Apple’s latest iOS 14.5 update has a lot of us thinking about what the future of the web, privacy, and marketing looks like. For some marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs, that is likely scary and maybe cause for concern.
The Apple iOS 14.5 update allows users to control whether apps can collect and share their data or not through AppTracking Transparency (ATT). The ATT sends a pop-up on the iPhone screen and lets users determine whether the app can or cannot track activities on their phones. If denied tracking permission, apps like Facebook or Instagram cannot collect user data. To understand this better, let’s start from the basics.
As a Business Owner, Why Should You Be Worried About Apple’s Latest Update?
Marketers and business owners like you have consistently counted on the internet as a way to reach a wider audience and understand customer behavior and interactions. According to a study by Deloitte, “44% of small to medium businesses (SMBs) in the US started using or increased their use of targeted advertising on social media since the pandemic began, and the SMBs that used targeted advertising were twice as likely to report higher revenues.”
But now, the iOS 14.5 adoption has created a privacy wall against such social media marketing. For consumers, it’s widely believed we’ll see increased privacy in years to come, and that is a good thing.
Facebook said small businesses saw a cut of over 60% of their sales, on average, “for every dollar they spent when they weren’t able to use their own data to find customers on Facebook.”
This might have left you asking some questions:
What does this mean for my business?
Can I still see who is purchasing my product or becoming a lead?
How does this impact how we target our Facebook Ads?
This is where we come in…We’re providing you with some effective tips and tricks to help you navigate through the iOS 14.5 update and beyond so that your business can continue to thrive.
Here’s What You Need to Know About iOS 14.5
Two important platforms, in particular, have been gravely affected by the iOS 14.5 data privacy update.
Google: Google’s official statement highlighted that the iOS 14.5 data tracking update will have a huge impact on Google Ads conversions from iOS users. It will reduce visibility into key metrics and affect how advertisers value ad impressions.
Facebook: Facebook explained, in their statement, how iOS 14.5 changes Facebook ad tracking and reporting. Facebook also warns marketers of the change in Facebook’s business and advertising tools, including ad set up, audience selection, and reporting.
It will also change attribution levels, but all hope is not lost. Here’s what you can do:
Even when an Apple user does not share data, you can track conversions. Facebook will allow you to track a single conversion event. So, you can set Facebook to track your most important conversion event – the purchase, or the lead.
Helpful Tips and Tricks to Navigate Through the iOS 14.5 Data Update
Update the privacy policy on your website
If you have not done so recently, now is a great time to update your privacy policy. There are websites out there that can generate a privacy policy for you. By the way, your website should have a prompt asking visitors for permission to collect and share their data.
Review your ad spend
It is likely that your business will experience a decrease in metrics like Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) along with engagement metrics. This is because you will no longer be reaching as many people who are specifically interested in your product or service. This does not mean that no one is buying your product but it does mean it’s more important than ever to be measuring the effectiveness of your ad budgets.
If you have larger ad spend budgets and you’re seeing significant decreases in a channel’s performance you may want to consider more specific strategies, like targeting people with Android devices.
Set up specific conversion events
While it will continue to evolve, we recommend updating your Facebook Pixel to meet Apple’s iOS 14 requirements.
Collect more data using UTM Tracking
With potential blindspots in your campaign data, UTM tracking will allow you to unlock more data. UTM tracking is a method Google Analytics uses to understand what path a user followed to get to your company website. So, when you’re marketing your brand on Facebook, use the UTM framework on your website’s URL. This way, when someone clicks an ad on Facebook, it will automatically be generated in Google Analytics.
We have a spreadsheet you can use to build UTM’s. While there are plenty of free UTM generators out there, having a spreadsheet allows you to track all of your URLs and sort by a specific campaign, source, or medium.
Use your own data
Look into your brand’s data more closely and make the most of it. We’ve always been a big proponent of owning more of our own data and all of our digital strategies focus on 1st party data. For example, if you have access to customer email addresses, you can use this to send segmented emails. Another great option is to collect phone numbers so you can run SMS campaigns. Use your own business tools: create email and contact lists, and extend your email drip campaigns, so you won’t be tied to social media campaigns exclusively.
Our hypothesis is that while the pain will be felt short term, this update is good for consumer privacy (we’re all consumers) and will require marketers to think more strategically about how to reach the right people with the right message at the right time.
If you’re still having some trouble figuring it out, don’t worry. At Digital Hot Sauce, we’re always thinking about how we can get the most value for your investment. We’ve worked with all of our clients to ensure that all of these iOS 14.5 foundational elements are in place on their accounts.
We’ll do a quick audit of your strategy, for free. Simply, click here and someone from our team will reach out.
