For years, brands have been using third-party cookies to track website traffic, improve the user experience, and collect data to better personalize and target ads to the right audience. With the recent removal of third-party cookies and new data sharing policies, brands now rely strictly on first-party data. When used correctly, first-party data allows brands to elevate the consumer experience and thrive online and offline by providing more relevant, personalized ads to users across various channels. However, data-driven personalization practices are often easier said than done.

Customers have become more demanding in the newly remodeled digital marketplace than ever before. Today, excellent customer experience is a company’s number one competitive advantage. Advanced analytics can provide companies a better understanding of their customers and their users’ experiences. Before, there was little incentive for companies to prioritize customer data. However, consumers are becoming more aware of how companies track and use their data. With new country and state regulations in place, customers prioritize their privacy, which compels every company to pay more attention to data.

Let’s discuss how companies can elevate the customer experience using first-party data.

Get the Most Out of Existing Customer Data

Companies have always collected first-party data but without a purposeful strategy. Brands looking to get the most out of existing customer data should look to existing resources such as CRM, call centers and email/SMS databases. These resources provide insights into various aspects of customers’ lives, such as their behaviors, location, and purchasing habits, and can supply an overall customer view. Brands that activate this data create a more effective and intentional plan.

From here, first-party data creates more personal and meaningful customer experiences to ensure the right content is delivered at the right time and in the right place. This means providing customers with great user experiences rather than constantly targeting them to buy an irrelevant product or service from the website inspires them to build trust with your brand.

Deliver Across Multiple Channels

Brands must deliver an engaging and personalized customer experience across all channels and touchpoints to gain the most value from first-party data. Businesses everywhere, across any industry, should have an omnichannel strategy in place to optimize communications with customers on all platforms. Additionally, brands need to focus on unifying their messaging and service experience throughout those different channels.

With call tracking platforms, businesses can match the first-party data from the website visitor directly to an inbound phone call. By collecting a certain amount of data from a customer through the website, you can then collect further information about them through an inbound call and as they engage more with your content and offers. The removal of third-party cookies empowers brands to learn more than ever before to understand their customers and deliver relevant, timely and insightful content experiences across channels.

Build Trust With Customers

Clearly, the future of business is anchored in consumer trust. Transparency and consumers’ preferences should lay the foundation for a successful brand experience. Companies need to adapt quickly to consumer expectations to build the trust required for this task. This starts by understanding consumers’ privacy preferences.

Marketing has always been an essential part of a brand. But now more than ever, marketers will be responsible for creating trust with customers from the start.

Without third-party cookies at marketers’ and advertisers’ disposal, creativity will stem directly from using first-party data. Marketing tactics become robust with meaningful internal data especially when pivoting to conversion modeling, hefty CRM and SMS strategies. Despite the long timeline for these changes, brands need to adjust now. Building authentic and trusted consumer engagement will set brands apart once industry changes are finalized.

Jason Smith is Sales Engineer at CallTrackingMetrics. He has more than 20 years of experience in sales and customer service, most recently in SaaS and telecom sales. You can connect with him on LinkedIn.