Resources Hub » Blog » Zero-Party Data Fundamentals: The Basics You Need to Know About Consumer Data

Relationship Marketing is the practice of growing long-term relationships directly with consumers while understanding their true wants and needs to deliver better-personalized products and services. To create these relationships with customers, brands need to be powering personalization with the right class of data — that is, zero-party data.

What is zero-party data?

Zero-party data allows brands to build direct relationships with consumers, and in turn, better personalize their marketing efforts, services, offers and product recommendations. By connecting directly with consumers, rather than making inferences and assumptions, marketers collect zero-party data by simply asking. If customers trust and value their interactions with a brand, they will proactively and intentionally share their data. Brands can then use the data, insights and permissions customers provide to create more personalized marketing.

The different types of data

First-party data

Brands collect first-party data directly from the customer, usually during sales or form completions; this type of data can include past purchases, mailing addresses, product preferences and dates of birth. Since it comes directly from the source, it provides valuable insights into how a customer interacts with your brand and how their behaviors change over time.

Second-party data

Second-party data is another organization’s first-party data. Second-party data is shared and not sold between two trusted companies, and then blended with first-party data to target known and unknown audiences. 

Third-party data

Vendors typically collect third-party data, which is then purchased by brands. This type of data can include any number of personal or anonymized data points, such as information on demographics and online activity that can provide inferences about a consumer’s interests and preferences. Third-party data holds some degree of value for marketers, but it carries significant risk.

How brands can collect zero-party data

Gathering zero-party data requires a thoughtful and strategic approach. Brands should strive to create personalized experiences that are easy, transparent, and valuable to the consumer, ensuring they understand how their data will be used and how sharing it benefits them. 

Collecting zero-party data requires brands to create a worthwhile value exchange. Either from the marketer’s or the customer’s perspective, this value exchange is simple: ask, receive, give, repeat. Questionnaires, polls, quizzes, sweepstakes, QR codes at point-of-sale, and social stories, to name a few, can incorporate reward mechanics that give consumers a genuine reason to engage and submit their first- and zero-party data.

The benefits of personalization

Consumers love personalization powered by zero-party data. The key to winning is establishing an intelligent messaging strategy that goes beyond “casting and blasting,” or personalization that peaks at a first name in the subject line. Messaging should offer products your customer has expressed an interest in, that fits their declared budget and contains dynamic content that uses keywords you know will elicit engagement from them.

Build relationships with customers

Zero-party data is the future of Relationship Marketing and has an impact across the entire customer lifecycle, from acquisition and retention to loyalty. Start building relationships with customers now by creating a worthwhile value exchange and helping your customers along their journey. 

Learn more about personalizing your campaigns with our Ultimate Email Marketing Personalization Checklist. Get the guide here!

Download the Ebook

The #1 Salesforce Tool
The #1 Salesforce Tool

Combine your account with Salesforce using the #1 integration, and experience better email.

Learn More

Case Study

Discover how this media brand grew their email list from 30k to 100k in less than a year.
Learn how
The email platform for agencies

The email platform for agencies

We started out helping agencies with email, so let us help you.

Learn more
This blog provides general information and discussion about email marketing and related subjects. The content provided in this blog ("Content”), should not be construed as and is not intended to constitute financial, legal or tax advice. You should seek the advice of professionals prior to acting upon any information contained in the Content. All Content is provided strictly “as is” and we make no warranty or representation of any kind regarding the Content.
bookmark
Press CMD+D to Bookmark this page

Get started with Campaign Monitor by Marigold today.

With our powerful yet easy-to-use tools, it's never been easier to make an impact with email marketing.

Try it for free