In communications, we are often asked for metrics / numbers / evidence of ROI from campaigns. This was a highly effective way to evaluate the success of campaigns, however the tide is turning, and we can’t base the success or failure of campaigns on metrics alone anymore.
As communications professionals we need to audit what we’re measuring and look at new avenues to determine engagement with our desired audience. That’s not to say hard facts and figures aren’t to be thrown out – however it’s important to understand they aren’t as accurate as they once were.
This is largely due to privacy changes and increased data security protection. The free sharing of information is slowing with many platforms now blocking data from being released to third parties in order to protect users.
It’s a significant change for the industry, but one communication professionals need to embrace and start educating those they report to on.
Privacy policy changes that impact marketing metrics
We are seeing major platforms adjust their language from ‘impressions’ to ‘estimated number of impressions’. Although a minor adjustment in language, it indicates a huge shift needed in the way we rely on and report these numbers.
We can no longer treat platform analytics data as 100% truth, we can count it as a single tool to support in measuring, but it is not the tool to determine success.
Below are only some of the ways privacy policy changes are impacting metrics.
1. Enewsletter metrics
It has been reported that some email platforms and even mobile phones are blocking open and click rate data from being shared with third party platforms such as Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp. This is a real challenge for communicators to navigate but implementing other means such as UTM tracking links, or bit.ly links, can provide a second reference for click-throughs.
2. Cookie restrictions
Significant changes to cookies, where in some instances cookies cannot be used without user consent – users are often given the option to accept all, only necessary or decline all.
With users having more power to determine what information can be shared with organisations, this can affect key metrics including website traffic (unique visitors, session duration, conversion rates), personalised content delivery, and advertising effectiveness.
3. Social media privacy measures
Social media platforms are constantly changing, particularly the analytics section – items that can be tracked one time might not be able to the next time you log in.
This change is frustrating enough, however the increasing privacy measures put in place to enhance user control over their data can provide more roadblocks. For example, users have options to limit data sharing with third-party apps and advertisers which can restrict the level of targeting when advertising.
Metrics such as reach, engagement (likes, shares, comments), and conversion rates from social media ads may be affected if fewer users allow their data to be used for targeting purposes.
What does this mean for communicators going forward?
Privacy policy changes aim to provide users with greater control over their data, which means communication professionals need to better engage users in different ways and even entice people to want to share their information with the organisation.
It is a new challenge for communicators, with likely the most significant being educating stakeholders on the changes and adjusting the way things are measured. This might be looking at trends and averages rather than specific personal information or clicks.
We can expect to see more changes in how we consume and report on data.