You may have heard about a magic cookie called a Facebook Pixel.
"Make sure your website has a pixel installed," you hear.
But what is it exactly, and how do you go about making sure it's installed?
We're glad you asked! Installing a Facebook Pixel is on our list of essential marketing tactics for all businesses.
What is a Facebook Pixel?
A Facebook Pixel is an actual 'cookie'. A cookie is a small piece of invisible code that tracks activity on your website. You can advertise on Facebook to the people who have visited your website or taken certain actions on your site. This is called 'retargeting' or 'remarketing'. The audience you retarget doesn't even have to be on Facebook in order to see your ad. They can see your information while using Facebook as well as many partner websites and apps.
There are lots of applications, but a Facebook Pixel helps your advertising be more specific to your audience rather than general. The more your ad relates to the person who sees it, the better your end results will be. Those who use the Pixel for retargeting usually have a much higher return on investment for their ad spend than those who simply target by interests or geography.
Does my site have one?
You may have an awesome web developer that you suspect has already set up your Pixel for you. Or, you may be curious about your competition—have they got one installed?
You can check the status of any website's Facebook Pixel using the Chrome extension, Pixel Helper. Once this is added to your Chrome desktop browser, go to the site in question and click on the three vertical dots at the top right of your screen. If a Pixel is installed, the icon will be blue. If it is not installed, or installed incorrectly, it will be grey.
How do I get one?
To get started with installing your Facebook Pixel, you can check out our Facebook Pixel Installation Guide. We highly recommend you install the Pixel before beginning any serious digital marketing activities. However, don't feel that you have to take advantage of the full potential of your new Pixel right away. Just having it installed and tracking your visitors is an important first step in effective digital marketing.