First-party data tips for your social ad campaigns

Third-party cookies will disappear this year, as we’ve discussed in a previous article and now marketers are figuring out how to operate only with first-party data through the different streams they use in their strategies.

First-party data is reliable, transparent and allows different options for personalization. But how can marketers use this information for their social media strategy?

Social media is one of the sources of this data, along with others such as the CRM, the company’s own app and website, or offline surveys. But that doesn’t mean you can’t implement this data into your social media campaigns as well.

Content personalization

Thanks to first-party cookies, companies can get first-hand information about their audience.

Brands need to understand who their customers are, what they like and what they’re looking for. But it’s also important to understand how the audience behaves, what they want to purchase and when they do that.

All this helps to create appropriate content for your social ads, which leads us to . . .

Segmentation

Segmenting your audience optimally is crucial for your social media strategy.

The first step is to integrate the first-party data you’ve gathered and arrange it in different and defined segments. According to Greg Swan from Signal, these should be “based on specific behaviors for media activation.”

These segments will provide high value and more efficient targeting. In short, the more detailed the segments, the more effective your campaigns will be.

Ad targeting

The high-value segments you’ve created will be key for your social media ads. You can match audiences with your data and target the most appropriate segments for your social media strategy.

Apart from custom-made segments, you can also use your data to target similar or lookalike audiences that are not already part of your CRM.

Increase specific actions

With first-party data and the right segmentation, you can target your audience right before the moment they perform a specific action as a means to boost conversions.

Influencer marketing is particularly helpful because these influencers already have a very loyal audience. Matching your strategy to their content can be highly rewarding if you do it effectively.

Re-engage users

Behavior-based segments will be also useful to re-engage inactive and one-time users. Using the right content and target segmentation will help you increase your audience’s loyalty.

Is social media considered first-party data?

Yes, social media is one of the many sources where you can get first-party data from your users thanks to metrics such as reach, comments, likes or shares.

How do you implement first-party data in social media campaigns?

You can use first-party data to offer personalized content, segment your audience, create engagement and improve the performance of specific actions.

Can you use first-party data to target consumers?

Yes, you can. In fact, first-party data can improve your segmentation, making it more defined and sophisticated, as it’s based on your audience’s own behavior.

What is first-party data?

First-party data is information directly obtained from customers and owned by a company. In addition, it’s reliable and transparent as it’s provided by customers willingly.