Google Third-Party Cookies: How to Prepare for the Changes

Previously, we discussed the Google third-party cookies phase-out and what it all means. In this post, we’ll lay out a strategy for B2B companies to prepare for the phase-out.

Research shows that worldwide, Google Chrome holds 65.21% of the market. Also, approximately 2.65 billion internet users across the globe use Chrome as their primary browser.

Therefore, you need to plan accordingly in the coming months. With Google's war against cookie-based tracking, you need to explore alternatives that do not rely on similar technologies.

How B2B Companies Should Prepare for the Google Third-Party Cookies Phase Out

Here are 5 tips to help you prepare for the Google third-party cookies phase-out.

1. Leverage First-Party Data

Your first-party data is here to stay. Don't worry! Since your own website generates first-party data, your business can easily access it. Some sources of first-party data include:

  • User surveys
  • Web analytics
  • CRM
  • Social media
  • User behavior data from apps

Identify solutions your business can use to collect and analyze information from the above-listed first-party sources. You can use the collected information to run marketing campaigns. However, ensure you're following data protection laws (for example, the European Union's GDPR and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)) around collecting and using first-party data.

2. Use Content Marketing to Gather High-Quality User Data

Instead of relying on third-party cookies to track user data and behavior, you can make the most of content marketing to get better leads and zero-party data.

You can use the following B2B marketing channels to distribute good-quality content:

  • Your website blog
  • Email
  • Social media
  • Downloadable content offers
  • On-demand and live webinars
3. Shift Your Focus to Contextual Advertising

Before third-party advertising, marketers typically used contextual advertising to engage website users.

In the case of contextual advertising, marketers only show users ads that are relevant to the topic or theme of the website they're visiting. Therefore, with the Google third-party cookies phase-out, you must explore the potential of contextual advertising. You need to identify relevant publishers per the context of your website.

4. Invest in Social Media and Paid Ads

Even though the phase-out of third-party cookies will impact the performance of your targeted ads, you can explore other ways of exploring the right target audience.

Consider using Facebook and LinkedIn ads to target your business-specific audiences. Both Facebook and LinkedIn ads work pretty well for B2B companies. Research suggests that 80% of B2B leads come from LinkedIn.

Research shows that 83% of marketers believe that social media is important for their business. Moreover, 42% of marketers believe Facebook is critical to their business.

5. Consider Adding an Exit-Intent Pop-Up

You can add an exit-intent pop-up on your website to provide your website visitors with one last chance to share their details and engage with you. Exit-intent popups are effective lead generation tools.

According to research conducted by Conversion Sciences, 10% to 15% of lost visitors can be saved by using exit-intent popups.

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