KBR Education Engine

Using First-Party Data (Even Without a DMP)

A practical guide to activating your customer data for performance without a heavyweight tech stack.

Why First-Party Data Matters

Cookies are disappearing

Third-party cookies are being phased out; first-party signals future-proof targeting.

Platforms reward 1P signals

Google/Meta prioritise strong 1P inputs for better reach and optimisation.

You already have it

CRM, email, analytics, events — unlock value with smart segmentation.

Better experiences

Personalised, privacy-aware journeys drive conversion and ROI.

What Counts as First-Party Data?

Website behaviour

Pages viewed, time, scroll, funnels.

CRM & email

Purchases, lifecycle, engagement.

Forms & downloads

Demographic and interest fields.

Calls, bookings, events, surveys

Signals of intent and preferences.

You Don’t Need a DMP

  • Start with built-ins: Google Ads Customer Match, Meta Custom Audiences, LinkedIn Matched Audiences.
  • Use GA4 + Looker Studio for analysis/reporting; GTM for governance.
  • Scale later as needs grow — begin with accessible, high-ROI use cases.

Start with a Data Audit

  • Where is data stored? CRM, email, service tools, analytics.
  • Permissioned? Check consent language and logs.
  • Which fields? Email, phone, postcode, recency, value.
  • Freshness? Define sync cadence (real-time vs batch).

Build Custom Audiences

Export & clean

Deduplicate; standardise email/phone/postcode.

Upload hashed

To Google, Meta, LinkedIn; keep PII protected.

Segment smart

Interest, lifecycle, recency/frequency, value tiers.

Refresh often

Update lists to sustain match and performance.

Tactics Using 1P Data

CRM retargeting

Abandoned carts/forms, dormant leads with tailored offers.

Lookalikes

Seed from high-value customers; test 1%–5% expansion.

Cross-sell & upsell

Complementary products by purchase history.

Suppressors

Exclude buyers from prospecting; reduce waste.

Match Rates & Data Quality

  • Use email + phone to lift match and cross-device reach.
  • Clean typos/dupes; schedule quarterly refreshes.
  • Monitor platform benchmarks; test identifier mixes.

Privacy, Consent & Compliance

  • Opt-in before marketing use; no pre-ticked boxes.
  • Unsubscribe in ≤2 clicks; honour immediately.
  • Never upload unpermissioned data.
  • Align with NZ Privacy Act 2020; maintain breach plans and access/correction processes.

Using GA4 & Tag Manager

  • Track events: forms, video, product views, downloads, outbound clicks.
  • Build audiences from engagement, scroll, funnel drop-offs, purchase history.
  • Export audiences to ad platforms; iterate via dashboards and A/B tests.

Platform Playbook

Google Customer Match

Search, YouTube, Gmail, Display; layer with high-intent keywords.

Meta Custom Audiences

CRM uploads, site/app visitors, engagement; build lookalikes.

LinkedIn Matched Audiences

Email/company lists for ABM; add job title/industry filters.

Pixel-light tactics

Email/phone IDs enable deterministic targeting and reactivation.

Build Audiences from Behaviour

  • GA4 segments: add-to-cart no checkout, deep content viewers, high scroll/time.
  • Funnel drop-offs: form views without submit; checkout abandons.
  • Repeat & cross-device visitors; topic-level content engagement.

Segmentation Examples

New subscribers (30d)

Onboard with value and proof.

Viewed 3+ pages

High intent; move to demo/offer.

Abandoned lead form

Shorten forms; follow up fast.

Lapsed customers (6m)

Winback with timed incentives.

Campaign Patterns

Upsell

30/60/90-day post-purchase prompts; typical AOV lift.

Retarget

48-hour follow-ups across channels with tailored messaging.

Suppression

Cut wasted impressions 15–25% by excluding recent buyers.

Lookalike

Seed from top 10–20% LTV customers; refresh sources.

Reporting & Optimisation

  • Track CTR/CPL/CPA by audience; rotate creative by lifecycle.
  • Refresh CRM lists monthly; compare GA4 behaviour vs media results.
  • Test landing pages; use cross-channel attribution and daypart bids.

How KBR Helps

Data mapping & audit

Unify sources, fix gaps, and set governance.

Segmentation & builds

Lifecycle audiences across Meta/Google/LinkedIn.

Enablement & dashboards

Clean tracking, actionable reporting, and continuous optimisation.

Ready to Use Your Data Smarter?

We’ll activate CRM + behaviour data across channels — no DMP required.