We can all agree that the rise of the Internet has made it easier for brands and consumers to interact, and what used to require a huge effort to impact a target market can now be done in minutes or even seconds, allowing businesses to grow and reach new heights faster than ever before.
However, along with immediate access to information also comes a growing dependence on technology.
This is why people are concerned about their personal privacy and the general access that companies have to their information.
So how do companies that rely on digital marketing , online advertising and campaign monitoring data fit into general consumer data protection laws?
In this post we will give you important tips so that your company can find a way to balance these factors efficiently and effectively.
We will now address the following topics:
- What is privacy in the digital world?
- Awareness of the importance of data privacy laws
- Can Digital Marketing and Data Privacy Coexist?
- The limits of digital marketing
- Digital Marketing and Privacy: How Can Marketers Adapt?
- The future of digital marketing and privacy
- Conclusion: everything changes at the same time it remains the same
Keep reading! After assimilating the information we have provided, you will have a more elaborate vision of that subtle balance between Digital Marketing and privacy. Let’s get started!
What is privacy in the digital world?
Before we can discuss how companies should shop protect consumer privacy , we first need to talk about what that means in terms of information.
And, at a basic level, privacy is the right of consumers to determine how third-party organizations use their personal information .
When we say personal information we are talking about something very vast and diverse, but basically we are referring to:
- Personal contact information : Name, address, phone number, email.
- Identifications : Identity or social security number, date of birth, driver’s license number, IP address.
- Financial information : Credit card numbers, bank account numbers.
- Usage details : Tracking across websites, cookies , previous visits.
And while this is a simplified list of the different elements included in digital privacy, it gives a pretty good idea of the types of data your company is probably already using in one way or another to perform marketing analysis .
This brings us to another question: how does your brand ensure digital privacy for customers, leads and website visitors?
Awareness of the importance of data privacy laws
As more people become concerned monitor your receivables and send reminders for late payments. about digital marketers using personal information inappropriately, laws and regulations regarding the use of this type of consumer data are becoming more common.
This means that more online advertisers need to be aware of what they can and cannot do in terms of personal privacy.
More specifically, there are two important laws you need to consider:
- The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
- And the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
Both guidelines regulate how entities collect information and give individuals the right to opt out at any time during their browsing.
They were also the first to regulate how website owners should manage visitors based on their specific locations, both across the European Union and in the state of California.
As you can imagine, you never know when someone from one of these areas is going to visit your website, which is why these laws made it important for everyone across the board to comply with them in some way, which was a huge game-changer .
But these are not the only two laws out there. As more consumers become concerned about how their information is used, local and international laws are beginning to appear.
That’s why it’s always important to understand the latest developments in data privacy . And to do this, it’s key to monitor industry signals, as you’ll be able to adapt your company’s methodologies accordingly.
Can Digital Marketing and Data Privacy Coexist?
Of course, all of these new regulations fax lead limit the way digital marketers can use data to create a personalized experience for buyers and customers.
It’s no wonder Gartner predicts that by 2025, 80% of marketers will have abandoned personalization efforts.
Where it was once common to track leads throughout an entire buying journey , today, certain elements of that process are beginning to evolve to stay in line with global privacy restrictions.
Let’s look at Apple as an example, starting with iOS 14.5, users must opt in to sharing their unique identifier for advertisers (IDFA) with apps.
This means that if any iPhone or iPad user chooses not to do this, their digital tracking information is not shared with advertisers.
In turn, platforms like Instagram and Facebook that rely on this data for advertising analytics could lose a lot of money.
At the same time, small brands that use their services for ads won’t be able to generate accurate reports to know how well their campaigns are working.
And this is just one example of the tension between the Digital Marketing industry and data privacy regulations.
While Apple wants to keep its customer base — phone and tablet consumers — happy, other advertisers are at a direct disadvantage.
In addition, search giant Google has just announced that it will end third-party cookies in its Chrome browser by the end of 2023.
This means it will be harder than ever for brands to accurately track their users through current methodologies.
The limits of digital marketing how-to-generate
All these major changes amount to one thing: the general evolution of Marketing towards the individual and a substantially changing dependency.
Simply put, Digital Marketing leaders will have to rely less on data and monitoring and work more on an overall message that resonates better with their niches.
Where it was once easy to segment content into very specific groups, we are returning to an advertising era where creatives must take a broader approach.
Not sure what we mean? Think of car commercials or banner ads before the dawn of the Internet.
These campaigns needed to focus on reaching a broader audience as a whole to be successful.
The exact implications of such changes, however, remain to be seen, and will largely depend on whether Apple and Google’s decisions lead other platforms to take similar steps.
Digital Marketing and Privacy: How Can Marketers Adapt? how-to-generate
Now that we’ve talked about what digital privacy is and how jurisdictions and marketing platforms are changing, it’s important to look at how advertisers can adapt.
While there are several ways to make this happen, it all starts with marketers realizing that the days of data glut are over.
Having the ability to track your target audience’s every move is a thing of the past and what little remains of that way of working is rapidly diminishing, so it’s best to have a plan for moving forward.
According to Google, the best way to balance data-driven marketing and privacy protection is to:
- Collect data responsibly;
- Be inventive with how you reach audiences;
- Hire and train for privacy;
But what does all this mean? Keep reading and we’ll explain!
1. Focus on quality content
Until now, the main focus for marketers has been to match content with specific KPIs .
However, this is where you need to shift to a focus on content quality , as this is essential.
Instead of just trying to reach a large number of segmented demographics with your messages, you need to simultaneously have ads and creative media that meet the needs of larger, less well-defined groups.
By doing this, you’ll be able to adapt to a “crowd messaging” approach.
2. Increase the frequency of ads and communications how-to-generate
Again, the evolution of Digital Marketing and privacy will require you to adapt to different circumstances .
And, rather than relying on one impactful message that reaches your target customer’s heart right away, it’s important to increase the frequency of ads and communication to achieve a more comprehensive approach.
For example, instead of showing one ad multiple times, you may want to switch to multiple ads with different angles.
You may also need to increase the number of times you connect with an audience to increase brand awareness. While the exact details of how this will work best remain to be seen, it’s definitely an important element to remember.
3. Adopt integrated brand metrics how-to-generate
To survive these changes and be prepared, it’s important to adjust your brand’s built-in metrics .
What does this mean? Monitoring campaign effectiveness at a macro level rather than a micro level.
Basically, you stop focusing on whether individual campaigns worked or not and start constantly evaluating all aspects of your Marketing , such as:
- Total advertising expenditure.
- ROI .
- Customer satisfaction .
In the end, the broader you can see the bigger picture, the easier it will be to hone your overall message at a high level.