Hi Reader,

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Remember back in April when Facebook and Apple were at each other's digital throats around the privacy game?

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Specifically as it relates to advertising and blocking the Facebook pixel on Apple devices.

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Apple put down the hammer around privacy and said they were going to block third party pixels, like the Facebook pixel.

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The jury's out as to whether or not this was an altruistic move (I don't think it was, but that's just my opinion). However, when they made this announcement, Facebook had a decent amount of time to start adapting its pixel technology to still benefit advertisers while protecting the privacy of its users.

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But, at the time of the announcement, it refused.

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For example... FB even had banner announcements encouraging small business owners to contact Apple and complain about the change. Do you remember that?

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I guess they thought they could intimidate Apple into changing its mind? I don't actually know.

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Regardless, Apple moved forward in April and here we are today. If you spend money on ads then you've seen the slow, steady impact this change has made (smaller audience projections, higher cost to advertise, etc).

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Fast forward to today... and Facebook's Business and Ad chief released a statement around the future of the platform and what it's going to look like for businesses.

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This update relates to you regardless of whether or not you spend money on ads. Because your business page factors into the algorithm - either organically from your own efforts, or through a complex formula that you have no control over (usually the latter since organic reach is abysmal).

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Here's a summary of his announcement and what it means for your business's presence on Facebook:

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First things first: Facebook has confirmed it's looking to adapt its technology to reduce the amount of data collected via the pixel in order to protect our privacy -- but balance that data collection with the need of advertisers to have relevant targeting.

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This is kind of like a "duh, y'all" moment for me. What about you?

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I'm glad to hear they're taking it seriously, though. Facebook is collaborating with several independent groups to determine the best route to take in terms of tech adaptation to make the pixel more privacy-friendly (maybe the most fraught sentence I've ever written?).

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Time will tell. Regardless, this is great news for all of us. It means the tech for advertisement within Facebook's self-serve platform will adapt to be as balanced as possible. That's really good news for you and me.

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As for how this relates to your business: hang tight! We'll keep an eye on audience sizes, attribution models and pixel behavior over the coming months to understand what this truly means. My prediction is interest-based targeting audiences will continue to fluctuate in size, but their relevance shouldn't experience too much of a downtick.

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As always, first party data you collect and use as the basis for lookalike audiences will be your best bet.

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Second things second: Facebook is testing out "topics" as a way to help users refine their experience on the platform - and help businesses refine their content.

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This feature rolled out to select users in beta back in April. I'm so sad I wasn't among the chosen, but I think given the fact that it featured prominently in the update, we should expect it to roll out in greater numbers soon.

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Here's how it works:

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Similar to Clubhouse, you tell Facebook what "topics" you're interested in. I don't have an official word on this, but my hunch is the topic classifications are in the same broad interest buckets we see within Ads Manager.

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Which means you can tell FB you're interested in X, Y, and Z topics - your organic and paid newsfeed will then reflect what you've told FB you want to hear about.

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Why is this relevant? Well, for one, it takes the pressure off the FB pixel to collect broader website activity and report it back to the platform.

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That's a win for consumers.

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Related: it gives you greater control on your platform experience and the posts you see.

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It also really helps advertisers. It transforms interest targeting into topic targeting. Way more powerful since it's consumer-chosen. I'm excited about this one.

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It does, on the other hand, create the potential you may see LESS of the posts from people you care about if their posts don't fall within your designated topics.

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However, from a marketing perspective, this shift really reflects the future of the web (IMO): a highly curated, personalized experience based on what you want to see.

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Third things third: if you're in eCommerce, prepare for a mega boost from FB.

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Facebook has recognized this shift in our culture at large (in the US anyway) has taken over the last year. And it revolves around the focus on eCommerce.

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Thanks, pandemic!

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More and more people shopped online. And have continued those habits beyond things lightening up day to day in terms of our restrictions.

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As a result, social media platforms have recognized that product based businesses, or even service based ones with digital products, can benefit immensely from a promotion of eCommerce listings.

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This is huge! Read this for yourself:

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Please specifically note the "personalized, seamless customer journey" part of that quote.

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For a social platform to realize it's a key player in the customer experience model we build as business owners is HUGE.

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Like, if you could see my face right now, you'd see me grinning ear to ear. Because if the social platform is on board that makes organic and paid posting so much easier. Isn't this what so many of us have been asking FB for? Please make it easier to play the game, without having to fork out tons of advertisement dollars.

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Time will tell on how they deliver with this, but for now I am cautiously optimistic.

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Why? Well, let's say they increase organic reach on eCom posts.

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Would they be wasting advertisement dollars? No. Because as an eCom store, I will pay for ads based on smart, value-based lookalikes and interests - perhaps based on topics now - to grow my impression share (aka, my corner of the market).

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Okay, Reader, that's it for today.

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What do you think about these changes? Excited? Skeptical? LMK.

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Have a fabulous weekend,

Amanda