The online advertising landscape is intensely dynamic, and it is often subjected to significant changes due to government regulations and policies of tech companies. One such recent encounter is the Apple iOS 14.5 update. Most digital marketers started to panic with the announcement of this new update. Of course, there are some serious impacts of the iOS 14.5 update. But, the good news is you have got some brilliant solutions too. So, if you are a Social Media Marketer or a small business owner running your own Facebook ad campaigns, this article is for you.

What Is Apple iOS 14.5? And When Will Apple iOS 14.5 Be Released?

After a series of beta releases, the Apple iOS 14.5 update is ultimately real. In fact, it was released in April 2021. With the new update, Apple users will receive a prompt on each app requesting permission to allow third-party tracking. For instance, Apple users can now decide whether they allow apps like Facebook to trace their activity outside their apps or the websites they visit. This new feature “App Tracking Transparency” is indeed great news for Apple users. But, it has become a nightmare for digital marketers.

What Does Apple iOS 14.5 Update Mean for Digital Marketers?

One of the most pressing questions of most digital marketers is how the Apple iOS 14 will affect their Facebook ad campaigns. So, here’s a list of changes that you are likely to experience with the new update.

Changes in App Advertising

Apple introduced the SKAdNetwork API concept in 2018 to enhance the user privacy of mobile app installations. But, now that it is here, Facebook will be using SKAdNetwork API for advertising on iOS 14 devices. But, this can delay or limit app event data. For instance, in campaign management, the event data will be limited to only nine campaigns. Further, it will restrict to five ad sets per campaign for each account. Lift measurement will also not be possible for iOS devices on Facebook app installations ads. You can also expect a slowdown in data reporting, which can take up to three days.

Changes in Mobile Web Advertising

Further to SKAdNetwork API, Apple has also introduced PCM which is the Private Click Measurement protocol. As a result of this, some web events resulting from Facebook ads will not be attributed accurately. For instance, there is a chance that geographical location will not be tracked properly. But you can overcome this with Facebook’s Aggregated Event Management tool.

Optimization and Targeting

Targeting and optimizing will also be impacted by the new update. In fact, there is a limit of eight events for each account. So, only up to eight conversion events can be used by a Facebook advertiser. Nevertheless, this is applicable only for optimization. You can track more events when creating audiences and reporting. With fewer data points for optimization, small-scale Facebook advertisers would be the most disadvantaged. Moreover, with the increased number of new update installations, there is also a risk of shrinking remarketing audiences.

Measurement

With the PCM, there will be a delay of three days for Facebook data from iOS 14.5 users to appear on display. So, this will result in the under-reporting of data. Simultaneously, you can expect a rise in dark social traffic. This happens when people share content privately on social media, thereby making tracking much more difficult. So, ad reporting data with the default attribution window will not give accurate values. In fact, it will result in under-reporting. With limited data, advertisers may thus encounter difficulty in running ads.

Business Manager Tool Setup

On top of the changes mentioned above, you will also witness a change in the interface of the Facebook Business Manager. This is because having a separate interface for iOS and Facebook is now impossible for Facebook. Also, chances are that there will be things moved to the campaign level or Event Manager from Ads Manager.

Actions That You Can Take to Prepare for the Apple iOS 14.5 Update

The challenge is real. The problem is how you can face it. Since now you are aware of what is changing after the Apple iOS 14.5, here is the complete guide on how you can get ready.

Verify Your Website Domain

It is a must that you verify the domain of your website with Facebook to prove that you are the owner of the website. There are three main methods of doing this including adding a DNS TXT entry to the DNS record, uploading an HTML file provided by Facebook to the web directory, or adding a meta tag to the home page’s <head> section.

Choose the Eight Conversion Events for Tracking

As there is a limit on the number of conversion events that can be tracked, you will have to configure eight events that are most vital for your campaign. Also, make sure that you prioritize them in the Events Manager. Remember, the pixel owner has to do this.

Compare Weekly and Monthly Attribution Windows

With the new update, the 28-day attribution window will be unavailable to users on Facebook Ad Reporting. Reporting will be limited to seven-day post-click and one day post-view. So, you should keep a record of your conversions from the eighth to the twenty-eighth day.

Find an Alternative to Cookie Tracking

Instead of relying on cookies, you can give your customers a post-purchase survey. Through this, you can collect essential data about customer demographics and preferences. Also, you can motivate website visitors to sign up by submitting their email addresses. This will help you to retarget them through an email campaign.

Devise Value Exchange Strategies

With the industry dynamics, it is a must that marketers gather first-party data if they are to understand the customers thoroughly. For this, you can provide customers some sort of incentive for sharing their data.

Wrapping Up

The Apple iOS 4.5 update has changed the Facebook Ads Marketing and Reporting for real. Before it is too late, digital marketers should update their Facebook strategies to overcome the problems with Apple iOS 14.5. This guide will undoubtedly help you to stay ahead of your competitors amidst the new challenge.

Key Takeaways

• Facebook marketing including campaign management and ad reporting has taken a new outlook with the recent Apple iOS 14.5 update.
• There are certain limitations on data collecting and sharing and delays in reporting.
• Marketers should adapt to the new changes through domain verification, and strategizing conversion events.
• It is a must that Digital Marketers look for other alternatives for customer retargeting without solely depending on cookies.
• To survive and lead, Digital Marketers should constantly upgrade their knowledge on tech-industry updates and adapt proactively.