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More and more companies, including giants in the IT market such as Google and Apple, announce their departure from third-party cookies. On the one hand, this decision may have positive effects, such as the protection of users' privacy, but on the other hand, it may harm, especially the departments responsible for conducting marketing. What are third-party cookies, how do they differ from allowed first-party cookies and what will future marketing look like? Read on and find out more!
Cookies (also called cookies in Polish) are responsible for remembering information about you by the web browser. But don't worry, it's not about every word you type on the keyboard. Cookies are designed to adapt the website to your needs. We divide them into two groups:
- first-party cookies
- third-party cookies
We wrote more about 3rd party cookies in this article.
First-party cookies
This type of file helps to personalize the appearance and settings of websites. Thanks to them, the passwords entered by you are remembered (saving time), the selected graphic style (for example a dark theme) or the language. In addition, first-party cookies will allow you to return to interrupted purchases in the online store, because they will store information about the contents of your basket when you close your browser.
Third-party cookies
Why are companies fighting for these files? Because it is thanks to them that you can increase the effectiveness of marketing. Look, the first-party cookies had data about your purchases, let's say a new pair of shoes. What prevents you from sharing this information with a partner who offers you a similar product? There is a greater chance of buying another item of clothing than suddenly wanting to take a Spanish course. Or, if you read a travel blog every day, it will present you with an advertisement for an office that can make your dream come true. This is how third-party cookies work - they allow partners to use your data for the purpose of advertising profiling.
Use of cookies in marketing
Many companies now use third-party cookies, but some tycoons are taking steps to eliminate them from the market. There is a reason for this, because the entry into force of the GDPR has brought attention to the problem of online privacy protection. For this reason, the distribution of user data should be regulated.
However, third-party cookies are not evil as they allow you to receive targeted advertisements. Their efficiency, even without relying on sources, should be higher. This is due to the fact that by creating a map of associations, companies are able to predict user behavior and adapt their offer to this model.
One of the tools that enable this is HubSpot. Creating leads (characteristics of customers who should be willing to take advantage of the offer) is based on customer data. How to get them? Third-party cookies are a huge source of them.
What about marketing if there are no third-party cookies?
The lack of detailed information about the behavior of users on the Internet may translate into:
- decline in the effectiveness of traditional advertising
- an increase in the number of ads unrelated to customer expectations
- adding new clauses to first-party cookies.
The last point is especially interesting. People have it that they will find a solution that is convenient for them in every situation. As third-party cookies cannot be used, some of their functionality may be added to their first-party relatives. Already today we are used to clicking "Agree to all". This is faster and more convenient, and yet the world will not end if some information goes out into the world. They already know so much about me. This type of user thinking can be used by companies by adding consecutive consents to the usually unread list of terms to which (almost) everyone using the website, after all, openly agrees...
However, there are several other solutions to the problem of disappearing third-party cookies. Among them, it is worth mentioning:
- changing the approach to marketing
- obtaining information about customers without the participation of intermediaries providing data
- return to traditional forms of business
The above-mentioned marketing techniques are able to make your company independent from the unpredictable behavior of unknown customers. By focusing on getting to know them thoroughly and dividing them into groups (accounts in the case of ABM), your messages will have a much better chance of success. If you also invest in improving the quality of services or goods offered, work in the company and the overall image, you have a chance to open a new chapter for your company.
What's next for third-party cookies?
The market is divided in this case. Although Apple does not use and Google has announced the withdrawal of third-party cookies, their fate is not a foregone conclusion. These tiny files found support in another powerful player - Facebook. The source of its livelihood is largely the profits from advertising and the transactions made through them, so any way to increase the effectiveness of marketing is consistent with the owners' mind. Including the use of cookies. It is therefore difficult to predict exactly how their fate will unfold, but we can be almost sure that global marketing will not collapse. We have other tools, we may use first-party cookies. Other solutions should also be found.
From the perspective of small companies, things can go two ways. If your business is dependent on partners and profiled advertising, at least you should consider the chance for a global change and take some precautionary steps. However, if your company's marketing uses other means, changes to the global cookie policy should not affect you.
In both cases, however, it is worth considering the use of a CRM system. Having data about customers, regardless of their form and source, always helps to meet their expectations and thus increase the profits. So if you do not yet collect data about your contractors, it is high time to start doing it, for example using the HubSpot system!
The most important information
First-party cookies are files that allow browsers to remember information about user preferences. They are made available to partners in the form of third-party cookies, in which they are responsible, among others, for advertising profiling. Changes in the global market may lead to the modification of their provisions and roles.
Marketing of the future may rely on first-party cookies, but it is able to use more privacy-friendly marketing strategies on the Internet. The mere acquisition of data does not generate such great doubts as their dissemination.
Undoubtedly, an important element of marketing based on having information about customers is an appropriate CRM management system. HubSpot offers access to many useful functions. Knowing them can turn your work into success.