Have you ever visited a website, looked at a product, and hours later started seeing that same item in ads while you were browsing? Well, that's remarketing in action!
I've put together this article where you'll discover how to do remarketing strategically, understanding every step of the process, the tools involved, and of course, how to combine this technique with push notifications and other platforms like WhatsApp.
What is remarketing?
Remarketing is a strategy used to reach users again who have already interacted with your brand in some way, whether by visiting your website, clicking an ad, watching a video, or even abandoning a shopping cart.
The goal? To bring these people back to complete the conversion.
But how do you do remarketing the right way? That's what I'll explain in the next section.
How is remarketing done?
To understand how to do remarketing, you first need to grasp the foundation of the strategy: behavioral data.
In other words, everything starts with tracking actions performed by users. This can be done through:
- Cookies installed in the browser;
- Tags from Google Ads or Facebook Ads;
- Conversion pixel;
- And of course, push notifications.
These resources let you identify visitors who reached an important step (like adding a product to the cart) but didn't complete the action. With this, you can create campaigns targeted exclusively at that audience.
If you'd like to dive deeper into one of these platforms, we have a detailed article on how to do remarketing on Google Ads and another on how to do remarketing on Facebook.
Basic steps to set up remarketing:
- Install the pixel or tracking tag on your website.
- Create a custom audience based on behavior (e.g., people who visited page X but didn't finish the purchase).
- Set up your campaign with ads specific to that audience.
- Segment your messages well to make them more appealing and personalized.
- Use complementary channels, such as push notifications and WhatsApp, to increase reach.
How to create a remarketing list?
One of the fundamental steps for anyone looking to understand how to do remarketing is creating the remarketing list. This is where you group users with similar behaviors to reach them again.
You can create lists based on:
- Visits to specific pages (e.g., product page);
- Time spent on the site;
- Cart abandonment;
- CTA clicks;
- Interactions with push notifications.
Golden tip:
When using push notifications, you can create segmented lists based on who clicked, who ignored, or who signed up to receive alerts. This significantly increases your campaign's effectiveness.
How to do good remarketing on WhatsApp?
WhatsApp has established itself as one of the most powerful tools for communicating with customers directly and personally.
When it comes to how to do remarketing, it's impossible to ignore this channel's impact on relationship-building and conversion.
To use WhatsApp strategically, the first step is always to get the user's consent. This can be done simply, through forms, landing pages, or exclusive offers that encourage people to voluntarily sign up their number.
After that, it's essential to segment contacts based on the behavior each person showed during browsing or the buying journey. This way, you can speak with more precision and relevance.
With your base segmented, create messages that truly add value. Offer a discount coupon, send useful content, or deliver a bonus that makes sense for that moment.
But watch out: avoid the mistake of blasting out generic messages. The ideal approach is to find the right tone — part of how to do remarketing is knowing how to respect frequency and keep the focus on what really matters to the user.
The good news is that this process can (and should) be automated using tools like the WhatsApp Business API or CRM systems with integration. This ensures scale, organization, and consistency in your actions.
At the end of the day, what makes remarketing via WhatsApp work isn't persistence — it's relevance. It's showing that you understood the customer's pain point and are offering exactly what they need at the right time.
Why combine push notifications with remarketing?
If you want to learn how to do remarketing effectively, you need to explore channels beyond paid ads.
Push notifications are an excellent alternative for reaching users who have already shown interest in your content, product, or service. And without a doubt, one of the best tools out there is AI Web Push, which uses artificial intelligence to fine-tune push notification targeting, ensuring greater engagement and personalized segmentation.
Advantages of integrating push notifications into remarketing:
- Lower cost compared to paid ads' CPC;
- Real-time reach;
- High open rate, especially on mobile devices;
- Automation with behavior-based segmentation.
For example, you can send a push notification to remind a user about a viewed product or an expiring coupon. This perfectly complements remarketing campaigns on other channels.
Best tips for effective remarketing
Now that you understand how to do remarketing, it's worth reinforcing some tips that make all the difference in your campaigns' performance.
Leveraging social proof is also part of knowing how to do remarketing. Customer reviews or real testimonials help build trust and credibility.
In addition, using scarcity elements, such as limited-time promotions or "last units" notices, can speed up the purchase decision.
Another key point is personalization: the more aligned the message is with the user's behavior and interest, the higher the chance of conversion.
But watch the frequency: nobody likes being bombarded with ads, so find the balance between reminding and annoying.
To keep improving, invest in A/B testing. Try different versions of messages, sending times, and formats.
And of course, don't rely on a single channel: combine remarketing with email, push notifications, WhatsApp, and paid media to expand your reach and strengthen your presence across multiple touchpoints.
Common mistakes when doing remarketing
Even knowing how to do remarketing, some slip-ups can hurt your campaigns. Watch out for these mistakes:
- Not segmenting the audience correctly;
- Repeating the same message for everyone;
- Sending too many push notifications;
- Not adjusting the offer according to user behavior;
- Ignoring the ideal timing for re-targeting.
Remember: remarketing is about relevance and opportunity, not chasing people down.
Remarketing is about relationships
More than a sales technique, knowing how to do remarketing means understanding that the user needs time, context, and incentive to make a decision.
When you understand this and use tools like push notifications, segmented lists, and WhatsApp, remarketing stops being invasive and becomes a powerful reconnection strategy.
Invest in relevant content, personalize the experience, and use data in your favor.
The result will be a more engaged audience, more conversions, and a brand that's much more present in consumers' minds!