Supercharging Social Media with iOS 14.
By now, you’re probably aware of the iOS 14 changes Apple rolled out earlier this year. Data privacy and protection is an increasingly important issue that is at the front of consumer’s minds. To respond to growing concerns, Apple introduced their iOS14 update, dramatically restricting data collection about user behaviour from mobile devices. To do this, Apple has implemented an opt-in system where people must allow companies to track their activity, whereas previously consumers needed to opt-out of sharing their data.
The data sharing changes have been great for consumers, who have greater control over what data they choose to share but marketers are struggling to reach, track and report on the resonance and effectiveness of their campaigns. When a user decides not to opt-in to tracking, marketers don’t have access to the IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) which traditionally allows Facebook to track user behaviour on a website.
Primarily, Apple’s iOS14 data crackdown has affected mobile advertising, shrinking the data pool for advertisers, particularly across social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram which rely on pixels to capture user behaviour on retargeting and conversion campaigns.
In the months following Apple’s iOS14 rollout, ad performance is down across the board with advertisers scrambling to reconfigure and adjust.
Approximately 17% of users globally have opted into tracking, making it difficult for businesses to have oversight over how people are behaving on their website or apps from iOS devices.
On the Facebook ads platform, there has been major disruption in three main areas: Targeting, reporting and optimisation.
Apple’s update has made retargeting iOS users (once a staple of any healthy advertising strategy) now nearly impossible with the Facebook pixel being heavily affected by data restrictions. The update has also shortened the retargeting time frame to 7 days instead of 28.
Reporting has also been obstructed and there is now a 3-day delayed reporting window. There are also significant disparities on reported conversions between the Facebook platform and other third-party sites such as Shopify. This lack of visibility requires adaptability and innovative thinking when it comes to how you optimise campaigns.
It’s important to note that desktop and Android devices remain unaffected which is great news when you look at the stats. Android devices account for a whopping 85% of all mobile users with iOS only making up 14%. So while this change is a significant step in the future of data sharing and privacy, it should only require a few tweaks and changes for businesses to ensure they’re still getting great results from their social media advertising.
So how do you supercharge your social media advertising in this challenging climate? At Media Sociale we have some easy wins that you can implement to thwart any further advertising disruptions.
Verify Your Domain
Verifying your domains helps Facebook to know that you’re the real deal and will help you in the long-run with any account issues you may encounter.
Use existing engagement to retarget mobile users
The Facebook network has a wealth of data that can help you retarget users based on previous engagement with your brand. By keeping some of your retargeting measures within the Facebook ecosystem you’re less likely to be affected by iOS14’s disruptions to pixel data.
Exclude iOS users from Conversion Campaigns
Pixel actions like Form Submission, Click to Download, Add to Cart, Purchase Completion will have fewer numbers reported as more people choose to opt-out of being tracked. Excluding iOS users from any conversion campaigns that you run will mitigate this issue.
Trade-In “Landing Page Views’ for ‘Link Clicks’
If you choose “Link Clicks” as your goal, it won’t be affected. But if you choose “Landing Page Views,” which relies on the Facebook Pixel, it won’t track iOS 14 devices.
Install Facebook Conversion API
Conversion API is another tool is your Facebook data toolkit. It sits alongside your pixel to track conversions through your website’s server.
Content is King
There is no doubt that the greater focus on privacy is here to stay, with big tech giants all vowing to roll out greater data privacy measures. This will change how marketers communicate with their audiences making content and messaging more important than ever.
The digital landscape is always evolving and data privacy will continue to be a major consideration for all advertising platforms going forward. It’s important that marketers and businesses alike stay on top of their game when it comes to targeting and optimisation.
At Media Sociale, we live and breathe social media and are experts in bringing brands to life in the social sphere. We’re dedicated to guiding our clients through these changes and ensuring that they get the best bang for their buck across all of their social media advertising.
