Google Analytics cross-device remarketing is a big, much needed change to their previous remarketing tactics. Starting May 15th, it will apply remarketing across multiple devices for the same person. How is this different?
Remarketing is the process of creating targeted advertisements and positioning them in front of users who previously visited your website but did not make a purchase or click a desired link. This allows businesses to continue marketing online to people even after they have left their website.
Google’s longtime remarketing strategy was helpful but noticeably imperfect. It only relied on the cookies of the individual’s search history. This still allowed you to show advertisements to website visitors who didn’t make a purchase or fill out a form, but it had its limits. Cookies were confined to that specific device, whether it was a laptop, a phone, a tablet, or something else. It stifled how far you could go with remarketing to past website visitors.
The Google Analytics cross-device remarketing update changes all of that. You can now apply your remarketing strategy to the same individual across multiple devices, enhancing your chances of converting them into customers. But how does it work and how can you use it?
Cross-Device Remarketing Studies Google Account Data
Google populates your analytics charts with the data from users who are signed into Google and associate their browsing history with their accounts. All of that data is stored on their accounts, which are accessible from any device.
Google Analytics collects this data and uses it to build and define audiences for you in ways you can use beyond just measurement. This more detailed data lets you build more exact, stronger retargeting campaigns.
Remarketing Can Now Be More Effective
According to the alert that pops up in Google Analytics, “Six in ten internet users start shopping on one device but continue or finish on a different one.”
This means that marketers have been missing lots of opportunities to market to previous website visitors. A person might only be seeing the same ad multiple times, instead of a different ad you intended for them to see at a certain phase in the marketing lifecycle. The new method fixes this problem, taking into account the account information of the users, as opposed to just the cookies of their browsing history.
This also lets marketers select frequency capping (how often a user sees your ad over a period of time) with better judgment.
Your Privacy Policy Will Change
These changes to remarketing with Google will also affect your privacy Policy. You need to tell Google:
- Whether you use remarketing for advertising
- What platform you will use for remarketing
Your policy must also disclose the nature of your remarketing strategy to website users:
- How you’re using it
- How third-party vendors like Google show your ads
- How users can opt out of seeing your ads
This improved, data-centric implementation of Google Analytics cross-device remarketing means digital marketers can be more strategic and more exact in their remarketing plans. Your analytics data will be more accurate and reveal previously unknown trends in the browsing and search habits of your users. You can cut costs, plan ads more effectively, and avoid spamming potential customers.
Do you need help with your Google Analytics and digital marketing strategy? Reach out to us and we’ll show you what we can do.
