A customer’s journey from first browsing your site to purchasing your product is a process that may take several months. To keep their brand fresh in the mind of previous visitors, marketers often use a strategy called retargeting. With this form of advertising, your site will place a discreet piece of code called a pixel on the user’s browser. This code essentially functions as a place marker and will notify retargeting platforms to show ads related to pages they’ve viewed on your site. Many advertisers use retargeting to expand their outreach and keep in touch with potential clients, but new changes are on the horizon. As users demand a higher level of privacy and security, tech giants such as Google and Facebook have responded to satisfy these needs. Here’s what you need to know about the evolution of privacy and retargeting, and how an online marketing firm can help you adapt:
Facebook’s New Policies
In January 2020, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a host of policy changes to protect user privacy. In addition to providing Facebook users with more control over their privacy settings, the new policies make it possible to safeguard off-Facebook activity. Facebook’s revenue is primarily generated by ads, and previously, individuals did not have access to information about which businesses were targeting them. Beginning this year, Facebook users will have the ability to view a summary of their browsing information that businesses send to the social media site. If they choose not to see ads by these companies, they have the option to clear their browsing information through Facebook.
Google’s Updated Policies
Google is also starting off the new decade with stronger privacy policies. The privacy initiative is known as Privacy Sandbox, and will begin the process of making third-party cookies a thing of the past for Chrome users. For now, the tech giant is limiting insecure cross-site tracking and making third-party cookies more secure. Google has emphasized that this is a work in progress, and official policies may take time to solidify. For the time being, the goal is to gradually introduce stronger privacy measures and listen to feedback from web browsers, developers, publishers, and advertisers.
Retargeting is still a great method of advertising to stay connected with interested visitors to your site, but these new changes by Facebook and Google may affect who sees your ads. If you’re feeling intimidated by these upgraded policies or would prefer to focus your efforts elsewhere, you’ll benefit from the help of an online marketing firm. Our team is here to assist you in creating a custom plan for your business and ensuring that your brand adapts to the privacy changes that are forthcoming. Interested in learning more about our services? Contact us today to set up a consultation.