wtf is “zero party data,” and why you should care

I feel we’re like the last outliers who don’t use Alexa or Siri.

“I talked to that speaker at Jake’s house again today. I forgot. ”

My husband grins and I give a small sigh.

“Kiddo,” I say, “I don’t want you to worry, It’s totally fine. We don’t use that technology at our house but absolutely nothing will happen if you do at a friend’s a couple of times.”

It’s hard to explain to my 7-year-old why at his friend’s house he can tell the lady to play whatever music or ask about the weather, and that it’s ok – but at our house there are only real live people to talk to, and it’s probably going to stay that way.

We also don’t do things like:

🙅🏼‍♀️ post pictures of him and his brother on social media
🙅🏻‍♀️ give our phone numbers for rewards cards
🙅🏿‍♀️ have a fridge that knows when we’re out of milk (is that a real thing??)

His dad tries to explain: “The reason we don’t like those devices – and some apps – is that they take the information you pass to them, then sell or give that to other companies, and then they either use that info or aggregate it, without our knowledge or consent.”

My kid knows the word “consent” (he’s Gen Alpha, after all).

He does not know “aggregate”.

“Buddy,” I say, half-smiling over his head at my husband. “If you’re not paying for a product, you are the product.”

But by then he has moved on to telling us about the boss he beat in Super Mario Odyssey.

I recently read a report that 86% of Americans say their data privacy is a growing concern, and a recent McKinsey study reported that only 33% of American consumers believe that companies use their data responsibly.

👆I’m in that camp, obv.

Ironically, 71% of customers also expect brands to personalize their experience.

Ummmm…

There is a disconnect happening here.

To personalize, which IS important, we need data.

And this is why I will not stop talking to online biz owners about zero-party data tools.

Zero-party data is info that your audience shares willingly.

It is when you ask them straight out about themselves, and they say, “Oh gosh, where do I even begin??” and you (virtually) scooch your chair right on up and (figuratively) order two salted caramel lattes for a little sesh.

Rather than sneaky-sneaky slipping an AirTag in their purse to check which 5 stops they make, after you wave hello as you pass by.

Which – real talk – is essentially what a Facebook pixel does. And other third-party cookies.

Zero-party data is also the most accurate form of data since it comes straight from the source, rather than assumptions based on demographics, behaviors and observation.

Accuracy will always win in connecting with your audience.

So how do we get this magical unicorn zero-party data?

By asking in a way that’s FUN and NOT BORING AF.

My best bets are from a sexy-looking online quiz, a quickie little survey or link trigger sent via email, or connecting via large-scale yet one-on-one relationship building.

There is a whole world of platforms I adore that you can enlist for zero-party data that can also grow your business: (these are affiliate links, which I’m sharing because I currently use or have used them all in my own biz):

QUIZ-BUILDERS:

Typeform is my personal fave, which you can use to craft insanely beautiful quizzes to showcase your brand, educate, and bring your right-fit clients into your universe. You can also make calculators and other fun stuff.

There are other quiz-builders out there, but none have both the design capabilities and logic + scoring functionality.

With a quiz, people love to find out about themselves plus give you that info too. (Check out my own quiz if you haven’t yet!)

EMAIL MARKETING:

Email marketing is always a winner for segmenting your audience (& allowing them to choose what content they want to receive) and starting authentic convos in the inbox.

Best of both worlds? Sync up a complex quiz with your email builder and segment directly.

For email builders: I like Mailchimp for design & integration capabilities (and medium-sized businesses) and ConvertKit for ease of use (and smaller-sized businesses).
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INTERACTIVE VIDEO:

This engagement tool is so powerful and dynamic, it feels like a secret weapon.

Use VideoAsk to create interactive video with multiple choice built right in, plus logic and scoring capabilities to segment the journey.

I’ve used it for interactive sales pages, for having 1:1 lead gen convos, for market research, and even to collect video testimonials.

I not only use these in my own business, I also use them to build pathways for my clients who want to connect authentically with their audiences and grow their businesses in a way that feels good too. (And wait did I mention grow the shit out of their businesses?)

Keep an eye out for another email on how you can use that zero-party data you collect.

And if you want to chat about how your biz can benefit best from these freaking awesome tools to connect with your people, hit me up.

We can chat over a salted caramel latte.

Talk soon,

PS Want the quick, jargon-free lowdown on cookies vs data, 1st-party vs 3rd party, and all that jazz? I write about it here.

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