A Facebook Pixel is a bit of code that comes out of Facebook and goes on to your website.
There are various ways this can happen.
- You may already have your own Facebook Ads Manager account where you run your Facebook and Instagram pages and ads
- Or, as in the case of our clients, someone else is managing your Facebook and Instagram pages via their Ads Manager
If you are using an outsourced agency, the chances are they will say ‘here’s your Facebook Pixel code, who do I need to send it to?’
It needs to go to somebody who has access to the back end of your website and can add that code in the relevant place. That could be you or your web developer. Once the code is in place, there’s a little Pixel helper which can be put on to your toolbar for Google. It will tell you that your Pixel is working, and analytics will start to appear.
Why is analytics important?
For the clients that we run the ads for, we can see how people interact with those ads, and can use the data it provides to calculate the return on investment of that specific ad. Facebook newsfeed isn’t necessarily about lead generation, it’s more about cultivating brand awareness and getting people to know you, so when they do decide to transact you are at the forefront of their minds.
If you’re running ads, then the Pixel becomes more relevant.
Read our recent blog post: Are Facebook Ads worth paying for? >>
Not only can we see who clicks through from the ad that’s running, but we can also put event tracking on to the page itself:
- If there is a video embedded, we can see who has watched the video
- If there is a button to click we can see who clicks the button
- If there’s a form to fill in we can see who has filled the form in
- If there is downloadable content, we can see who downloaded it
You can also track the movement of people once they’ve gone from social media to your website which has the pixel on it. You can then use that knowledge to re-market to those people. In the event that they don’t immediately complete the action you would like them to carry out when they visit the page, you can use that information to run another ad on your social platforms which will appear to those people with incomplete actions on your web page, to remind them to return and complete the actions.
It’s a hugely important piece of very tiny code that you need to have on your website. If you download a Facebook Pixel helper onto your PC you will be able to search your agency name and see if you have a pixel on your website, along with everyone else’s, so you can see who is making use of their pixel and who isn’t!
If you would like to know more about making the most of a Facebook Pixel and using it in conjunction with Facebook advertising, get in touch! jane@social-angels.co.uk or 01923 627 777. We’ll be happy to chat with you about how you can make it work for you.
Jane Gardner
I work all over the UK with various business owners, dedicating my creative and expert property knowledge from 35 years in the industry. I am a Level 4 ARLA Propertymark examiner, I sit on the board of Agents Giving Charity and I love everything property related! I can be contacted on 01923 627777 or by email to jane@social-angels.co.uk
