How to Use Cookie Retargeting in WordPress to Show Custom On-Site Messages

As a webmaster with over 15 years of experience helping businesses grow online, I‘ve seen firsthand the power of cookie retargeting. Implemented effectively, retargeting campaigns can become the cornerstone of your lead generation and conversion rate optimization efforts.

In this comprehensive guide, we will take a deep dive into cookie retargeting, how it works, tips to maximize its impact, and step-by-step instructions to set it up on your WordPress site.

What is Cookie Retargeting?

Cookie retargeting allows you to identify website visitors and track their browsing behavior through cookies – small text files stored on their browsers containing data about their activity on your site.

You can then use this cookie data to show customized offers and messaging to specific visitors when they return to your site. The messaging is tailored to where they are in your sales funnel based on their past on-site engagement.

Types of Cookie Retargeting

There are two main types of cookie retargeting solutions:

On-site Retargeting

Also known as behavioral retargeting, this allows you to retarget visitors while they are still browsing pages on your website. You can identify user intent signals and display targeted messaging without having to wait for them to leave your site.

Off-site Retargeting

This allows you to retarget users across the web on platforms like Google, Facebook, Youtube, etc. It enables you to keep your brand and offers in front of bounced visitors even after they‘ve left your website.

Both on-site and off-site retargeting complement each other powerfully as part of a holistic strategy. In this guide, we‘ll focus specifically on implementing on-site cookie retargeting.

Benefits of On-Site Cookie Retargeting

Here are some powerful benefits on-site cookie retargeting provides:

• Increased Conversion Rates – Displaying targeted offers dynamically boosts conversions. Retargeting cold traffic into warm leads increases sales. Industry data shows conversion rate increases between 15-25% from retargeting campaigns.

• Higher Revenues – More conversions directly translate into higher revenues. One study found retargeting shoppers spent 70% more on average compared to non-retargeted visitors.

• Greater Customer Lifetime Value – Retargeting doesn‘t just lead to a one-time sale. It allows you to nurture customers into repeat buyers worth 4-5 times more than single-purchase customers.

• Hyper Personalization – Cookie data enables you to create personalized experiences. 72% of consumers only engage with customized messaging.

• Enhanced UX – Visitors appreciate seeing relevant offers rather than irrelevant ads. Retargeting makes your website and brand more sticky.

• Win Back Abandoning Users – Bring back users who bail out from making a purchase and nudge them to complete the desired action. As high as 97% of first-time website visitors leave without converting.

• Lower Cost Than Paid Ads – Leverage your existing site traffic rather than expensive paid ads to re-engage visitors. Retargeting provides a 600% higher return compared to search and social ads.

The capability to display targeted offers tailored to each user based on their past actions is what makes on-site retargeting so invaluable.

Now let‘s look at how to implement cookie retargeting in WordPress.

How to Set Up Cookie Retargeting in WordPress

To effectively leverage cookie retargeting, you need a WordPress plugin that makes it easy to create and target personalized campaigns.

Here is an overview of how to set it up step-by-step:

Step 1: Install and Activate OptinMonster

OptinMonster is the most powerful WordPress popup and lead generation plugin on the market. It comes with advanced conversion optimization and personalization features including the ability to easily conduct cookie retargeting.

Install and activate the OptinMonster plugin in your WordPress admin dashboard. OptinMonster has a free version, but you‘ll need its Pro plan for full access to cookie retargeting features.

Step 2: Connect OptinMonster to Your Account

Once installed, you‘ll be prompted to connect the plugin to your OptinMonster account which hosts your popups, forms, and campaigns.

If you don‘t have an account, you can sign up for free. Connecting your WordPress site lets you access all of OptinMonster‘s campaign creation and customization capabilities.

Step 3: Create a Popup or Embedded Campaign

In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to the OptinMonster section. Click on Campaigns and then "Create Your First Campaign".

This will open the campaign builder. Choose a campaign type like a popup, floating bar, or embedded form. Customize the design, messaging, and layout as needed.

This is the campaign that will be displayed to visitors who match your retargeting criteria.

Step 4: Set Up Retargeting Display Rules

Here‘s where the real value comes in. Using the plugin, you can target your retargeting campaigns only to users who meet your conditions.

Go to the "Display Rules" tab in the campaign builder. Click on "Add New Rule Set".

Under the "If" dropdown, choose Targeting > Cookie Targeting.

You can now create cookie retargeting rules to show your campaign only to segmented visitors. For example, target users who visited a certain page or have a specific product in their cart.

The plugin allows you to get extremely granular with your targeting logic using cookies.

Step 5: Publish and Activate the Campaign

Once your targeting rules are configured, go to the Publish tab and set the status to "Publish" to make the campaign live.

Visitors who fulfill your cookie criteria will now see the retargeting content!

Examples of Retargeting Campaigns You Can Create

Here are some examples of the types of retargeting campaigns you can set up based on website visitor behavior:

• Visitors who read a blog post are shown a popup offering your email newsletter.

• Users who add a product to their cart but don‘t check out are displayed an offer with a coupon code.

• If a user clicks to your Contact Us page but doesn‘t fill out the form, you can show them an exit offer popup.

• Visitors who scrolled to the bottom of a post are shown a related post recommendation.

• Customers who purchase Product A are targeted with an upsell offer for Product B.

And these are just a few ideas – the possibilities are truly endless. Cookie retargeting allows you to identify your most qualified prospects and motivate them to convert with timely, personalized offers.

Technical Considerations Around Cookies

Now that we‘ve covered the fundamentals and use cases of cookie retargeting, let‘s do a quick technical dive into some key considerations around cookies themselves:

• Cookie Duration: Cookies can be set as session cookies (deleted when the browser window closes) or persistent cookies with longer durations. For retargeting, persistent cookies lasting months are ideal to track users over time.

• Cookie Size: There are browser limits to how much data cookies can store, so you generally want to just store small snippets like IDs rather than detailed user profiles.

• Security: Transmit and store cookie data over HTTPS to keep it encrypted and prevent tampering. Use server-side validation of cookie values.

• Cookie Consent: Inform users and obtain their consent before setting non-essential cookies. Make sure cookie usage follows regional regulations like GDPR.

• Zombie Cookies: Even after users delete cookies, spurious remnants called "zombie cookies" may persist. Be aware of how cookie deletion works across browsers.

Tips for Success with Cookie Retargeting Campaigns

Here are some tips to ensure your cookie retargeting efforts maximize conversion rates and ROI:

Personalize Messaging

Avoid generic offers. Use dynamic cookie data to customize offers and text to each user‘s interests. Personalized subject lines in retargeting emails see 60% higher open rates.

Test and Iterate

Run A/B tests on different versions of your retargeting campaigns. Analyze performance data to identify optimizations.

Use Urgency and Scarcity

Tactics like countdown timers and limited quantity claims work well in retargeting. But use them judiciously to avoid creating false urgency.

Ensure Tracking Accuracy

Use accurate cookies and data. Incorrectly targeted campaigns will only annoy users rather than convert them.

Combine with Other Nurturing Tactics

Follow up any retargeting ad with sequenced emails for continued nurturing. Integrate retargeting with your CRM to track prospect lifecycle stage.

Watch Frequency Capping

Don‘t overdo retargeting to the point of frustrating users. Set frequency caps on how often a user sees the same message.

Comparisons to Alternative Lead Gen Tactors

While this guide has focused specifically on cookie retargeting, it‘s important to view it in the context of your overall conversion optimization and lead generation strategy.

Here‘s how retargeting compares to some other popular tactics:

Tactic	Pros	Cons
Email Marketing	Ongoing nurturing, deeper personalization	Lower delivering ability
Content Offers	Organic, inbound lead generation	More upfront work creating assets
Live Chat	Real-time conversion assistance	Requires active monitoring
Retargeting	Automated, converts abandoning visitors	Limited personalization without cookies

As you can see, each approach has its own pros and cons. The ideal strategy is to combine multiple lead generation and sales funnel tactics synergistically.

Cookie retargeting provides a automated, personalized way to capitalize on the 76% of website visitors who leave without converting. Paired with email nurturing and other tactics, it can significantly boost your qualified lead pipeline.

Final Thoughts

Retargeting has clearly evolved from its early "annoying ad following you around" days into an indispensable tool for marketers.

When leveraged strategically, cookie retargeting identifies your most qualified prospects based on first-party interest data and motivates them to convert with timely, relevant offers.

The capabilities of solutions like OptinMonster allow you to get cookie retargeting up and running on your WordPress site quickly and easily.

Hopefully this guide provided you a comprehensive overview of what cookie retargeting is, why it‘s so powerful for lead generation, and how to successfully implement it on your website.

The key is to stay laser focused on providing value to visitors rather than "tricking" them. Helpful, non-intrusive retargeting combined with stellar user experience will keep visitors engaged and prime them for conversion.

If you have any other questions on cookie retargeting, feel free to reach out!