by Anees Mueller
February 23, 2021For months, Apple and Facebook have been publicly arguing over the value of privacy versus the importance of data collection for advertising purposes. While Apple originally planned to roll out important changes to its privacy protections in September, it delayed until early 2021 to allow time for preparation. Here are a few FAQs to help you make the transition:
What’s the Change Apple is Making?
In an effort to protect the privacy of Apple mobile device users, Apple will now require apps like Facebook to gain permission to track the behaviors of users and make that data available to advertisers. While there have always been options available to opt-out of data tracking, this is the first time that consumers must choose to opt-in for tracking.
In the opt-in, the user will see the specific ways in which the app intends to track and use their data.
Privacy is Good, Right?
Since the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), an EU law governing data protection and privacy, companies have been struggling to uphold the need for consumer privacy with the increasing pressure to offer personalized marketing messages to target audiences.
Facebook argues that the change that Apple iOS is introducing places undue burden on small businesses, many of whom access their reporting and targeting tools to advertise effectively and to compete in their industry.
What Kind of Impact is Expected?
It’s hard to say exactly how much the changes will impact Facebook or small businesses. While privacy is valuable, consumers also show a preference for customized buying experiences that may prioritize convenience over data protection. Put simply; they may opt-in.
In addition, not all Facebook users are Apple customers, and the changes won’t impact Facebook activity that occurs on a laptop or desktop computer. There still may be enough data to accurately personalize messaging and reach audiences effectively.
How Can You Prepare?
Many of the changes coming up are confusing, and they may turn out to be a bit of a dress rehearsal for more privacy regulations coming up later. There are a few things you’ll want to be aware of as you maneuver through your strategy this year:
Update to Facebook’s SDK for iOS 14 version 8.1: Updating to this latest version of Facebook ensures that you can still personalize ads delivered to consumers using iOS 14 devices and optimize for app install ads.
Prioritize Your Events in Event Management: You will be limited to eight events to measure campaign performance. For instance, you may decide that it’s most important that you can see metrics related to which users shared your content or which users clicked a link to continue to your website. You will have to decide which of those behaviors is most closely tied to a conversion.
Prepare for Changes in the Attribution Window: Facebook is moving from a 28-day click and one-day view model to a seven-day click and one-day view model. This is related to how Facebook reports on a conversion, based on whether a user clicks on an ad within the day, or views an ad and then clicks on it within seven days. You can still access the 28-day attribution option if you customize now, and this will give you a baseline to see how your reporting changes in the future.
Overwhelmed by all of these changes? While there is a lot to wade through, we’re here to help. Contact us at DirectMail.io for more information about how the Apple iOS 14 update will impact your small business and how the right strategies may soften or even eliminate that impact.
