The Meta rollercoaster.
If you do any kind of paid social advertising on Facebook, you have likely heard of a Facebook pixel. With recent changes to the platform to Meta, pixel's name has changed to a Meta Pixel, but essentially the functionality remains the same, so what is it?
The Meta pixel is a piece of code that you place on your website to collect data. This data tracks conversion from ads will optimize your ad setup and can build targeted audiences for ad campaigns, including remarketing to folks that have already shown interest in your website. All good stuff, right?
We know that tracking is essential to our campaign strategies and is something we have come to rely on when building a robust campaign. With that in mind, recent changes to Apple’s third-party tracking in iOS 14.5 have impacted these tracking methods' ability to work the way they did before, forcing advertisers to rethink their strategies on the platform. Here is what you need to know:
iOS 14.5 UPDATE
Privacy is on everyone’s mind these days, especially regarding our personal data online. Apple’s iOS 14.5 update includes an App Tracking Transparency feature making it so that users can opt-out of being tracked across apps, including the big ones like Facebook and Instagram. Outside of being an opt-out feature, the update now asks if you want to allow the app to track you, with many Apple users self-selecting out.
WHY DOES THIS MATTER?
The big reason is that advertisers depend on tracking to make important decisions about their ad spend. Without including a large percentage of Apple users, the data available has become less reliable. Additionally, the ability to create look-alike audiences and target specific demographics, locations, and interests is impacted.
We have become accustomed to being targeted for things we have recently searched online. Sometimes this is convenient, and it gets downright creepy in some cases. If you are an Apple iOS 14.5 + user, you can expect that the relevancy of ads served to you may go down; whether you like that or not is up to you. Of course, you can always opt back into tracking if this is a feature you appreciate.
WHAT IS META DOING?
At its most straightforward, Meta is making it clear in reporting that the data shown for ad conversions is likely missing users from Apple iOS 14.5 + users. The percentage of users that have opted out from this segment is up for debate, but the consensus is that it is a high amount. That said, other smartphones currently do not have the same feature.
Additionally, Meta has introduced access to “modelled conversions,” which uses aggregated data to help brands better understand performance. A challenge with this method is that data is less real-time and Facebook suggests waiting a minimum of 72 hours before measuring performance. So keep that in mind when starting a new campaign or assessing the effectiveness of any optimizations.
WHAT CAN YOU DO AS AN ADVERTISER?
Before everyone rushes to change their plans for Facebook as a paid advertising channel, take a breath. Despite these updates, Facebook and Instagram continue to offer a platform with unparalleled reach and volume of eyeballs on ads. That said, it is an excellent time to look at diversifying your advertising strategies, and media spend and not solely rely on Facebook to sell your products and services.
Additionally, advertisers and agencies need to consider their first-party data collection strategies. Consider UTMs and internal customer journey measurements to gather your data for tracking rather than relying on outside sources.
We know that entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster, but being a social platform advertiser has been its own ride over the past few years. Whether you are a new business or a well-defined brand, what remains certain is that the marketing landscape continues to shift and change. Those that remain vigilant and open to iteration will continue to thrive with whatever comes around the next bend.
