How to Retarget Site Visitors on CTV: A Complete Guide
Retargeting has long been a powerful tool in every digital advertiser's toolbox, allowing brands to hone in on lower-funnel customers. Now, Connected TV advertising is taking this strategy to the next level.
Advanced targeting capabilities in connected TV advertising allow advertisers to retarget audiences wherever they are, from mobile to web to television — creating true cross-device coverage for your retargeting campaign.
What is CTV Retargeting and How Does It Work?
CTV retargeting refers to serving a follow-up ad to a user previously exposed to a brand through streaming TV retargeting. This can include showing a CTV ad to:
- A viewer that has previously visited the advertiser's site or mobile app
- A viewer already exposed to an ad on a different channel
- A viewer that has recently visited an advertiser's physical store and is in the advertiser's CRM system
Audience segments can be incredibly granular here. For instance, you can retarget based on the user's behavior on your website – what categories they browsed through or whether they added items to their shopping cart but didn't check out, allowing advertisers to hone in on viewers with the highest chance of converting, and even to serve a more personalized CTV creative. This is where CTV attribution becomes crucial for tracking success.
Advertisers primarily use TV retargeting to locate audiences that have given clear signals they are in-market and considering a brand. By retargeting these audiences and increasing the frequency of advertisements served, advertisers can ensure a brand stays top-of-mind and increase their chances of converting. For instance, whether you're looking to advertise a new deal or remind shoppers of their abandoned cart, let them know while they watch their favorite show for a truly cross-device marketing campaign.
Types of CTV Retargeting Strategies
1. Cross-Device Retargeting for Connected TV
The user saw a CTV ad and, after this, interacted with a brand on another device (for example - smartphones, laptops, or tablets). This streaming TV retargeting uses identity graphs to link devices via deterministic signals (e.g., residential IP addresses) or probabilistic signals (e.g., behavioral patterns).
How it works:
- A viewer watches a CTV ad on their smart TV
- Their device is matched to other devices (e.g., a phone or laptop) via cross-device tracking
- Follow-up ads are delivered on those devices to re-engage the user
Example: A user sees a CTV advertising campaign for a fitness tracker, then receives a mobile ad with a discount code while browsing their phone
2. Web-to-TV Retargeting: Bringing Digital Visitors to the Big Screen
This type of TV retargeting is opposite to the first one. The user first interacted with the brand's website or another digital channel (Facebook page, for example) and then was retargeted by the CTV ad. This allows you to retarget site visitors on CTV effectively.
How it works:
- Users visit a brand's website but don't convert
- A retargeting pixel tags their device, and their IP address or device ID is linked to their CTV device
- The user sees a CTV ad on their smart TV, reinforcing the brand's message
Example: A shopper browses a clothing site without purchasing, then sees a connected TV ad promoting a sale on the same items during their streaming session.
Key Benefits of CTV Retargeting for Your Marketing Campaign
1. Enhanced Audience Engagement Through Premium Placement
Viewers are more likely to engage with ads due to the big-screen impact and inability to skip ads on streaming platforms. CTV advertising provides a premium environment for your retargeting campaign.
2. Precision Targeting and Budget Efficiency
CTV retargeting focuses on high-intent audiences who have already interacted with a brand, reducing wasted impressions and improving your marketing campaign ROI.
3. Seamless Cross-Device Integration
TV retargeting seamlessly connects with other channels (e.g., mobile, desktop) to deliver consistent messaging across devices, creating a unified customer journey.
4. Incremental Reach and Premium Placements
Ads appear during content that is high-engagement for a specific audience because targeting is based not on just typical age and gender patterns but on behavior, so the ads will be seen by viewers who are interested in the brand. This is particularly valuable when implementing comprehensive CTV advertising strategies.
How CTV Advertising Retargeting Differs from Traditional Digital
Understanding the technical differences helps optimize your retargeting campaign:
Traditional Web Retargeting:
How it works:
- User visits website → receives cookie
- Cookie tracks browsing across sites
- Platform identifies user on same device
- Ads served only on that device
Limitations:
- Single device tracking
- Cookie-dependent
- Limited reach
CTV Retargeting:
How it works:
- User visits website → pixel captures data
- IP address links to household device graph
- System identifies all connected devices
- Ads delivered across household screens
Advantages:
- Household-level targeting
- Cross-device reach
- No cookie dependence
- Premium TV inventory
The key difference: Traditional retargeting follows one device. CTV retargeting reaches entire households across all their screens — making attribution more comprehensive.
This household approach amplifies your marketing campaign impact. One website visit can trigger coordinated ads on smart TVs, tablets, and phones throughout the home.
Retargeting works well by itself or in tandem with other strategies. By looking at the demographic information of users who have engaged with an ad, an advertiser can also create a lookalike audience to build out a new target audience. In other words, data gathered for retargeting is also highly useful for building out a campaign and extending reach to a broader audience, this time equipped with more insight into who is likely to engage and, hopefully, convert.
For more on building effective campaigns, explore our complete CTV advertising guide.
Measuring CTV Retargeting Success: Key Metrics and Attribution
To optimize CTV retargeting campaigns, track metrics that reveal true performance. Proper CTV attribution connects TV exposure to business outcomes across devices.
Essential Retargeting KPIs:
Engagement Metrics:
- Video Completion Rate (VCR): Should exceed 90% for retargeting audiences
- Brand Lift: Measure awareness increase among exposed vs. control groups
- Attention Index: Time spent viewing compared to other campaigns
Efficiency Metrics:
- Cost Per Completed View (CPCV): Compare to first-touch campaigns
- Incremental Reach: New households reached beyond other channels
- Frequency Distribution: Optimal 3-7 exposures per household
Conversion Metrics:
- Site Return Rate: % of viewers who revisit after CTV exposure
- View-Through Rate (VTR): Actions taken within attribution window
- Cost Per Acquisition (CPA): Should be 20-40% lower than prospecting
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): Typically 2-4x higher for retargeting
Attribution Best Practices:
Set Appropriate Windows:
- 1-day: Direct response actions
- 7-day: Consideration purchases
- 14-30 day: High-value conversions
Cross-Device Tracking:
- Connect TV viewing to mobile/desktop actions
- Use household graphs for complete journey visibility
- Account for shared viewing environments
For deeper insights on optimizing these metrics, focus on balancing reach with conversion impact. Remember: retargeting audiences should show significantly higher engagement than cold prospects.
Why Every Marketing Campaign Should Include CTV Retargeting
Consider that around 92% of those who visit your site are not ready to make a purchase. TV is one of the most effective advertising formats, making it the perfect channel to re-capture your audience's attention. By implementing TV retargeting on connected TV, advertisers can reconnect with and push interested customers further down the funnel.
Connected TV retargeting also aligns with the modern consumer's cross-device experience. From mobile to web to TV and beyond, users shift from one device to the next — and even sometimes use them simultaneously. Streaming TV retargeting allows advertisers to create a truly cross-device experience and engage with audiences wherever they are.
Retargeting certainly has its benefits. As we've seen in the display and mobile world, though, advertisers can fall into pitfalls if they're not careful. Display advertisers have historically overdone retargeting, leading to frustration among consumers. According to InSkin Media, when consumers see as few as five repetitive targeting ads, 55% are turned off from purchasing.
The big takeaway? Mismanaged retargeting can do more harm than good. With this in mind, advertisers leveraging CTV advertising should remember quality, not quantity, is vital to success.
Upgrade Your Marketing Campaign With CTV Retargeting
Advertisers are taking to the big screen to hone in on audiences already interested in their brand's product or offering. The possibilities are endless when it comes to streaming TV retargeting — so long as you have the right buying platform and data partner.
With our TV+® platform for linear, CTV, and cross-channel TV planning and buying, Simulmedia takes a holistic, 360-degree approach when implementing retargeting campaigns. Our cross-channel ad platform and methodology consider every variable: from creative to TV network placement to program placement across linear TV and CTV.
By working with Simulmedia's TV+ over time, historical data on campaign performance and audience engagement builds a portfolio of data that can make your next CTV retargeting campaign even better, improving CTV attribution and overall results.
Ready to get started? Speak to one of our experts by scheduling a demo.