Facebook connector setup

[per_lundqvist]

I am trying out the Facebook connector for retargeting a custom audience. The documentation and the reality do not match entirely. Maybe someone has an idea to use.

I would like to try out the feature by using a finite customer list in FB, containing email addresses (more than 20, I know). I have an ad using this audience, it is reviewed and OK.

In Audiencestream, in the connector setup, Action tab, the Custom audience must be selected. On the other hand it says 'Audiences created from customer files are not displayed'. Hmm...

In the documentation provided you recommend that audience is created from the Connector, which I did. I however never got the small check mark in the connector setup. I then added the customer file in FB. 

So my question is, how should I understand the required field for the custom audience in the connector, which cannot be displayed since it is based on a customer file. How is the connection then made to FB? Can I even expect this to work?

Thanks

Per

[dan_george]

Hey @per_lundqvist

I am not the best person to answer this, @james_hartley might be able to provide more. Here is what I know.

If you create an Audience in FB absent of Tealium, FB automatically hashes the email addresses etc and essentially treats those audiences separately from website traffic. So there is a conflict between our API usage and sending data in to the Customer File type of Audience. Therefore, we hid those types of Audiences to avoid customer issues. So it seems like those need to be managed separately, but Jim can speak more to that.

[per_lundqvist]

OK let's hope that your colleague will be able to jump into this thread, @dan_george.

If FB internally hashes the email addresses in the customer file I can clearly see a potential risk that no match will be found with the connector 'poking' FB. I did try another type of audience in FB in the first run, but I never managed to get it to work. With a customer file there is a much more clear relation, at least during initial tests.

[dan_george]

@per_lundqvist

Talked to a Digitial Strategy and he states that you'll need create Audiences from Website data and that will allow the data flow. Or create the audience from our connector. The customer file option, I believe, allows you to upload additional data on those users, but AudienceStream cannot post data using that option.

I think that pretty much sums up what you're seeing, right?

I guess that brings up the issue where you state you created an audience within AudienceStream but it's not showing up as an option, is that still occurring?

[per_lundqvist]

@dan_george

Thanks for digging into this. However, when I again read the documentation provided here these things don't add up. This is what it says about custom audiences in the connector setup:

"On the Facebook site, you will have the option to create audiences based on a customer list, website traffic, or app activity. For this example, create your audience based on a customer list. It is also worth noting that in order to use your custom audience, it must contain a minimum of 20 entries. If your audience has been created successfully, a small "check" icon should now appear beside the button."

That whole section needs a review since I have the feeling that the author mixes the two different approaches to the creation of the custom audience, either from the Connector setup or from within Facebook.

I will test what you suggest, not using a customer file audience, and see if I can get it to work.

[kathleen_jo]

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@per_lundqvist wrote:
@dan_george

Thanks for digging into this. However, when I again read the documentation provided here these things don't add up. This is what it says about custom audiences in the connector setup:

"On the Facebook site, you will have the option to create audiences based on a customer list, website traffic, or app activity. For this example, create your audience based on a customer list. It is also worth noting that in order to use your custom audience, it must contain a minimum of 20 entries. If your audience has been created successfully, a small "check" icon should now appear beside the button."

That whole section needs a review since I have the feeling that the author mixes the two different approaches to the creation of the custom audience, either from the Connector setup or from within Facebook.

I will test what you suggest, not using a customer file audience, and see if I can get it to work.

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We'll definitely take a look at the documentation @per_lundqvist and get it updated. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for pointing it out to us. 

[dan_george]

Hey @per_lundqvist just checking in to see what you've found.

[per_lundqvist]

Hello @dan_george , not much to report I'm afraid. I remade the connector setup, creating the audience from within there. Then connected the created audience to the Ad set in Facebook. Got it reviewed and set to active.

Three persons now have tested by logging into the test website, got the audience set (which I have traced OK) then logging into Facebook using the same email address to look for the ad to show up but to no avail.

Since I set the email address as the data to push into Facebook I guess it is a 1:1 ratio of who sees the ad since there is no limitations to the custom audience settings in FB (other than a very low budget...) and I also guess that the ad should show up in not more than 5-10 minutes (to get some decent retargeting effect).

I have run out of ideas... Either something is not working properly (in the connector) or it is still something I miss in the total setup. Disappointing regardless.

[dan_george]

@per_lundqvist Per this link, all Custom Audiences have to have at least 20 individuals for you to be able to retarget your fans.

Regarding the audience that you've created, you can use the dashboard reports in AS to see how many times the action has triggered to see if you've reached over 20. I state this because sometimes audiences are created with criteria where only internal personnel are targeted at first so your co-workers may have tested too soon.

Also, I believe the ad slots are auctioned, right? Meaning you could have been outbid? If I remember correctly when we setup our initial tests with Google we had to set our cost per ad really high just so we could verify it was working. Not sure if that's the case here, just food for thought.

[per_lundqvist]

Hi @dan_george, thanks for Friday feedback.

What still eludes me, is if there is a way to make sure that the Facebook individuals retargeted, are just those "poked" from the connector and no one else. The first try I did some days ago was to create the custom audience in Facebook (about a 1000 potential individuals according to the FB admin). I pointed to that audience in the AS connector. The only result I got was 17 retargeted (and 3 likes..). This was far from the desired result since the the way I've setup the involved AS audience means that only a number of test people actually get the flag set and the connector active. My conclusion was that I had not the expected control from Audiencestream over the retargeting taking place.

Then I created a list of 25 email addresses, created a new custom audience from the connector and then, in FB used the address list to setup the custom audience to that list. Kicked of the test with people from the test group (also represented in the FB address list). I expected then to be in control of the retargeting, but no. Nothing happened on their FB walls.

Most recent setup was to again, create the custom audience from within AS and limit it with the data available in FB. Target is about 1000 people.

My point is, I need to be able to control exactly who sees the ad by letting Audiencestream flag those in Facebook for retargeting. I don't want the campaign to be seen by anyone else (of which I have no control). Reason is twofold, since it is a very specific campaing it is pointless for a broader common audience, and 2nd is cost. How exactly can I achieve that the retargeting is guided only from the API, not from the Facebook data?

The comment by you about if the "action has triggered to see if I've reached over 20" is not clear to me. Do you mean that the trigger action has to happen at least 20 times before anything at all starts on the Facebook side, regardless of the size of the FB custom audience?