How do you know if your Meta ads are performing?

The answer lies in the data

At Threesides, we understand the importance of analysing data to drive successful Meta ad campaigns. Here’s a breakdown of how data collection works, and how we use cutting-edge tools to ensure your ads continue to perform well and meet your goals.

Understand your website visitors

Until recently, all you needed was the Facebook Pixel to track what customers are doing on your website after clicking on an ad. It worked by placing a cookie on the user’s browser. From this Pixel, we collect valuable data on visitor behaviour, meaning we can:

• Target the right audience: We use this data to create targeted audiences for ads based on what actions visitors take on your website.
• Measure campaign performance: We feed back data to Meta on what actions people take on your website after they click an ad.
• Provide accurate return on investment and cost data: Based on what actions people take, we combine this with other data, such as Google Analytics data, to determine the share of your return on investment in advertising.

Conversions API: A more reliable way to collect data

Since data privacy laws have become stricter, websites need to be more transparent about what is being tracked on a website and most need to get explicit consent from the customer to collect the data.

Unlike the Pixel which tracks user actions through the browser (and relies on cookies), the Conversion API sends data directly from your server, website platform, app or CRM to Meta’s servers. It bypasses browser restrictions and cookies. This means:

• More accurate data: We can be more confident that the data we collect from your ads is accurate and complete.
• Improved targeting: We can create even more targeted ad campaigns based on visitor behaviour on your website.

Since Conversion API collects data via the server, rather than via the browser, it can omit ad blockers and cookies, which means:

• It’s more reliable than the Meta Pixel.
• It’s not confined to browser actions, therefore offering more tracking possibilities such as offline or delayed conversion tracking.
• It’s connected to your server, so you also have more flexibility when setting up custom tracking events. These custom events provide more data that can be used to improve ad performance.

By connecting directly to your server, the Conversion API can learn from the data available thus improving the targeting and getting ads out of the learning phase faster. For example, it can connect to a CRM database. The benefit is that when you run lead generation ads Meta can use the characteristics of your existing customers to find others who are similar to them, providing higher quality leads.

Data collection made simple

For many platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, there are easy-to-use plugins that integrate with the Conversions API. These plugins seamlessly connect your website with Meta and start collecting valuable data.

While setting up the Conversions API can be complex, we are here to help make it easy. This is what we can do:

• Assess your needs: We’ll work with you to understand your specific needs and recommend the best data collection solution.
• Implement the Conversions API: Our team can handle the technical aspects of setting up the API for your website.
• Analyse your data: We’ll analyse the data collected to optimise your ad campaigns and ensure you’re getting the most out of your investment.

At Threesides, data privacy is a top priority for us. We ensure all data collection practices comply with Meta’s guidelines.