Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 165 – How To Prepare For A Cookieless World

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SHOW NOTES:

What Are Cookies And What Do They Do?

• Cookies are little pieces of code that are stored on a user’s browser or device
• These cookies help identify individual users and track their behavior across the web
• 1st party vs 3rd party
  • 1st party cookies are when a site cookies a user directly to collect analytics data and remember specific settings like preferred language, form field information, what was in their cart.
  • 3rd party cookies are placed by a site other than the one the user visits and are used for remarketing, cross-site tracking, creating lookalike audiences, etc.

What is Happening To Cookies?

• Firefox has been 3rd party cookie-free since September 2019 – https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2019/09/03/todays-firefox-blocks-third-party-tracking-cookies-and-cryptomining-by-default/
• Apple (Safari/iOS) have been 3rd party cookie-free since March 2020 – https://webkit.org/blog/10218/full-third-party-cookie-blocking-and-more/
• Google: While seemingly late to the party, Google announced in June that they will phase out 3rd party cookies within 2 years, but since Chrome has over 60% market share when it comes to browsers that still a significant portion of the web – https://blog.chromium.org/2020/01/building-more-private-web-path-towards.html

What Does That Mean For Your Marketing Strategy?

• Tracking and Attribution will look different
  • Though it’s “Privacy Sandbox” Google is actively working on more accurate tracking systems. “
  • By the end of this year, the Google Chrome team will begin trials that allow for click-based conversion measurement without third-party cookies.
  • Conversions will be tracked within the browser, not a third-party cookie, according to a Google spokesperson.
  • When an advertiser needs to track a conversion, they’ll call an API  that will send the conversion value from the browser. Individual user data would not be passed back.”
  • TLDR: Google is working on it
• The largest impact will be on your retargeting strategy. You can’t rely on audiences created through Google Analytics/Google Ads of specific page visitors or visitors of a particular section of the site.
• Facebook does offer a first-party cookie. You can check the settings of your cookie here: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/560982207646475

What Your Hotel Needs To Do To Adjust Your Strategy For A Cookieless World?

• Make sure 1st Party data is a top priority across operations and marketing teams
  • Enable all avenues of collecting this data
    • Mobile App
    • Email – pre and post-stay
    • Website Forms
    • Front Desk asking questions
    • Call center asking questions
    • In-room questionnaires
• Collect as much data as possible about your guest to create a 1st party profile
  • Not all of this data has to be collected at the same time. Different parts of the process should be responsible for gathering specific data points.
    • When did they book?
    • When did they stay?
    • How did they book?
    • How did they find you?
    • Why did they choose you?
    • Who are they traveling with?
    • What is their demographic make-up? (age, gender, race, marital status, children, occupation, income level, education level, any disabilities)
    • What is their phone number?
  • The important point here is that you are collecting this data into one system that allows you to create complete guest profiles
• Pay closer attention to your data.
  • What time-of-day/day-of-week are people visiting certain pages of your site?
    • What does that say about the page and the type of info it provides?
    • Can you adjust your paid & social strategies to enhance this?
  • What sites refer the highest quantity and quality traffic to your site?
    • Are there other advertising or partnership opportunities there?
  • Similarly, when does your call center/front desk receive the most phone calls and how did those callers find your phone number?
• Understand why people are joining your email lists
  • Was it simply during purchase as a requirement?
  • Are they looking specifically for deals?
  • Are they wanting to know what’s happening around your property?
  • Have you adjusted your email strategy to reach these people with the right messaging?
    • Could be all the same message but structured differently with the thing the person has told you they care about in the front & center position
• Continue to test and use Google’s audiences
  • Google aggregates data about it’s users and creates groups for us to target.
  • We will still be able to target users based on what they are interested in such as trips to an area, luxury travelers, family vacationers, outdoor enthusiasts, health & fitness buffs, etc.
  • There are other useful audiences as well such as Parents of kids aged (0-1, 1-3, 3-6, 6-12, etc) Recently Retired, Recently Married, etc
• Test Google’s Discovery Campaigns
  • These campaigns deliver highly visual, personalized ad experiences to potential guests who are ready to interact with your hotel.
  • Be sure to use high quality images that will inspire guests to travel to your property.
  • You will also want to refine your targeting as much as possible to reach the right guest at the right time.
  • You can focus on Maximize conversions or Target CPA with Discovery campaigns. These ads will show on YouTube Home and Watch Next feeds, the Gmail Promotions and Social tabs, and Discover.

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