The results are in. Online brands utilising their first-party (owned) data are already leaps ahead of the competition regarding customer acquisition, brand perception, and advertising efficiency. 

The time to get serious about your first-party data and future-proof your business is now. We’ve collated some tips on future-proofing your data so your business will thrive in the ever-competitive digital landscape.

Getting organised and digitised

The main challenge of utilising first-party data is getting the data you own organised and digitised within a central location.

Being privy to how hundreds of businesses operate, we see a shocking percentage still recording customer data manually and having massive communication issues between staff in different departments.

A customer relationship management (CRM) platform such as Hubspot is ideal for starting a first-party data strategy in an organised and digital manner. When data from your leads, customers, and communications are integrated, then you gain several advantages such as:

  • Connecting all stages of the funnel (awareness, consideration, conversion and loyalty)
  • Having all data backed up on the cloud
  • Marketing automation (email responders, offline conversion tracking, etc.)
  • Data security
  • Remote access from any location

Boosting a brand with first-party data

Brand building is made easier by analysing and cultivating your customer data. Think about it; your online reviews, emails, phone conversations, and face-to-face interactions with your customers are full of useful information on how to improve your services. If this information is organised and, ideally, automated, then there would be a constant flow of customer feedback for the future which you can utilise when needed. 

Securing early user consent allows you to make future contact with customers and potential leads. This contact could be for self-promotion, a request for feedback, or to gain additional first-party data in exchange for convenience, incentives, or exclusive deals.

Having constant communication from your brand builds awareness and can also build trust if that communication is enriched with first-party data. An example of this is from brands which give out personalised birthday discounts; the ultimate example being Spotify’s yearly Wrapped program.

The first-party data snowball

Once you have a constant, organised flow of first-party data, you can gain significant advantages over your competitors, such as:

  • Reduced cost-per-acquisition from paid media (audience matching, OCT, etc.)
  • Higher conversion rates from a more active and trusted brand
  • Better customer reviews by focusing on common pain points
  • Staff savings from more integrated marketing and leadership departments
  • Easier customer outreach and upselling

Once the ball is rolling, there are cumulative gains from utilising your first-party data – so ensure that you are not left behind by your competitors by acting now to secure your brand’s future.

Work with us and get the most from your data 

At Hallam, we have a dedicated team of data experts and enthusiasts. Get in touch to see how we can help you.