A recent survey by GetApp revealed that marketing experts have concerns regarding the repercussions of Google’s decision to stop using third party cookies, with 20% stating that it would have a negative effect on business. Additionally, 41% believed their biggest challenge would come from tracking the right data, followed by less accuracy in personalised advertising at 15%.
I’ve written a fair bit about third party cookies being phased out, but so far, I haven’t had much to say about how to plug the gap. However, as Sonia Navarrete, content analyst at GetApp UK explains, the focus needs to shift to making better use of first party and opted in data.
“With Google’s new cookie data policy, marketers need to be aware of the changes it will bring, how it will affect them and what strategies they must evolve to acquire and make better use of their first party data, as this will soon be their only principle form of data collection. Many marketers claim to not feel ready or prepared for the demise of third party data. However, this provides an opportunity for the development of first party data, with the help of software such as CRM, email marketing or analytics taking centre stage.”
With this in mind, what can marketers do now to capture first party data?
Site registrations, account logins and gated content
Most ecommerce sites will give a user the opportunity to create an account to make future checkout processes faster and more streamlined. It’s a great way to capture data, and build demographics based on past purchasing behaviour.
A lot of media companies allow users to access a set number of articles before having to register to continue reading, and this data can be leveraged for their own marketing, as well as being used to sell ad space and sponsorship opportunities to third parties who want to reach the publications’ target audience.
It can be more difficult for B2B businesses to capture this data. However, offering things like discounts, demos, webinars, and access to exclusive content can help to build an opted in and engaged audience.
