Marie Hattar is CMO at Keysight Technologies, responsible for brand and global marketing efforts.
getty
A cookieless future seems inevitable with Google now following Apple’s lead in taking steps to restrict the use of third-party cookies. And coupled with growing data privacy regulations like GDPR and the CCPA that affect how organizations manage consent, marketers will likely no longer be able to use third-party cookies to fuel their strategies.
Traditionally, brands have relied on third-party cookies to track, understand and engage with prospects and customers. The data allows organizations to tailor their content and advertisements based on an individual’s online browsing habits. However, with the regulatory changes and individuals more aware of privacy and rejecting cookies, companies must rethink their data collection practices.
As top-of-the-funnel advertising measurement disappears with the demise of cookies, marketing strategies will need to reorient. So how can companies stay on the right side of regulations and deliver impactful campaigns? Rather than viewing these changes as detrimental, I believe they should view them as opportunities to double down on understanding their customers’ needs and wants. Here are four recommendations for organizations looking to thrive in the new environment.
1. Prioritize First-Party Data
Given the current climate, first-party and zero-party data is increasingly valuable. There are numerous data platforms that organizations can utilize to help with this, and when marketers combine them with a consent management tool, brands can get detailed insights into customers. This allows them to optimize campaigns and the website experience around distinct customer profiles. I believe this quality data will become increasingly critical to driving marketing strategies, and customers will see tangible benefits from this shift.
At Keysight, we’ve focused our efforts on ways to encourage sharing of first-party data. One successful strategy has been creating more immersive experiences across our digital platforms that encourage people to share data. An example is our virtual solutions center, where people can see 3D models of our equipment in a lab environment once they complete the registration. In a nutshell, if you want to build a war chest of first-party data, you should create an experience that’s valuable for specific personas.
2. Put The Customer Experience At The Heart Of Marketing Strategies
Another component is delivering a user experience (UX) that delights in order to encourage customers to share first-party data. Companies need to create meaningful moments and authentic experiences to better engage and delight their customers. The more seamless and personalized the UX is across every touchpoint, the more likely individuals are to give consent for the collection of first-party data. This presents an opportunity for brands to build long-lasting connections rather than maintaining the transactional nature of serving up digital adverts.
One way we’ve achieved this is by creating a digital learning platform for engineers that houses over a hundred courses taught by our engineers. We use this to support our customers as they build out their test and measurement skills and knowledge. This has been instrumental in driving up registrants who willingly share their personal information based on the value of the content. From our perspective, it’s given us insights into the type of content our audience is consuming, which we can then feed back into our understanding of our customer personas to help us further refine our outreach strategies.
3. The Trust Factor
The growing concerns around data privacy and the looming legislation are the core drivers behind Google, Apple and others making these changes. With individuals now much more cognizant about the value of their personal data, they are no longer blindly giving consent. Trust now has to be earned, requiring companies to be transparent about data collection. Organizations must put users at ease when visiting their digital properties to earn and maintain trust. If a business is transparent about its data practices, it will not only stay compliant with regulations but will have users willing to share their first-party data.
Part of building trust is making it as easy as possible for users to understand and reject permissions. A website consent banner or form should be accessible, intuitive and set to opt-in rather than opt-out so that every user can easily and freely customize their preferences. Organizations that remove the friction and give individuals an inclusive, trustworthy and user-friendly experience can build trust and reap the benefits.
Keysight’s live learning experiences represent one example of creating a compelling experience with a series of interactive events demonstrating our solutions. The content, combined with a simple opt-in process, helped us attract over 30,000 registrants.
4. One Size Doesn’t Fit All
The privacy landscape varies across regions and countries, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the challenge. Therefore, don’t forget to invest time in training your team on the differences. And rather than waiting until the regulations come into effect, every organization should start preparing for the changes now.
As a result of the shift in regulations and companies’ limited ability to track outside their own platforms, first-party data reigns supreme. Rather than perceiving this as a hurdle, brands should use it as a catalyst to get creative and deliver relevant and engaging experiences. Organizations should seize the opportunity to double down on delighting customers.
Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
