Consumer privacy regulations and other initiatives have changed data collection, with search engines and apps no longer relying solely on third-party cookies to shape their digital marketing campaigns. While this changes how businesses collect first-party data, there are still ways within data privacy laws to obtain valuable insights about the customer journey. Here’s how to use first-party data in marketing through various technology platforms.
Best Practices for Collecting First-Party Data
Google’s plan to remove third-party cookies caused some businesses to wonder if they had to rethink their marketing strategy. But marketing experts know that first-party data is more important – and you already have that at your fingertips.
Companies have always had to be careful about how they collect information to ensure compliance with data privacy laws, such as the Consumer Privacy Act. However, most information collected via your website or app or other social media platforms, including subscriptions, product registrations, customer support interactions and surveys, complies with such legislation, provided consumers acknowledge their awareness of supplying this information willingly.
Essentially, anything related to customer experiences or customer feedback can become part of your data marketing strategy. Provide clear messaging that you’re collecting their data for consumers to acknowledge.
Collecting first-party data has multiple benefits. These firsthand analytics have more personalization, from a customer’s preferred language to time stamps, providing snapshots of online behavior. You can glean how long they’ve interacted with your site, different products or URLs related to your brand.
All of this becomes vital CRM data, or data to improve customer relationship management. This data helps strengthen your customer base while enabling you to expand your target audience – all while complying with user privacy laws.
Data-Driven Franchise Marketing Strategies
Apply this customer data to crafting different marketing strategies that connect with people along various stages of the customer journey. Based on insights about purchase history, for instance, you can create more personalized experiences for a specific audience segment, adding their name to an SMS or email message and highlighting relevant items related to a previous promotion or purchase.
Use email addresses or SMS to test different promotions to see which performs better among select demographics. You also might offer a free download or select discount to entice a consumer who hasn’t interacted with the brand in a while. If your business has a robust social media presence, you might promote select giveaways, videos, ebooks, blogs and other tailored content.
Loyalty programs offer an excellent example of first-party data collection that provides specific understanding about customer interactions and other behaviors. Customers can accrue points for rewards or earn early access to discounts, sales and other perks, such as free refills or savings on beverages for those in a monthly “coffee club,” for instance. Meanwhile, you can collect valuable information about questions such as which beverages or foods are most popular at different franchises and times of day. In short, you don’t have to brainstorm new ways to collect data about the customer experience to develop a winning marketing strategy. Talk with a marketing expert about the first-party data sources you already have to learn how to optimize your advertising and marketing efforts.
