Facebook Analytics – What the Change Means for Digital Marketers

It’s official! June 30, 2021 marks the final day of Facebook Analytics. The free tool offered directly on Facebook allowed marketers to delve into a multitude of data, tracking consumers and their virtual journeys across Facebook and Instagram.

Facebook Analytics was designed to track exact audience metrics and their interactions on Facebook and Instagram, marketers then use that information to create highly targeted paid advertisements. The free tool offered specific insights into the audience and their engagements, such as gender, age and location statistics as well as actions taken on the platforms.

It’s speculated that the decision to forgo Facebook Analytics may be a result of increased privacy restrictions in Apple’s iOS 14, which forces users to opt into tracking. According to Flurry Analytics, as of May 9, 2021, only 6% of daily users in the US have opted in since the launch of iOS 14.5. The worldwide rate of users who have opted in stands only slightly higher at 15%. These privacy updates are expected to have an effect on other outdated analytic tools beyond Facebook Analytics as well and will limit the data available to marketers in the future.

Digital marketers will still have access to other tools for gathering essential analytics. Facebook Business will remain functional, as well as Ads and Events Managers. Beyond Facebook, powerful tools such as Hootsuite and Amplitude offer thorough analytic tracking. While these tools may not be free like Facebook Analytics, they have the ability to analyze data that is more thorough and helpful to digital marketers.

The loss of Facebook Analytics means that marketers must find solutions that work best for them professionally. This may mean branching out to other analytic tools or investing in a paid service. Additionally, marketers may eventually stop having insights into audience traits such as gender and age as privacy guidelines continue to evolve around the globe. It is up to digital marketers to remain nimble and prepared, always ready to shift seamlessly regardless of social media platform policy changes.

At agencies such as Colossus Media Group, digital marketing experts pivot quickly and find new, often better, solutions. Changes in the evolution of digital marketing are best navigated by seasoned professionals such as Colossus Media Group