Tracking Pixels: How to Turn Multi-Channel Campaigns into Account Intelligence

Sam_A

Most B2B marketers run campaigns across multiple platforms, many of which live outside of 6sense. But here's the challenge: those platforms live outside your ABM infrastructure, which means you're flying blind on which target accounts are actually seeing your ads. 

Tracking Pixels solve this problem. They're the fastest way to connect external media performance to your 6sense account data. Deploy a pixel to any campaign running outside 6sense and it starts tracking immediately. For teams who are just getting started, pixels are the quickest path to value. For teams already using the 6sense web tag, use pixels to extend measurement to external channels where you're spending budget. 

Here's how to use them effectively. 

Why Tracking Pixels Matter for B2B 

Unlike traditional pixel tracking that focuses on individual users, B2B Tracking Pixels identify which accounts interacted with your campaigns. When a pixel fires, 6sense de-anonymizes it into a company name, revealing which specific accounts saw or clicked your ads. 

What makes Tracking Pixels different: 

• Universal 1×1 GIF format: Works on platforms that support third-party tracking (Google CM360, The Trade Desk, many programmatic DSPs) 
• Single pixel, multiple uses: Deploy the same pixel across campaigns, channels, and ads (as long as you can accept aggregated reporting) 
• Fast time-to-value: See account-level data within 24 hours of first event (no learning period required)
• No vendor lock-in: Measure campaigns wherever they run 

How to Set Up Tracking Pixels 

Step 1: Create Your Pixels 

Use a clear naming convention. Examples: 

• By campaign: "Q1_ProductLaunch_Clk" 
• By channel: "TradeDesk_Awareness_Imp" 
• By content: "ThoughtLeadership_Display_Imp" 

Step 2: Choose Impression vs. Click 

Most platforms only support one pixel type. Create an impression or click pixel based on what the platform you're deploying to accepts. 

Step 3: Deploy to External Campaigns 

Most platforms accept the pixel URL directly. Some publishers or content management systems require a HTML image tag: 

• URL Format Example: https://t.6sc.co/img.gif?event=imp&pid=XXXXX
• HTML Tag Format Example: <img src="https://t.6sc.co/img.gif?event=imp&pid=XXXXX" width="1" height="1" /> 

Pro tip: Optionally, add cache-busting macros if your platform supports them to ensure each impression triggers a unique tracking call.

Step 4: Validate and Deploy 

You don't need to wait for new campaigns. Add pixels to running campaigns immediately to start collecting account data from ongoing media spend.

7 Ways to Use Tracking Pixels 

1. Validate Campaign Reach 

Deploy impression pixels to your programmatic display ad campaigns. Review reports to see which specific accounts were reached and compare against your target list to measure coverage. 

2. Measure Cross-Platform Performance 

Tag your pixels by platform based on where you plan to deploy them (ex. Platform: Google, Platform: The Trade Desk, etc.). Use the tag filters in the Pixel Activity report to compare performance across channels and identify which platforms drive highest-quality account engagement. 

3. Track Content Marketing Performance 

Add pixels to blog posts, white papers, and case studies on platforms like WordPress, Contentful, or SiteCore. Use impression pixels to track content views and click pixels on download buttons to identify accounts taking action. See which content drives the most engagement with your ICP and spot accounts in research mode before they reach out. 

4. Build Account Retargeting Segments 

Create 6sense segments from accounts with pixel activity. Sync segments to other advertising platforms, layer additional targeting criteria (ex. buying stage, intent signals), and deploy coordinated campaigns across display, social, and email.

5. Nurture Engaged Accounts with AI Email Campaigns 

Create segments for high-priority accounts with recent pixel activity. Use workflows to automatically trigger AI email nurture campaigns, personalizing content based on which campaigns they engaged with and guiding them toward the next stage. 

6. Activate Sales Outreach Through SEPs 

Build segments from pixel activity on target accounts. Set up workflows to automatically push contacts from engaged accounts to your Sales Engagement Platform (ex. Outreach, Salesloft, Gong). Sales reps receive these contacts directly in their cadences, enabling immediate follow-up with context about which campaigns the account was exposed to. 

7. Prove Value of External Media Spend 

Deploy pixels to all external campaigns to connect the dots between media spend and business outcomes. Report on accounts reached, engagement, and downstream conversions across channels. Calculate cost-per-account metrics and prove which investments are driving pipeline. 

What to Measure 

Track these key metrics in your Pixel Activity reports: 

Reach & Engagement: 

• Accounts Reached (accounts with at least one pixel event – impression or click based on the pixel type) 
• Total Impressions or Clicks 
• Accounts Engaged (reached accounts that interacted on your site) 

Downstream Impact: 

• Account Visits (reached accounts that also visited your website) 
• Account Form Fills 
• 6QA / New 6QA 
• All Opportunities / New Opportunities 

Analysis: 

• Accounts reached by platform 
• Cost per account reached 
• Overlap between ad exposure and on-site activity 

Best Practices 

Pixel Creation: 

• Create pixels for impression or click tracking 
• Use one pixel per campaign where possible 
• Keep names under 50 characters with consistent taxonomy 
• Confirm your platform supports third-party pixels before deployment 

Technical Setup: 

• Implement pixels exactly as generated by 6sense (no URL modifications) 
• Add cache-buster macros when supported 
• Use tags to organize at scale (Channel, Platform, Region, Objective etc.) 

Analysis & Optimization: 

• Review reports every 2-4 weeks 
• Look for account overlap where ad exposure and on-site engagement occur together 
• Compare performance across similar campaigns 

Getting Started 

Start simple: pick one external channel where you're already spending budget. Create a pixel, deploy it to a running campaign, and check back in 24 hours to see which accounts you reached. That's it. 

Once you see the data, you'll know exactly which use cases make sense for your team. Maybe you'll build retargeting segments. Maybe you'll alert sales on high-value accounts. Maybe you'll just prove that your external spend is reaching the right companies. The point is to start small and let the insights guide your next move. 

The seven use cases above are just examples. The best way to use Tracking Pixels is whatever helps you make better decisions about where to spend your budget. 

Questions about Tracking Pixels? Drop them in the comments below.