It is real. It is happening. This new release of Apple is causing a ruckus in the digital space. The update is seen to cause an enormous impact not only on the revenue of Facebook but also on the future of digital businesses. When I say an enormous impact, I am not only talking about some technical issues. I am talking about the future of Facebook Ads.
What’s with this Apple iOS 14.5, and how does the release may affect your Ads on Facebook?
To provide the best of their service, Apple enables a feature that enables privacy-safe marketing to its users. In other words, users may have the authority to opt-out Ads on Facebook in which the policy will prohibit certain data collection and sharing unless people opt into tracking on Apple iOS 14.5. The feature is called SKAdNetwork API. It is an update that shall be integrated on Facebook for app advertising on all iOS 14.5 devices. And this will either restrict, limit, aggregate, or delay all app event data of users.
These updates from Apple could affect your business in many ways, such as:
- The reach of Ads or Campaigns will be limited. As of January 2021, 98.3% of any kind of mobile phone users are using the Facebook app, 81% of its users use only mobile devices. And a huge portion of these users is expected to use the iOS device with the Apple iOS 14 update. If half of its users will choose to opt out Ads of Facebook, it will certainly create a toll on several Facebook Advertisers.
- It limits the measures and reports on conversions. The Facebook Pixel used by Facebook to track the behavior of visitors will be limited to Apple’s iOS 14.5. Facebook may have difficulties with efficient conversion data and reports from Facebook Pixel. This Facebook Pixel is similar to the “Cookies” that most websites ask you to accept on website visits. This Facebook Pixel’s purpose is to track cookies or track the behavior of your visitors.
- Ineffective marketing because of the limited reach of the target audience. The policy that entails iOS 14.5 update and the number of people who will choose to opt-out Ads from Facebook will decrease the number of the users that Ads can reach. This will affect the efficiency of the marketing efforts of businesses, especially those small businesses that take advantage of free advertisements.
How should you prepare for these iOS 14 updates?
Many are alarmed by this policy that comes with Apple’s iOS 14 update. Though its effects could be alarming, there are several things that you can do to get you and your business prepared for the effects of this iOS 14.5. Here are some ways you can prepare:
- Verify your domains. Facebook recommends verification of website domains to help avoid any future disruption of your website campaigns once the Apple update launches.
- Plan your conversion events. A domain can only configure up to 8 conversion events for campaign optimization. According to Facebook, optimizing unavailable accounts will be paused.
- Strengthen conversion efforts on other devices. The update may affect iOS 14.5 devices. However, it will not affect all types of devices in the world. You may take extra efforts on increasing conversions from other devices.
- Strengthen conversion efforts on your websites. Strengthen the basics. You may strengthen your conversion with other means such as lead generation or email marketing. You can still track your visitors or leads conversion with the cookies you get from your website.
- Administer web visit campaigns. You don’t have to rely on Facebook’s Pixel to track your conversions. You may also track your conversions with the internal tracking of your website.
With all the threatening effects of this Apple iOS 14.5 on Facebook Ads, I believe it is not the end for Facebook Advertisements and it is not the end for small businesses to grow using digital marketing. In no time, surely there will be a coming solution for this matter. Perhaps, this is the time to expand in different forms of Digital Marketing. Surely, Facebook is a great help in advertising your business, but you do not have to box yourself and your business on what Facebook can offer. The Internet is a vast universe. There are other platforms and opportunities that you can utilize to make your business reach exponential growth.
References:
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/377808/distribution-of-facebook-users-by-device/
- https://www.facebook.com/business/help/126789292407737?id=1205376682832142