Why implementing Consent Mode is an opportunity, NOT a threat

What is Consent Mode?

‍

Consent Mode is a Google initiative that allows websites to tailor how they collect and use data about traffic and user behavior based on their consent. It is a response to the increasing demands for privacy on the Internet and changes in legal regulations such as the GDPR.

‍

In the context of digital marketing, Consent Mode opens up new possibilities for optimization. By better understanding user preferences, companies can tailor their advertising strategies to meet the actual expectations of their audience, resulting in greater effectiveness of their actions.

‍

Consent Mode v2 is an evolution of the first version, introducing advanced functionalities that allow for even better management of user consents. It increases the capabilities for customization to personal preferences and allows for the separation of sending anonymous data to advertising tools from data containing user information, and most importantly, allows the user themselves to decide whether such data can be shared.

‍

Read our article in which we discuss in detail the changes introduced by CMv2.

‍

Reasons to implement Consent Mode on your website

‍

Implementing Consent Mode on a website is crucial for several reasons:

‍

• Compliance with GDPR and other regulations - ensures compliance with international privacy laws, such as GDPR.
  ‍
• Building trust - strengthens user trust through transparency in data collection and use.
  ‍
• Marketing optimization - allows for better matching of marketing and advertising actions to user preferences.
  ‍
• Protecting user privacy - helps protect user privacy, which is key in the era of increasing digital awareness.

‍

If you use tools like Google Analytics on your website, implementing Consent Mode is a requirement. It ensures the legal collection and use of user data in accordance with the law. Similar rules also apply to other web technologies, such as remarketing tools, conversion tracking, or content personalization tools, which require user consent for the processing of personal data.

‍

Applying Consent Mode is primarily a sign of care for user trust. Showing that a company respects the privacy and preferences of its customers builds a positive brand image, which has a long-term impact on customer loyalty and engagement.

‍

Practical benefits of implementing Consent Mode

‍

Let's get to the point - Consent Mode is not a threat but an opportunity that is worth leveraging in many areas of online activity. Below are the most important ones, and there are certainly more, and we are 100% sure that more will appear over time. Consent Mode helps businesses. Check out our arguments.

‍

Marketers! You were looking for these users!

‍

A user who consciously consents to marketing content is exactly who marketers have been looking for. For years, internet marketing efforts have focused on optimization and finding those willing to perform the desired action, prone to conversion. Google Ads algorithms and other advertising tools use behavior patterns to eliminate displaying ads to those who are likely not to benefit from them.

‍

Now, not only do we not need to look for such people, but they themselves tell us about it by marking the appropriate consents. Conscious consent to these contents means that users are more likely to use them and respond to the proposed marketing incentives for two reasons:

‍

• In the first group are people looking for such content. Being close to making a conversion decision, they seek final confirmation, additional incentives, and promotions.
  ‍
• The second group broadly includes users who are indifferent to seeing an ad or not. While not as conversion-prone as the first group, by making a conscious decision, they look at advertising content with more approval and kindness because of the decision they made to see it. As a result, they are more likely to respond to it if they find an interesting incentive.

‍

Therefore, Consent Mode introduces opportunities that allow for segmentation without the need for long-term learning of advertising tool algorithms and without analysis. Let's take advantage of this, instead of being upset about the loss of data in Google Analytics or Google Ads. Thanks to Consent Mode, your data about users is more calorific from the start!

‍

Saving budget and time

‍

Advertising tools require time and budget to learn user behavior and campaign optimization before they begin to understand which groups to target and which to avoid to maximize campaign goals. For the same reason as above, thanks to Consent Mode, from the start of the campaign, algorithms, especially remarketing ones, see those users who are more likely to respond to advertising content. This allows algorithms to learn faster, more efficiently, and thus more cheaply.

‍

This is very important, especially for low-budget and test campaigns, which often last in the learning mode for a long time without the possibility of predicting when they will enter the normal mode, which makes planning advertising actions impossible. Properly implemented Consent Mode improves the operation and learning of algorithms.

‍

Image of transparency and honesty

‍

Implementing Consent Mode can contribute to increasing trust in the brand. It has always been known that giving customers a choice raises satisfaction with products and services. Personalized products bring greater joy partly because the user could make a choice. This operation of our mind also has its application when expressing consents. The feeling that my opinion as a consumer matters to a given brand and that it respects my choice, even if I do not agree to the processing of my data by it, causes an increase in trust, and thus a greater willingness to use the services. Therefore, do not believe that people who do not consent on the website are non-converting people. These are demanding people who value their privacy, and Consent Mode can improve the conversion rate of the site for these people.

‍

‍

Feeling and applying the right communication strategy to people with consents and another for people without expressed consent can increase the positive reception of the brand and trust in it, while complying with simple legal rules, and even more so breaking them will spoil the image.

‍

Compliance with the law and standardization of solutions

‍

Many internet companies deliberately delay the introduction of Consent Mode, claiming that institutions do not control it or that most of the competition does not comply with the regulations. In the market, there is a belief that introducing this functionality lowers statistics and the effectiveness of actions on the internet. This is not true, and such an approach endangers the company with unpleasant consequences. Additionally, referring to the competition is a huge mistake. Information about Consent Mode and the obligations of the entrepreneur on the internet is extremely scarce, and many companies do not know what requirements they should meet.

‍

It is also worth asking yourself: When stopping at a STOP sign, do we first look around to see if there is a police officer who can fine us? Also, in terms of personal data management, it's not about avoiding penalties, but about business transparency and compliance with the regulations applied in the area where the company operates. Applying the introduced regulations protects the company from consequences not only from the side of controlling and auditing institutions but also places the company among those that are trustworthy. Ultimately, it's not about fines and penalties, but about respect and safety of other traffic participants and users of our website.

‍

Until now, fulfilling obligations related to GDPR and RODO was difficult, often requiring the introduction of their solutions, which entailed costs. This also constituted a barrier for many small entrepreneurs conducting business on the internet. The development of Consent Mode and consent management platforms (CMP) brought standardization and ready-made inexpensive solutions. Currently, to meet legal requirements, it is enough to install a banner in the selected CMP solution, which is often offered in a subscription form, and take care of compliance with Consent Mode v2. Everything can be done through Google Tag Manager, without programming intervention.

‍

Consent Management Platforms for Cookies (Cookie Management Platform)

‍

Consent Management Platforms (CMP) are tools that enable internet entrepreneurs to manage user reports on cookies and other tracking technologies to ensure compliance with data privacy regulations. The most popular among them, which our clients prefer to use, are:

‍

• Cookiebot: This is a CMP solution that automates the process of collecting and storing consents for cookies, ensuring compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy regulations. It offers detailed control over cookies and tracking on the site, allowing users to consent to individual categories of cookies. It is certified by Google.OneTrust: A platform for compliance and data privacy management offers a comprehensive CMP solution that helps companies manage user consents, assess privacy-related risks, and meet global regulatory requirements.
  ‍
• OneTrust: certified by Google, also allows for the personalization of consent banners to better match the brand and increase user acceptance.Using CMP simplifies meeting requirements also in that the most popular ones update themselves, adapting to changing regulations. Often even without user intervention, they introduce improvements. The most cost-effective and most commonly used form of cookie consent management in an organization is the use of CMP, Consent Mode v2, Google Tag Manager, and hiring a company specializing in care over this legal-technological area, which is responsible to the Client for the correctness of implementation and responds to market changes.
  ‍

At DataDise, we have a specialized team that monitors this area in real-time because while regulations change with a large lead time, commercial companies like Google can surprise with changes that need to be adapted sometimes overnight. Having a guardian of this area gives full control and compliance with the regulations.

‍

Summary

‍

Consent Mode is an opportunity, not a threat. It is a cost, but wisely managed, it becomes an investment in marketing activities that improve both advertising effectiveness and the image of the organization. We encourage a positive approach to this topic and the use of potential advantages over the competition. Being the first and using change instead of resisting it can contribute, not only in this area, to more effective implementation of the marketing strategy, leading to better business results.

‍