3 key data sources to boost your Meta ad campaigns

Improving your Meta ad campaigns starts with setting up the right data sources. With these data sources in place, you will be able to use them for targeting, optimization, and reporting to achieve a better return on ad spend.

While Meta has listed 10 data sources on its Business Help Center, three are particularly important. We can categorize them into two entities: people and products.

In terms of people, there are Website Audience and Offline Audience/Events. As for products, best to set up the Product Catalog before launching Meta ads especially if you are promoting an e-commerce website.

Now, let’s break down these data sources in simple terms.

Website Audience

Using the website pixel from Meta, you can track who visits your website and what actions they take, such as viewing products or making a purchase. There are two ways to start collecting this data:

1. Manually Add the Pixel Code: This involves placing a unique piece of code (like the example below) right before the `</head>` tag in the header section of your website’s pages.

<!-- Meta Pixel Code -->
<script>
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';
n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',
'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');
fbq('init', '123456789012345');
fbq('track', 'PageView');
</script>
<noscript><img height="1" width="1" style="display:none"
src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=123456789012345&ev=PageView&noscript=1"
/></noscript>
<!-- End Meta Pixel Code -->

2. Use Partner Integration: If your site runs on popular platforms like Shopify, Magento, or WooCommerce, go for this easier option. You can install specific plugins that connect your website directly to Meta. Just follow the setup instructions.

This is the full list of partner integrations available at the time of writing:

• Bandzoogle
• BigCommerce
• Drupal
• Ecwid
• Eventbrite
• Google Tag Manager
• HubSpot
• Jimdo
• Joomla
• Kajabi
• Magento
• OpenCart
• PrestaShop
• Shift4Shop
• Shopify
• Shopline
• Squarespace
• Storeden
• Tealium
• Teespring
• Webflow
• Wix
• WooCommerce
• WordPress

Regardless of the platforms you use, Meta pixel can be easily deployed if you implement Google Tag Manager on your website.

You’re not limited to websites; if you have a mobile app, you can also connect it to Meta using the Facebook SDK. This lets you keep track of app usage and interactions.

Offline Audience/Events

For businesses with physical stores or direct customer interactions, you can take advantage of uploading your customer data to Meta. This helps in targeting customers more effectively through advertising.

For your peace of mind, customer information uploaded is kept secure using SHA256 encryption.

Here’s what you need to do, prepare a CSV file by following the format required by Meta (check the guidelines here), with three key components below:

• Customer details: Include data such as customer name, email address and phone number.
• Event time: Include an accurate timestamp for each event.
• Event details: Include details such as event name (purchase, lead, registration etc.), value and currency (if applicable) and order ID.

You might wonder why uploading customer data is useful. Both Website Audience and Offline Audience allow you to re-engage customers through remarketing or reach new ones with similar interests (lookalike audiences).

For better results, especially for lead generation or e-commerce websites, consider setting up Custom Events (by using the Conversion API) or creating Custom Conversions.

If you wish to understand more, this guide explains the differences between Custom Events and Custom Conversions.

Product Catalog

After setting up your audience data source, the next step is to create a Meta product catalog if you’re involved in selling online. This is particularly useful for those dealing with:

• Online products
• Local products
• Media titles
• Home listings
• Vehicles
• Hotels
• Flights
• Destinations

You have several options for adding items to your catalog, including manual entry, uploading spreadsheets (or a product data feed updated periodically), using Meta pixel, or integrating with a partner if you’re using one of the e-commerce platforms below:

Once your catalog is ready, you can execute Meta Advantage+ catalog ads. This feature helps in promoting your products effectively by automatically selecting and displaying the most relevant items to your target audience.