What is the Facebook Pixel and how can you use it?

Facebook’s advertising platform is one of the more powerful options for businesses, but it can also be one of the more confusing and complex to navigate.

Pixels are a common feature of advertising platforms, dropping cookies that will track your site visits so you can make use of the data later on for re targeting. If you’re planning on using Facebook ads, the Facebook pixel is a tool that will ensure you get the most out of your social budget – here’s what you should know.

The Facebook Pixel

The Facebook pixel is an analytics tool comprising of a code that you place on your website, which is used to track visitors to your site. When it comes to re targeting those visitors with Facebook ads in the future, this data is invaluable and helps you to see what they’re doing on your site when they come back as well as insights about the audience for more relevant advertising.

You can track the effectiveness of your advertising efforts and send targeted messages to users who are already familiar with your brand.

Why Should Businesses Take Note?

From a business perspective, this kind of data can help marketing teams create more efficient advertising. For example, if an ad’s click-through rate is high but the conversion rates don’t match up, you will quickly be able to see that the ad creative and landing page aren’t aligned and need to be amended for better results. Facebook tracks numerous actions for a deeper insight into the buyer journey too.

Here are some of the main ways businesses can utilize the Facebook pixel to benefit from improved conversion rates and better ROI. 

  • Conversion Tracking: One of the key benefits of using the Facebook pixel is that it allows you to see how people are interacting with your site after seeing one of your Facebook ads. It gives you a greater insight into prospective customers and your audience, such as what devices they’re using and whether they’re switching from a mobile to a desktop before purchasing, so you can refine your strategy accordingly.
  • Re Targeting: Facebook retargeting data and dynamic adds can enable businesses to show retargeted ads to those who have already visited their site. This allows you to get incredibly granular in terms of your strategy, such as showing customers the exact product they’ve added to their wish list or an item they’ve left in their shopping cart but not completed a purchase for.
  • Develop Lookalike Audiences: The pixel can be used to help businesses create a lookalike audience of customers who share similar interests, demographics or likes to those who are interacting with their site, effectively expanding your reach to potential customers.
  • Optimised Ads for Improved Conversions: Facebook pixel data can be used to efficiently optimise your ads for specific events on your site. Without it, the best you can do is to optimise for link clicks, but by using the pixel, you can optimise for more specific conversion events such as sign-ups or purchases that align with your goals. Similarly, you can optimise the ads based on the value they provide. This means that ads will automatically be shown to the people who are mostly likely to be interested or to make a high-value purchase, increasing conversions and generating more revenue long-term.
  • Access to More Tools and Metrics: For businesses who want to use web conversion campaigns or dynamic ads, the Facebook pixel is vital. In fact, these types of campaigns can only be run using this key tool. It’s also necessary for tracking metrics such as cost per conversion or cost per lead, so it opens up a wider array of options for businesses in terms of what they can achieve to meet their goals.
  • Custom Events: The Facebook pixel can also be used for customer events in place of standard events, or in order to gather more details than standard events can provide. This can be based on specific URLs or keywords that are relevant to your business specifically.

Need help with your Facebook Pixel?

If you'd like assistance with setting up or installing your Facebook Pixel get in touch.

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