Third Party Cookie Sunsetting, Analytics with Katija Vlatkovich

With the sunsetting of third-party cookies, what would be some of your strategy changes, as pertains to the full digital marketing cycle?

With the sunsetting of third-party cookies, a number of strategy changes are essential to maintaining effective digital marketing practices throughout the entire cycle. Some of these adaptations include:

a) Focusing on first-party data: As third-party cookies phase out, it's crucial to prioritise the collection and analysis of first-party data. This entails obtaining information directly from customers and prospects through channels like website interactions, email sign-ups, and purchase history.

b) Developing a strong content marketing strategy: High-quality, relevant content is vital for engaging users and encouraging them to willingly share their data. By providing valuable content, you'll not only enhance brand trust but also foster an environment in which customers are more inclined to provide personal information.

c) Leveraging alternative tracking methods: Technologies such as fingerprinting, probabilistic matching, and deterministic matching can help fill the gap left by third-party cookies. While some methods may raise privacy concerns, properly understanding and implementing them within legal boundaries will prove invaluable in the new landscape.

d) Building strategic partnerships: Collaborating with other brands or publishers to create mutually beneficial data-sharing opportunities can help overcome the limitations imposed by third-party cookie restrictions. This approach may require rethinking existing partnerships and exploring new alliances.

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Many marketers are making the transition to Google Analytics 4, from Google Universal Analytics. What does this transition offer and what excites you about GA4?

Firstly, the main thing to note is that ALL businesses who utilise GA Universal data need to make this transition.  As of the 1st July, the current version of GA will be come obsolete.  All businesses who rely on this data need to make the change sooner than later.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) brings several exciting opportunities for marketers. Some key benefits and exciting aspects of GA4 include:

a) Enhanced data analysis capabilities: GA4's new event-based data model allows for more in-depth user behaviour analysis. This empowers marketers to better understand their audience and make more informed decisions.

b) Improved cross-platform tracking: GA4 enables more seamless tracking across various devices and platforms, making it easier to obtain a comprehensive view of user interactions and measure the true impact of marketing efforts.

c) AI-driven insights: GA4 leverages machine learning to generate automated insights and recommendations, helping marketers to identify trends and optimise campaigns more efficiently.

d) Greater flexibility and customisation: GA4 offers increased options for customising and configuring data collection, allowing marketers to tailor their analytics setup according to their unique requirements. It also allows for all of these learning to be fed into enhancing your google ads campaigns. Set this up correctly, and you are going to have a much stronger profile on your customers and their behaviours.

Tell us a little about what makes you so passionate about marketing data.

My passion for marketing data stems from the incredible potential it holds for driving meaningful, impactful results. Data enables us to make informed decisions, ensuring that our marketing efforts are tailored to the needs and preferences of our target audience. By diving into the numbers, patterns, and trends, we can uncover hidden opportunities and craft strategies that resonate with our customers.

Data-driven marketing is an ever-evolving field, with advancements in machine learning and AI constantly pushing the boundaries of what's possible. This dynamic nature of marketing data keeps me engaged, as there's always something new to learn, experiment with, and ultimately use to drive success for businesses and marketers alike.

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Remember, data is the backbone of making strategic decisions on all areas of your business.  However, you need to make sure that you have the right data and you know how to interpret and apply it.  For me, I love seeing how this can help clients exceed their goals and get a competitive advantage from their competitors.  The early businesses embrace this change, the better.