Ecrubox Digital has been at the forefront of the ever-changing digital world of data, commenting on the shifts when it comes to the future of a world without cookies. It was over 2 years ago when our Head of PPC, Pav Lorenc first asked the big question “How does Google’s cookie change affect digital marketers in digital agencies?” Our inquisitive nature as an agency, had some of the biggest events in the industry asking us to comment on the shift and what it meant to digital marketers. Most recently, our co-founder, Heather Horton presented at Brighton SEO and shared her insights and thoughts on the future of a cookie-less world which you can catch up on here.

A fast-paced industry deserves an in-depth look at the changes which is why we asked Heather to share her takeaways and thoughts on the current situation. Here’s something to bite into on today’s National Cookie Day.

To understand the difference between a world with cookies and one without, we must first get to grips with what web cookies do.

For years, brands have used third-party cookies to build a profile of you and your interests based on the sites you visit, collecting data that helped them to target ads to the right audiences. Cookies are on millions of websites, feeding tons of information about the sites you visit and your user preferences online. But the public are becoming more aware of privacy issues these days, and regulators are passing more privacy laws.

91% of people are concerned about the amount of data that companies collect from them, making it increasingly challenging for brands to connect, understand, and honestly speak to their targeted audiences in a digital space.

In the real world, the more background knowledge we know about a person, the more effective our initial conversations are when we try to get to know them. The past cookie crumbs in the digital maze of the internet helped to navigate the user experience and conjure up something that resonated with the user. It helped to foster somewhat of a connection. But in some ways, it encourages digital marketers to become lazy and lose the unexpected delight that comes from truly getting to know your customers and speaking to them directly.

Fast forward to 2021, and Google’s third-party cookie deprecation delay should by no means indicate that now is the time for marketers to put less emphasis on the migration to first-party cookies and data privacy. It’s the opposite.

The cookie has always been about positive exchange value. Now that it’s gone, this is a massive opportunity to rethink the value agreement between digital and people. This is not an easy task, which is why you need digital experts to help you navigate this ever-evolving world of marketing, but for now, here are a few tips to get you started.

"Understanding the consumer is very different from tracking them"

Heather Horton, Founder of Ecrubox Digital

When digital marketers commit to this concept and deliver strategies that meet this notion, the overall user experience and uplift in brand awareness will take on new heights. Let’s face it HALF OF US WERE CLICKING BUTTONS UNTIL THE COOKIE CRUMBLED and we got to exactly what we wanted; the product or service. Where’s the genius in that? The way you negotiate your first party, shared and compared data will prove your worth in a BIG BUSINESS WORLD. The non-cookie world is a better world where we focus again on the bond between humans and how to do VERY BIG BUSINESS. The two are not alien concepts.

Paid Advertising- After Cookies. What does it mean, and how does it impact you?

Quick Tips That Work

INVEST IN DATA

Own the network, not just the data

Encourage the brand journey so deeply that a customer would log in. You own everything inside the room.

  • Facebook Lead Ads will unlock excellent data.

Use Facebook Lead generation (or email or anything) to buy knowledge in a value exchange - then give them the value.

  • Find relevant potential customers
  • Reach the right people by combining lead ads with value-based audience targeting (from your CAPI integration)
  • Customise your forms to request the most important information first
  • Carry out integration with your CRM/ESP
CONSIDER SERVER TO SERVER INTEGRATION

Sync your Facebook leads, website leads, and any other first-party data you’re collecting straight into your ESP and get it to work for you.

TAP INTO THE MINDS OF CLIENTS, CREATIVELY

A cookie-less world is an opportunity to be MORE INVESTED and see higher returns. Clients’ relationships with brands have evolved. Now brands must respond by adjusting their strategies accordingly—meaning they must regularly gather, track, and leverage actionable data intelligence. That’s a lot of data to consider.

It’s helpful to remember, though, that ultimately brands want to understand intent fully. They don’t want to rely on many different data points that place a client in a particular segment or assume their intent. By engaging with clients directly or asking people specific questions, the data tells them the answer.

When digital experts talk about data-driven marketing, they focus on strategies and solutions that have been designed with insight, results, and facts in mind. These areas of consumer behaviour need to be uncovered through harnessing a strong connection with the customer. These tools and techniques will advance rapidly over the next few months as the race is on to truly humanise digital content and speak to the consumer directly. For now, filling the gaps with substantial techniques, tools, and strategies that are not quick sugar fixes like cookies, and focusing more on the consumer’s needs is where the opportunity lies.

When digital experts talk about data-driven marketing, they focus on strategies and solutions that have been designed with insight, results, and facts in mind. These areas of consumer behaviour need to be uncovered through harnessing a strong connection with the customer. These tools and techniques will advance rapidly over the next few months as the race is on to truly humanise digital content and speak to the consumer directly. For now, filling the gaps with substantial techniques, tools, and strategies that are not quick sugar fixes like cookies, and focusing more on the consumer’s needs is where the opportunity lies.

Paid Advertising- After Cookies. What does it mean, and how does it impact you?


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