Enhancing Digital Marketing Success with Server-to-Server Events
Written by Jack Butler, Paid Social Team Lead
This blog will help you understand Server-to-Server Events to navigate the changing landscape of data accuracy and security. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) takes effect in May 2024.
Jack has written multiple blogs to help you understand what this means for digital advertisings, Everything You Need to Know About the Digital Markets Act and Digital Markets Act FAQs.
Why Should Digital Marketers Care About Server-to-Server Events?
Running successful digital marketing campaigns hinges on the ability to track and analyse user actions accurately.
Server-to-Server events offer a game-changing solution by providing improved data accuracy. It allows direct communication of event data between servers.
This is becoming more and more important with the introduction of iOS14 and the depreciation of 3rd party cookies. Traditional methods of tracking, such as relying on cookies and pixels, may fall short in these scenarios.
Server-to-Server events provide a robust, future proof foundation for optimising and measuring the success of digital marketing efforts.
Why Are Server-to-Server Events Needed?
Recent changes, notably the release of iOS 14 and the depreciation of cookies in various browsers have reshaped the digital marketing landscape.
Enhanced privacy features introduced by Apple in iOS 14 have limited the effectiveness of traditional browser-based tracking methods.
In response to these developments, Server-to-Server events have become essential. They offer a solution by providing a reliable method to communicate event data between your website and platform.
What Are Server-to-Server Events?
At its core, Server-to-Server events involve the direct communication of event data between servers, eliminating the reliance on user browsers.
This method ensures accurate tracking of user actions, such as website purchases or form completions.
Wow that is a lot of information, but I still don’t have a clue!
Let’s ask ChatGPT for an easy to understand example! Let’s imagine Server to Server events on Meta as a diligent messenger delivering important letters for a busy post office.
So, you have a bustling online store (like a busy post office) where customers place orders and do various activities.
Now, imagine each customer action, like making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter, as an important letter containing valuable information.
Normally, the post office (Meta) relies on its regular mail carriers (browser pixels) to deliver these letters (customer actions) to the intended recipients (Meta servers).
However, sometimes these regular mail carriers might get delayed or miss a letter due to various reasons, like a busy route or bad weather (privacy and tracking changes on web browsers).
Now, here comes the Conversions API, your diligent messenger.
It’s like hiring a dedicated courier service (Conversions API) to ensure that every important letter (customer action) reaches its destination (Meta servers) promptly and reliably.
So, when customers visit your online store and take actions, the Conversions API is there to pick up those crucial letters and deliver them directly to the post office (Facebook servers), making sure nothing gets lost or delayed, even in challenging conditions.
In simpler terms, the Conversions API is like a trustworthy courier service for your online store, ensuring that all the important customer actions are securely and promptly reported to Meta for better tracking and optimisation of your ads.
“Advertisings should expect potential drops in audience sizes as non-consenting users won’t be tracked once The Digital Markets Act begins in May 2024. You should consider migrating to server-to-server APIs for more accurate, anonymous tracking”
Read the full blog – Everything You Need to Know About the Digital Markets Act – written by Jack Butler