Mark Zuckerberg isn’t the only person having a challenging month.
Because of the Cambridge Analytica controversy, Facebook and Instagram have implemented significant changes in how they allow third parties to access data on their platforms. The end goal is noble — stronger privacy protections for the average user — but the abrupt rollout blindsided many of the marketers that rely on these platforms.
In some cases, these users lost data they’ll never get back.
What Facebook and Instagram Are Changing
Facebook has a rundown here, but here are some of the most significant developments for agency and brand marketers:
- Facebook is now limiting the kinds of data available through its Events, Groups and Pages APIs.
- At the start of the month, the Instagram API cut the maximum number of calls per hour per user from 5,000 to 200. There was no warning, so several third-party apps broke down, leaving many marketers with gaps in their data.
- Instagram is speeding up the deprecation of its old API, with several features shut down immediately.
- Facebook is eliminating its Partner Categories product. Marketers won’t be able to use data from third-party data brokers like Axciom and Experian for ad targeting directly on the platform.
- For now, the company isn’t taking applications to let new partners access the Facebook and Instagram APIs.
The Case for Fully Managed Marketing Analytics
Fortunately, when the Instagram limits kicked in, our ChannelMix team implemented a quick fix in a few hours and a long-term solution by day’s end. While it wasn’t exactly a fun day, we have years of experience connecting to APIs and, if necessary, repairing those connections quickly. It was a manageable problem, with data loss kept to an absolute minimum.
Situations like this are a clear example of why fully managed solutions — platforms that include ongoing management, service and support as a standard part of their offering — are the best choice for marketers.
Not only do API problems require a certain kind of expertise, that help needs to arrive quickly. Ideally, your provider should notice and prevent potential problems before they can affect you — that’s what we seek to do with ChannelMix. And because we’ve got a detailed knowledge of our partners’ needs and resources, we can shoot straight to a solution.
When you have an emergency, you don’t want to waste time hunting for someone who might or might not be able to rescue you. You want your support team standing ready to support you and proactively resolving data connection issues like we have seen recently before they even impact you.
If your organization is still wrestling with these Facebook and Instagram changes, our team can help. Email us today.