Why the Facebook Pixel is a Must-Have for Every Event Website

July 22, 2019

Jared Laidlaw

Jared Laidlaw is a digital marketing consultant and co-founder of Ellaw Digital, a boutique digital marketing agency. Jared helps event companies across the world achieve their attendance and ticket goals using Facebook and Google Advertising so that all the effort and stress put into event planning actually pays off.

You can essentially tell Facebook, “Hey, here are all the people who have registered for my event already — go out and find more of them, please!”

Event planners invest blood, sweat and a lot of tears into producing successful events, yet most are missing one key element to achieving amazing results. This element is being used to sell millions of products and services across the world in other industries, but is often ignored within the event planning community.

The one thing missing? A correctly set up Facebook Pixel on event landing pages and websites.

Facebook Pixel is a small piece of website code that can greatly increase your chances of selling registrations, sponsorships and exhibition space.

You’ve probably heard of Google Analytics, the online tool that collects and tracks website data. The Pixel is Facebook’s version of Google Analytics, and it directly links to the Facebook Ads platform, increasing its power.

The Pixel tracks website visitors and matches them to their Facebook profiles. When these matched visitors use Facebook, Instagram and other Facebook-owned properties, they can be shown relevant ads based on what websites they’ve visited.

What makes the Pixel a must-have for your event website comes down to three important functions: conversion tracking, remarketing and look-alike audiences.

Reason 1: Conversion Tracking

Setting up conversions with the Pixel allows you to signal to Facebook the actions that are important to you and what actions you want people completing on your website. Examples of important actions might be viewing your event page, downloading a sponsorship opportunities PDF or viewing available exhibitor booth spaces.

What’s even better is that you can give your custom conversions a monetary value, which can help Facebook automatically find users who are most likely going to generate further revenue for you when you are advertising with Facebook Ads.

Reason 2: Remarketing

Another key reason for using the Pixel is for the creation of remarketing audiences. You’ve probably spent a great deal of effort getting people to become aware of your event via press releases, social media, email and other advertising methods. So why would you waste all that time and energy to let them visit your site once and then never hear from you again?

The Pixel allows you to “follow” your website visitors around the internet with ads when they leave your site without doing what you want them to do (aka, register for your event). Using the Pixel and remarketing audiences has had profound positive effects in other industries, and event planners should follow suit with this implementation.

Reason 3: Look-Alike Audiences

The last reason why the Pixel is a must-have for your event website is for creating look-alike audiences. As you probably know, the hardest type of customer to get is a new one. It’s much easier to call or email an attendee who came to one of your previous events, or someone who’s on your email address list already.

This is where the Pixel comes into play, as it allows you to create custom audiences made up of people on Facebook whom you deem important. An example might be those who’ve registered/attended previously. You can utilize the look-alike feature to build an audience of people who have many of the same characteristics of your specific group, then target your outreach to this group.

If you’re wanting to make event promotion and attendance a lot less stressful, learn exactly how to set up up your Facebook Pixel here.

 

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Partner Voices
Overview: The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality. In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way. “We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.” Amenities: The Center of Hospitality goes above and beyond by offering world-class customer service and industry-leading partnerships. From the largest convention center Wi-Fi network to custom LAN/WAN design, the Center takes pride in enhancing exhibitor and customer experience.  The OCCC is the exclusive provider of electricity (24-hour power at no additional cost), aerial rigging and lighting, water, natural gas and propane, compressed air, and cable TV services. Convenience The Center is at the epicenter of the destination, with an abundance of hotels, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. Pedestrian bridges connect both buildings to more than 5,200 rooms and is within a 15-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport. The convenience of the location goes hand-in-hand with top notch service to help meet an event’s every need. Gold Key Members The OCCC’s Gold Key Members represent the best of the best when it comes to exceptional service and exclusive benefits for clients, exhibitors and guests. The Center’s Gold Key memberships with Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World greatly enhance meeting planner and attendee experiences offering world-renowned venues, immersive experiences and creative resources for their events. OCCC Events: This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.  The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:  AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023 200,000 Attendees $257 Million in Economic Impact MEGACON 2023 160,000 Attendees $205 Million in Economic Impact Open Championship Series 2023 69,500 Attendees $89 Million in Economic Impact Sunshine Classic 2023 42,000 Attendees $54 Million in Economic Impact Premiere Orlando 2023 42,000 Attendees $108 Million in Economic Impact