Hey digital marketers…more than 100 million consumers NOW have the option of limiting your ability to hit them up with targeted ads. So…whatcha gonna do about it?
iOS 14 and Consumers
When iOs 14 was first rolled out almost six months ago, there was a lot to like: better app organization, customizable widgets, less obtrusive notifications, improved map and translation functionality…all of it great stuff. But what about IDFA?
IDFA, or ‘Identification for Advertisers’ used to be immediately accessible to any app developer or publisher, and their affiliated advertisers. So, once a user downloaded an app, they were immediately in the crosshairs of a barrage of targeted ads. Great for ad revenue and marketing sure, but put your consumer hat on and it’s easy to see how it negatively impacted the overall user experience. To put that sentiment into context, a study revealed that 52% of consumers feel that ad personalization is unethical.
With iOS 14, the user has the option of enabling or disabling such access, impacting the deliverability of targeted ads. Facebook acknowledged the change would “have hard-hitting implications for businesses that advertise on mobile devices across the web.” Google chimed in reiterating that with the lack of IDFA access “publishers and advertisers that rely on its mobile ad software will experience weaker results”.
What Does This Mean for Your Dealership?
Now, does this mean you should steer clear of targeted ads? Oh, hell no. Facebook marketing is far more effective than any other social media platform and should be a cornerstone of your dealership’s strategy. But it’s those dealerships who lean too heavily on targeted ads (and especially those who back them up with low-yield PPC) that are going to find themselves crippled by drastically reduced ROI’s.
What’s the Solution to Reduced Effectiveness of Ad Spend?
It’s like we’ve been telling you for the better part of a decade, the real power to drive your dealership’s success comes from organic SEO. For dealerships like yours, this is a two-fold strategy consisting of (i) Traditional SEO for high-funnel consumers who are just beginning the process, and (ii) Local SEO for lower-funnel buyers who are ready to make that purchase now. Bottom-line, if you haven’t gotten on-board with SEO yet, the countdown is on, and you need to get on-board before tech giants like Google and Apple decide you no longer meet their standards for consumer visibility.
A few weeks ago we talked about Google’s Broad Core Updates, and their implementation of Core Vitals, both of which are evolving the means by which all websites are assessed, ranked and served up to Google users. Now, with the introduction of iOS 14, big tech is bringing your your dealership and your customers into 2021, kicking and screaming if they have to.
So, here we are, at the point that we’ve always known was coming. It’s time to review your ad spend allocation, and invest in the greater return offered by an effective SEO strategy. It’s why we’ve spent the last few weeks laying the groundwork for the SEO topics that are growing in prevalence and importance in 2021. And we’re going to continue doing so, as well as explore the changing face of Facebook marketing.
So, if you’re looking for SEO and Digital Marketing insights designed to help your dealership succeed in 2021 and beyond, be sure and join us next Thursday, and every Thursday, where we’ll have “Just the Tip” for you.