When it comes to security, most people mention internet proxies in the same breath as VPNs. While proxies are a great option when considering security, it would be a mistake to put them in the same category. It’s not just IT that will benefit from proxies, but the marketing department as well.
The internet has opened up a load of possibilities for modern businesses. Be it security, audience reach, or interaction.
The thing is, certain developers and individuals have created ways to prevent effective data gathering.
Proxy marketing offers enhanced online privacy, allowing marketing managers to protect their data and maintain the confidentiality of their campaigns. Learn more: https://t.co/IqopLyQUxc @wpdevrix
— Marisol Marketing Strategies LLC (@marimarkstra) October 17, 2024
So it’s important to understand that internet proxies come with different sets of benefits from VPNs. Let’s learn more about proxy marketing, and proxies, in general.
What is a Proxy?
While there may be overlaps in function, at its core, the internet proxy is a business’ friend. But just what is an internet proxy?
An internet proxy acts as an added security layer. This means that anything entering or exiting your webspace is directed through the proxy. Think of it like a gatehouse. Instead of letting users enter your site directly through your IP, the proxy “masks” everything in between.
This is especially true for residential proxies, which use IP addresses assigned to real residential locations, adding an extra layer of authenticity and anonymity.
Internet traffic is managed first. And in the case that you are the one surfing the web, the proxy masks your true IP by generating its own.
The most obvious benefit here is being safe and secure as you navigate the web. But utilizing proxies provides more than just that important feature.
At the most basic level, you can choose between IPv4 or IPv6 proxies. For IPv4, some options you might find are Semi-dedicated, Dedicated, and Rotating.
Note: The nature of IPv6 proxies makes it difficult to cycle or replace them automatically. Expect these proxy changes to take more time than IPv4 proxies.
What Is Proxy Marketing?
Essentially, proxy marketing is a marketing strategy that uses a third party to represent your company or brand in a particular market.
The third party, or proxy, is typically a person or organization that possesses a favorable reputation in the intended market and can serve as a spokesperson for the company or brand.
5 Benefits of Proxies for Marketing Managers
To help you understand how these proxies are beneficial for your marketing strategy, we’ve come up with 5 main points. Hopefully, these points will help you understand if proxies are a good choice for your company.
1. Effective Information Gathering
As marketing professionals know, information is a priceless asset. Any smart move will be based on factual information that you can plan around.
Have you ever noticed how some websites cater to your specific needs? This can be in the form of:
- Products intended for your region
- Popular products in your region
- Products you’ve searched recently
The site will be easier to browse, and you’re more likely to find what you want faster.
Unfortunately, your attempts at gathering important consumer information can be blocked. Some servers or networks have protocols enabled that prevent data-crawlers from accessing that information. They do this by establishing which IP is acting “suspiciously” and blocking it out.
Proxies help you get around this by generating or cycling the available IPs for those data-crawlers. The effect is that data-crawlers are able to access the necessary information on your targeted sites without fear of being banned.
Finding the right proxy provider also gives you access to different kinds of proxy servers. This means being able to choose, and spend, only for those that your site needs.
2. Anonymous Internet Navigation
Sometimes, a little sneaking around is necessary. For the most part, this will happen a lot more when doing research for the business. Not because we’re doing anything truly suspicious but because websites can be savvy.
Websites will often take note of visiting IP addresses. As a current and relevant example, take a look at how some premium shoe stores choose to limit purchases per customer.
Once a user is recorded as having made a purchase, their IP address is logged. Any subsequent attempt at purchasing more products will be restricted since the user’s IP is already on the database.
Internet proxies have been used to address this issue very effectively. In this context, users make use of sneaker proxies and the like to mask their own IP.
Different proxy providers may also allow users to switch up the provided IPs, and an automatic process is preferred. Cycling through IPs then lets users avoid identification and frees them from restrictions.
3. Faster Page Speeds
As a marketing professional, your product or service has to be sellable. And in addition to that, your business website has to be convenient for easy purchases.
While this might not be the main point behind proxies, they actually end up helping improve user experience on your site.
Internet proxies give businesses the ability to space out their website data. The cloud lets webmasters place partitions of the site over different servers. This method is called peering.
The end effect is that your site can host more users thanks to the additional bandwidth provided by the different servers.
When choosing your proxy service, make sure to pick one that comes with unlimited bandwidth. Combined with efficient network speeds, this grants you access to an immediate increase in site efficiency and speed.
Remember how we mentioned that gatehouse? Let’s call that our access point. Here, your site visitors need only to access that gatehouse. Any time they browse through your site, the gatehouse simply directs them to the appropriate area.
4. Bypass Area-code Restrictions
Speaking of restrictions, you might have noticed how other sites prevent users from accessing their site from outside their region. Netflix does this, and so might your competitor.
That’s one hurdle you’ll have to overcome. After all, competitor analysis is a necessary step for any business. Without it, your marketing team will have a difficult time developing a worthwhile strategy.
Utilize a longer reach by going around area restrictions easily with internet proxies. Again, this is thanks to the constantly changing IP you’ll be using when navigating the web.
With a professional proxy service, users are able to set this to the appropriate region. Need to access a site that caters only to Sweden? No problem! Choose a proxy based in Sweden and you should have access immediately.
And remember to make sure that the provider of your choice is able to provide support for that region. You’ll need to have someone to contact when assistance is required.
5. An Extra Layer of Security
Security is a top priority for businesses. Your business practices and private information might be on your site. And on top of that, your customers’ information might be right there on your server.
In either case, your data security should be of prime importance. These days, it’s quite common to hear of attacks on privacy. These can come in the forms of:
- Malware attacks
- Phishing scams
- Counterfeit schemes
All of these are detrimental to your business. In fact, just experiencing one of these can give your website a bad reputation. It’s a sure way of damaging any brand development you’ve built up over time.
Find a provider that secures every step in the process. It shouldn’t be hard to find one that authenticates users’ access at a competitive price point.
Factors When Choosing a Proxy Provider
To help you out, we’ve come up with 3 factors to consider when choosing a proxy provider.
- Customer Support. How available is the company when it comes to solving issues? This is important for any business that prioritizes their website.
- Expertise. The provider’s expertise will be a culmination of their experience in the industry, meaning faster service times and rotations. They already know how things work and this will be of benefit to your company.
- Capability. How capable is the provider? It’s easy to make claims about server capacity but the problems can start as they begin serving more and more users. High usage might cause a few crashes here and there. Ensure that your provider has the hardware and software necessary.
Conclusion
To summarize, the possible benefits you can gain from using proxies are:
- Effective data gathering
- Anonymous internet navigation
- Faster page speeds
- Area-code restriction bypass
- Added layer of security
Taken separately, these can each be addressed through a couple of methods. The thing is, using proxies gives you all of it at once. It may take some effort in setting it up but the benefits are more than worthwhile.
Securing your internet browsing shouldn’t mean sacrificing information access. Based on what we’ve covered in this article, the point is to choose what’s appropriate for your needs.
In this context, it seems that proxies have been developed in such a way as to serve business needs. The learning curve is short and shallow, and the applications are many.
It should be easy to find providers offering free trials, which is a good way to try it out for yourself first.
The bottom line here is to know and understand your business goals. Don’t rely on the most popular options, as these can be both confusing and irrelevant to your objectives. Focus on what’s important for you and your business, and things should work out fine.