If you work in digital media you know… things are always changing! One of my favorite parts about working in digital is that there is something new to learn each day. Our team is constantly learning and discussing new trends, analyzing program updates and discovering upcoming platforms that are hitting the digital market.
One BIG change that our team and many organizations have been waiting for is the new iOS14.5 Apple update that went live last month. Every iPhone user is now given the option of not allowing the Facebook app to track their movements around the internet, which means that they will then be opted out of tracking. Now that this update has been fully integrated throughout most Apple products, it’s changing the way nonprofits cultivate and retain donors through Facebook Advertising, as well as how they can track donations.
Today, I want to share with you three additional things you need to know about how this change will affect the way you communicate with and track your supporters online…
1. The Facebook attribution window is now significantly smaller.
Previously, Facebook has allowed businesses to track and report their analytics based on a 28-day, 7-day or 1-day click attribution window (meaning that if a donor clicked on the Facebook Ad and then made a gift online within that time frame, then their gift would be attributed to the Facebook Ad). With the new iOS14.5 update, the 28-day reporting view is no longer available. Instead, all revenue numbers from now on will be using a 7-day or 1-day click attribution window.
What does this mean for you?
Because of this newly shortened reporting and tracking window, along with the option to opt out of tracking, your Facebook Ad results will now appear to be lower than normal. Shift your expectations and understand that from now on, the numbers in your reports will be smaller than you’re accustomed to. But remember, this doesn’t mean that your engagement has gone down – your analytics just represent a shorter results window!
2. Dynamic result reports no longer include revenue results.
You might be wondering, what exactly is a “dynamic” Facebook ad? Well, dynamic ads give you the ability to serve up multiple copy and images sets within the Facebook Ad to your audience. Individual components can be created for each ad that Facebook would then mix and match to create the best ad based upon each individual person.
Before the iOS14 update, businesses were able to pull reports on the conversions and revenue within dynamic ads based on the breakout of individual “dynamic content” (or, the different copy and images within an ad). This allowed organizations to better understand which ad elements were bringing in the most revenue. But this will not be the case moving forward.
Now, businesses are no longer able to see the revenue rates from dynamic content in each ad. Instead, they will only be able to see reports on the CTR (click-through rate) for each copy-image set.
What does this mean for you?
When your organization evaluates the effectiveness of your dynamic ads, you will no longer be able to see the revenue associated with each one. Be prepared to lose some of the more in-depth insights that you’ve previously been able to see on dynamic reports in the past. This change will require a shift in how we evaluate dynamic ads by relying on the CTR instead of revenue, which allows us to see results based on the initial click engagement of each content.
3. Placement results display CTR only.
Facebook reports will no longer display results on the conversions and revenue from your “ad placements” (or, on how your ad performs on Facebook vs. Instagram). You’ll still be able to see the CTR for each ad placement, but not the revenue associated with each one.
What does this mean for you?
You’ll no longer have the ability to evaluate the revenue from your ads on Facebook in comparison to Instagram. This could seem like a big bummer for organizations who run ads on both platforms and rely on these reports… so make sure to familiarize yourself with successful non-revenue based metrics across all of your organization’s social media platforms.
But there is good news! In recent research, our team discovered a work-around for this update by setting up the Instagram impressions as a separate audience. This will allow us to still keep you informed of your nonprofits’ revenue results across both platforms.
When considering the effect that these changes will have on your organization’s digital advertising, it may seem like a storm cloud is looming over your Q3 and Q4 campaigns. But here’s the silver lining…
Over time, these stats will level off, our expectations will change and digital marketers will adjust to using a new baseline set for Facebook ads. All advertisers are in the exact same boat, trying to navigate these changes and make adjustments as we go along. And BDI will continue to be here for YOU, as a hub of timely updates on these important changes within the ever-evolving world of digital marketing.
If you would like a more in-depth look into how Apple’s new updates will continue to affect Facebook Advertising, check out this article from Forbes>>
