You’ve spent time and budget driving traffic to your website, but what happens after those potential leads leave without converting? That’s where B2B retargeting comes in - a powerful strategy to re-engage warm prospects and nudge them toward action. In this blog, we’ll break down what B2B retargeting is, how it works, why it’s essential for modern marketing strategies, and how to do it right for maximum ROI.
B2B retargeting is a digital advertising technique that targets users who have previously interacted with your business online but didn’t take a desired action like filling out a form, booking a demo, or downloading a resource.
It is a way of getting back in front of the people who’ve already shown interest in your business. Maybe they browsed your website, checked out a case study, or clicked through an ad - whatever the interaction, it means they’re not starting from zero. Unlike traditional cold advertising, retargeting focuses on warm audiences, people who already know you exist. It helps move them further along the buyer journey by staying top-of-mind and reinforcing your value.
Instead of putting all your energy into finding new people to attract, retargeting lets you re-engage the ones who’ve already shown they're interested. And in B2B , where buying cycles are longer and decisions involve multiple people, staying visible can make all the difference.
These are a few popular ways to do it:
Display Ads: You’ve probably seen these - banner ads that appear on other websites after someone visits yours.
Social Media Ads: Retargeting through platforms like LinkedIn or Facebook, based on past engagement.
Email Retargeting: Sending tailored follow-ups to people who visited your site but didn’t take the next step.
Search Retargeting: Showing ads to previous visitors when they search for related terms on search engines.
In B2C, buyers can make snap decisions - add to cart, check out, done. But B2B? Totally different story. The buying process is usually much longer, more complex, and rarely happens after just one interaction. There are more decision-makers involved, more research being done and a whole lot more to consider before anyone commits.
That means staying top of mind is key, because if you're not, someone else probably is.
Let’s say a prospect is in the market for a new CRM. They land on your site, read a blog or two, maybe even download a resource comparing CRMs… and then they leave. No contact, no conversion - just gone. But that doesn’t mean they’re not interested. In fact, chances are they’re just at an early stage, doing their research. Studies show B2B buyers need multiple touchpoints (sometimes up to 100!) before they’re ready to take action. So if you're not following-up in a thoughtful, relevant way, you’re missing a huge opportunity.
That’s where retargeting comes in. It helps you stay visible during that long, winding decision-making process. Whether it’s a well-placed ad or a timely email, it gives prospects a gentle reminder that you’re still here, ready to help when they’re ready to move forward.
It's a lot right?! 👇
What it is:
The classic type of retargeting, showing ads to people who’ve visited your website but didn’t take a desired action. When visitors leave your site, you can target them with tailored ads as they browse other websites.
How to use it:
Segment your audience based on the specific pages they visited. Someone who spent time on your pricing page likely has different needs than someone who just read a blog post. Use that context to tailor your messaging.
Best for:
Nurturing interest post-visit
Re-engaging mid-funnel leads
Guiding visitors back to high-value content or conversion pages
What it is:
Also known as list based retargeting, this involves uploading a list of contacts (like leads in your CRM) to an ad platform and targeting them directly. It’s especially useful when you already have names and emails, but the leads have gone quiet.
How to use it:
Re-engage leads that have stalled. Show them fresh content, like new case studies or an upcoming webinar, to bring them back into the conversation. You can also create lookalike audiences based on your best contacts.
Best for:
Re-engaging old leads
Running tailored campaigns to known contacts
What it is:
This targets people on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram based on their previous interaction with your site or content. You can retarget by website visits, form submissions, video views and more.
How to use it:
You can use LinkedIn to target by job title, industry or company size - ideal for B2B. Retarget people who watched a video or clicked through a content offer, then give them something deeper like a case study or testimonial carousel.
Best for:
Building brand familiarity over time
Staying visible during long sales cycles
Leveraging professional platforms for B2B reach
What it is:
This one blurs the line between email marketing and retargeting. It involves sending follow-up emails based on specific behaviours - like visiting your website but not converting, or downloading a resource but not taking the next step.
How to use it:
Set up workflows that trigger personalised emails based on behaviour. For example, if someone downloads a resource on different CRM choices, follow up with a comparison guide or a CTA to book a demo.
Best for:
Nurturing leads post-content download
Offering value-add content
Retargeting can be super effective, but it’s also easy to get wrong. No one wants to feel stalked by ads or bombarded with irrelevant content. When done well, retargeting feels like a helpful nudge, not a shove.
Not all leads are at the same stage — so treat them accordingly. Someone who read a blog post isn’t as ready as someone who downloaded a pricing guide. Segment your audiences based on behaviour: what pages they visited, what content they interacted with, where they came from, etc.
Yes, personalisation is powerful, but there’s a line between relevant and invasive. Mentioning the exact whitepaper someone downloaded? Helpful. Calling out the specific company they work at in an ad? That might feel a little too targeted.
Stick to:
Content that aligns with their interests
Industry-specific language or solutions
Messaging that matches where they are in the journey
Even if someone loves your brand, they don’t want to see your ad 15 times a day. Frequency caps help you avoid fatigue (and wasting budget). Most platforms let you control how often your ads show to the same person.
"Showing your ads approximately 17-20 times per month will result in optimal performance." - Retargeter
Your retargeting strategy should support your sales funnel. If someone’s just discovering your brand, pushing a demo might be too much too soon. However, if someone’s been comparing solutions, a helpful nudge toward a trial or a call with sales could be perfect.
Examples:
Top of funnel: "Still exploring? Here’s a quick guide to help you decide."
Middle of funnel: "See how companies like yours solved [X] with [Your Brand]."
Bottom of funnel: "Book your personalised demo — see it in action."
B2B doesn’t have to be boring. Rotate your content regularly, that includes images, copy and CTAs. Try different angles to see what resonates: testimonials, product highlights, pain-point focused messaging, etc.
Engaging content should contain: a clear CTA, strong benefit led messaging, visuals that reflect your brand and audience.
Look beyond vanity metrics like impressions. What’s actually helping you? Are you seeing more qualified leads? Higher engagement? Faster sales cycles?
Track:
Click-through rate (CTR)
Conversion rate (form fills, demo requests, etc.)
Cost per lead (CPL)
Return on ad spend (ROAS)
Use those insights to fine-tune your strategy, and cut anything that’s not working.
You’ve got your strategy sorted, now you need the right tools to bring it all to life. When it comes to B2B retargeting, there’s no shortage of platforms, but if you're looking for something that ties everything together seamlessly, HubSpot is hard to beat.
Here’s how it fits into the picture (and a few extras to know about):
HubSpot lets you run and manage retargeting campaigns across platforms like Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn — all from one place. But it’s not just about launching ads. The real power is in the CRM. That means you can build specific audiences based on lifecycle stage, form submissions, content downloads, and more.
What you can do:
Retarget website visitors or leads at specific funnel stages
Create lookalike audiences from your most engaged contacts
Sync lead data automatically when someone converts
Report on true ROI (not just impressions and clicks)
Tired of putting together data from three different tools? HubSpot’s built-in dashboards let you track ad performance alongside lead quality, deal progression and revenue.
You can see:
Which ads are generating MQLs or SQLs
How retargeted leads move through the funnel
What’s working (and what’s not) in one view
While HubSpot does a lot on its own, you might pair it with a few other platforms depending on your setup:
LinkedIn Ads – great for account-based and job-title targeting
Google Ads – ideal for display and Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSA) campaigns
Meta (Facebook/Instagram) – for awareness level retargeting
Retargeting becomes a whole lot more effective (and a lot less stressful) when it’s powered by the right platform. HubSpot makes it easy to build, manage and optimise your campaigns — all while keeping everything connected to your CRM.
If you're ready to turn website visitors into real opportunities, let’s show you how HubSpot can help you make it happen.