What is People-Based Marketing? A Beginner’s Guide

The goal of every marketing campaign is to connect with an audience. But when you get so caught up in the minutiae of developing a campaign, it can be easy to forget that we’re not just reaching out to an audience. We’re reaching out to real people who have unique personalities, habits, and interests.

With people-based marketing, this idea is at the forefront of marketing strategies, paving the way for personalized advertising campaigns that attract high-quality leads and drive a high return on investment (ROI).

In this article, we’re breaking down the basics of people-based marketing as well as how you can begin to develop your own people-based marketing strategy.

If you’re ready to get to work, contact us online or give us a call at 888-601-5359 to speak with a strategist today.

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What is people-based marketing?

Also known as person-based marketing, people-based marketing means targeting audiences with relevant messaging wherever they are by collecting customer data from online and offline sources.

To fully understand the question of what is people-based marketing, we have to look at the importance of first-party data.

People-based marketing uses the collection of first-party data like customer and transaction data to better understand customer behavior and their interests. With a first-party data strategy, advertisers can create more personalized ad campaigns that target the customer themselves rather than the channel.

Data collection: First-party vs. third-party data

First-party data is information you collect directly from your audience’s behavior, usually through your website. This kind of data ranges from a customer’s name and demographic information to the type of device they’re using to browse your site.

Typically, advertisers would rely on purchasing third-party data that’s been collected by cookies on other websites. Nowadays, though, collecting third-party data is tricky.

Privacy regulation has increasingly become a more prominent topic of discussion regarding the tracking of Internet users’ behavior, leading to cookie-less web browsing. Because of this, major companies like Google and Apple have begun phasing out the use of cookies.

With Internet users now having the option to block cookie tracking and access the Internet through channels that don’t support cookies, advertisers must look for more reliable consumer data collection options.

That’s where people-based marketing through first-party data comes in.

You don’t need cookies to collect first-party data because you can pull the information directly from your website. First-party data helps you build more targeted, personalized advertising campaigns. With it, you don’t have to worry about relying on third-party data from quickly disappearing cookies to be successful.

Ultimately, people-based advertising aims to show the right ads to the right customers, on the right devices, at the right time.

People-based marketing vs. account-based marketing: What’s the difference?

You may have heard us discuss a similar marketing tactic before: account-based marketing. While this sounds like it would be the same thing as people-based marketing, the two differ in one significant way.

Account-based marketing focuses on marketing to key accounts within a certain market, while people-based marketing is all about targeting key people and consumers.

People-based marketing benefits

With a people-based marketing approach comes a handful of amazing benefits your brand can take advantage of, like:

• Personalized messaging and shopping
• Higher ROI
• A stronger retargeting strategy

Let’s dive a bit deeper into how you can enjoy these benefits.

Personalized messaging and shopping

Collecting first-party data with people-based marketing allows advertisers to gain a better understanding of their audience. You can use first-party data to create content based on what your customers want.

The insight provided by first-party data enables you to better engage with your audiences. By understanding what kind of ads and content your customers interact with, you can continue to produce that kind of content, increasing website engagement rates.

Higher ROI

By learning users’ Internet browsing behaviors, like whether they visit your site while on a desktop, laptop, or phone, you can ensure you’re correctly funneling time and resources toward optimizing your site for those devices.

Think of first-party data as the information you collect when you’re tracking the performance of a social media post through a platform’s post analytics — you use those insights to craft a social media marketing strategy that earns more engagement.

The same goes for people-based marketing and first-party data. Use this valuable insight to further create ads and content that “wows” your customers and prompts them to make a purchase, submit a form, return to your site again, you name it!

Analyzing your first-party data can significantly drive ROI, so don’t neglect it!

A stronger retargeting strategy

Sometimes a user visits your site but eventually leaves without making a purchase or submitting some kind of form. While it’s unfortunate, it happens. Luckily, through retargeting, you can win them back!

Retargeting (also known as remarketing) is a form of online advertising where you show your ads to people who have already visited your site.

With the help of first-party data, you can look at what service pages or products a user interacted with before leaving your site and use it to create specially targeted ads that entice the user to come back and complete their purchase.

How to create your people-based marketing strategy with first-party data

We’ve talked all about the importance of utilizing first-party data, but how do you collect it in the first place? We’re glad you asked.

1. Create lead-generation forms

One of the simplest ways to collect first-party data is through lead generation forms like contact forms or free quote forms. These forms can help you collect essential customer information like their name, email, and reason for visiting your website.

With this information, you can run ads targeted toward them to increase your chances of converting them into becoming a customer. Not just that, but you can also use that customer information to send emails that nurture those leads.

Collecting first-party data from lead-generation forms is a people-based marketing strategy that enables you to launch more strategies that reach people who are more likely to become leads and customers.

2. Start using a data-tracking tool

Web analytics platforms, like Google Analytics, are invaluable tools for marketers because they offer real-time data about the happenings on your website.

Google Analytics offers insight into how your customers interact with content on your site, the demographics of your audience, what type of devices they’re viewing your site from, and so much more!

Along with data collection, Google Analytics offers ad management tools that allow you to manage your Google Ads account.

As a company with 300+ Google Certified team members, we can’t say enough good things about Google’s data tracking and analytics tools.

Want some help getting started with Google Analytics? We’ve got you covered — check out our Google Analytics services now!

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Hone your people-based marketing approach with WebFX

Ready to start your journey in people-based marketing? We can help with that!

WebFX is an industry-leading digital marketing agency that’s generated over $6 billion in revenue for our clients, and we can’t wait to add you to that number.

Contact us online or give us a call at 888-601-5359 to speak with one of our experienced strategists today!