iOS and Facebook’s changes, and their impact on the Nonprofits
Social media has evolved drastically over the years.
In India Facebook is the most dominant social media with over 349 million active users. We are one of the leading countries in ad reach ranking according to Kepios, with an overall ad reach rate of 31%.
Unsurprisingly fundraisers have become increasingly reliant on using this platform for fundraising.
But there are headwinds approaching and we wanted to share our insights in case you haven’t prepared for them.
With some recent and not so recent changes to iOS and Facebook, we thought it would be useful to offer some tips on what you need to do to minimise any negative impact on your fundraising.
Apple iOS14 changes to impact conversions
This is not a recent change, and iPhones may make up only about 15% of visits in India, but we are hearing about lower ROIs from those without mitigation strategies in place (get in touch to find out more about that!).
Especially as it is highly likely that Google will follow with a similar move.
It would be smart to get your house in order now to avoid more pain.
Facebook removes detailed targeting
After years of pressure from civil rights experts, policymakers and other stakeholders, Facebook has reviewed the targeting options available to marketers and fundraisers and this may impact your campaigns if you have been using them:
options referencing causes, organizations, health, race, ethnicity, political affiliation, religion, and sexual orientation.
These are not just based on people’s self-declaration but also inferred by interactions with content on the platform.
Does this matter? (Yes)
In terms of privacy and the malign use of data by some, the changes are good. But they do present challenges to fundraisers trying to tighten up targeting in a country of over a billion people. It may be tough to target those who are interested in similar causes to the ones you are fundraising for, for example.
Furthermore, targeting options in Facebook Ad manager will automatically be removed by March 17, 2022. This could mean campaigns going offline or performance dropping if you have not already made the changes needed.
What you can do about it
Verify your domain - “Aggregated Event Measurement” is a new Facebook tool that processes pixel conversion events from iOS devices in compliance with Apple’s new policy. This tool can only be accessed once your domain is verified.
Prioritize the eight conversion events - After domain verification you can find an Aggregated Event Measurement tool to set up the events that you want to track and their corresponding priorities.
Test new optimisation events - Broaden your optimisation and switch to Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO).
Pay attention to reporting changes (especially for historical comparison). Action breakdowns, such as age, gender, region, and placement will not be available from these devices.
Broaden your donor acquisition portfolio so you’re not relying solely on social media
Don’t panic.
You can still generate and upload your own donor data to develop lookalike and custom audiences.
Broad interest targeting can still work.
You can get in touch with us if you need a helping hand. We are just a click or a call away. Please drop me a line at prasant.naidu@dtvgroup.co.in and I will hopefully be able to answer your questions.
Bio
Prasant Naidu is a Senior Fundraising Consultant at DTV India. He is working with Indian and Asian charities to grow their individual giving via digital campaigns. He is also a long-distance runner.
