Here's What the iOS 14 Update Means for Your Facebook Ads

There’s been a lot of talk in the media space about Apple’s iOS 14 update and how that relates in particular to Facebook advertising. Their new App Tracking Transparency framework will prompt all iPhone users to expressly provide apps with permission to track their data, which will have a significant impact on any apps that use this data for advertising or other purposes.

Over the past three months, marketers and media professionals alike have been trying to navigate this major shift in online advertising. All that Google has to offer in terms of a solution is confusing information and very long articles using acronyms that only nerds like myself can understand. This information overload can be very overwhelming and demotivating, so let a Yeti lend a helping hand! We have got your back - here is everything you need to know!

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What the hell is going on?!

This new prompt will apply to the Facebook and Instagram apps, meaning that if the user opts out of tracking, then the app cannot track them or access their device’s advertising identifier. So if a user opts out then apps can no longer link that user’s data with other 3rd party information. So, as an example, if an opted-out user clicks a Facebook or Instagram ad and visits an advertiser’s website, Facebook cannot link the user data from their system to the activity the person takes on the advertiser’s website. This means that Facebook cannot use that person’s activity on the advertiser’s website to optimise ad delivery for other similar users and they cannot report back to the advertiser whether the user “converted” on their website (i.e. add to cart, made a purchase, viewed a specific URL, etc.) after clicking through the ad.

Are my Facebook and Instagram ads f****d?

For users who opt-in to allow activity tracking, there will be no change in advertisers’ ability to target ads and measure performance. The big unknown at this point is how many people will enable activity tracking vs. opting out, which means that nobody knows how large of an impact the iOS 14 rollout will have on advertisers.

Clearly, the more people that opt-out, the larger the issue for Facebook and other ad platforms. It is also likely that it will take some time for the full impact to be seen, as many Apple users do not install updates to their operating system as soon as they are available. This means advertisers may see gradual performance declines over the span of several months – but we have got your back!

Here is your recipe for success (thank us later)

In an effort to address the decrease in conversion data, Facebook has introduced Aggregated Event Measurement (AEM). Through Aggregated Event Measurement, advertisers are able to rank their conversion events in order of importance. The reason for this is that Facebook will use this ranking to decide how to track conversions from people who opt out of activity tracking.

In order for Facebook advertisers to use the new Aggregated Event Measurement, they will have to make changes to their ad account/Business Manager:

1 - Verify your website domain – both sub & main domains

You should verify your website’s domain to avoid any immediate or future disruption of your website’s campaigns. The domain owner’s Business Manager will then have the authority to configure the top 8 conversion events for that domain. Facebook has created a step-by-step video on how to verify your domain.

2 - What’s your event priority?

With Facebook’s new Aggregated Event Measurement, advertisers will be limited to a maximum of eight events per domain. A pixel event or custom conversion will apply toward the eight conversion events per domain limit.

Facebook will auto-configure the initial eight events based on campaign spend within the last 28 days across all events, including automatic pixel events. It’s important to note that any ad sets optimizing for an event not included in the eight prioritized events will be paused. All advertisers should visit their Events Manager to prioritize their events.

#JustTheTip: If you are aiming to optimise for ‘purchase’ events – allow four events for purchases to drive more data towards the event – for quicker learning!

3 - The magic ‘click’ - Use reach or click-based optimisation

Because conversion-oriented campaigns are expected to be affected, consider switching to reach or traffic-based optimizations. We have found that a well-designed traffic campaign can be equally as effective as a conversion campaign in driving leads, sales, signups or other user activities.

4 - Get Dynamic

If you are running dynamic ads, it is important to ensure that your catalogue is only using one tracking pixel. There are no specific changes for dynamic ads for retargeting, but advertisers will likely notice a decrease in their website conversion audience sizes.

Good luck!

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If you need any help with setting up your business for success or you would like to profit from social media, get in touch with a Yeti below – don’t be scared we don’t bite!