For marketing professionals, metadata is one of the best things that happened in the past decade. For example, data such as click-through rates allow us to run A/B tests to inform design and content. Having clear data helps us make informed decisions to optimize performance and achieve metrics. Using small pieces of data like cookies can also improve performance by personalizing ads to fit individual users.
But as this sector of marketing has grown more prevalent, people are becoming concerned about how their personal data being collected and used. Frankly this concern is justified. There have been numerous companies over the years that have broken the trust of their consumers. Part of our new job as marketers is now to regain that trust. We can help rebuild trust by being more transparent with the consumers and only asking for information necessary for any given transaction. Part of this transparency is also admitting fault when mistakes have been made and quickly developing more effective practices.