Facebook Conversions API: Everything Marketers Need to Know

The Facebook conversions API, by contrast, is a server-side tool. In fact, it was formerly known as the server-side API. It allows you to track ... Skiptocontent FacebookconversionsAPIwillhelpyoucollectaccuratedataandimprovetheperformanceofyourFacebookadsinapost-iOS14updateworld. TheFacebookpixelisahighlyvaluabletoolfortrackingbusinessdataonFacebook.Unfortunately,itseffectivenesshasbeendeclininginrecentyears.Butallisnotlost,thankstotheFacebookconversionsAPI. TheFacebookconversionsAPIanothertoolinyourFacebookdatatoolkitthatworkswiththeFacebookpixeltoensureyougetallthedatayouneed.Combined,theyhelpyouproperlytrack,attributeandimproveyourFacebookmarketingperformance. What’stheproblemwiththepixel?Essentially,adblockers,cookieblockers,andothermaskingtoolshavebeguntocutdownontheamountofdatathepixelreceives.Andnow,Apple’siOS14updateiscreatingevenbiggerhurdlestotrackingdatathroughthepixel. TheiOS14updatehighlyrestrictstheuseofcookiesfortrackingonApplemobiledevices.ThatmeansthepixelalonewillgiveyoualotlessinformationabouthowiOSusersinteractwithyourbusiness.IfsomeoneclicksthroughtoyourwebsitefromFacebook,youmightnotknow. NotconcernedaboutlosingdatafromiOSusers?ConsiderthatFacebookexpectsallmajorbrowserstoblockorsignificantlylimitthird-partycookiesby2022. Youradtargetingwillalsobeaffected,andthesizeofyourcustomaudiencesandretargetingaudienceswilllikelydecrease. Butdon’tpanic.Readontolearnhowtosaveyourdata,attributionandtargetingwiththeFacebookconversionsAPI. TableofContents WhatistheFacebookconversionsAPI? WhatdoestheFacebookconversionsAPItrack? Facebookpixelvs.theconversionsAPI FacebookconversionsAPIexamples HowtosetuptheFacebookconversionsAPI Bonus:DownloadafreeguidethatteachesyouhowtoturnFacebooktrafficintosalesinfoursimplestepsusingHootsuite. WhatistheFacebookconversionsAPI? TounderstandtheFacebookconversionsAPI,youfirsthavetounderstandalittlebitabouttheFacebookpixel. (IfyouwanttounderstandeverythingabouttheFacebookpixel,checkoutourblogpostonthatverytopic.) Inshort:TheFacebookpixelisabrowser-sidetool.Thatjustmeansittracksdatathroughtheuser’sbrowser. Butthebrowserisalsowheretheusercaninstallcookieblockersandadblockers,ordisallowtrackingcookiesaltogether.Browserscrashsometimes,losingdatapathways.Theycanalsolosedatawhenconnectionsarepoor. TheFacebookconversionsAPI,bycontrast,isaserver-sidetool.Infact,itwasformerlyknownastheserver-sideAPI.Itallowsyoutotrackconversionsthroughyourwebsite’sserver,ratherthanthroughyourcustomer’sbrowser.Insteadoftracking“browserpixelevents,”ittracks“serverevents.” TheconversionsAPIdoesnotrelyoncookies.Thatmeansyourwebsitevisitors’browsersettingsandperformancedon’taffectitstrackingcapabilities. Likewesaid,it’sanextrabusinesstoolthatworkstogetherwiththeFacebookpixel.ItimprovestheaccuracyofyourFacebooktrackingbycapturingdatathatwouldbelostifrelyingonbrowsereventsalone. ItalsohelpstoimprovetheperformanceofyourFacebookadsbyprovidingmorecompletedataforadoptimization. WhatdoestheFacebookconversionsAPItrack? TheFacebookconversionsAPIallowsyoutotrackthreekindsofdata: Webconversions(likesalesorsignups) Post-conversionevents(approvalsforaloan) Pagevisits Itgivesyougreaterinsightintoyourfullsalesfunnelthanusingthepixelalone.That’sbecauseitallowsyoutoincorporateinformationlikeCRMdataandqualifiedleads. Italsoprovidesdatarequiredfor: Adtargeting(likecustomaudiencesandretargeting) Adreporting AudienceInsights Dynamicads ConversionoptimizationforFacebookads TheconversionsAPIalsogivesyougreatercontroloverthedatayoutrackwithinFacebook.Forexample,youcanaddbusinessinformationlikeprofitmarginsandcustomervalue. TherearealsospecificversionsoftheconversionsAPIdesignedforappsandofflinesales.Theseallowyoutotrackappeventsandbricks-and-mortarstoresalesandvisits,respectively.Butsincetheseareseparatebusinesstools,wewon’tdigintotheminthispost.Ifyouwanttoknowmore,checkoutFacebook’sdetailedinformationontheappeventsAPIandofflineconversionsAPI. Facebookpixelvs.theconversionsAPI Here’showFacebookitselflaysoutthedifferencebetweenFacebookpixelandtheconversionsAPI: “Thepixelletsyousharewebeventsfromawebbrowser,whiletheconversionsAPIletsyousharewebeventsdirectlyfromyourserver.” Or,perhapsalittlemoreobtusely: “Ifsendingbrowserpixeleventsislikesendingmailviaairmail,thensendingservereventsislikesendingmailviafreight.Theyarebothmechanismstotransportthepackage(dataaboutanevent)toadestinationaddress(aPixelID).” Intermsofusingthesetools,itisn’treallyacaseofeither/or.Instead,it’samatterofboth/and. We’vealreadytalkedabouthowchangesintheiOS14updateimpacttheFacebookpixel.Andhowtheincreasinguseofadandcookieblockersalsoaffectsthepixel’sabilitytocollectconsistentbrowser-baseddata. Thread/PleasereadthefollowingupdatesregardingchangestoFacebook#APIs#SDKsand#AdPlatformbeingmadetoalignwith#iOS14AppTransparencyTrackingrequirements. 1.ChangestotheMarketingAPIandAdsInsightsAPI:https://t.co/AjMjtVvIw81/3pic.twitter.com/y8vvWcwosE —FacebookforDevelopers(@fbplatform)February11,2021 But,thatdoesn’tmeanthepixelisnolongeruseful.It’sjustusefulinadifferentway.Infact,youshouldhaveyourFacebookpixelsetupandrunningbeforeyoutrytosetuptheconversionsAPI. Ifyouhaven’tsetupyourpixelyet,checkoutourblogpostwithdetailedinstructionsonhowtouseFacebookpixelonyourwebsite. WhenyouconnecttheconversionsAPIandyourFacebookpixel,youmaximizeyourchancesofregisteringaconversion.Ifyouchoosetotrackthesameeventsusingbothtools,youmightevenregistersomeconversionstwice.Fortunately,Facebookcancorrectthedouble-trackingthroughaprocesscalled“deduplication.” Deduplicationsoundscomplicated.Butreallyitjustmeanskeepingoneconversioneventanddiscardingitsduplicate. Ifoneofthebusinesstools(pixelortheconversionsAPI)recordstheevent,noproblem.Ifbothrecordtheevent,Facebookwilldeduplicatethetracking.ItcomparesthepixeleventparametertotheconversionAPI’sevent_nameparameter,andthepixel’seventIDparametertotheconversionAPI’sevent_IDparameter. Thetl;drversionisthatthesetoolsworktogethertoprovideyouthemostaccurateFacebooktrackingdataandinsights. FacebookconversionsAPIexamples You’vegatheredbynowthattheconversionsAPIwillprovidemorereliableFacebookdata.Let’stakealookatacoupleofreal-worldexamplesthatshowjustwhythatissoimportantformarketers. Improvingattribution Thisisthemainissuewe’vetalkedaboutthroughoutthispost.Thepixel’sabilitytotrackdataisdiminishing.TheconversionsAPIhelpsfillthosegaps,providingbetterconversionattribution. Forexample,theclothingbrandtentreetestedtwodatatrackingsetupsagainsteachother.Oneusedthepixelalone.TheotherusedthepixelplustheconversionsAPI.TheyfoundthatthecombinationofthepixelandtheconversionsAPIprovideda12percentincreaseinattribution. Thismeantthetentreemarketingteamhadbetterdatatoanalyze.This,inturn,allowedthemtomakebetterdecisionsabouthowtoallocatetheiradbudget. TheyalsofoundthattheadditionaldatafromtheconversionsAPIhelpedtheFacebookalgorithmservetheadsmoreeffectivelytobetter-qualifiedusersreducingthecostperactionby5percent. ImprovingFacebookadstargeting Marketingstrategieslikeretargeting(advertisingtopeoplewhohavealreadyinteractedwithyourbusiness)onlyworkwhenyourtrackingworkseffectively.WithouttheconversionsAPI,youmightmisstheopportunitytoconvertsomeofyourmostlikelyprospects. Forexample,theNorwegianbeautycompanyLavaArtCosmetic(LAC)foundthatwhentheyaddedtheconversionsAPItotheirFacebookpixeltracking,theywerebetterabletotrackthecustomer’sjourneyontheirwebsite. Bonus:DownloadafreeguidethatteachesyouhowtoturnFacebooktrafficintosalesinfoursimplestepsusingHootsuite. Getthefreeguiderightnow! Thisinturnallowedthemtocreatebettercustomaudiences.TheythenusedFacebookadstotargetpeoplewhohadvisitedtheirwebsitebutnotmadeapurchase. ComparedtousingtheFacebookpixelalone,theysawa16.5percentincreaseinsubscriptionstotheirservice. LowerFacebookadscostperaction Bothoftheexamplesabovealreadyshowedthisbenefit,butlet’slookatacasewherethiswasthespecificgoal. TheconversionsAPIcanhelpreducethecostperactionofyourFacebookadsbysendingbetterdatatotheFacebookalgorithm.Thisensuresyouradsareservedtothemosttargetedpotentialcustomers. Forexample,theMexicandigitalpaymentscompanyClipsaw46percentmoreconversionswhentheyaddedtheconversionsAPItotheFacebookpixel.Atthesametime,theysawa32percentreductioninthecostperconversion. HowtosetuptheFacebookconversionsAPI TherearetwowaystosetuptheFacebookconversionsAPI.Whichyouchoosewilldependontheplatformsyouuseandtheleveloftechnicalhelpyoucanaccesswithinyourbusiness. RememberthatyoushouldalreadyhaveafunctionalFacebookpixelbeforeyoudivein.YoualsoneedtosetupFacebookBusinessManager.Ifyouhaven’tdonesoyet,followourstep-by-stepinstructions. Partnerintegrationsetup Thesimplestwayistouseapartnerintegration.Usingthismethod,youdon’thavetoknowanycode,andyoumaybeabletocompleteimplementationyourself,withoutadeveloper. ThisoptionisavailableifyourwebsiteishostedononeofFacebook’spartnerplatforms,likeWordPress.Youcanalsouseitwithapartnercustomerdataplatform,commerceplatform,adtech,tagmanager,orsystemintegrator. Notsureifyouuseapartnerplatform?Youcanfindafull,up-to-datelistontheFacebookforBusinesssite. Here’showtoimplementtheconversionsAPIthroughpartnerintegration. 1.InEventsManager,chooseyourpixelfromtheDataSourcestabandclickSettingsinthetopmenu. Source:EventsManager 2.ScrolldowntotheConversionsAPIsectionandclickChooseaPartnerunderSetupthroughapartnerintegration. Source:EventsManager 3.Chooseyourproviderfromthepop-upgallery.Thiswilltakeyouintothespecificsetupinstructionsforyourpartnerintegration. ManualimplementationthroughEventsManager Ifyoudon’thaveaccesstopartnerintegration,oryoujustprefertosetuptheconversionsAPImanually,youcanuseEventsManagertocreatepersonalizedinstructionsforyourdevelopers. ThismethodgivesyoualittlemorecontrolovertheconversionsAPIsetup.Thisincludestheabilitytotrackeventsandparametersthatpixelalonecan’ttrack. However,youwillneedaccesstoyourservercodebaseandassistancefromadevelopertocompletethismethod. YoucangettheprocessstartedyourselfinEventsManager,tospecifywhatyouwanttotrackusingtheconversionsAPI.You’llthenpassthetorchtoyourdevelopertoimplementthesetuponyourserver. InEventsManager,selectthepixelyouwanttousetosetuptheconversionsAPI. ClickAddEventsandselectUsingtheConversionsAPI. ClickInstallcodemanually,readtheoverview,andclickContinue. Choosetheeventsyouwanttotrack.Ifyou’renotsure,checkoutFacebook’seventrecommendationsinthedropdownmenu.Whenyou’redone,clickContinue. SelecttheparametersforeacheventandclickContinue. ClickConfirmSetup,thenSendInstructions. Enteryourdeveloper’semailaddressandclickSend.It’sagoodideatochecktheboxthatsaysSendmeacopyofthisemailsoyouhaveacopyforyourfiles. Fromhere,theballisinyourdeveloper’scourt.Theywillcompletethesetupbasedontheeventsandparametersyouspecifiedusingtheinstructionsyoucreatedinthelaststep. Ifyourdeveloperneedsmoreinformation,theycanuseFacebook’sdetailedconversionsAPIresourcesontheFacebookforDeveloperssite. UseHootsuiteSocialAdvertisingtoeasilykeeptrackofallofyoursocialmediaactivity—includingFacebook,InstagramandLinkedInadcampaigns—andgetacompleteviewofyoursocialROI.Tryitfreetoday.  RequestaDemo Easilyplan,manageandanalyzeorganicandpaidcampaignsfromoneplacewithHootsuiteSocialAdvertising.Seeitinaction. FreeDemo RelatedArticles FacebookisdiscontinuingitsofficialFacebookAnalyticstoolasofJune30,2021,buttheplatformstilloffersmanyotherwaystocollectvaluableinformationandinsights. In2021,theFacebookalgorithmismadeupoffourmainrankingsignals:recency,popularity,contenttype,andrelationship. ThisFacebookstatisticslisthasallthedatayouneedtocraftstrategy,reports,presentations,andmore,includingtopdemographics. PotentialcustomersarealreadylookingforbusinesseslikeyoursonFacebook.AsmartFacebookmarketingstrategyistheonlywaytoconnectwiththem. ShowComments x Wait!Beforeyougo... 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