2020 Was Just a Warm-Up for B2B Marketing’s Next Big Pivot: Mail Privacy Protection, the Death of Cookies, and More

I just received an email from MarketingProfs’ head of training products. It said, “At their developer’s conference last week, Apple announced that, with the release of iOS 15 (and macOS Monterey) and its Mail Privacy Protection (MPP), the native Mail app will limit the use of tracking pixels and mask IP address, meaning tracking email opens for anyone using that email client is expected to become extremely difficult.” Insert expletives here.

If you’d like to join me in cursing, you can read the official announcement. Additionally:

Say goodbye to third-party cookies

Our digital advertising efforts are about to undergo enormous change as third-party cookies become a distant memory. And although saying goodbye to cookies will be hard, it may end up being for the best in the long run. The results have never been great. Average 1% response and 1% conversion rates show that we have been failing to really connect with our audiences for years.

Data privacy continues to expand into the United States

Our demand-generation efforts are about to get more complicated in the United States. Third-party lists and soft opt-ins are likely to go away as US state laws become more in line with Canadian and European Union regulations. Explicit opt-ins will be required, and the Wild West of lead generation will be ending soon.

Measurement is about to get more complicated

Google self-describes the purpose of its latest Google Analytics update, Google Analytics 4, as a next-generation approach to “privacy-first” tracking, x-channel measurement, and artificial intelligence–based predictive data all at once. Marketers are going to need considerable time to determine how to collect data and measure their first-party audience. Clicks and form-submission metrics will be replaced with loyalty and engagement standards that require definition and setup time.

Lately I’ve been reading a lot about marketing in a post-cookie world and Google Analytics 4. I just watched Jay Baer’s PRO webinar that now seems even more timely than I thought just a few days ago—that’s how fast things are changing.

 And I don’t expect this to be the last of these types of announcements as consumers demand more privacy.

The truth is the signs have been apparent for years that marketers would have to find another way. My friends, that day is imminent; however, it isn’t all bad news. In fact, in some ways, these changes can be an opportunity for the forward-thinking marketer who values engagement and community over leads and clicks. These changes provide us with a business reason to create quality over quantity content and to align metrics to developing deeper relationships with our community. But where do we start? I have a few suggestions.

Build your first-party community and measurement now

We’ve always known that our best lists are those people in our engaged database, readers who love to read, click, and share. Now is the time to start planning how to get more people engaged. Your first-party, organically grown community is going to be your biggest asset in the future. Do you know what they want?

To do: Begin strategic planning right now. Determine how you are going to grow your database so you have a robust first-party community by the time third parties and soft opt-ins are a thing of the past. If you begin soon, you will have time to adapt if your initial plans aren’t working. Also, now is the time to determine what new metrics will define success. How will you measure the value of your community?

Strategy and brand building is more important than ever

Not too long ago, B2B marketing focused heavily on branding. But the short-term gains and measurability of demand generation pushed branding into a corner—well, nobody puts branding in a corner.

A recent LinkedIn B2B Institute study found that no special rules apply for B2B marketing. B2B marketers could not ignore emotion, communicate largely about product details, or de-prioritize brand marketing to focus on lead targets. In fact, the study revealed that when B2B marketers focused their campaigns solely on the bottom half of the funnel, they undermined the company’s long-term profitability and growth—and they made their activation marketing less effective and efficient.

If you need a little help proving the value of branding, the B2B Institute has some really interesting data on the positive long-term impacts of branding on revenue—including CEO-friendly charts and ways to measure its value—which is great because going forward, your brand experience is going to matter a whole lot more to your company’s growth.

To do: Now is the time to decide how you are going to balance short-term activation with long-term brand experience. Assess how much time and money you may need to shift from your activation efforts to your brand building. Now is also the time to get everyone in your organization aligned regarding your brand story. 

Loyalty is the new marketing qualified lead

For the new new normal to work, we must get conversion rates well above 1%. That means engagement, shares, referrals, influencers, and brand experience strategies must be B2B marketing’s new focus. It’s going to be much harder to get a name, so we better make sure we do everything we can to keep them interested.

To do: It’s time for a content makeover. We’ve been focused on producing a high volume of content for a high volume of leads. Smart marketers will shift to creating quality content for engaged leads. Activities you may want to consider include reviewing (or creating) customer experience and implementing new automation and content strategies. This is also a great time to brush off and take a closer look at those influencer and account-based marketing plans.

What do you think comes next?