Why is first-party data important?
As cookies and third-party data are phased out, first-party data has become central to effective digital marketing. It is data you own yourself – collected through newsletters, purchase history or user behaviour.
By combining email marketing and paid social, you can use your customer data to create precise segments that make advertising more targeted and less wasteful.
From email to paid social
When your users interact with emails, it creates valuable data points you can activate on social media:
- Abandoned cart (14 days) – reach users who have shown purchase intent but did not complete.
- Have purchased but not in the last 90 days – reactivate inactive customers.
- Have purchased a specific product category (90 days) – cross-sell relevant items.
- Open campaign emails but do not buy – move them to social retargeting.
- Returning customers – reward and retain loyal customers.
- Have purchased, but not [product] – identify upsell potential.
First-party data on Google's channels
First-party data can also be used extensively on Google's paid channels. By uploading customer lists or syncing data directly from your email system, you can create audiences in Google Ads.
This makes it possible to:
- Reach existing customers via Customer Match.
- Exclude current customers from specific campaigns.
- Build lookalike-style audiences (similar audiences) based on your best customers.
This ensures your ad spend is used efficiently – both to retain existing customers and to attract new ones who resemble your current customers.
Integration example: Lead Ads → Klaviyo
An effective setup starts with connecting your channels. In Klaviyo, you can integrate Facebook Lead Ads directly, so new sign-ups are automatically added to the right lists.
Always consider:
- Should leads receive separate communication?
- Shouldthey be tagged as VIP or discount recipients?
- How do you ensure compliance and consent?
A well-thought-out structure ensures that the lead doesn't just land on the list – but receives an experience that increases the likelihood of conversion.
Campaign example
A simple campaign with a lead magnet (giveaway) via Lead Ads + pop-up delivered:
- 1,380 new leads
- 185 conversions
- Average basket size: 1,289.51 DKK
- Conversion rate: 13.40%
- Total result: 238,559.58 DKK
This shows that when email marketing and paid social work together to activate first-party data, it can create 1:1 performance – from lead to sale.
Conclusion
First-party data enables you to build strong audiences and personalise communication across channels. By combining email marketing, paid social and Google's channels, you can leverage the data you already have – and ensure your advertising reaches the right users at the right time.
It is not just a path out of a cookieless future – it is also a path to better results.
