Marketing cookies are used to target advertising to a user. They are generally served by third-party companies and track user access websites. The future of marketing cookies is about to close. In less than two years, Google will join Safari and Firefox blocking them for good from their Chrome Browser. This means the marketing landscape will change soon without these third-party cookies and marketers need to think of an effective alternative way to reach their customers.

How Do Cookies work?

Third-party cookies are generated by a different website from the one the user is presently visiting, and its data is mainly used for cross-site tracking that enables actions like retargeting ads or display ads. Cookies represent a very poor reflection of the user, and they do not express any interest in the brand or product they are dealing with. On the other hand, first-party cookies are small bits of information gathered from the users of the websites they are visiting. The data allows the users to enhance their experience on the internet and offer personalized navigation. Third-party cookies are around for many years and have formed the digital marketing field in many ways, helping brands to display ads to a more targeted audience. Google has announced the intent to replace them with Privacy Sandbox Initiative. This is a solution that restricts the amount of user data exchanged through websites ensuring that ads shown remain relevant for customers.

How To Face The Cookieless Web

The third-party cookies can even benefit publishers. Marketers can feel that losing the cookies can create a huge gap, but that can be filled up if they think of the first-party cookies, optimize other marketing platforms and create a multichannel marketing strategy.

1. Rethink First-Party Cookies

Third-party cookies help in retargeting prospects, whereas first-party cookies offer marketers to send relevant messages to the right people. First-party data should be accepted from this point. Users who accept first-party cookies are already interested in the particular webpage and retargeting them becomes easier with an advertisement. The data gathered from the users who accepted first-party cookies will be much more valuable for business. Marketers can create personalized campaigns with the gathered data to reach customers. The removal of third-party cookies will make users feel that they have more control over their online experience. This will help the marketers in long run.

2. Optimizing Existing Marketing Platform

Marketers who were using third-party cookies now need to focus on the other existing marketing platform. They can put the efforts into push messages, email marketing, content marketing, and advertising.

3. Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy

It is one of the most important marketing strategies where interaction between brands and customers takes place through different channels. Various channels increase the possibilities of engaging the customers. A marketer should set the target audience base and will reach out to them in a customized way as per their requirement.

Future Marketing Without Cookies

The news of Goole leaving third-party cookies might have created much confusion in the marketers’ minds. Though marketers can take this as an advantage or opportunity as they can strengthen their existing marketing tools and can reach out to the prospects in a more personalized manner. As there are so many other options are available to generate customer details, marketers can easily get to know the interests of the customers and provide them with customized solutions.

Nowadays people are seeking a balance between privacy and personalization. Users want to receive suggestions about services or products they are interested in, but they also want to take control of how these messages reach them.

Brands need to focus on building trust with their customers. If users feel their personal data is being used to improve their online experience, they will be more willing to share it.

There is still some time for the final elimination of third-party cookies. But marketers should focus on customer privacy and creating well-rounded multichannel marketing strategies to deliver relevant messages.