If you are a frequent Facebook or Instagram advertiser, pay attention to the new IOS 14 changes. Your performance may be affected by these updates that have already started to take place. In this blog, we will be analyzing the effects of this changes and explore what we can do to reduce the impact on the revenue of our online businesses.

First things first. What are this IOS 14 changes updates? What devices will be affected by the Apple update?

Apple is going to force all the apps in App Store to show all users a warning related to tracking permissions in IOS. By default, Apple is going to block the compilation processes and sharing data practices UNLESS the users accept the tracking.

IOS 14 changes

These IOS changes updates affect

  • Iphone user who does not accept the permissions.
  • Ipad user who does not accept the permissions.

These IOS 14 updates does not affect

  • Apple desktop/laptop operative systems.
  • All non apple operative systems: Android, Windows, iOS, Blackberry, Firefox OS, and Symbian OS.
  • IOS14 users.

 

Let´s go a bit further. What is IDFA or Identifier for advertisers? Which role does this identifier play in our Facebook campaigns?

 The IDFA or advertiser identifier is an individual and aleatory identifier that Apple uses as a substitute of cookies in mobile digital advertisement.

The IDFA measures the client path and engagement with our ad campaigns, website or app. For this tracking to happen, both the social media platform and the supplier must allow the mediation with IDFA.

IOS 14 has refused to mediate with IDFA by default unless the user accepts the conditions.

IOS 14 changes

What will happen if the users don´t allow the pixel tracking?

The consequences of the nonacceptance of pixel tracking by users results in the following:

1. Incorrect tagging

The problems with tagging turns in difficulties with saved, lookalike and custom segmentations performance. Facebook will have a harder time to properly connect interests, demographic attributes and behaviors of targeted users to your campaigns.

Considering the mentioned issue, dynamic and custom type of ads such as catalogue ads will also suffer a decrease in its performance.

2. Changes in event attribution from 28 day/view or visit to 7 day/view or visit

Which translates in a lower assignation of events to the pixel. This means that the pixel will take more time and budget to get properly trained for conversion. The event attribution change started on January 19th.

IOS 14 changes

3. The maximum number of accepted conversion events will be reduced to 8

A consequence that we needn´t be too worried about since we normally need less than 8 events to correctly track an ecommerce platform: page view, view content, add to cart, initiate checkout and purchase.

How to overcome the impact of IOS 14 changes?

Beforehand, don´t panic. We first need to evaluate its evolution over this year 2021. It is definitely going to impact Facebook and Instagram ads performance but we still don´t know the real repercussion of this update.

Also, quick reminder: it just affects mobile and Ipad IOS 14 Apple systems. There is a huge audience that we are still reaching with our ads which use different operative systems other that IOS.

However, there are some anticipatory actions that we recommend you to follow in order to diminish Apple´s hit on your Facebook strategy:

1. Technical adaptation to the new IOS 14 changes Apple update: domain verification

Verify your domain as a recommended practice and add the corresponding metatag to the websites. Here you have a video which explains how to do so:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTAE-wgS5xQ&t=172s

Regarding the 8 events update, we don´t need to change the initial configuration. Facebook will automatically activate the 8 conversion events that it considers more relevant for your business activity.

2. Work with proper funnels

If you follow an effective funnel strategy, you will soften the tagging and segmentation problems. It´s always much easier to drive users that have visited your website or have engaged with your social media to conversion than people who have never heard of you. Generally speaking, working with a funnel strategy is a necessary if you want to obtain results and be budget efficient. But it will become compulsory after the IOS 14 changes take place.

3. Test, test and test

Yes, you expected this recommendation. The testing and scaling campaign cycle helps not only identify your best segmentations and adsets, but also reduce the cost of investment. Taking into account that tagging will be altered by Apple updates, continuous testing of new segment and content opportunities will become even more important to ease the consequences.

3. Deeper analysis of the operative system data before choosing the channel strategy

Go to your Analytics and give a thorough check to the operative system ratings of your users. If numbers show that Apple wins, we suggest you looking for complementary digital marketing strategies and platforms to promote your business. There are multiple options such as SEO, SEA (Google Adwords campaigns), LinkedIn ads, Tik Tok ads among others that could even offer you better results.

3. Omnichannel strategy

Following the previous action point, we recommend you to be active in, at least, more than one digital channel or platform at the same time. Along these lines, you will be able to get over with the impact IOS 14 changes your Facebook ads, become more competitive, increase your brand reputation and enlarge your revenue.

 

Hope you guys found this IOS 14 changes blogpost useful! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask us in the comment section below. See you in our next post!