New iOS 14 Update and What Does It Mean for Your Real Estate Facebook and Instagram Ads?
The new iOS update touches upon a very sensitive topic — the usage of our personal data for commercial purposes. Whether you’re a seasoned advertiser, or just a simple internet user, there is no doubt you’ve heard about our data being used for advertising purposes. Being tracked was something we’ve gotten used to a long time ago.
And only now we’re starting to see the ripple effects of that issue. The conversation around the ethical part of internet tracking is just starting, and the new iOS update is just a small fraction that showcases the seriousness of that problem. With the rise of the browsers that respect your privacy, and with the operational systems becoming more and more conscious about respecting personal data, the question arises — what is the future of advertising especially for small businesses?
As a real estate agent, there is a chance Facebook and Instagram ads are one of the tools you use for listings promotion. They are tools that we’ve all used pretty frequently. So, without paying attention to the ethical issues of tracking, let’s talk business. How does it affect you, and what can you do in this case to minimize any negative impacts?
Let’s dive in.
What Does the New iOS Update Mean?
Facebook and Instagram advertising is a cheap and lucrative form of advertising. Essentially, Facebook tracks consumers’ preferences and offers this information to the advertisers who use this data to reach potential customers.
The iOS 14 update changes offer an option to opt out of the tracking, essentially cutting the flow of information and allowing users to become invisible to tracking. Many in the real estate industry and elsewhere fear that getting the data will become harder and because of that the prices for ads might go up.
Here are some main changes that iOS 14 brings to the table:
- Facebook Pixel- Tracking actions such as “Add to cart,” for example, or purchase action mayl be under-reported.
- Ads Optimization- Without necessary/limited data, Pixel won’t be able to properly analyze and report data, therefore creating custom audiences may not be that reliable.
- Retargeting- As we already mentioned, the new iOS update makes the users who opt out of tracking invisible, therefore retargeting those users may become impossible.
All in all, these type of ads are more at risk when the iOS update will be finally up:
- Traffic Ads, specifically those optimized around landing page views using Pixel.
- Conversion Ads if optimised around custom conversions or standard events.
Other than that, catalogue sales (if customers go to a website) and app installs/app related conversions when targeting iOS devices may also be affected.
All in all, does it mean that iOS users won’t see any ads? No, certainly not that. It means the ads may not be relevant, since there is no data to create a personalized ad experience.
Remember, custom events will be also limited. For people who don’t opt out of tracking custom events, tracking will be limited to 8 events. For the users who opted out of tracking, these limitations might be even stricter.
The attribution window will also be changed. Prior to the update, the attribution window for actions taken on ads was 28 days showing 7 days clicks. After the update it will be 7 days window one day click.
So, What Should Be Done?
Well, first and foremost it’s important to know how many of your clients are iOS users. This can be done by checking Google Analytics.
Second, you will need to verify your website, especially if you’re creating an ad with a conversion goal in mind. Check out this Facebook resource to learn how to verify your real estate website.
You can also exclude iOS users if you’re running conversion ad campaigns. You can also create campaigns with a different goal in mind, for example lead generation. Let’s say you have an ebook of your own or webinar. You can create a lead generation ad using this content, promote your ebook or webinar, provide useful information to your potential audience and get emails at the same time.
This can help you to create new audiences for Facebook and therefore create new ads with different goals.
You will also need to choose eight events in the Events Manager. This action needs to be done by the Pixel owner.
Few Final Words
With the new changes, it might seem as your real estate ads are not working, but in reality the date won’t be showing as quickly and accurately. So, be prepared for the potentially underreported data that might happen with the new iOS update.
P.S. Check out our blog Realtyna Is the New IRES Approved Vendor to learn more about IRES approved vendors and what can Realtyna offer you
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