Adapting Digital Marketing Strategies in the Age of Increased Privacy

Instagram recently introduced a new privacy change for minors using the platform. Let’s cut to the chase. The updates include:

• Users under the age of 18 will have default private accounts
• Minors will not receive notifications between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. in an effort to promote healthy use of the app
• Introducing more supervision tools for adults, including a feature that allows parents to see the accounts minors recently messaged.?

This update got us thinking about privacy in our world: marketing. Digital marketing isn’t what it once was. Over the past 50 years, we’ve seen endless introductions of new technologies, from desktop computers to the first iPhone, giving us more and more ways to reach others. With that in mind, we’re taking a look at the major privacy changes we’ve seen as marketers and introducing ways to approach content creation and distribution with limited information available.

The evolving digital marketing landscape

Countries, states, and communities across the world have incorporated laws, regulations, and policies to protect the privacy and personal data of individuals online. Although these protections are necessary to defend individuals, they also make it more difficult for marketers to truly know the audience members they’re speaking to. Policies like GDPR, CCPA, and iOS 14.5 App Tracking Transparency are the policies causing these limitations.?

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

This European Union law went into effect on May 25, 2018, protecting the privacy and personal data of individuals. The main purposes are:

• To define the fundamental digital rights of individuals.
• To protect individuals’ rights and freedoms.
• To ensure compliance with data protection laws.
• To establish sanctions for violators of the law.

Prior to this regulation, it was easier for businesses and marketers to gain access to individuals’ information on their demographics, interests, and online activity. Now, they must get explicit consent before collecting information and have to be more transparent about how they use it.?

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), and more

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) was enacted in 2020 and protects individuals by holding businesses accountable for collecting and selling personal information. Businesses are required to incorporate security procedures and practices so individuals know what information is being collected and what they can opt out of. The California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) amended the CCPA in 2023, adding new business auditing requirements and giving consumers the right to change inaccurate information about themselves and avoid disclosure of their information.

Almost half of the other states were inspired by the CCPA and CPRA, creating privacy laws of their own, including Virginia, Utah, Connecticut, and Colorado. There are also considerations of privacy protection policies at the federal level.?

iOS 14.5 App Tracking Transparency

If you own an Apple product, you’ve probably seen a pop-up that reads something along these lines: “Allow [APP] to track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites?” You then have the option to either ask the app not to track this data or allow it. Every company that wants this information has to ask direct permission from the user with a standardized prompt created by Apple.?

Prior to this update in 2021, developers had many opportunities and tools to track user data, which advertisers could then use to better target them with ads. With users having the ability to opt out, developers and advertisers had to find new ways to attract their target audience. Many marketers referred to this update as the “iOS apocalypse” because of the massive impact it had on digital tracking and analytics. In fact, addressable audience sizes such as retargeting pools dropped by 10-30% on average. This limited marketers’ visibility into the user experience and journey, unable to connect events like website visits to specific in-app activities.?

How to adapt your strategies for this privacy-focused era

Look at these policies not as limitations but as opportunities to get to know your audience members in a different way.?

Focus on first-party data collection

Implementing robust data collection methods on owned platforms is a great way to gain as much information as possible about your consumers. This is why creating a contact database is so important— you’ll get to know the customers you know are interested in you. Although your website analytics may be impacted by privacy laws, you can still gain a lot of information about your audience. For example, you can:

• See which website pages get the most clicks to determine which content appeals the most to your audience.?
• In your promotional emails and newsletters, find which content gets the most clicks. Use this information to draw conclusions about your audience’s interests and create other content they may enjoy.?
• Install heatmap tracking platforms to see where customers who allow tracking are spending their time on your webpages.?

One of our favorite ways to collect information on our audiences is through customer surveys and feedback forms. Every time a customer makes a purchase, ask them for their input. You’ll get to know the aspects of their journey they did and didn’t like, giving you more insight to build better experiences.

Leverage contextual advertising

Privacy policies might limit the amount of specific information you have on a customer’s demographics and psychographics, but you use context clues to determine something about their interests. Match advertisements to relevant content without relying on personal data. For instance, if someone is reading a blog post about the best rugs to put in their living room, you might consider targeting them with ads that focus on home decor. Analyze broader browsing patterns or search queries within your site to infer general interests, allowing for more nuanced ad targeting while still respecting user privacy.

Emphasize content marketing and organic reach

The way you create, execute, and distribute your content and engage with your audience will inform your marketing efforts going forward. When you develop high-quality, valuable content, you will attract and retain the right audience. In that same vein, creating a strong social media presence will help you get to know your audience and the content they engage with. Social media engagement is a two-way street, so having real conversations with fans of your brand will make them feel recognized. Using marketing methods to build a community will allow your bond with your customers to keep growing stronger.

This is also a great time to consider influencer marketing. Work with influencers who are establishing genuine connections with your target audience in order to actively engage them with your content.?

Explore alternative targeting methods

Consider other avenues to get to know your customers and target them with additional content. Try out some of our favorites:

• Try behavioral targeting based on on-site actions. This data from users’ interactions on your website will help you deliver personalized content or advertisements that align with their demonstrated interests and behaviors.?
• Implement A/B testing to experiment with your audience’s preferences. Conduct controlled experiments by showing different versions of a piece of content to segments of your audience to identify which variations resonate more effectively.?
• Use declared preferences to test interest-based targeting. Leverage explicit information provided by users about their interests to refine and evaluate the effectiveness of targeted marketing strategies.?
• Create lookalike modeling using first-party data collected. Analyze existing customer data to identify patterns and characteristics, allowing you to target new audiences that resemble your customers.
• Incorporate geolocation targeting while respecting privacy concerns. Use location data to deliver relevant offers or content to users based on their geographical area.

As we continue to navigate this ever-changing era of digital privacy, marketers face both challenges and opportunities to learn more about their audiences. By focusing on first-party data, contextual advertising, content marketing, and alternative targeting methods, we can continue to reach and engage our audiences effectively.

The future of marketing lies in building trust and providing value. As we adapt to these changes, we're not just complying with regulations— we're creating more meaningful connections with our customers. By respecting privacy while delivering personalized experiences, we can foster long-term relationships that benefit both businesses and consumers alike.

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