who know you, not fresh strangers.
Age and Gender:
Leave age and gender broad unless you must limit them for legal reasons. Anyone who interacted might still buy. For example, even if you sell bikinis to mostly women, a man might buy a gift for his partner. Give the system a chance to show these ads. If they do not respond, Facebook will stop showing ads to them.
Placements:
Use Advantage+ placements (automatic placements). Facebook’s algorithm optimizes placements better than manual selection. It tests feeds, stories, reels, and more to find where your retargeting ads perform best.
Set Up the Ads
Name your ads clearly: “M/BOF Trust,” “M/BOF Objections,” “M/BOF Risk,” for example. This naming helps you see which angle works best.
Multi-Advertiser Ads:
Turn off multi-advertiser ads. This feature places multiple ads from different brands together in one spot. It may lower CPMs but usually reduces quality. If users see a carousel of random brands, they will likely ignore them. Keep your ads separate for better attention.
Different Retargeting Angles
Retargeting is not the same as top-of-funnel. People have seen your brand. They know what you sell. Now you must show them reasons to trust you, address their objections, and remove risk. Do not show the same ads you used at the top. Those ads introduced your brand. Now you must push them to decide. If they saw the same ad before and did not buy, why would they buy now? Give them something new.
Use three main angles:
- Trust Ads:
Show social proof. Use testimonials, reviews, or user-generated content. A video testimonial is ideal if you have one. If not, a static image with a powerful quote works too. Carousels can show multiple positive reviews. Trust ads say, “Real people love us. You can trust us too.”Example:
A testimonial: “I tried dozens of creams, and nothing worked until this brand. My skin never looked better!” This line identifies the pain (“tried dozens of creams, nothing worked”) and shows the solution (“never looked better”). - Objection Handling Ads:
Think about why someone hesitates. Is it price, shipping cost, complexity, or uncertainty about results? If shipping cost is a problem, offer free shipping at this stage. If complexity confuses them, explain how easy it is to use your product. If timing worries them, clarify how quickly they see results. If they doubt quality, highlight a warranty or money-back guarantee.Example:
“Worried about shipping fees? Use code SHIPFREE at checkout. We cover the shipping, so you focus on enjoying your purchase.”This addresses a common friction point and removes it.
- Risk Reversal Ads:
People fear wasting money. Show them no risk. Offer a money-back guarantee or an easy return policy. If you sell clothes, say “Try it on. If you’re not happy, return it hassle-free.” If you sell skincare, promise a refund if no improvement appears after a certain time.Example:
“Not sure if it’s right for you? Try it risk-free. If you’re not satisfied, get your money back—no questions asked.”
Frequency and Reasons to Allow Higher Frequency
Retargeting often involves showing ads multiple times. Unlike top-of-funnel, where frequency too high may annoy new audiences, retargeting is different. These users already know your brand. They just need reassurance. They might see a trust ad on Monday, an objection-handling ad on Wednesday, and a risk-reversal ad on Thursday. By Friday, they might decide to purchase.
Higher frequency lets them see different angles over a short period. One user might need to see how trusted you are, how easy your product is to receive, and how you protect their purchase. Combined, these messages push them to convert.
Why 10-20% Budget Helps:
When only a small percentage of your daily spend focuses on retargeting, you avoid showing the same people too many ads too fast. Yet, you still achieve a frequency that allows them to see all three angles within a few days. This balance avoids ad fatigue while providing enough exposure.
Practical Considerations
Monitor frequency regularly. If people see your retargeting ads too often without converting, consider fresh angles or slightly reduce the budget.
Rotate testimonials. Change the quotes or images to keep the ad fresh.
If a particular objection ad works well (e.g., free shipping improves conversions), keep it and test another angle to address a different concern.
If you run a lead generation service, apply the same logic. Instead of shipping costs, maybe complexity or trust in your expertise matters more.
Conclusion
Retargeting campaigns guide warm prospects over their final hurdles. By using one CBO campaign, one ad set with stacked warm audiences, and three strong ad angles—trust, objections, and risk—you give Facebook’s algorithm the data it needs. People see the right messages that solve their concerns.
Over time, track your frequency and results. Refine your angles. Maybe testimonials drive more conversions, or maybe removing shipping fees seals the deal. Keep testing, keep learning, and enjoy more conversions from people who already know you and now trust you enough to buy