Wondering why your new campaign ROAS have plummeted? Whether you’re a full-scale agency or simply running ads for your small business, recent Facebook changes will likely have affected your marketing efforts. Here, we take a deep dive into exactly what’s going on—and what it means for your business.
iOS 14 Allowing Data Opt-Out
It all started with iOS 14. As part of the new update, Apple introduced an opt-out prompt for all data-tracking apps. Unfortunately for advertisers, this means that Facebook (and other affected platforms) can’t fully attribute the activity of anyone who opts out of tracking to your ads’ performance.
Facebook’s Response
In response to this update, Facebook is making concentrated efforts to encourage iOS users to opt in and support small businesses. While these efforts have had some success, it’s not enough to eliminate attribution impacts. Accordingly, Facebook has made API updates. These include:
- Reducing the default attribution window from 28-day click/1-day view to 7-day click/1-day view.
- Removing reporting breakdowns based on geographic and demographic segments (making it harder to determine which segments are effective).
The Impact on Your Data
These new changes will, unfortunately, reduce the amount of attributed investment reported on Facebook. But there’s good news! Just because this data isn’t being reported by Facebook, doesn’t mean consumers are behaving any differently towards your ads. Your ROAS hasn’t really changed—Facebook simply can’t measure it as effectively.
What Does the Future Hold?
Facebook is working hard to implement new tools that will help advertisers navigate these changes. In addition to developing a new Aggregated Event Measurement tool to help assist with attribution, Facebook’s is refining its Conversions API to ensure data privacy and help with accurate conversion data sharing.
What Can I Do Today to Help Track My ROAS?
To help determine your real ROAS, begin sending out post-purchase/post-investment surveys to anyone who spends money on your site/page. The results of these surveys will give you a better understanding of where your traffic is coming from and how much data Facebook may be failing to attribute to your ads.
Although there’s no real cause for alarm, these changes will invariably affect your marketing team’s ability to effectively demonstrate the results of their efforts. But if your $$s are climbing and there’s no other tangible reason — it’s safe to say your advertising efforts are working!
