IOS 14 – What do we need to know?
You may be aware of the latest Apple IOS 14.4 update that was announced late last year before rolling out across Apple devices recently.
The IOS 14.4 update is deemed by many as one of the largest ‘shake-ups’ in a long time. But what do you need to know? The Yellow Cherries are here to help you understand the effects this may have on your digital advertising. First, let’s jargon bust some of the comments that have been floating around the digital marketing and business ‘space’ of late.
It is important to point out that the iOS update is for Apple device users only, for those customers who use Android or other providers, they will remain unaffected.
In the coming weeks, we will soon begin to see changes implemented in the way we can use customer or general public data to target people online. This will affect platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, so, understandably, some people may be concerned about how this may impact their marketing efforts.
So, what exactly is this IOS update?
In short, Apple has decided that “privacy is a fundamental human right” (which, it should be!). Therefore, Apple device users should have more say in what information is gathered on them, and how exactly this information is then stored and used.
Going forward, App Developers will need to provide further clear, detailed privacy policies covering the exact data they collect, and how they intend to use it. These policies will be detailed on the app store ahead of users clicking the ‘get’ button. As App Developers ourselves, we understand that transparency is key!
In addition to this, IOS users will now have a much stronger control in terms of their privacy settings. As well as having to agree to various additional ‘prompts’ relating to their data use and tracking when proceeding to download apps from the Apple store.
But what does iOS14 mean for Facebook advertising?
The impact on businesses depends on many factors, such as how many people in your audience use iOS devices, or how many will opt not to be tracked? Facebook is particularly concerned about the impact this may have on small businesses.
Traditionally, users on Facebook would click through to websites from adverts prompted on their newsfeed, Facebook could then track ‘clicks’ or activity. For example, what pages did that user specifically visit, when did they decide to leave the website, did they leave items in their ‘shopping cart’…
Now, if an iOS user decides that they do not want to allow tracking, this will have a knock-on effect on a number of these processes across Facebook. If Facebook no longer has the permission to track user’s behaviour as before, this could have a huge consequence to the tracking information including the Facebook ‘pixel’. The pixel may not be able to provide optimum results which could lead to inaccurate user reports. The Facebook pixel is a great little piece of code that you can connect to your website, allowing you to follow a user’s journey by taking note of what ‘clicks’ they made while visiting your website. If you are interested in setting up your own pixel, we can help with that.
Additionally, we can foresee potential issues with current targeting options. It will become harder to narrow down potential target markets such as age, demographics, and interests of potential customers. This in turn may lead to adverts that are less personalised and less optimised.
Ultimately, this ‘could’ result in less interaction and engagement on your paid advertising.
What can we do to prepare and respond to IOS 14.4?
Firstly, don’t panic.
Get creative
When marketing your business services or products, it’s always about getting creative. You can still create dynamic and versatile campaigns to capture your audience and encourage user engagement. When it comes to channels such as Facebook and Instagram, the more likes, comments, shares and ‘saves’ your content gets, the further across the web it is likely to travel. The algorithm sees to that!
Adjust
At times, we just need to accept and adjust to change. However, you can bet that Facebook will be looking into new ways of advertising in response to the update too… so, watch this space!
Plan
Take this opportunity to look over your current marketing strategies, review them and plan ahead in terms of where changes and adjustments may need to be made.
The Yellow Cherries are here to provide advice and support for peace of mind in optimising your potential reach when it comes to your digital marketing campaigns. You can contact the team at studio@yellowcherry.uk if you would like to discuss your business needs, alternatively, you can view our full list of services, here. (link to services page)