Paid social and demand generation
Prospecting versus retargeting: give paid social two different jobs
Introduce products to new buyers and reconnect with interested shoppers using different messages, measurements, and expectations.
Prospecting introduces products to potential buyers. Retargeting reconnects with people who have already shown interest. They belong in the same growth plan, but they should not be evaluated as if they start from the same customer relationship.
Recognize the difference in starting conditions
A new shopper may need to understand the product, why it matters, and why the store is credible. Someone who has already viewed a product may instead need an answer about fit, delivery, value, or a concern left unresolved on the first visit.
Showing both people exactly the same message can miss that distinction. The better starting point is the customer question the campaign needs to answer, followed by the audience and creative choices that support it.
Do not let easy attribution hide the acquisition job
Retargeting often reaches shoppers who are closer to a decision. An attractive attributed result therefore deserves context: where did the audience come from, how recently did it engage, and what other activity influenced it?
That does not make retargeting unimportant. It means a plan that continually reduces prospecting to protect a headline ratio may also reduce the flow of future interested shoppers. Review the relationship between acquisition activity, audience growth, and store sales over time.
Build separate hypotheses for the creative
For prospecting, test whether the product problem and value are understood quickly. For retargeting, test the specific uncertainty that might prevent a return visit from becoming an order. A product demonstration, a useful comparison, or accurate delivery information may each serve a different role.
Keep claims grounded in what the product and store can deliver. More persuasive messaging is not helpful if it increases clicks by creating expectations the business cannot meet.
Review the combined commercial result
Look at tracked purchases, customer mix, contribution, and the broader store context. Identify which campaigns introduce demand and which help convert existing interest. Avoid adding platform revenue totals together without examining overlap.
EP4P coordinates paid social with search, Shopping, product data, and measurement. Because we fund the advertising, the job is to build a system that generates sales worth supporting. Prospecting and retargeting can both contribute, provided each has a clear purpose and the team understands how their results relate.
Let our team handle the marketing.
EP4P manages audience strategy, creative testing, remarketing, and performance together, so you do not have to assemble and supervise each piece yourself.
We build, fund, and manage your campaigns. You pay an agreed percentage only on ecommerce sales directly tracked to clicks on our ads. Our work and the ad spend are included. No monthly retainer or setup fee.