Facebook Pixel 101

The Facebook pixel is simply a chunk of code. It sits silently and invisibly within your website. It’s only triggered when someone does something on your site (buys something, subscribes to something, etc.) Once an action occurs, it’s triggered. And then it stores the data of that action.

Basically, it’s like a voyeur with a perfect memory. Watching what people do on your website. Remembering what they did.

Sound creepy?

It’s not, really. It’s actually how most websites operate today. The Facebook pixel is just a version that connects with your Facebook advertising.

Is it for me?

Okay, so now that it’s storing actions on your site, what can you do with that data? This is where it gets fun for advertisers.

You can see where people are going and what they’re doing from your Facebook ads. So, say someone clicks on one of your Facebook ads, you’ll be able to see what kind of device they’re on, what kind of path to purchase they take (if you’re an ecommerce), which pages they spend time on, etc. This type of information can help inform user experience adjustments to your site, what types of audiences behave similarly, and much more.

Speaking of audience behaviors, this is a huge difference between digital advertising and traditional advertising. With tools like the Facebook pixel, you’re able to see what actually connects your different consumers, beyond age, gender, and location. You may discover there’s a certain segment that behaves similarly on your website through the Facebook pixel. For instance, if you’re selling clothes, you may discover shoe buyers who also like to click through your About Page. So, you’d know to target them with messaging about your company, as well as shoes.

Retargeting is the better version of targeting. It’s the act of serving information to someone who has already engaged with you. Let’s stick with the shoes example. Say someone views a pair of shoes on your site but doesn’t buy them. You can use the Facebook pixel to serve them an ad about those shoes later on. This is a great tactic for upselling as well. Say a user does buy the shoes. You could then retarget them with complimentary items, like socks or shoelaces.

The more data you collect about actions on your website, the more effective your advertising. With the Facebook pixel, you can optimize conversions. The more it knows, the better the chances it has to reach the people most likely to convert on your site.