Bye, Bye Facebook Analytics - Thanks for Watching
By Constance A. Dunn
One June 30th, FB Analytics will cease to exist.
Truth be told, the free Facebook Analytics tools attached to individual business pages went out of fashion ages ago for a number of reasons.
1) Most ad and marketing agencies are already using more robust third party software to track social media behaviors. While the integration and reporting on the third party software may change somewhat, agencies will still use Business Suite, Ads and Events Manager with Facebook pixels and API to track data.
2) Small business owners and individuals were rarely using the analytics tool anyway, opting instead to base decisions on the engagement they see on each post. In other words, most business owners we work with are more focused on what worked well that day, rather than engagement over a period of time.
And so, in the most ironic move in technocrat history, Facebook lets it leak that it's preparing an antitrust lawsuit against Apple. HI-larious considering Facebook itself was just sued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for antitrust just last December.
3) Much of the data reported was not actionable to the everyday user. The free tool offered a pretty robust set of data, including the 'journey' a user takes to get to your website. However, it is all pretty generalized info and ceases to be impressive if you don't know what to do with it. Additionally, for small business owners who do not have an ecommerce angle or deal in quality of service over quantity of global customers, it doesn't tell them what they don't already know about their consumer base.
So, why is Facebook getting rid of this free tool now after a decade of existence?
1) It's free. No money, no service.
2) Nobody cares.
3) The lawsuit with Apple and new iOS integration policies.
The latter of these answers the 'now' part of this question.
In early 2021, both CEOs of Apple and Facebook took off the gloves for a match over user data. Our frat boy alien foe Mark Zuckerberg pretty much claims Apple is acting like a monopoly and only pursuing their privacy protection to force Apple product owners to exclusively use Apple apps. Believable considering Apple's stance towards the Right to Repair movement. Not to mention, Apple's refusal to make its products easier to integrate with PC operating systems and more customizable overall.
Tim Cook for his part, states that Facebook is playing fresh and loose with users' data for profit. Also, 100% true. In his own words, "We can no longer turn a blind eye to a theory of technology that says all engagement is good engagement," he said. "A company like that," he said, "does not deserve our praise, it deserves reform."
And so, in the most ironic move in technocrat history, Facebook lets it leak that it's preparing an antitrust lawsuit against Apple. HI-larious considering Facebook itself was just sued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for antitrust just last December.
Anyhoo, here we are in April of 2021 and so far no movement in the antitrust suit. Apple, however, is moving forward with its privacy protection software update which leaves Facebook no choice but to rethink its data collection tools.
Getting rid of FB Analytics was an easy move. Below are some other changes that will affect business owners using Facebook to grab customers.
1) Any domains listed as assets in your FB Business Suite will need to be verified to use event tracking and pixels. This means that a piece of code will need to be copy/pasted into the header of your website's HTML. This is pretty straightforward, and most user-friendly web hosting platforms will give users notice and walk them through the process.
2) You will need to use Business Manager (soon to be Business Suite) to access business tools, not the tools accessible through your business page directly.
Long story short, businesses that use FB Analytics frequently will have to go through an adjustment period. It will be annoying, but doesn't have to be catastrophic. As usual, Facebook offers little to no guidance or customer service to help with this transition. They don't have to. They are a monopoly, whether they want to recognize that or not, thems the facts.
That's all folks. If you're stuck on how to use social media for your business, product or brand, get in touch.