Data privacy is a hot-button topic, with 86% of consumers saying they care about it. This societal shift has important implications for website visitor data in companies’ sales strategies and could impact your lead goals. Getting ahead of the shift away from invasive data collection practices has never been more critical. One way to do that is by embracing zero-party data.
In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about:
- What zero-party data is
- Why it’s worth focusing on
- How to collect and use zero-party data as part of your broader sales strategy
Let’s get started.
Understanding zero-party data
Zero-party data is information that a customer intentionally shares with a brand. It can include details about a consumer’s:
- Product preferences
- Purchasing goals
- Personal information
The key idea is that consumers volunteer this information to you instead of collecting it without their input or knowledge.
Why worry about zero-party data?
Zero-party data is worth noting for a few key reasons.
Get highly actionable information from your target audience
Data collection is all about getting the information to accurately target different types of consumers with the right marketing materials and sales tactics.
But you rely on many assumptions about your target audience when you collect that data from them without their input.
Zero-party data is often seen as more accurate consumer information because it comes directly from your leads. You can completely trust its accuracy for that reason, which isn’t the case with other data types.
Respect changing data privacy standards
We mentioned that consumers now care more about data privacy than ever. This moment is the perfect time to swap from invasive, hidden data collection practices to more transparent ones.
Numerous studies have also demonstrated that users tend to trust companies that are more upfront about their data collection practices.
So making the switch to become a zero-party data business could help you strengthen your brand’s reputation.
Hit your lead goals
The consumer data you collect is all in pursuing your lead goals. Zero-party data is more accurate and actionable, so it should help you create more targeted materials and sales strategies that make it easier to hit your targets.
Where to collect zero-party data
New-user registration
New-user registration is the perfect opportunity to collect volunteered data from your leads. This is when customers provide information regarding their:
- Name
- Age
- Purchasing goals
- Gender
But if you’re shifting to a zero-party data sales strategy, you can also ask more probing questions during this process.
Just make sure you’re upfront and honest about how you will use that data. You don’t want your leads to get the impression you’re hiding something, as it would defeat the point of swapping to zero-party data in the first place.
Website visitors
Another idea is targeting your website visitors when they first get to your site. You can do that with strategic pop-ups that appear when someone navigates to certain pages on your website.
For instance, when someone gets to a product page, you could launch a conversational pop-up that asks them to provide you with a few pieces of information about their shopping goals so that you can show them the right products.
Email campaigns
You can also collect zero-party data through email marketing campaigns. One way to do that is by including a poll in your email that asks the recipient some targeted questions that will help you send them more accurate emails in the future.
People like to feel heard. When you ask for their opinion through channels like email, you speak with your audience instead of at them.
This practice can help you strengthen relationships with your customers in addition to collecting their zero-party data.
Get more out of your website data with LeadLander. Sign up for a demo.
How to use zero party data in your sales strategy
So you’ve started collecting zero-party data from your target audience. Now it’s time to fold that information into your broader sales strategy so that you can start hitting your lead goals.
Here’s how to do it.
Create and share targeted content
A customer spends 79 days gathering information before making a purchasing decision. That means you’ll likely need to engage your leads for several months before most of them will be ready to convert.
Content in blog posts, emails, and social media posts is one of the most effective ways to do this. But this strategy is executed best if the content you create and share aligns with your consumers’ goals.
It makes sense to use the insights you gain from zero-party data to create more precise and compelling content. You can even use zero-party data to split your audience into segments. Then, you can split the content you share on a segment-by-segment basis. You only show content you create to your leads if it’s highly relevant to them.
Personalized shopping experience
You can also use zero-party data to change how different types of customers shop on your website.
For example, when someone navigates to your homepage, the product they’re shown could change based on the information they’ve given you during your zero-party data collection efforts.
Lots of companies also send product recommendations via email. Collecting zero-party data is an effective way to get the information you need to send out more accurate recommendations.
When you do that, you can see an increase in the conversions you get from your email marketing campaigns.
Customized products
Depending on the industry that you’re in, it may also make sense to customize the products that you offer a lead based on what you learn about them through zero-party data.
Skincare companies do this well.
These businesses tend to ask new users to answer a few questions about their skin type and their skincare goals. They then use that information to recommend a personalized treatment plan that consists of multiple skincare products.
Your company may be able to use zero-party data similarly.
Individualized offers
74% of Americans say that offers are a top factor in deciding what to buy and when. If you can show your target audience the right offers at the right times, they’re likelier to buy.
Zero-party data makes this much easier to achieve because you can develop a deeper understanding of your customers. That way, you can present them with an individualized offer just when you know that they’re ready to make a purchase.
Is zero-party data all you need?
It’s an effective way to improve your sales strategy and hit your lead goals without violating your consumers’ data privacy concerns. But that doesn’t mean you should completely give up on all other types of data collection.
Instead, it makes more sense to give customers the right to opt-in to first-party data collection on your website. As long as you’re clear about what you’re collecting, why, and how you will use it, many will be happy to provide you with the information you want.
This approach gives you two streams of data to work with to make even better decisions about how you approach your sales and marketing goals.
Get more out of your website data with LeadLander
Whether you decide to start using zero-party data, your website is a rich source of information about your target audience that you shouldn’t ignore.
LeadLander can help you get as much out of this data as possible. With it, you can see:
- Who’s visiting your website
- What elements of your site they’re browsing
- How much time they spend on your site
Want to learn more about how LeadLander can help your business? Sign up for a free demo today, and we’ll show you.
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