As a marketer, you have a dilemma. How do you deliver personalized experiences without coming across as too intrusive? For a while, third-party cookies have enabled marketers to target audiences with relevant, tailored messages. However, as many have successfully argued, using third-party cookies violates reasonable consumer privacy expectations.
It’s why the tech giants have either restricted the use of cookies or are phasing them out. So, how can marketers still give consumers the personalized experiences they crave? While companies may have gotten used to the conveniences of cookies, there are still ways to accomplish the same goal. Discover how below.
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If you’re not already using predictive analytics in some fashion, you’re not leveraging your data. Predictive analytics help companies pinpoint patterns and trends based on disparate data points. With various models, your company can predict when demand for a specific product will spike. You can also determine product recommendations for clients based on their past behaviors.
Within the realm of predictive analytics is a modeling technique that combines audience segmentation with artificial intelligence. This technique is called predictive audiences, a term you may be unfamiliar with. Predictive audiences take consumer segments to the next level by analyzing their online behaviors and preferences. The difference is the model relies on first-party information instead of third-party cookies.
As you may already know, first-party data is information your company gathers directly. It can be from your website, surveys, emails, and other types of content. This information can help you segment audiences based on the likelihood they’ll buy a product within a few weeks. Predictive audiences also help you identify the consumers most at risk for churn. The technique allows you to tailor your marketing messages to the correct audience at the right time.
On-page content can target audiences based on their interests, lifestyles, and preferences. You read an online article or blog post because the topic captivates you. Maybe you’re interested in diving deeper into the intricacies of the cosmos. Or, you want to plan a weekend getaway close to home but need new ideas.
When audiences engage with online content, there’s more to it than the images and words they see on the screen. A few ads and pop-ups go along with it. When those ads and messages align with the content, it’s called contextual targeting. It’s marketers’ way of personalizing user experiences by inferring their interests based on context.
The average internet user spends 6.5 hours each day online. Some of this time, if not most, is spent engaging with digital content. Marketers can effectively use contextual targeting to reach audience segments by using common sense. Think cruise line ads on a blog post about visiting the Caribbean. As long as the context matches, your marketing messages are more likely to win over audiences.
Zero-party data is information consumers willingly give you. Say someone exchanges their data when downloading gated content. This info could include more than their name, zip code, and email address. Maybe your form also asks for subjects they’re interested in and their main pain points. Other examples include surveys, interactive content, and email newsletters with data collection capabilities.
Mobile apps are yet another way marketers can leverage zero-party data. Consumers create accounts with email addresses for the convenience of browsing products and making purchases on the go. Those accounts store their payment methods, what they’ve bought, and items or content they’ve looked at. Your audiences are exchanging this information with you, and it’s a goldmine.
You can leverage the data to personalize emails, product or service suggestions, promotions, and content. This content could be within and outside the app. Statistics show that 62% of consumers will stray from a brand if it delivers non-personalized content. And 43% of online shoppers will exchange some of their information if it means receiving more tailored marketing messages. Don’t ignore the power of asking for and collecting data directly from your audiences.
Despite spending considerable time online, consumers are influenced by more than the digital realm. Their behaviors are also influenced by what’s happening offline. Real-world events can shape audiences’ impulses, interests, and preferences.
You can personalize ads and other marketing messages by incorporating current events into your content. The most blatant examples are themes using current holidays and seasons. However, your brand could take advantage of local weather events and other trends if they fit.
Say there’s been a cold snap or a round of snowstorms in the area. Depending on what your brand sells, you could emphasize products that help consumers “dig out” and enjoy their time indoors. Another example is addressing consumer behavior shifts due to national trends like inflation. You could deliver content and user experiences focused on helping them maximize their budgets. Just be sure it aligns with your brand’s identity and comes across as authentic.
Personalization may look effortless, but marketers must put a lot of thought into it. It requires diligent research, data collection, and a deep understanding of what drives various audiences. Technology, including third-party cookies, has certainly aided marketers in their quest to get personalization right.
Simultaneously, tech has raised concerns over privacy and alienated customers who want to retain control over their information. Getting rid of third-party cookies appears to be a way to meet in the middle. Yet, it leaves companies wondering how to continue delivering tailored experiences without relying on this data. Predictive audiences, contextual advertising, zero-party data, and real-world events are ways to move into the future of cookieless personalization
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