Boost Your Facebook Ads Performance: Comprehensive Guide to Facebook Conversions API Integration with Apphud

In an ever-evolving digital marketing landscape, effectively optimizing your Facebook ads can significantly increase your return on investment. The Facebook Conversions API (CAPI) seamless integration not only simplifies your tech stack but also provides a comprehensive view within Meta Events Manager.

In this article, we'll take a deep dive into how integrating the Facebook Conversions API with Apphud can improve your ad performance, covering key aspects such as Meta's attribution system, key differences between SKAdNetwork and Meta's attribution, and a detailed guide on how to get started.

Datasets allow advertisers to connect and manage event data from web and app event sources to the Conversions API. Datasets can display event data from any of these integrations that you choose to set up:

• Meta Pixel (website events)
• App Events API (app events, including Facebook SDK for iOS or Android, mobile measurement partners (MMPs))
• Offline Conversions API (Meta’s legacy API for offline events)
• Messaging Events API (messaging events)

Datasets enable you to view all customer activities from a single interface. They also allow you to reduce the effort required to build and maintain multiple API integrations.

In Events Manager, advertisers have several options to create a dataset depending on their starting point. Or you can create a brand new dataset in Events Manager by linking during offline event set creation or through an existing mobile app or during messaging event set creation information. Note that linking a dataset to an application is required before sending mobile app events to the Conversions API and only one application can be linked to a dataset. See more details and instructions here.

Meta's Aggregated Event Measurement is a protocol that enables the measurement of web and app events from people using iOS 14.5 and later devices. Aggregated Event Measurement processing includes privacy protections such as removing identifiers, adding differential privacy, and aggregating data across users before serving or measuring ads.

Fortunately, Apphud events are eligible for Aggregated Event Measurement.

Apphud Events are eligible for Meta's attribution

With the advent of iOS 14, measuring app install events has become more challenging, requiring robust attribution methods. Two primary solutions have emerged: Meta’s Aggregated Event Measurement and Apple’s SKAdNetwork. Both aim to facilitate campaign attribution, but they have notable differences that can impact your reporting and optimization strategies.

Reporting differences may occur due to:

• Reporting delays. Meta’s attribution method provides near real-time reporting, while SKAdNetwork reporting has delays of at least 24 hours.
• Different attribution windows.
• Event configuration.
• Low conversion volume.

1. Deprecation of App Events API

Facebook no longer recommends App Events API for new integrations. Future innovation will be developed on the Conversions API.

2. Does not require IDFA

IDFA and AD ID values are not required for this integration because Meta uses it's own probabilistic attribution using machine learning, device IP address, and other parameters that can be used for fingerprinting. Works well on iOS 14.5+ devices even without permission.

3. Data appears in near real-time

No need to wait up to 72 hours for SKAdNetwork events to come up with 1 to 3 postbacks. Now you can send any number of events per user at any time.

4. Optimize for subscription events

Events sent from Facebook SDK only include events that are tracked while the app is active, which may not include most trial conversions or renewals. However, using the Conversions API, you can optimize for subscription renewal events.

5. Support of web and app events

This means you can run App Promotion and Web2App campaigns using the same integration. Enable the integration to start collecting Apphud events sent through the Conversions API to help Facebook learn more about them. You can launch your first ad campaign at any time, in parallel with your existing solution, and for a Web2App campaign or App Promotion campaign. In both cases, you can optimize for Apphud events.

Integrating the Facebook Conversions API (CAPI) with Apphud is a straightforward process that can significantly enhance your advertising performance. Follow these comprehensive steps to ensure a seamless setup:

Step-by-Step Guide

• Integrate Apphud SDK: Start by integrating the Apphud SDK into your application. Read our comprehensive documentation to learn how to collect device attribution data. This foundational step is critical for accurate data tracking and event synchronization.
• Create the Integration: Once the SDK is integrated, navigate to the Apphud dashboard to create the Facebook Conversions API integration. You will need to provide your Dataset ID and Access Token.
• Implement the addAttribution Method: Make sure the addAttribution method is implemented correctly in your application. Detailed guidelines are available in the Apphud documentation.
• Enable for Existing Ad Campaigns: If you are currently running ad campaigns and want to avoid disruption, enable integration specifically for the Apphud event collection. This will ensure continuity and gradually optimize the new setup.
• Configure Event Transmission: Apphud will automatically send subscription and in-app purchase events to the specified dataset in your Facebook CAPI. This data synchronization helps provide a comprehensive view of user interactions and subscriptions.

Facebook Conversions API Integration Settings in Apphud

It’s advisable to send all revenue events under a unique event name, such as Purchase. This name should remain exclusive and not be reused by any other part of your app code or the Facebook SDK.

Note that by default, the Facebook SDK tracks purchases and subscriptions with the following mapping:

• Start Trial is mapped to StartTrial
• All subscription events are mapped to Subscribe
• Non-renewing purchase events are mapped to Purchase

It's also recommended to disable automatic purchase tracking within Facebook SDK and send all purchase events with different names. Another option is to use the default Subscribe name for all Conversions API events. Not doing so will result in an error with event eligibility, Facebook may discard event that uses multiple connection sources.

Once a certain number of Apphud events have been collected in the Event Manager, the event becomes eligible for App Promotion. Now you can create your first campaign.

In the campaign settings, select the corresponding Event sent by Apphud, for example Purchase.

Purchase event sent from Conversions API supports AEM

Facebook Campaign Data Analysis

Once your campaign is running, you can view your ad campaign data in the Ads Manager.

Ads Manager Dashboard with custom AddToCart subscription event mapping

The user acquisition manager can choose which event to optimize for, such as AddToCart, Purchase, or any other event selected in the FB CAPI integration settings in Apphud.

Ads Manager Dashboard with custom Purchase events sent via Conversions API

Attribution Settings

You can create your own set of columns by clicking the Columns button -> Customize Columns. Pay attention to conversion volume. The more events you collect, the more accurately Facebook will optimize.

Once you've set up your columns, don't forget to change your attribution settings:

By default, Facebook Ads Manager only shows First Conversion, but that's not useful for subscription events! Change it to All Conversions.

Facebook Ads Manager attribution settings

The number of events may differ because renewals are also counted.

All Conversions count differs from the First Conversion count due to Subscription Renewals

The Facebook Conversions API (CAPI) is emerging as a new way to track the effectiveness of your campaigns, especially on iOS 14.5 and later devices. It allows you to view data in near real-time and bypasses the need for App Tracking Transparency (ATT) consent, ensuring a more seamless flow of data. While attribution quality may initially appear lower than the SKAdNetwork, which serves as a robust source of truth, attribution accuracy improves significantly as traffic increases.

By consolidating events into a single dataset, CAPI not only simplifies your tech stack, but also provides a holistic view within the Meta Events Manager. This enriched perspective can be critical to refining your advertising strategies and optimizing performance. In addition, integrating CAPI with Apphud can unlock new dimensions of data-driven insights, enabling you to fine-tune your ad spend and maximize ROI.

Sign up for free and unlock the full potential of your Facebook ads strategy by leveraging the capabilities of the Facebook Conversions API and Apphud.

Ren

Co-founder at Apphud

Ex iOS app and game developer. 11 years in the industry since iOS 3. More than 50 apps are in the background with 4 exits. Entrepreneur and traveler.