The Facebook (Meta) Pixel is a powerful tool that allows you to track conversions, optimize your ads, and build custom audiences for remarketing. If you're not using the Facebook Pixel on your hotel's website, you're missing out on a lot of valuable data that could be used to improve your marketing efforts.
Creating ads can be time-consuming and expensive. A great way to reduce both the time and cost of your Facebook ad campaigns is to use the Facebook pixel for retargeting.
In this guide, we'll show you a step-by-step guide to installing and using the Facebook Pixel on you’re the website for your hotel, B&B or guesthouse. We'll also provide some tips on how to get the most out of this powerful tool.
Read all the guides in the Hospitality series:
What Is the Facebook Pixel?
The Facebook Pixel is an incredibly powerful tool that every hotel should be using to track conversions, optimize ads, and build custom audiences for remarketing purposes.
It's a short piece of code that you can insert into the header of your website. Once the code is inserted, it will allow you to track the actions of visitors on your site and create targeted ads based on those actions. For example, you can create an ad that is shown only to people who have visited your site but have not made a booking.
How to: Set up your Facebook Pixel
1. Create a Facebook Business Manager account. Get started here: https://business.facebook.com/overview
Your Meta Facebook Business Manager will look like this:
2. Once you've created your Business account, click on the square tile and add people, pages and your Facebook Ad account to the business account.
If you don't already have a Facebook Ads Account, you can create an account here. https://www.facebook.com/business/tools/ads-manager
3. Under Data Sources, select Pixel and “Create”.
4. Give your pixel a name (we recommend something that includes the word "hotel" so you can easily identify it later on) and click "Create".
5. Copy the code that appears under "Embed Code".
6. Paste the code into the header of your hotel's website. If you're not sure how to do this, contact your web developer or host for assistance.
7. Now that the pixel is installed, it's time to connect everything up. From the left-hand business tools, select "People" and connect Pages, Ad Accounts and Pixels to the correct person to have control over placing your retargeting ads.
Track people that have visited your website
To do this, create a new "Standard Event" by clicking on the "Create Standard Event" button in the Events Manager interface.
Give your event a name (again, we recommend something that includes the word "hotel" so you can easily identify it later on) and select "Visitor" as the category. Then click "Continue".
On the next screen, select "URL" as the method for firing your event and enter the URL of your home page. Then click "Continue", then “Save”.
Track people that have booked direct
To do this, create a new "Standard Event" by clicking on the "Create Standard Event" button in the Events Manager interface.
Give your event a name (again, we recommend something that includes the word "hotel" so you can easily identify it later on) and select "Purchase" as the category. Then click "Continue".
On the next screen, select "URL" as the method for firing your event and enter the URL of your thank-you page (the page where guests are redirected after making a purchase). Then click "Continue".
The final step is to add some optional parameters to help you track additional information about each purchase (such as value). Once you've done that, click "Save".
Track your pixel performance
To see the pixel in action, open up events manager in the top-right corner and you can see how the pixel is loading onto visitor’s browsers.
Putting the Pixel to work with Facebook retargeting ads
Retargeting ads are a type of online advertising that allows you to show ads to people who have already visited your website or used your mobile app. These ads are based on cookies, which are small pieces of code that are placed on someone's web browser when they visit your site. The cookies allow you to track people as they browse the internet and show them relevant ads based on their previous interactions with your brand.
Why are Facebook Retargeting Ads Effective?
Facebook retargeting ads are effective because they're targeted. You're not just showing your ad to anyone who happens to be scrolling through their newsfeed. You're showing it to people who have already demonstrated an interest in what you have to offer.
For example, let's say someone visits your hotel's website but doesn't book a room. With Facebook retargeting, you can show that person an ad for your hotel the next time they log into Facebook. This is a great way to remind potential guests about your hotel and encourage them to book a room.
This makes them much more likely to take action and actually book a room at your hotel. In fact, studies have shown that Facebook retargeting ads can lead to a 10x return on investment (ROI). That means for every $1 you spend on Facebook retargeting ads; you can expect to see $10 in return.
How to Set up Facebook Retargeting Ads
Now that you know what Facebook retargeting ads are, let's take a look at how you can use them to boost your hotel's business.
In your Ads Manager
Step 1: Create a custom audience.
A custom audience is a group of people who have already shown an interest in what you're selling. To create a custom audience, go to the "Audiences" section of your Facebook Ads account and click "Create Audience." Then, select "Custom Audience" from the drop-down menu.
Here you'll be able to target people who have visited your website or used your app in the past 180 days. You can also create Lookalike Audiences, which are audiences of people who share similar characteristics with existing customers or website visitors.
Step 2: Select "Website traffic" as your source.
This will allow you to target people who have visited your website within a certain period of time. You can also choose to target people who have taken specific actions on your website, such as filling out a form or adding an item to their shopping cart.
Tip: Attach your pixel and specify website visitors or purchases within 180-365 days. You can use multiple parameters, for example, Instagram account visitors or Facebook followers as well.
Step 3: Set up your ad campaign.
Once you've created your custom audience, you'll need to create an ad campaign that targets these users. To do this, go to the "Campaigns" section of your Facebook Ads account and click "Create Campaign." Then, select "Traffic" as your objective and enter the URL of the page on your website that you want people to see when they click on your ad.
The Facebook pixel is a powerful tool that can help you retarget ads to people who have already visited your website. By installing the pixel and creating a custom audience, you can make sure that your ads are being seen by people who are more likely to be interested in what you're selling. If you're not using the Facebook pixel, you're missing out on a valuable opportunity to improve your advertising campaigns.
Check out our blog: 5 Secrets to Improving your TripAdvisor Ranking
Interested to learn more?
Treat is happy to set up your Meta Pixel; and we work with all the other digital agencies in Torbay to get the Pixel installed in your website right first time. We'll create retargeting ads and campaigns to help drive traffic and bookings for your property. Contact us at hello@treattorbay.co.uk or book some time in our diary below! We're always available to learn more about your hospitality business.