Social media gives businesses various tools to track, test, refine and target their ads with incredible accuracy. One of these tools is the Facebook Pixel now called the Meta Pixel. This is a data-gathering tool that helps you target users on Instagram and Facebook using data about the types of people and demographics who visit your website. This might sound a little confusing so let’s explore what the Facebook Pixel is, how it works and how your business can use it.

The Facebook Pixel

The Facebook Pixel is a piece of code that instals cookies onto the browsers of the people who interact with your ad or who take an action after visiting your website unless they have turned off cookies and tracking.

It collects data about everyone who has the cookie on their browser, allowing you to retarget them and also use this data to inform your next ad campaigns across Facebook and Instagram.

The Pixel can also help you track ad conversions, help you build audiences (targeting and retargeting), and also help you optimise your ads by helping you learn what is working and what is not.

How Does the Facebook Pixel Work?

Once the action a user takes is reported, you get a report telling you what action they took. Actions can vary from clicking on a specific link to making a purchase (events). Because they now have the cookie installed in their browser, you can then add them to a Custom Audience so you can target them later.

As more people convert, Facebook learns about the ads that work best for different types of audiences. It then optimises the ads they see to deliver the ones they are likely to click on. Facebook also delivers ads to people who are more likely to take different other actions you want them to. This is all part of Facebook’s conversion optimization system.

Why Use Facebook Pixel?

A major reason for using Facebook Pixel is for retargeting. Businesses want to show their ads to people who have previously visited their website. Because these people are already familiar with the business and its products and services, they are much more likely to convert.

The second reason is to create lookalike audiences. These are audiences that are similar to the actual people who have visited or are visiting your website. A lookalike audience is also much more likely to convert because their interests align with your business and its products and services.

The best thing about creating these lookalike audiences on Facebook is that you can tune their likeness to that of your audience and do some A/B testing to see which traits produce the best results.

Facebook Pixel allows you to measure the performance of your Facebook advertising campaigns. You get data like page views, conversions searches, items added to shopping carts, and more. An added benefit is that you get to also find any bottlenecks that are hindering conversions so you can correct them.

Conclusion

Facebook and Instagram hold so much power when it comes to reaching people. Businesses that are not advertising on both platforms are missing out. The Facebook Pixel is the one tool you should be using to ensure success in your advertising efforts on Meta’s properties.