The aftermath of the iOS 14 update for marketers
The aftermath of the iOS 14 update for marketers and advertisers
😳 😟 😩 🤬
Are you a social media advertiser, and if so, do these emotions feel familiar to you since Apple launched its iOS 14?
In my entrepreneur groups, there’s been a lot of consternation about social media ad campaigns since iOS 14 launched - cost of customer acquisition is going up, and return on ad spend (ROAS) is going down. What’s this all about and what do you need to know? Read on.
What is the iOS 14 update changing for digital advertisers?
Ok, so first, let’s define what an IDFA is. It’s what Apple calls the Identifier for Advertisers. This is an ID that is used by mobile devices running on iOS and helps advertisers target users based on browsing or app activity. This is what created the opportunity to deliver highly targeted social media advertising.
The iOS 14 release changed the way that app developers can access IDFAs. Before the update, IDFAs were available for most users, because users had to purposely opt out of sharing their IDFA. With the launch of iOS 14, users now have to opt in to make their IDFA available.
For advertisers, this means that the ability to deliver highly targeted ad content has been cut off at the knees. Drilling down even further, this means that advertisers will see a big decrease in their power to target their ads and will now have to spend more money to find their target customers.
That’s not great news.
So what can you do to increase your ad spend ROI?
Evaluate your ad content. What can you improve? Can you tighten up your calls to action? Can you create more engaging images? What can you do to improve the quality of the ads themselves?
Consider changing your calls to action to drive smaller, but trackable conversions. Where you might have been driving straight to a sale before with your ads, you may need to change your conversion goals to focus on joining an email list, or even just driving traffic to your website so that you can then track and retarget it.
Consider other platforms. I’m hearing from friends that they’re having success trying other platforms, like Pinterest, LinkedIn, and event Bing Search. Get creative, test and learn, and try a new path forward.
Wait it out if you can. There are lots of adtech experts focused on solving this problem, or to bringing new solutions to make up for the lack of targeting ability due to the iOS 14 update.
It’s a great time to invest in organic content.
Do you have an organic content marketing strategy? If not, it’s a good time to consider implementing one.
While SEO-optimized organic content marketing is a longer-term play and it can take months to gain traction, the traction tends to compound over time, too.
SEO content can offer a 13% higher close rate than traditional marketing or advertising. Why? Because when you have great content that makes you visible to someone searching for a solution, they come to you, vs. with advertising, when you come to them. Good content marketing also establishes you as an expert in your category. And people are more likely to buy from people they trust.
We hate to tell you this, but…
Google is about to implement something similar with the launch of their Privacy Sandbox. This initiative will kill third-party cookies, which means that advertisers will no longer be able to target new customers by using third-party data. First-party data, obtained by traffic coming to your site, or from otherwise creating a relationship with consumers, will become even more important.
So. While the digital advertising world is in a state of flux, use this time to take another look at your brand’s goals, spend and strategies.
If you want a hand, get in touch with Kafen8.
