There’s a lot of confusion about the way Facebook tracks conversions and how the Facebook pixel works in general. Unfortunately, this is all determined by algorithms and we have little information about it.
Facebook isn’t even remotely transparent and doesn’t reveal exactly how the tracking works, so at most we can make assumptions here.
However, we can learn from first-hand experience and results.
The way I understand it is that Facebook tracks conversions on the campaign, ad set and ad level. Facebook can measure exactly which clicks and conversions come from which campaign, ad set and ad, which means it can optimise for that particular ad campaign.
So let’s say you run two ad campaigns in your pixel:
One campaign is for a fishing product.
Since you have a separate ad set and ad for your fishing item, Facebook knows exactly who is clicking on that ad and converting. So the Facebook pixel data is contextual to the campaign you’re running.
If you run a second campaign for an outdoor camping product, Facebook will track which clicks and conversions come from that ad set and ad, so again the data in the Facebook pixel is contextual. Facebook is “silently” segmenting the data in the background.
Facebook can distinguish between the two products because you have two different ads for each product, it’s as simple as that.
The Facebook pixel isn’t just one big “entity”.
When we think of the Facebook pixel we often make the mistake of imagining it as one homogeneous mass of data. However, I believe the pixel is highly heterogeneous, segmented and extremely smart.
In essence this means you can easily run a general store and optimize your different products without running into problems.
It gets a bit more complicated when it comes to setting up custom audiences and lookalike audiences that are based on conversion events. But the ad optimization and tracking itself is not an issue.
Just let the Facebook pixel segment the data in the background.
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[…] written another article on how to set up your Facebook pixel and you’ll find tutorials online, so I won’t cover this in detail in today’s […]
Rob
Thanks for this informative post Till. Another expert seems to suggest adding different niche products will confuse one’s pixel. He discusses it here (I’ve included the relevant time link as well): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMBg0Ew6ptY#t=19m14s
Could I please have your thoughts on whether this expert is making a legitimate claim? I really enjoy your content by the way and hope you continue to make more.