How to implement an acquisition and engagement strategy, upstream of your activation marketing, along the customer journey?

The use of private data is surrounded by a growing legislative framework and good marketing practices. Under this pressure, web browsers have announced the gradual abandonment of 3rd party cookies. For Google, it will be the end of 2024.

Digital media investments represent quite a budget, especially in times of crisis. And the costs of acquiring new customers are going to have to be controlled. To achieve this, advertisers will have to make sure to transform the “3rd party data” traffic generated on their website, by digital investments, into systematic collection of “zero or first-party data” type data. In order to ensure their reuse for relational marketing and direct activation, and to optimize their conversion. Over time, advertisers will be able to structurally reduce their acquisition costs and will only invest in purchased advertising if there is an additional need in relation to their "first party" database (only (re)targeting non-base profiles of data).

Segmentation and personalization needs are fundamental for impact marketing. However, not all sectors are lucky enough to have regular transactional data to segment their customers on the basis of their purchasing behavior (RFM). Let us cite the media or FMCG sector, which must put in place additional relational strategies, such as a loyalty and/or gamification program, in order to collect segmenting data (declarative or behavioral).

In any data strategy, the importance is to build a progressive and relational data collection, which calls upon:

• upstream, to the collection of intelligent and engaging data in the eyes of the customer (my opinion, my knowledge, my expertise, my diversity) and,

• downstream, an activation that respects individuality and personalization (product, relevant advice in response to statements).

1. Test your knowledge: cycling and road traffic? to bring about the relevance of a bicycle insurance product;

2. Opinion surveys “The car and ecology? to raise awareness and the right choice of a hybrid or electric vehicle;

3. What dye for your hair? Discovery of the product adapted to your needs from a complex range …

Once the "zero/first party" data has been collected, you can use it to activate while respecting the bond of trust and relevance forged with your customers.

For a winning gamification strategy, the goal is to connect the gamification theme with cascading activation.

• Thematic “escape the fire” game to attract a young audience and connect them with the launch of a new young product, fire insurance for first-time owners

• Expert quiz to identify customers who are spontaneously appetizing for a product / service to be launched, for “early adopters”

• Personality test: What kinds of glasses are you? To reconcile a diverse offer at everyone's request...

With the integration of a data collection tool and an activation tool, you will create a smooth and relevant experience for your customers, from collection to activation, and substantially increase your conversion level.

“Time spent with the brand” has become critical these days to stay “top of mind”. Traditional loyalty programs with the “purchases=points” system tend more and more towards “loyalty” programs, in which customers are offered exclusive experiences and advantages. Gamification is one of these loyalty tools. It allows you to add a fun experience and more affordable, more dialogical content (ex financial sector), in order to increase the time spent with the brand (ex prognosis all the time of the Football World Cup) so that your brand remains constantly "top of mind" at the key moment of purchase.

With the changing data environment, it is important to implement strategies to convert third-party web traffic into first-party data. Through an acquisition and engagement strategy, you will feed your activation with declarative and engaging data from the dialogue with prospects and customers. And, through a coherent scenarization from acquisition to activation towards a first purchase or from the loyalty experience towards the activation of your most profitable customers, you will increase your level of conversion. Over time, your ratio of first-party data usage to third-party digital investment data will increase, and therefore you will structurally reduce your acquisition costs.