Data is everywhere. Every channel, device, click, and digital exchange produces data. In the last two years alone, the world produced 90 percent of all the data in existence today. Do the math, and that breaks down to approximately 2.5 quintillion bytes of data a day — a number so big, the average person probably can’t even numerically write it out!
Now imagine trying to deconstruct those data points down into snippets of consumer data. With 7.6 billion people in the world, you can see where brand marketers have their jobs cut out for them. That is why it is more important than ever for brands to dial-in data beyond simple core demographics and distill it down to an individual with a profile, also known as an identity resolution.
Identity resolution takes data to the next level by putting organization around today’s complex data environment and forming each piece into a single consumer ID. From CRM data, cookie data, third party data, etc., identity resolution is just that — a resolution to the cluttered mess of data that brand marketers have to manage. It’s simply a better way to manage your data.
Still not convinced? Let’s break it down.
Here is what your marketing campaigns look like relying only on data many marketers have today:
- You don’t know anything specific or tangible about your customers. Each customer is just a number. A transaction. Beyond that, you don’t know much about them. What are all the devices they use? What was their last purchase? What are their shopping preferences? Even hobbies?
- You’re making educated guesses and relying on cookies alone. News flash — cookies don’t equal an individual. They are single data points that need building upon. A cookie will tell you basic demographics, but everything else about that data point is based on probability and assumptions. As a brand you need to focus on a truth set and an actual individual identity, rather than just a snippet of data you are assuming is a specific individual.
- Your campaigns are not engaging the right audiences. One of two things are happening here. When you aren’t drilling down into a specific consumer identity, your campaign strategy is likely too broadly targeted. This results in canned, one-size fits all experiences for your audiences and bored and unengaged consumers. The other possibility…
- You miss the mark on engagement when a person switches across devices. You may recognize a customer on one device and provide them with an engaging experience in that moment but miss the mark when that person switches devices. Imagine that your customer has been shopping on a laptop and makes a purchase based on a targeted advertisement. Congrats, marketer! Your customer found your campaign engaging and made a purchase. Yet, following this purchase you continue to serve that customer advertisements on their mobile device for that same product. You automatically lose engagement and your customer’s annoyance at improper targeting leads them to avoid your site all together.
Here is what your marketing campaigns looks like with cross-device identity resolution:
- Your messages are targeted and relevant across devices. Identity resolution is the best way to connect devices between the same individual. It is also the best way to ensure that each device belongs to the same person and not another member of a household. You are reaching a precise individual.
- Your targeting is more fluid. Identities change over time which amplifies the need to have the right context. Preferences change. Contexts change. In such a quickly changing landscape, implementing identity resolution is as best to real-time as marketing gets these days. It allows you to link identities across touchpoints and channels so that you can monitor a customer’s journey over time.
- You provide a consistent and engaging customer experience. Remember that customer that you incorrectly targeted on their mobile device after they already made a purchase? Thanks to identity resolution, you now know who this person its, that they already made a purchase on their laptop and that they are no longer interacting with your mobile campaigns. You can take this information and now build it into the customer ID, preventing this situation in the future and opening the door for more engaging and relevant experiences down the line.
