First to the party: Building a first-party data strategy

Conclusion

We’ve covered a lot in this guide, but one thing is clear: **The brands with a considered first-party strategy will be the first to succeed. **

Be first to the party

How prepared are you as we approach
a new frontier of B2B marketing?

Whether you’re at the start of your
journey, or looking to optimise your
plans, there’s still time to get ahead
of the changes coming.

So, here are some of the key takeaways
to take forward as you prepare to adapt
and be the first to succeed...

Trust the trends to overcome the barriers

Trends

Be a brand publisher.
Becoming the producers of valuable content is the best way to ensure your data is granted access to that all-valuable first-party data. Think like a traditional trade publication and start to build customer trust today.
Put customer experience first.
Customers will adapt their expectations as they take back control of their data, so you must consider all touchpoints to unify their experience. As yourself: how would each interaction look from their perspective? Let that be your guide.
Personalisation makes a difference.
Integrated customer experiences allow for greater personalisation and more relevant communication. B2B buyers respond more positively to this, so ensure your comms are personalised down to vertical, company size, or even role.

Barriers

Break open the silos.
We’ve heard it before, but marketers’ highest priority must be to integrate their data platforms. Audit your platforms including analytics, marketing automations and even your helpdesk. Then, create a new data warehouse.
Give the customer true control.
Gaining consent for first-party data will require earning the visitor’s trust, and that will come in the form of giving them back true control. The reflex of clicking away consent on an “I’m OK with that” button will be no longer.
You’re accountable.
Compliance will no longer be regarded as a tick-box exercise – the increasing legislations prove this. Use this as an important opportunity to evaluate your current data infrastructure and position it for the future.

Mature your strategies and technologies

Strategies

You need to make sure that your first-party data strategy covers:

An audit of your existing data
Building a clear picture of what you have now and your gaps
The improvement of your data’s value
Ensuring that the first-party data you do have is enriched
A value partnership
Built on a mutual value exchange between you and your customer
A comprehensive consent framework
Certifying your approach in line with guidance and best-practice
Scaling through third-party partners
Using hard and soft first-party data to unlock targeting approaches
Bringing leadership on board
To make sure that everything and everyone is aligned for success

Technologies

Ensure your technology is working most efficiently by:

Auditing your existing technology
Look at your existing stack, and align it for the new requirements
Building a best-practice technology stack
To succeed, you’ll need a comprehensive approach including:

• Customer Data Platform
• ID Solutions
• Data Management Platform
• Marketing Automation Platform
• CMS and Personalisation Platform
Thinking steps ahead
To understand developments in your forecasting and attribution models throughout 2023 and beyond

By following the advice given in this guide and planning ahead, your business will develop a clear first-party data strategy that can take your customer relationships to a brand-new depth.

The road ahead may seem daunting, and to be successful will certainly require innovating your martech stack, and prioritising the data skills needed to manage customer journeys with extra complexity. But, working together, we can unlock all the advantages that change brings, and keep your business one step ahead of the curve.

We’d love to talk with you about helping your business to thrive, even as marketing technology and the data landscape undergo seismic changes.