Track a Meta Ads Campaign

This page describes how to track a Google Ads campaign using the Katalys sytem. This requires that you properly configure your Meta Ads creatives, Meta Ads account, and Katalys account.

Instructions

To track a Meta Ads campaign, you must:

• Ensure links inside your creatives are appropriate.

• Setup a Katalys Postback to deliver events back to Meta Ads.

• (optional) Consider deploying a Meta Pixel to your lander.

The instructions below can be completed in any order, but will be ordered here for easy reference.

Step 1: Deploy Appropriate Tracking Links

Your creatives must contain appropriate tracking links to either a landing page that you control (a Lander Campaign), or an appropriate Katalys Program (a Direct Campaign). This process of selecting appropriate links is the same across Google, Meta, TikTok, etc.

Follow instructions on Tracking Paid Campaigns ->

Step 2: Setup Katalys Postback

Follow these steps:

1. Go to the Meta Events Manager and create a Dataset. Ensure that you select “Conversions API and Meta Pixel” as your setup option.
   Facebook’s documentation →
   Instructions with step-by-step screenshots →
   Ready? Go to Meta Events Manager now →

2. After creating the Dataset, retrieve the Dataset ID and Access Token.
   Instructions with step-by-step screenshots →

3. Create Katalys Postback of type “Meta Ads”. Use the Dataset ID and Access Token to configure the postback.
   Follow these instructions ->

4. Configure your Meta campaign to optimize to “Purchase” events inside your Meta Dataset.
   Facebook’s documentation ->
   Ready? Go to Meta Ads Manager now ->

Your postback will start to send data to Meta when you activate your Meta Ads campaign. If you follow Step 3 below, you will start to see data in Meta when any visitor to your lander converts, even if your campaign is not yet activated.

Step 3 (optional): Deploy a Meta Pixel

If you are building a Lander Campaign (see Tracking Paid Campaigns for definitions), then you have the option to seed your Meta Dataset with events before starting your Meta campaign. This may help your campaign “learn” faster.

In Step 1, you should have already placed your Katalys Script into the code of your landing page. Follow Meta’s Pixel implementation instructions to deploy the Meta JavaScript. With these two scripts now deployed, the Katalys script will automatically pull the Meta Pixel data into your Katalys Tracking Links on the page.

Validating Your Setup

To confirm your tracking setup is working correctly, use these steps.

For Lander Campaigns with no Meta Pixel on the landing page:

1. Find your advertisement on the internet and click on it. You may need to adjust your targeting parameters to see your ad.

   1. You should have been sent to your Landing Page.

   2. If you were not, then your ad creative is not configured as expected.

2. On your lander, inspect your browser’s URL bar. Copy the URL out of the browser and into a text editor.

   1. You should see the parameter fbclid= in the URL’s query string.

   2. If you do not, then your Meta campaign is not setup correctly, or you have custom functionality on the page preventing this crucial parameter from being visible.

3. On your lander, find a Katalys Tracking Link. Right-click on the link and choose “Copy Destination URL” and paste the URL into a text editor.

   1. You should see the parameter &fbclid= in the URL.

   2. If you do not, then you are missing the Katalys Tracking Script on your page.

For Lander Campaigns with a Meta Pixel installed on the landing page:

1. Open your landing page.

2. Find a Katalys Tracking Link on the page.

3. Right-click on the link and choose “Copy Destination URL” and paste the URL into a text editor.

   1. You should see the parameter &_fbp= in the URL.

   2. If you do not, then you are missing the Katalys Tracking Script on your page, or you are missing the Meta Pixel code.

For Direct Campaigns:

1. Open an Incognito Window.

2. Find your advertisement on the internet. You may need to adjust your targeting parameters to see your ad.

3. Before proceeding, open up your browser’s Developer Tools.

4. Click on your advertisement.

   1. You should have been sent to the desired Katalys Program.

   2. If not, then your creative’s URL is not correct.

5. Inspect your browser’s URL bar. Copy the URL out of the browser and into a text editor.

   1. You should see the parameter fbclid= in the URL’s query string.

   2. If you do not, then your Meta campaign is not setup correctly, or this Direct Link is not working correctly.

6. Return to your browser’s Developer Tools. Activate the “Network” tab, and search for /aff_c.

   1. You should see a Network entry with the parameters aff_id (Traffic Source ID) and offer_id (Program ID) set to expected numbers.

   2. If you do not, then this Direct Link is broken, or you previously clicked on this Program and did not use an Incognito Window when performing repeated testing.

Data You Will See

Your Meta Dataset will contain events from web visitors that click on your advertisement then subsequently perform various actions on Katalys Advertiser websites.

You can configure what events are pushed into your Meta Dataset by choosing or limiting events inside of Katalys. Review your “Use Case” and filters such as “Program” and “Traffic Source” to identify what events will be sent.