As the cookie crumbles, what’s next?

As the cookie crumbles

Google and Apple have taken steps to curtail the collection of third-party tracking. There is also a review in Australia regarding how consumer data is collected and used, which will likely see severe limits placed on advertising service providers and marketers. What we are witnessing is the end of an era in cookie-driven advertising.

What’s next

Marketers worldwide are reviewing and adjusting to changes with data collection and usage. They have concluded that how they collect and use their customer and prospect data is paramount, and as such, this is where they are now focusing their investments.

Why B2B marketing is very different to B2C

The average basket size for a B2C e-commerce solution is around $178 AUD. In the B2B space, this size sale is hardly worth the effort. B2B sales are driven by relationships with organisations that allow enough trust to be built to drive individual lifetime sales for a client in the tens or hundreds of thousands…and occasionally millions. Building trust for a sale of $180 is easy. Building trust for lifetime sales of $180,000 requires a longer and more in-depth qualification process for both parties… and this is where Digital Storytelling Collective excels.

B2B qualification process

It’s tempting to only focus on your qualification process for new leads, but if you do, you’re missing half the story. Your potential customers use your online resources to build faith that you can deliver. This process requires a combination of discoverability, thought leadership, clear and concise language, storytelling, and the ‘X Factor’. These elements combine to deliver highly qualified leads and convert faster, with greater predictability.

The ‘X Factor’

The ‘X Factor’ is often the missing piece of the puzzle with B2B marketing. It’s what makes you stand out online from your competition and delivers the exact data you need to turn leads into lifelong customers. At Digital Storytelling Collective, we develop online resources such as calculators and automatic report builders to help qualify potential leads while providing them with the information they need to progress in their qualification journeys.

We evaluate your business-specific challenges and opportunities, then develop your own ‘X Factor’, turning your marketing into a profit centre.

Life beyond cookies

Those B2B organisations still leaning into the cookie-driven data world will be forced to change their approach. In contrast, those who continue to invest in Search Engine Optimised (SEO) marketing will prosper. While the SEO-driven market funnel will always be slimmer and the competition fiercer, conversions will always be higher. Moreover, SEO driven marketing ROI builds over time, whereas once an ad is viewed, it disappears… the same way that cookies themselves are disappearing.