Using your own data is the best way to combat the loss of third-party cookies in all three of the world’s major browsers (Safari, Firefox and most recently, Chrome). This article is a practical guide to navigating first-party data – the data you collect on your own website(s) and/or digital products. As we move into an era of heightened expectations for both privacy and personalization, one of the most important mentality shifts will be away from reliance on  third-party cookies, toward capturing and using first-party data more effectively.

The Role of Segmentation in Personalization

In order to personalize your communication with leads and customers, you first have to have the right data. Then, you can segment people into specific categories based on factors including:

  • Behavioral segmentation: Identifying behavior patterns and then segmenting visitors helps you serve relevant and targeted content to keep customers engaged. This can include product recommendations, promotions, marketing messages, and more. 
  • Demographic segmentation: Factors like age, income, and background can help you serve content depending on each website visitor’s individual demographics. One downside of demographic segmentation is that it’s generally based on broad assumptions, so it can’t be used for specific content. 
  • Psychographic segmentation: Drilling down into the beliefs and values of your website visitors can help you create tailored marketing messages and promotions that speak to your customer as an individual. This kind of data is more challenging to collect than others, but it’s worth doing. 
  • Geographic segmentation: Depending on a visitor’s geographic location, you can redirect them to a regional site, show them relevant products, and engage them with offers tailored to their specific needs.

Take Control with First-Party Data

Transitioning towards reliance on your own data gives you the freedom to create a truly sustainable marketing strategy that’s respectful of your customer’s data in addition to allowing you to meet expectations for a personalized user experience. From tracking website behavior, to understanding buying patterns, there is a lot your own team can do to combat the death of third-party cookies. The key is to have the right marketing tech stack in place to help you accomplish your data goals, because you need a way to capture and act upon your data. The most successful companies in the world combine a website CMS (like WordPress) with a marketing automation solution (like Act-On), and a CRM (like Salesforce) among other specialized tools. Gathering and analyzing firsthand data is the only way to ensure you are segmenting and personalizing your way to business growth, even in the age of increased privacy.

To read the full guide for Capturing and Using First-Party Data, check out the full blog written by our partner, Act-On, here.

Need help capturing and using first-party data? Contact Us today to learn more about how we can help.

 


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