Skip to main content
Horse Business Advice Blog

What is Facebook Pixel and how do I get started?

By October 18, 2021May 27th, 2022No Comments
What is Facebook Pixel and how to use it Equine Entrepreneurs

There are so many marketing and social media tools for business owners. It makes it hard to keep up with what is new, what is worth trying, or even how to use the tool itself. If you use Facebook or Instagram ads, you might want to add Facebook Pixel to your marketing tool list. Social media advertising lets us test, track, refine and target ads specifically to your customers. Facebook Pixels takes this one step further and lets you retarget an audience!

Retargeting is a very effective way to reach an interested potential customer or reach a customer that is no longer engaging (abandoned carts, etc.).

Here is an example – your customer is looking at your product on Instagram, adds it to the cart, then gets distracted and puts down the phone. As soon as your customer put down the phone, the odds of the sale being finalized went down. But, what if you could advertise to that specific customer again and trigger them to finish checking out? The next time the customer picks up the phone, they will see an ad for the same product they have sitting in the cart. This is called retargeting.

So, what is Facebook Pixel and how does it help with retargeting?

The Facebook Pixel is a piece of code that you add to specific places on your website. It collects data to help you track ad conversions, optimize your ads, build audiences, and retarget people who have already engaged with your website. The code tracks various actions, called “events”, that people take on your website, such as making a purchase or adding an item to the cart.

Facebook has created 17 standard “events” to make life easier when you are first setting up the code. Once you get more comfortable with how to use the system, you can also create your own custom “events” for specific things you need/want to know. For example, you want to see how many people go to a category of products, rather than each individual product.

While this may sound complicated, I promise it is pretty simple to get started.

1

Step 1

From your Facebook Events Manager, click Connect to Data Sources in the left hand menu, then select Web. Click “Get Started”.
2

Step 2

Choose Facebook Pixel and Connect
3

Step 3

Name your pixel (something unique to your business, not a specific ad), enter your website, and click “Continue.”
4

Step 4

To add the pixel to your website, you’ll need to install the code on your web pages. This process will vary a little bit depending on the website platform you use. If you use WordPress or SquareSpace, you can choose Use a Partner Integration. This will guide you through the process.

If you have a developer or can edit your website code, click “Email instructions”.

5

Step 5

Once you have installed the code on your site, you can set up the events. Click on the Open Event Setup Tool under Settings in your dashboard. Enter your URL and click “Open Website”.

At this point, Facebook will suggest different events. Click “Review” next to each, then choose to Confirm or Dismiss. Click “Finish Setup” to continue.

6

Step 6

Make sure everything is working before you abandon your computer. You can add the Facebook Pixel Helper extension to your Google Chrome browser to easily check if everything is working. After installing this add-on, when you go to your website you’ll see a pop-up with how many active pixels are on your site.
7

Step 7

Last one, I promise! You need to add a pixel notice on your website to comply with Facebook’s terms. You can check out the specific language required in Facebook’s Cookie Consent Resource.
Facebook’s Cookie Consent Resource

The magic of the Facebook Pixel is that you’re retargeting people who you already know are interested in what you offer. Just like that sweater that you looked at and thought about buying that keeps popping up on your feed or in your Instagram stories, you can encourage your potential buyers to consider purchasing again. Talk about ad money put to good use, am I right?