In a world where privacy and data protection concerns become increasingly important. The advent of new privacy and data regulations implies that organizations need to constantly adapt to change. For example, before some privacy updates, valuable cookie-based data tracking solutions like the Facebook Pixel became worthless. This is because the Facebook Pixel cannot continue to track consumers for the foreseeable future, resulting in the loss of valuable data. Solutions like the Facebook Conversions API offer a promising alternative to the Facebook Pixel and should be implemented by organizations as soon as possible to further optimize ads on Meta. and ultimately increase sales.

4 challenges that make integrating the Facebook Conversions API a “must-have”

As there have been so many changes in privacy regulations recently, organizations are forced to comply with new standards and adjust the way they operate continuously. Some businesses are specifically affected, such as data-driven marketing, due to an increasing reliance on data. As a result, marketers face 4 key challenges that affect how they can track and use their audience data for marketing purposes.

1. More and more data protection initiatives are being launched

Regulations, such as GDPR, are in the pipeline and urge organizations to review and update how they collect and use data, as well as the transparency and control they provide to consumers. about their data. used. As a result, organizations like Apple and Microsoft are also constantly tweaking their operating systems, which directly affects marketers in terms of consumer tracking and data collection. customer data.

2. Device manufacturers are changing their operating system protocols

Everyone who has placed Facebook Ads will have noticed that Apple’s launch of iOS-14 with opt-in rules had a big impact on ad performance. For example, Apple’s changes include that Apple users now need to proactively grant permission to be tracked across apps and websites, resulting in reduced data signals. Furthermore, data for optimization now also has to go through an Apple server (SkadNetwork), which acts as a catalyst to restrict and aggregate data before sending it to advertising platforms. This process results in a processing delay of 24 to 48 hours.

3. People increasingly demand data protection and the use of ad blockers

Users are increasingly demanding privacy protection and can take action to enhance it, such as through the use of ad blockers. Ad blockers not only result in the impeding of the display of ads and therefore marketers being unable to target these people, but also result in the inability to send information from websites back to Meta through Facebook Pixel. This means a lot of valuable data can be lost.

4. We will live in a cookie-free future:

3P cookies will be blocked by default by all major browser providers like Chrome and Safari when new regulations are enacted. Timely phasing out of 3P Cookies led to problems with the way the traditional Facebook Pixel works and is still useful for organizations. This is due to the role of Cookies for the Facebook Pixel: Through Cookies, data can be stored in the user’s browser, which is then sent to Meta. Therefore, without these Cookies, data can no longer be saved in the user’s browser and therefore the Facebook Pixel, relying on the user’s browser information, cannot send any data back. Meta.

Benefits of Facebook Conversions API

Because of the profound challenges outlined above, the Facebook Pixel will lose meaning for marketers until it’s no longer using the Pixel. Therefore, marketers and organizations urgently need to look for alternatives. One of those alternatives is the Facebook Conversions API.

Facebook Conversions API is independent of third-party cookies

For those of you who have heard of the Facebook Conversions API, at first glance it seems to work similarly to the Facebook Pixel, but the main difference is the way the data is passed: Instead of using Javascript code to track your activity users and send web events and conversion data through a web browser, the Facebook Conversions API transfers data through the server without using 3P cookies. When a user clicks on a Facebook ad, Meta sends a unique ID for that user to the server. The server, in turn, will track the user’s actions through a unique ID and make a note of whether the user completed a specific action like making a purchase or adding a product to their shopping cart. . This information is then sent to Meta, which tells Meta what action the user with the unique ID took. Thus, the Facebook Conversions API allows you to share web events directly from your server and send the corresponding tracking data (link identifier) ​​and events to Meta. During this process, the data from your server is matched, then the received data point is assigned to the Facebook profile. This solution helps to increase the quality of online and offline tracked conversions using a server connection and creates a workaround for the problem of OS protocol changes like IOS-14 because the process of collecting data does not depend on Cookies anymore. As a result, device manufacturers’ limitations on the ability to collect through client-side (pixel) tracking can also be overcome.
Illustrate how the Facebook Conversions API works.

Enhanced data control

Through the use of the Facebook Conversions API, marketers and organizations can further benefit from control over discrete data, through the implementation of Facebook Conversions API organizations can decide on the data. which they want to share with Meta. Compared to the basic Facebook Pixel that tracks everything visitors do on websites by default, the Facebook Conversions API allows for more nuanced settings about what data can be tracked and shared with Meta. For more data control, Meta lets you choose to add insights to your events and decide if you want to share data, such as product returns, when setting up the Transfer API. change Facebook. In that regard, organizations are better able to comply with data protection laws and satisfy customers who require data protection, thereby enhancing a more favorable image of the organization. Furthermore, enhanced control over data transmission also allows organizations to be more flexible and add valuable business information, such as customer value, CRM data, and leads. qualified, for Meta. This allows for increased chances of ad optimization and better understanding.

Don’t depend on websites with login functionality or CRM databases

Besides providing answers to the challenges outlined above, the Facebook Conversions API also offers additional advantages. For example, the Facebook Conversions API also works for sites that don’t have login functionality or organizations that don’t have a CRM database. That makes the Facebook Conversions API superior to other alternatives, such as Adobe’s People-based Destination solution. Adobe’s People-Based-Destination is a (paid) application for online and offline data segmentation that creates audience segments based on hashed identifiers (email addresses) and also works in a cookie-free environment. Adobe’s solution is its reliance on human-based identifiers, especially the user’s email address, as it only works with login data or the CRM that provides this information. In contrast, the Facebook Conversions API may use other data keys, such as browser IDs and IP addresses, which can be known without any login or registration. Therefore, the Facebook Conversions API does not depend on the same information.

Greater reliability and removal of handling burden

Furthermore, the Facebook Conversions API is considered more reliable than the Facebook Pixel, as it is not prone to client-side issues, such as tracking errors, such as users leaving the page. before the pixel fires or the connection is interrupted. Currently, connectivity issues and web browser loading errors are leading to a reduction in the quality of data that organizations can collect. However, this can be avoided by implementing the Facebook Conversions API. Also, because the Facebook Conversions API is server-side, the user’s browser doesn’t need to load the tracking scripts anymore. The processing burden from the customer’s device can be removed, resulting in increased device performance. As a result, customer experience and satisfaction can be improved.

Organizations that continue to rely on the Facebook Pixel will increasingly face problems with the gradual reduction of the data that can be collected. This will result in reduced tracking and optimization opportunities, negatively impacting marketing performance. The Facebook Conversions API is effective in dealing with these challenges. In the face of new privacy regulations and growing customer privacy needs, the Facebook Conversions API enables enhanced data protection, due to enhanced data controls. Furthermore, due to its server-side nature, it provides a way to bypass the problems of current or upcoming changing operating systems, ad-blocker implementations on the part of consumers, and The challenge of a future without a kitchen. Therefore, it is essential for organizations to implement the Facebook Conversions API.