With the increased privacy settings of IOS 14 and up, targeting ideal customers with your Facebook ads is more challenging than it used to be.
With the rapid speed that Apple churns out updates, IOS 14 is already old news. 69.49% of users had updated to IOS 16 by December of 2022, with 24.38% on IOS 15 and only 6.14% on older updates. But IOS 14 is a very important update because it caused lots of changes for Facebook marketers, particularly when it came to advertising.
With new privacy actions for users, IOS 14 Facebook ads may sound like a fantasy—but that may not be the case. This blog will discuss what IOS 14 and further updates mean for Facebook ads, and what else has changed with the introduction of IOS 15 and 16 in subsequent years.
What Changed With IOS 14?
The main change that came with IOS 14 is that users now receive a notification from all apps in the Apple Store asking permission to track them and their content consumption, which users can refuse. This affects Facebook’s ability to record and process conversion events through tools like Facebook Pixel, so IOS 14 Facebook ads are no longer as effective if these privacy features are turned on.
How Has This Affected Facebook Advertisers?
This wouldn’t be as much of a problem if Facebook users weren’t so glued to their phones. According to Statista, 81.8% of Facebook users only access it via mobile phone, and 48.36% of the U.S. smartphone market is made up of IOS users. This means reduced effectiveness of Facebook Pixel, reduced ability to create hyper-personalized ads, and ultimately more wasted ad spend.
What Can You Do to Save Your Facebook Ads?
Even though IOS 15 and 16 have also been released since 14, and still maintain the same privacy features, Facebook ads aren’t truly dead. It is still possible to target your ads to users who fit specific criteria, albeit with a few changes. Read on to learn about a few potential avenues you can explore and how they may help your marketing efforts.
Split Test Between IOS Users and Users of Other Devices
Luckily, Facebook offers the option to only target your ads to certain types of devices. This is useful for split testing campaigns between IOS users and all other users.
After creating your advertising campaign, you can select the option to “edit placements” within the ad set section. If you scroll down to the “show more options” hyperlink, you’ll find a section titled “specific mobile devices & operating systems,” which you can edit to feature only Android or IOS devices.
You can set further limits to specific devices that operate under those systems, like types of tablets, phones, etc. For more specific information on this, take a look at this page.
It’s important to note that this tactic needs to be done for each ad set individually, so it can be a bit time consuming, but it will ensure each ad goes to the right audience.
Use Your Website’s Internal Tracking in Addition to Facebook Pixel
Businesses should focus more heavily on website-based internal tracking systems for their post-IOS 14 Facebook ads rather than relying solely on Facebook Pixel Tracking. UTM parameters, Google Analytics, or other web tracking systems will be more useful to gain insight into which ads are performing best and how many conversions each ad is driving.
To use these systems effectively:
- Set up your website tracking and analytics to capture data from the ads you put on Facebook (each system is different, so check out this list of all your options that also explains how they work)
- Make sure you’re using the same parameters for all of your campaigns
- Test different variations of ad copy, images, and other elements in order to determine what works best
- Analyze the results regularly so you can tweak your campaigns and optimize them for better performance
This is a great option, but it does have some drawbacks. It doesn’t provide information as comprehensive or detailed as the data you get from Facebook Pixel Tracking, and it takes more time to analyze. However, it’s still a viable option to get the most out of your post-IOS 14 Facebook ads.
Try Interest Stacking to Create More Detailed Targeting
Interest stacking is a technique of targeting a specific audience with several related interests. For example, if you’re selling running shoes, you could target people who have an interest in running and also enjoy outdoor activities. This allows you to reach a more precise audience than the typical broad-based targeting Facebook offers.
To do this, go into "demographic targeting," then to "detailed targeting," where you can target users based on their relationship status, education, occupation, etc. For more information on interest stacking and how to use it to your advantage, see this article.
While this option may also be thwarted by privacy settings, for the most part, people are using Facebook to publicly update others on their life, and that information is readily available, especially when it comes to personal life events. By editing your demographics to include a range of people with personal attributes they’ve posted about publically that would relate to your product, you can get your ads to a wider audience.
Want Help Optimizing Your Facebook Ads?
The release of IOS 14 has changed how businesses can advertise on Facebook. With the introduction of App Tracking Transparency, users must opt-in to be tracked by data gathered through third-party sources.
This shift has made it more difficult for advertisers to target their ads and track results accurately, making IOS 14 Facebook ads more expensive and less effective for companies. Despite this change, business owners can still take advantage of several features to ensure their campaigns remain effective on Facebook post-IOS 14.
If you’re ready to write and release ads that convert, Social Ktchn is your solution. We’re experts in Facebook and Instagram marketing with a flair for strategic branding. With 15 years of experience under our belt, we’ve got the tools and expertise to take your marketing to the next level.
Connect with us today to get started!