Apple recently rolled out their iOS 14.5 update with new privacy features including the ‘App Tracking Transparency’ tool. While this new update provides users with more control over their data, it will significantly impact social media platforms like Facebook that rely on data collection to accurately and efficiently deliver ads to the right audiences.
Luckily, the peeps at Facebook are no stranger to updates and have launched the ‘Aggregated Event Measurement’ protocol that allows them to continue collecting user data. However, there are few optimisations you need to make in your ad account NOW to ensure ‘Aggregated Event Measurement’ works for your campaign.
What is ‘App Tracking Transparency’ and what will it mean for iOS users?
‘App Tracking Transparency’ makes data tracking across apps optional for users. For example, in order to gather information about your habits and interests, Facebook will typically track your actions across apps and websites owned by other companies (e.g. your actions on e-commerce stores). This information is then used to inform what ads are delivered to you once you are back on Facebook.
With ‘App Tracking Transparency’, iPhone and iPad users will be served with a prompt that requests their permission to opt in or out of cross-app and cross-site data tracking. While prohibiting data sharing between apps has always been an option, only the most data-conscious users were aware and able to adjust their software settings accordingly. With the new ‘App Tracking Transparency tool’, Apple is bringing data protection to the front of mind for all its users.
How will THE ios update’s ‘App Tracking Transparency’ tool affect Facebook ad campaigns?
As more people opt out of data tracking on iOS devices, we can expect ad performance to be affected due to targeting and delivery limitations. You may find that your retargeting audience pools (for example, when you want to target people who have previously visited your website) will become smaller. This may make it harder for your ads to reach people who are most likely to convert.
Sounds dire, right? Don’t worry, it’s not the end of Facebook advertising just yet. The ‘Aggregated Event Measurement’ protocol will still allow advertisers to measure website events (e.g. registrations, check out initiations, purchases… anything you want to track) completed by iOS users. However, Aggregated Event Measurement can only track up to 8 events per domain. Facebook will also require that all domains (where tracking is activated) be verified in Facebook Business Manager.
Don’t wait until it’s too late…Optimise your ad accounts now!
With all this in mind, here are the next steps you should take to ensure that you can continue to deliver and measure your Facebook ad campaigns.
- Verify your website domains
It is recommended that you verify your domains in Facebook Business Manager if you haven’t already done so. If you’re unsure of how to do this, please follow these steps or get in touch with one of our social specialists who can guide you through the process.
- Prioritise the events you want to track
If you have more than 8 events on your website, you’ll need to prioritise which ones you want to keep tracking. While Facebook will automatically prioritise the events that they believe are most relevant to your business, we strongly recommend that you rank your own events in your events manager.
If you need help preparing for the iOS 14.5 update or if you would like help optimising your ad accounts for improved performance and tracking, feel free to get in touch.
