Oh, Facebook. It never fails to generate chatter. But this time, it actually deserves some real kudos. Its recent development – a new cross-device tracking tool – is actually a nifty accessory that solves cross-device measurement problems that marketers often face. Although many users have secretly hoped for a solution, cross-device activity has been largely untracked. Linking login data has been the most precise way to track cross-device activity, but it’s also extremely challenging.
Facebook’s new cross-device tracking tool is designed to show advertisers which device their customers were on when they viewed the ad and the conversion happened. With this information, advertisers can better understand their ad spending and ROI.
It works like this: advertisers drop the Facebook conversion pixel, or a piece of the tracking code, onto the page that they want users to convert on. They create a Facebook ad that is then shown in the news feeds of the target audience. When a user clicks on the ad, they are taken to the conversion page, and all is tracked and reported. This was all possible before, but with the new tracking tool, advertisers can determine what device the user was on when they made the conversion.
Why does this matter? Because a person using a desktop computer is generally in a different state of mind than when using their smartphone. For example, users may casually use their smartphone to read information about a particular product, make comparisons and check out reviews. However, when it comes to making the purchase, they use their desktop computer. The fact is that people jump from device to device, so it’s important to understand how each device affects the buying funnel.
With Facebook’s new cross-device tracking tool available to advertisers, we are one step closer to improving the customer journey and increasing ROI. By utilizing the tool, you can learn a lot about your own customers and what device they are typically on when they convert. You may find that using mobile earlier in the customer journey is more beneficial than in the later part of the journey. Or, you may discover that the opposite is true.
For more information about the cross-device tracking tool, visit Facebook’s news page.
