A Foolproof Way to Make Your Facebook Ads More Effective

9 min read

Imagine you’re a huge coffee fan. You know the best ways to brew a cup, and you can easily tell a robusta from an arabica. So, which ad are you more likely to click on? One for coffee…or one for tea?

Speculating on your beverage of choice aside, one thing is definitely true: you’re more likely to engage with an ad if it’s personalized to your interests. As a business owner, you need to remember that when you’re advertising your products.

Running Facebook Ads lets you do precisely that—reach the people who are most likely to be interested in what you have to offer. This tool recently became even more precise, allowing you to run more powerful Facebook campaigns with Conversions API. Read on to learn what that means and how your business can benefit from it.

Ads…Powered by Data

Every time we go to a new website, we see a notification telling us that the site uses cookies, and asks us to read their cookie policy (which we rarely do) and accept it. We’re so used to those notifications that we hardly even notice them anymore.

But what are cookies exactly? And why are they important? Simply put, they are small files that websites send to a user’s device. Sites use them to remember information about their visitors.

The information collected with cookies allows a business or website owner to show personalized content and targeted ads to their customers, as well as analyze site traffic to better understand who a store’s audience is. So, if you browse an online music shop’s website, later you might find a personalized ad for the guitar you were looking at. Sound familiar? If you’re a frequent internet shopper (and let’s face it, these days, who isn’t?) you’ve probably noticed these personalized ads in action.

Another example: you went on a shopping spree for Black Friday and added a bunch of stuff to a cart in an online store, but then got distracted and never completed your transaction. It’s highly likely you’ll soon start to see ads featuring the exact products you added to your cart. Chances are these ads will remind you of your abandoned cart, and you’ll end up returning to the site to buy something you left behind.

This ad targets customers who placed products in a shopping cart and abandoned them

This is data powered advertising in action. Mechanisms like cookies help with site optimization, ad targeting, and measurement. However, there are two aspects to keep in mind here:

Data collected via a browser with the help of cookies can be lost due to loading errors or connectivity issues.
The industry is moving to better protect the privacy of its users. That means, eventually, browsers will stop supporting tools like cookies.

Can you prevent losing access to valuable data about your target audience? Yes, if you’re using Facebook’s Conversions API.

What Is Conversions API?

Conversions API is a Facebook Business Tool that enables businesses to share their data directly from their servers instead of relying on browsers. With a more reliable data connection, you can continue providing customers with personalized ad experiences on Facebook and drive the outcomes that matter most to your business.

Here’s how your business can benefit from using Conversions API:

More reliable data sharing. Data sharing through Conversions API is more reliable than browser-based methods because it is less susceptible to browser crashes or connectivity issues.
More control over data. You decide what data to share with Facebook and when to share it, as well as include more meaningful data. For example, a customer’s actions in a conversion journey on your website.
More customer insights. You can use a wider array of data to inform your advertising than what is currently captured by Facebook Pixel in a browser. For example, if you’re using a CRM system, you can use its data in your advertising campaigns.

How to Enable Conversions API for your Online Store

If you’ve run Facebook Ads before, you probably already know about Facebook Pixel. It’s an analytics tool that helps you understand the actions customers take on your website, like how many site visitors saw a certain product page or added that product to a cart.

You might be wondering if you should use both Facebook Pixel and Conversions API for your advertising campaigns. The answer is yes! Using Conversions API in addition to Pixel provides you with more reliable data sharing and getting more precise insights about your customers.

Now, here’s some good news for Ecwid sellers! Your Ecwid store automatically tracks the events through the Conversions API if:

Your store is connected to Facebook.
You’ve set up Facebook Pixel.
Pixel and Facebook Page belong to the same Facebook business of the Admin user.

To learn more about Facebook Pixel and set it up in your store, read these instructions in our Help Center.

If you haven’t connected your store to Facebook yet, these instructions will be handy.

If you don’t use Ecwid to sell online, you can manually connect Facebook Pixel and Conversions API. However, it requires some tech knowledge, so for not so tech-savvy sellers, we recommended using a partner integration like Ecwid.

Connecting Facebook Pixel via a partner like Ecwid doesn’t involve writing code

To Sum it Up

We’ve just thrown a lot of information at you, which can take some time to sink in. So, let’s give you a quick summary of what we’ve learned today:

Data is essential for advertising. Without it, you can’t personalize your ads and measure their performance.
Cookies are a common way to gather data that can be used for advertising. However, browsers are highly likely to limit the efficacy of cookies in the long term due to privacy concerns. Also, data collected via a browser can be lost due to loading errors or connectivity issues.
Conversions API is a Facebook Business Tool that enables businesses to share their data directly from their servers instead of relying on browsers.
Having a more reliable data connection allows you to secure and strengthen the insights that power your Facebook campaigns.
You are encouraged to set up the Conversions API in addition to Facebook Pixel for more data visibility and more reliable data sharing.
Setting up the Conversions API yourself requires some tech knowledge. You can also connect it via Ecwid’s partner integration (a preferable option for not tech-savvy sellers.)

Online selling can be tough on its own; that’s why we want to help you so you don’t have to figure out so much tech stuff on your own. With your Ecwid store connected to Facebook, you can reap the benefits of the latest Facebook updates without having to dive into technical implementation yourself or hiring developers.

With the Conversions API and Facebook Pixel, you can ensure that your ads reach the right customers at the right time and your ad performance is tracked precisely. That allows you to adjust your ad campaigns and plan your ad budget more effectively.

Learn more about running Facebook ad campaigns for your Ecwid store in our Help Center.

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About the author

Anastasia Prokofieva is a content writer at Ecwid. She writes about online marketing and promotion to make entrepreneurs’ daily routine easier and more rewarding. She also has a soft spot for cats, chocolate, and making kombucha at home.