Facebook’s New Metric Changes Defined – What You Need To Know

After spending the last two years admitting to a series of metric mistakes (remember when Facebook ad reach was greater than the US Census population), Facebook announced a series of changes to improve transparency with advertisers.

First, Facebook will be explicit when labeling metrics. Facebook will now clearly label when an ad metric is an estimate, in development or both. It’s not uncommon for Facebook to experiment with presenting data but with these labels, advertisers have a better idea about which metrics are likely to change, so they don’t build complex strategies around them.

Some metrics are disappearing completely if they are outdated or are not providing utility to advertisers. Facebook has provided a full list with the reason for removal and suggested metrics to use instead. The full clean up will be taking place in July.

For example, Link Click Destination is entering retirement in the overhaul. Advertisers can still use the Outbound Clicks and Landing Page Views. Keep in mind, a Landing Page View is only available for ad accounts with a fully-implemented pixel and the pixel base code fully installed on the landing pages you want to optimize (if we lost you there, just scroll on down and shoot us a note, we’ll take care of that for you).

Finally, Facebook is launching a free education initiative called “Measure What Matters” to assist with advertisers trying to learn how to optimize Facebook ad metrics. The training will focus on everything from branding oriented campaigns to direct response campaigns. This will be featured on the Facebook Business website, Facebook Live and in-person events.

As a data-driven agency with a high focus on results, we use a variety of software, tools, and services to track our clients performance both on-platform and on their website. While this announcement is a respectable move in restoring trust with advertisers, it’s important to use not only multiple data-tracking services but to use quality points of metrics.

The fact of the matter is that most businesses don’t understand what their data means and most marketing partners aren’t taking the time or don’t have the knowledge to optimize their clients’ metrics. We’re still shocked by the number of our clients that bring former copy-and-pasted excel docs from previous partners when they first walk through our doors. Most are just a snapshot report with vanity metrics such as likes and follower increases rather than the results that show the ROI of their investment.

We know this may seem like a lot to take in. That’s why we spend copious amounts of time reading up on all things digital, re-listening to every podcast on the subject, working directly with our dedicated Facebook reps and writing a blog post over our lunch to help you out. But a blog post can only do so much.

Chances are you still have questions about Facebook metrics and social media marketing. Let’s set up a meeting to discuss what your current social media marketing partner is providing and if it’s actually working or not.