Advertisers using AdWords can now use phone numbers and addresses for Google Customer Match targeting.

In 2015, Google launched Customer Match targeting in AdWords which allows advertisers to target (or exclude) search and display ads to users by simply uploading mailing lists. Advertisers are now able to use phone numbers and addresses as well to build audiences and target users too.

How does it work?

With all the user-provided data collected, using millions of Google accounts, Google tries to match up users’ email addresses and phone numbers, creating hashed strings (like a UID).

So, now, when advertisers use phone numbers and email addresses in Customer Match targeting, Google tries to match up that data using its own hashed strings.

In Google’s own words:

“After you’ve uploaded your list of email addresses and/or phone numbers, AdWords will compare each hashed string on your list with the hashed string or email address or phone number of Google accounts. If there’s a match, we add the corresponding Google account to your Customer Match audience.”

Why should you care?

Marketers that don’t have large email mailing lists now have the opportunity to use their own first-party data in Google campaigns.

Advertisers already using Customer Match Audiences know that it outperforms nearly every other type of audience on the Google SERP, making this additional targeting super exciting for advertisers.

References:

https://www.wordstream.com

https://searchengineland.com