Marketers funnel money into Facebook because Facebook can prove ROI. So how does the iOS 14 update affect your Facebook ads?
Apple announced iOS 14 updates that, among other changes, require apps to ask users for permission to collect and share data using Apple’s device identifier.
This means that apps in the App Store must obtain permission to “track” users across apps and websites owned by third parties for advertising and measurement purposes through its AppTrackingTransparency (ATT) framework.
The following are the top 3 areas that will be affected by the update, so you can best prepare.
1. Changes in app advertising
Luckily, Facebook already introduced their SKAdNetwork API in May 2018 to address privacy concerns of mobile app users. This will now be used by Facebook for app advertising on iOS 14 devices, and will either restrict, aggregate, or delay all app event data.
Things to keep in mind:
Lift measurement will be unavailable for iOS 14 App Install and App Events campaigns.
2. Changes in measurement & reporting
The SKAdNetwork API is not the only thing that will affect advertisers. Apple has also created the PCM (Private Click Measurement) protocol for web attribution. It will strongly contribute to restricting data that businesses and platforms can access.
Facebook released the Aggregated Event Management (AEM) tool as a solution to this problem. It will help with better attribution of sales and means that Facebook will still be able to track and report on conversions from users that opt-out of tracking.
The primary tracking tools Facebook will use is their Pixel, which is responsible for gathering all the data inside of the platform. They will combine this with CAPI (Facebook Conversion API), which will cover the server side tracking.
Things to keep in mind:
Reporting of events will be delayed for up to three days.
3. Targeting & attribution
Advertisers will be limited to 8 conversion events tracked per domain. This could be 8 pixel-based events, or 8 custom conversions. However, you can still track more events for reporting and audience creation. We’re expecting that the CPMs will lower and audience pools may decrease.
Things to keep in mind:
28-day attribution of any kind will no longer be supported. Historical data for them will only be available via the API.
7-day click attribution will still exist.
7-day view-through attribution will also be gone.
What can you do to prepare?
Step 1: Integrate CAPI & Facebook Pixel
Step 2: Verify your domains with Facebook
Step 3: Decide which 8 events will be prioritized for AEM
Step 4: Establish and implement your attribution protocol
For longer term success, we would also highly suggest creating strong offers that you can tie back to an ad with UTM tracking, dedicated landing pages, or unique coupon codes. We believe that there will be a heavier focus on CTRs in the auction and so creative will be even more important in driving performance.
If you would like assistance with your Facebook campaigns, or have more questions around how the iOS14 update will affect your ads, please contact us to find a solution.
Ladies and gentlemen let the iOS14 update begin and may the odds be ever in your favor.