Facebook Pixel – Now A First Party Cookie
Note: This post is all about Cookies and Pixels – don’t know what these terms refer to? See some helpful information here.
Facebook’s Announcement:
Facebook announced a big new change in how their Pixel functions. They started to offer first-party cookies
October 24, 2018, following in the lead of Microsoft (Bing) and Google (Ad and Analytics).
Wait, they weren’t always first-party?
Facebook has been relying on third-party data, which can be easily blocked so marketers aren’t able to track and collect data. As high as 40% of users block or delete third-party cookies.
Note: You can opt out of a third-party vendor’s use of cookies by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) opt-out page. But please don’t – we like being able to target you with ads you’d want to see!
Benefits of Facebook First-Party Cookies – Why is this good?
Advertisers will be able to use first-party cookies data to measure and optimize campaigns on Facebook. The campaign targeting will be more accurate, improving ROI that we can now track more accurately on Facebook. It will help marketers better access data from Apple’s Safari. Apple’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP), launched last year to block third-party cookies. Also, less than 5% of people block first-party cookies.
What Do I Have To Do To Get These Tasty Facebook First-Party Cookies?
The short answer – Nothing.
If you have a Facebook Pixel installed on your site the change will take effect automatically.
Does All This Cookie Talk Make You Hungry And Confused?
Give us a call if you need help and let us do the “baking” for you. Contact us today and we can help with all your questions and Facebook marketing needs.
Appendix:
Facebook pixel: An analytics tool that allows you to measure the effectiveness of your advertising by understanding the actions people take on your website. You can use pixel data to:
- Make sure your ads are being shown to the right people
- Build advertising audiences
- Unlock additional Facebook advertising tools
Source: facebook.com/business/help/742478679120153
Cookie: A small text file (up to 4KB) created by a website that is stored in the user’s computer either temporarily for that session only, or permanently on the hard disk (persistent cookie). Cookies provide a way for the website to recognize you and keep track of your preferences.
Source: pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/40334/cookie