Marketing, iOS 14 and Facebook: Are We Really Screwed?

Did you get the email? What about the pop-up in Facebook’s Business Manager? 

Apple’s upcoming iOS14 is changing the rules, and Facebook is PISSED OFF about it.

What does it matter to you? Well, if you’re a casual user of Facebook (scrolling and posting cat videos), it’s not a big deal. If you MARKET using Facebook, or any of many other social media platforms...this is a VERY BIG deal.

Today we’re going to break down WHAT is happening, WHY it matters, and HOW you can protect your business from the fallout.

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?

A divorce is brewing… maybe.

Does it feel like mom and dad are fighting? Kind of. Because, well… they are. 

Apple is prompting users to opt-out (or in) of sharing personalized data for the sole purpose of tracking consumer interests. This new AppTrackingTransparency (ATT) policy has been coming for the better part of a year, but Facebook’s recent messages about it have blown the lid off this already simmering pot. 

WHAT IS THIS NEW ATT POLICY?

In short, Apple is prompting users to opt-out (or in) of sharing personalized data for the sole purpose of tracking consumer interests.

Apple is spinning this as “privacy protection.” Funnily enough, it won’t change how Apple markets. It WILL, however, increase their revenues significantly, thanks to a new 15-30% Apple tax increase on App Store payments.

If that isn’t a WTF moment from this Apple fan-boy, I don’t know what is. This decision is deadly for every business EXCEPT Apple. OK, that’s cool. NOT! (Thanks to Borat for resurrecting that, by the way.)

WHY DOES IT MATTER TO MARKETERS?

Apple’s new policy will make it difficult (and in some cases nearly impossible) to utilize marketing budgets effectively.

Removing personalized tracking data coming from roughly half of smartphone users in the US is a BIG deal for marketers.

It means that the niche targeting that exploded with internet marketing, and allowed for efficient and effective ad spend, is evaporating. No, that’s too gentle a term. It’s instantly fucking vaporized.

People want to see ads that are relevant to them. No one walks into a grocery store for a new couch and television.

Likewise, an ad served up on a platform we personally log into, for something we don’t need, is a waste of the viewer’s attention and the company’s advertising dollars.

It’s like going back to the dark days of untrackable ROI and uncertain targeting of newspaper ads and network tv spots. Yay, for shitty marketing in the 21st century!

Fun aside: Apple plans to continue to use tracking features (without the ATT policy) to target Apple users for their business growth. For users, this means, without digging deeper into their devices to turn this option off, they will continue to see relevant Apple ads and content based on their searches and shared data, but they will be asked not to be ‘tracked’ by outside apps, including social apps. 

In real terms, this means Apple could potentially rake in BILLIONS in additional revenue from targeted marketing.

HOW SHOULD YOUR BUSINESS RESPOND?

While the big guys go all UFC and fight this out in the legal octagon, you need to be proactive. Apple is currently in court with Epic Games, and it looks like Facebook has joined the fight against Apple’s new policy.

While we wait and see, here are two key things you should do: 

1 - Reach out to consumers

This is a short-term tactic, and it’s not something I love advising, but in case Apple does stick to their guns on this, it’s worth letting the public know exactly what they’re getting into. 

Do you wish to be tracked? Apple asks. Sounds simple when they ask it that way, right?

No, thank you. We reply confidently. 

If you have a loyal audience that knows, likes, and trusts you, you can send a message that calmly and politely tells the other side of the story. 

“Do you wish to be tracked?” It sounds like stalkers will pop out at every corner, doesn’t it?

The truth is target marketing isn’t always ideal for only business owners. Sure, it works wonders for marketers looking for consumers. But remember, it is also good for consumers looking for the exact thing you do. No one wants to see random ads for products they don’t want or use. We want things we like. Useful items for our individual worlds. Personalized suggestions.

Here’s another way Apple could ask this question, if they wanted to lead consumers in the other direction: 

Since you’re going to see ads anyway, would you be interested in seeing ads for products you might actually use and buy, or have viewed before? Or would it be better if we just show you random sh*t as you browse on your device?  

Yes, I would like to see relevant ads, thanks!

2 - Build a brand that people know, like, and trust.  

Time for me to get on my soapbox, the really tall one.

STOP ADVERTISING PEOPLE! BUILD A FUCKING BRAND!

Listen to my latest EntreGrow Podcast: Why I'm Running ZERO Conversion Campaigns in 2021 - #119

Recently (thanks in large part to a Freakonomics radio podcast) it dawned on me that everyone is advertising the wrong way. And, over the last several years, I have slowly but methodically shifted away from my core values, my core belief of how to properly build and grow a business and an audience.

Too many of you are so focused on the funnel, the tactics, the conversions, you’ve failed to become the go-to for your industry. Instead of building your brand, you’re focused on transactional relationships.

Why is brand building so important?

It’s simple, really. When the economy takes a massive dump, when there’s little or no budget left  to advertise, brand is what keeps you alive. 

But what if I haven't built a brand, what does it all mean for me?

It means you're fucked! The shitty tactics that got you to where you are will no longer work.

You now have to create messaging that actually matters to your customer or potential customer. You have to become sticky.

I do this by creating funny, quirky, highly engaging video messages. Imagine serving up ads that people actually like. That’s what I do.

It’s not too late… unless you do nothing.

Start making ads that entertain and engage your audience. Make ads that speak to them, that connect with them. For Ad Zombies, entertainment first is the way into their hearts. We don’t think about their wallets. Transactions happen naturally over time.

When you create a dopamine rush in the ad viewer, when you get them to smile, share, comment, and like your ads, YOU WILL WIN.

I am so confident in this strategy, that in 2021 I am not running a SINGLE conversion campaign on ANY platform. Nope, not one conversion-based ad. Conversion ads, by the way, are the most expensive click you can buy...by far!

This new strategy is going to do one of three things for the Ad Zombies business… 

1. It’s going to crash and burn and I will be proven wrong. 

2. Sales will flatline, but our costs will be way down, pushing profitability up. 

3. We will see explosive growth for one-third of the previous year’s ad spend. 

Yep! I have slashed our ad budgets globally by two-thirds and expect to see significant growth.

Call me crazy, many will. I won’t mind admitting it if I’m wrong...but I won’t be.

Build your brand and watch your business grow, despite iOS changes, Facebook fickleness, or any other platform’s problems. You can thank me later.