Marketing ideas for life beyond third-party cookies

Introduction

In 2023, Google revealed plans to start discontinuing third-party cookie support in Chrome. The process, designed to reduce fraud and enhance advertising capabilities, will commence with 1% of users experiencing disabled third-party cookies beginning in the first quarter of 2024.

This first step precedes a more extensive elimination of third-party cookies for all Chrome users, expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2024.

The move heralds a transformative era in digital marketing, which will impact marketers, requiring them to adapt their methods.

In this article, we suggest nine ethical and effective strategies that marketers can use to ensure continued digital marketing success in the absence of third-party cookies.

What have third-party cookies been used for until now?

Until now, third-party cookies have been like helpful assistants for digital marketers, who have used them to do a variety of jobs including:

• Behavioural Tracking: Monitoring user behaviour across various websites to enable a better understanding of user interests and habits
• Targeted Advertising: Delivering personalised adverts based on a user’s online activity
• Analytics: Gathering data on website performance and user interactions across multiple sites
• Cross-Site Tracking: Identifying users across different websites to create detailed profiles
• Remarketing: Displaying adverts to users who have previously visited a particular website to re-engage them.

All these techniques have made digital marketing much easier, because they have enabled extraordinarily precise targeting of ads for products or services at the right profile of potential buyers, based on their behaviours, browsing histories and previous ad performance.

Why is Google eliminating third-party cookies?

Third-party cookies have facilitated easy tracking of users across different websites during their web browsing activities.

Google’s objective is to remove this tracking feature and implement essential requirements such as fraud deterrence and serving pertinent advertisements.

According to Google, this modification will enhance user privacy and safety. Despite concern among digital marketers, the company assures website owners that they will be able to maintain their digital marketing operations without relying on third-party cookies.

What will the removal of third-party cookies mean for marketers?

The removal of third-party cookie tracking by Google will substantially impact digital marketing, necessitating major strategy shifts.

Marketers will need to depend more on first-party data and develop direct relationships with customers, resulting in a greater emphasis on content marketing, contextual advertising and consent-based marketing.

Privacy-compliant alternatives like device fingerprinting and machine learning algorithms will become more important.

The change will also require more innovation in user experience and engagement strategies on the part of businesses, and a continuous update on privacy laws and digital marketing trends.

The intention, one assumes, is that these alterations will steer the marketing industry towards more ethical and user-focused marketing practices.

What should marketers do to prepare for life without third-party cookies?

Given that the ground is set to shift radically under the feet of digital marketers, let’s take a look at what alternative marketing methods are likely to emerge as the winners when third-party cookies finally disappear.

1. Gather ‘first-party’ data

Marketers will need to find new, compelling methods for gathering first-party data from direct customer interactions. This means persuading website visitors to provide their personal details by engaging more closely with them, which can only be accomplished through more personalised marketing efforts.

The data gathered in this way will yield valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviours, enabling more targeted and effective marketing strategies.

2. Enhance customer relationship management (CRM)

Enhancing CRM involves using data to gain a deeper understanding of customers. This leads to better-targeted marketing efforts and improved customer engagement, fostering stronger relationships and increased loyalty.

3. Use contextual advertising

Contextual advertising places adverts based on the content of the webpage rather than user data. It aligns adverts with relevant site content, offering an alternative to personalised ad targeting, whilst respecting user privacy.

4. Introduce or increase content marketing

Effective content marketing focuses on creating, distributing and promoting valuable, relevant content to attract and engage a clearly defined audience. This strategy uses original thought-leadership content to establish credibility, promote brand awareness and position your business as an expert authority.

5. Pursue consent-based marketing

Obtaining user consent when collecting data is good practice and ensures compliance with privacy laws. It builds trust by respecting user preferences, leading to more meaningful and ethical engagement with your audience.

6. Investigate alternative tracking technologies

Investigating new tracking technologies like device fingerprinting or machine learning offers ways to understand user behaviour without infringing on privacy, balancing marketing effectiveness with ethical considerations.

7. Enhance user experience

By enhancing UX on websites, marketers can provide a more engaging, intuitive and personalised experience for visitors. This increases satisfaction and will lead to higher conversion rates.

8. Develop effective email marketing

Creating effective email marketing campaigns involves generating compelling, consent-based content. This strategy focuses on direct communication with customers, offering personalised interactions and fostering long-term relationships.

Conclusion

In conclusion, as the digital marketing landscape evolves with the phasing out of third-party cookies, marketers must adapt through strategies like prioritising first-party data, improving CRM and exploring new advertising technologies.

As with any changes, uncertainty may arise, causing confusion and potential stagnation in marketing strategies. However, embracing these changes now presents the opportunity to adapt and get ahead of competitors quickly, paving the way for a more ethical and customer-centric approach in the post-third-party cookie era.

We’re here to help you navigate these changes and implement forward-thinking strategies  with tailored digital marketing solutions, ensuring a smooth transition to a more ethical and customer-centric marketing approach.