What’s a Facebook Pixel?
A pixel is basically a string of codes created by Facebook to be inserted within website pages.
It records the user addresses going in and out of each page, allowing marketers to retarget on these leads.
Example: we run an ad campaign outside Facebook (let’s say on Google’s search results or on YouTube redirecting to our landing page). The pixels installed on the page will then record the people who have visited (either refused or accepted the initial offer) and categorize them as lead magnet.
Facebook will convert these lead magnets to their platform, optimizing our ads and retargeting them specifically to these users.
Though with the recent 2017 update, not only is pixel limited to directing users to your website but it can now monitor the sales and leads’ proportional return.
Meaning: businesses can now oversee their conversions more accurately. And determine which specific ad performed best in leading conversions, likewise those that did poorly.
BUT— as exciting as it sounds, Facebook Pixel can be a little too confusing.
Which is why I have set up this post to help you set up your own Facebook Pixel, clarify its different uses, and share the best technique in optimizing your targeted audience.
All these are vital information to produce a high converting Facebook ad campaign.
Before anything else, make sure Facebook’s updated event code and pixel base code is installed on every page of your website.
Learn how to implement Facebook Pixel on your page here.
The Advantages of Facebook Pixel
1. Retarget
People tend to fall off your marketing funnel throughout their journey. It’s natural and also disheartening for a marketer. But here’s a back-up plan you can confide in…
Continue to persuade the market who refused your initial offer by retargeting your ads specifically for them.
Create your retargeting ads by clicking on Audiences under Assets.
Next step is to create a Custom Audience.
In creating your Custom Audience, Facebook will offer four options. Choose the Website Traffic column to retarget your ads to people who have visited your website.
This will redirect in creating a custom audience and Facebook will offer four categories on how you would like to filter your target.
The first and second option is basically self-explanatory.
The third one allows you to “target people who only visit specific pages but not others”. This is specifically designed for the ones who read through your Lead Magnet content/Landing Page but didn’t buy the offer.
This is a strong method in retargeting people who left your lead magnet/middle of the funnel offer and redirect them back to the funnel.
Lastly, the fourth option: “people who haven’t visited in a certain amount of time”. Self-explanatory. Remarket a come back to your old market with your latest content.
You can also create a custom combination. This is a more granular choice in retargeting people based on the number of visits on your website within a specific period.
Lookalike Audience
Filter a set of audiences who shares the most quality with your prescribed custom audience. This is a better scale in reaching the users who are most likely to react positively on your ads, as they fit within your requirements.
You can access the Lookalike Audience by going into your assets > audiences > create lookalike.
2. Track
The Facebook Pixel Code can be broken down into two main elements: the Pixel base code and Event code.
The pixel base code tracks each user visiting a website. It also provides the baseline for specific event measurement. I advise to install it site-wide, on each and every web pages.
Events code, on the other hand, records the actions on your website – like whether the user redirected to your site via Facebook ads or organic reach (paid or unpaid).
These two elements working together can track the frequency of each occurring actions.
The best way to track these specifics is through Custom Conversions under Measures & Report.
Creating a Custom Conversion:
Fill up the sections with the URL of your success page and choose a category that, as Facebook stated, ‘best describes the rule that you’re defining’.
It will then require you to name the custom conversion and provide value. Input the appropriate rate for tracking purchases with monetary value.
IMPORTANT: Remember to tick the “track all conversion from my Facebook pixel” option under ‘Pixel Tracking’ as this would let Facebook convert all the details for you.
Here, you can track the specifics of conversion and cost per conversion. Facebook will also be able to formulate the conversion value if the monetary value was included when creating the custom conversion.
Customize the columns before viewing your campaign results.
Facebook has the tendency to pile all the conversions from people who interacted with your campaign.
Do not be misled by these generic conversions. Customize your columns before dispatching Facebook’s conversions.
3. Optimization
As if everything is still not granular enough, Facebook even extends the lengths of optimizing your advertising objectives better.
Here’s how it works: pixel collects enough data on your audiences to further magnifying the influence of your next paid ad. It studies and filters your initial ad campaign to optimize the reach of your following ad only to the users who will be most likely to respond positively.
Choose the conversion meter you want. Either it’s “Click to Website” or “Website Conversions”, whichever metric that suits your campaign best.
Gain 5x More Pixel Leads With Less Than Quarter Of The Original Cost:
This is an interesting cheat…
Which Advertisement Objective can deliver the best result?
Website Conversions can save as much as a quarter of your cost per lead.
As their categories already suggest, ‘Clicks to Website’ will measure the spend on each advertisement clicks that redirects users to your website.
This means people who immediately close your landing page without moving down the bottom of the sales funnel are being charged as leads.
Opposed to the Website Conversions which strictly tracks only the completed sign-ups. Completed sign-ups being those users who visited both your landing page and thank you page.
Bottom line: Website Conversion has the same audience reach but with a relatively higher lead count at a lower cost.
NOTE: Facebook can only track your Website Conversions if you install pixels on your lead magnet and thank you page.
Running a Facebook campaign without pixel is a definite red-light warning leading to a big marketing flop.
Facebook Pixel is a crucial step to help you track, retarget, and optimize your campaigns.
Facebook has done some numerous advances on how to make marketer pixels granular, profitable, and scalable. Now, all it takes is your turn to utilize that power wisely.