How to Use the Facebook Pixel to Grow Your Online Business
There are a lot of Facebook Pixel resources floating around the Internet. Still, many of them are overly complicated and weirdly vague. (What's up with that?)
A Facebook Pixel is a piece of code that allows businesses to target their ads better and track the effectiveness of their ad campaigns. If you're an online business owner, consider setting up a Facebook Pixel! Let's take a closer look at why it's essential for your online business growth.
In this blog post, we're covering some basics about Facebook Pixel, where to find it, how to install it, what to do once you've got it added to your site, what the benefits of having a Facebook Pixel installed, and how to use it to grow your business.
What is a Facebook Pixel?
Although it may sound like some sort of itsy-bitsy image file, a Facebook Pixel is actually a snippet of code that you install on your website.
It sits hidden within your site's main code structure. And, when users visit and interact with your site, the Pixel plants cookies that help you track their activity. It's essentially like having an extra set of eyes on your website, watching which pages people visit, how long they stay on each page, and which products they purchase.
Then it relays this data back to your Facebook Ad account, where you can use it to create smart, strategic campaigns.
The Pixel's data helps you understand your audience's needs, wants, and habits, so you can tailor your ads to catch their attention.
Using it, you can:
Improve the performance of existing ads based on Pixel-collected data
Build and refine targeted audience groups for new campaigns
Retarget (or re-market) warm leads, which means showing specific ads to people who have already visited your site
That last one is the biggie.
Say you're scrolling through your Facebook feed and see an ad for an online yoga class.
You've never heard of the teacher, class, or platform, so you're likely to scroll right by.
Now imagine you're scrolling and suddenly see an ad for an online class taught by an instructor you trust whose blog you were just reading.
The ad reinforces an existing interest and reminds you to take action, so you're MUCH more likely to click and register. And that's what retargeting ads do. They follow up with people who've sought you out and consumed your content to nudge them toward purchasing. It's simple, intuitive, and incredibly effective.
If you're not interested in or ready to use Facebook ads, you might not need a Pixel. But it really can't hurt to have it installed and passively taking notes on your behalf!
Even if you don't use the data immediately, accumulating it will prove useful when you're ready to take the plunge and launch a Facebook ad campaign.
How do I install a Facebook Pixel?
Everyone's site setup is slightly different, and getting your Facebook Pixel nestled into the right spot can be tricky.
Facebook has a decent tutorial that walks you through the installation process and even includes instructions for folks who rely on developers or programmers to make site changes.
On Marvelous, installing your Facebook Pixel can be done in 3 simple steps:
1) Navigate to "Settings," click "Integration," and then click "Facebook Pixel."
2) Copy and paste your "Facebook pixel ID."
3) Click "Update."
That's it.
Once your Pixel is installed, Marvelous will report purchase events to Facebook. Facebook will use this information to help target your ads and track conversion rates.
What do I do once my Facebook Pixel is installed?
Your first order of business is to decide which user activities you'd like to track. Facebook calls these activities "events," and offers nine basic categories:
Purchase
Lead
Complete registration
Add payment Info
Initiate checkout
Add to cart
Add to wishlist
Search
View content
As you might imagine, "search" and "view content" will yield much larger pools of users than most of the other event categories … but they'll still serve your ads to people who have actively sought out your content.
The other seven get your ads in front of folks who have either bought from you or come to the brink of buying and backed away.
You can tailor your ads to read like gentle reminders about your online course, program, or membership to prompt those potential clients who got to a certain part of the buying process but didn't end up clicking the "purchase now" button to complete the sale.
Facebook also allows you to create custom events but sticking to the big nine works fabulously for most online businesses.
Determine if you want the action to be tracked on page load or after the user has clicked a button. Then decide if you will drill down further and add event parameters, like a dollar amount the user needs to have spent before she/he is eligible to see your ads.
Then Facebook will generate another piece of code, which you insert on the page where tracking activity takes place. (More details here in Step 7.)
And then? You wait.
Allow the Pixel to collect and categorize your data for a few weeks before you make your next move.
The information it's gathering will be most useful to you once it includes several cycles of user activity.
How do I use the information my Facebook Pixel gathers?
Once you've got a nice little stockpile of data, it's time to devise and launch a few Facebook ad campaigns.
Once you know who is doing what on your Marvelous site or website, you can get your ads in front of them and encourage them to interact, sign up, or purchase.
The best way to use the Facebook Pixel is by creating custom audiences based on certain actions taken by customers on your website.
As we mentioned, you can also create retargeting campaigns focusing on specific products or services clients have previously viewed or purchased from your site. This will help remind them of what they were interested in so that they'll return and buy it again (or buy something else).
Our article How to Know When Your Business is Ready for Facebook Ads is an excellent primer on determining goals, crafting savvy campaigns, and using retargeting to your advantage.
Facebook's own ad hub also has some helpful guidance and advice.
You can run a campaign on virtually any budget (starting at $5 per day) and for any length of time, so don't be afraid to experiment a little! Keep careful notes on what works and what flops so you can tweak your strategies.
Facebook Pixel is an invaluable tool for any online business owner who wants to increase their sales and grow their customer base.
By tracking user behavior on your site, you can create targeted ad campaigns that are more likely to convert into sales than generic ones. Additionally, it allows you to retarget customers who have already shown interest in certain products or services so that you can remind them why they wanted it in the first place!
All in all, if you want your business to succeed online, investing in a good Facebook Pixel is essential.
