A First Look at First-Party Data

B2B marketers face a growing challenge: getting accurate, reliable customer data. With privacy regulations tightening and third-party cookies on their way out, businesses that rely on outside data sources are scrambling for alternatives.

The solution? First-party data.

Unlike third-party data, which comes from external sources, first-party data is collected directly from your audience—your website visitors, email subscribers, and customers. It’s accurate, compliant, and most importantly, yours to use.

With first-party data at your fingertips, you can build stronger customer relationships, improve targeting, and drive revenue.

What Is First-Party Data?

First-party data is the information your business collects directly from your audience. This customer information includes data from your website, customer relationship management (CRM) platform, email campaigns, social media, and even customer interactions. 

Since you’re gathering it firsthand, it’s the most accurate and reliable type of data you can use in your marketing efforts.

Examples of First-Party Data

B2B companies collect first-party data from various touchpoints, including the following:

• Website behavior: Page visits, time spent on a page, content downloads, and form submissions
• CRM data: Customer details, purchase history, and account activity
• Email engagement: Opens, clicks, and responses
• Social media interactions: Comments, direct messages, and engagement metrics
• Event participation: Webinar attendance, trade show sign-ups, and in-person event check-ins

This data helps B2B marketers understand their audience, refine their messaging, and create personalized experiences that drive engagement and conversions.

Why Is First-Party Data Important in B2B Marketing?

Successful long-term B2B marketing requires building trust and long-term relationships. Unlike consumer-focused brands that rely on broad targeting, B2B marketers need deep insights into their audience to nurture leads and close deals. That’s why first-party data is so valuable—it provides the clearest picture of your potential customers and their needs.

In short, first-party data helps you understand your audience, personalize interactions, and build long-term relationships, all while staying compliant and reducing reliance on third-party sources.

8 Benefits of First-Party Data in Marketing

First-party data is a competitive advantage. In an era where data privacy regulations are tightening and third-party data sources are becoming unreliable, B2B marketers need a direct, trustworthy way to understand their audience and drive growth.

Here’s why collecting first-party data should be a priority.

1. It’s More Accurate & Reliable

Since first-party data comes straight from your audience, it’s more precise than data from third-party sources. You know exactly where it came from, how it was collected, and that it reflects real interactions with your business. It reduces the risk of outdated, irrelevant, or incorrect data skewing your marketing efforts.

2. It Helps You Create More Personalized Experiences

B2B buyers expect tailored experiences, just like B2C consumers do. First-party data lets you personalize emails, website content, and sales outreach based on real user behavior, interests, and past interactions, increasing engagement and strengthening relationships with potential customers.

3. It Improves Lead Scoring & Nurturing

First-party data helps you separate high-intent prospects from casual browsers. By tracking behaviors like repeated visits, content downloads, and email engagement, you can build more effective lead scoring models. This process allows sales teams to prioritize the right leads and nurture them with relevant content at the right time.

4. It Builds Trust & Strengthens Compliance

With laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) limiting how businesses can collect and use third-party data, first-party data is now the safest option. When you collect data directly from users—through opt-ins, subscriptions, and interactions—you have clear consent, making compliance easier while fostering trust with your audience.

5. It Reduces Dependence on Third-Party Data

Third-party cookies are being phased out, and marketers who rely on them for targeting and audience insights will struggle. First-party data ensures you’re not at the mercy of changing privacy laws or external vendors. Owning your data means having full control over how you use it to drive business growth.

6. It Enhances Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Strategies

ABM relies on deep insights into target accounts, and first-party data provides exactly that. By tracking engagement from key decision-makers within a company, you can customize your outreach, create highly relevant content, and improve your chances of closing deals with high-value accounts.

7. It Leads to Higher ROI on Marketing Campaigns

Because first-party data is more accurate and relevant, it results in more effective marketing campaigns. Personalized outreach, targeted ads, and relevant content marketing all perform better when backed by real audience insights. The result is higher conversion rates, more closed deals, and better marketing ROI.

8. It Strengthens Customer Retention & Upsell Opportunities

First-party data doesn’t just help acquire new customers—it also helps retain and expand existing ones. By analyzing customer interactions, support inquiries, and product usage, you can proactively identify opportunities for upselling, cross-selling, and improving customer satisfaction.

First-Party Data vs. Second-Party Data vs. Third-Party Data vs. Zero-Party Data: What’s the Difference?

Not all data is created equal, and in B2B marketing, understanding the differences can shape a more effective strategy. 

Marketers have access to four main types of customer data: first-party, second-party, third-party, and zero-party data. Each type serves a different purpose, but some are more valuable than others in today’s privacy-conscious environment.

First-Party Data: The Most Reliable & Valuable

First-party data is the information a business collects directly from its audience, such as website behavior, CRM records, email interactions, customer support conversations, and event registrations. Because it comes straight from the source—your leads and customers—it is the most accurate and relevant data available.

B2B marketers can use first-party data to personalize marketing efforts, improve lead scoring, and optimize account-based marketing strategies. 

Additionally, with growing privacy regulations and the decline of third-party cookies, first-party data has become the foundation for a sustainable, long-term data strategy. Companies that prioritize it gain a competitive advantage by delivering more targeted and meaningful interactions.

Examples

• Website behavior (page visits, form fills, downloads)
• CRM data (customer details, purchase history)
• Email engagement (opens, clicks, replies)
• Event and webinar registrations

Second-Party Data: Trusted Insights from Partners

Second-party data is another company’s first-party data that is shared through a partnership or data exchange. Unlike third-party data, which is bought from large-scale data providers, second-party data is acquired directly from a trusted source. It could look like a strategic partner sharing customer insights, a media company providing audience engagement data, or an industry organization offering aggregated trends.

While second-party data is not as direct as first-party data, it is still high-quality and reliable. It allows B2B marketers to expand their understanding of potential customers without relying on third-party sources that may be outdated or inaccurate. Businesses often use second-party data in co-marketing efforts or joint research projects to gain deeper industry insights.

Examples

• A strategic partner sharing their customer insights with you
• A publisher giving you access to audience engagement data from their content
• A trade association providing industry-wide customer trends

Third-Party Data: Broad but Less Reliable

Third-party data is collected and sold by external vendors who aggregate it from multiple sources. This data typically comes from cookie tracking, data scraping, and purchased audience lists. 

While third-party data has historically been a popular tool for ad targeting and market research, its effectiveness is declining due to increasing privacy restrictions and the phaseout of third-party cookies. Growing regulations like GDPR and CCPA have made it more challenging to use third-party data in a compliant manner. 

Additionally, the biggest drawback of third-party data is its lack of accuracy and relevance. Since it is not collected directly from customers, it can be outdated or misaligned with your specific audience. 

In other words, for B2B marketers, relying on third-party data alone is no longer a viable long-term strategy.

Examples

• Purchased audience lists from data brokers
• Cookie-based tracking data used for digital advertising
• Market research reports with anonymized customer trends

Zero-Party Data: Voluntarily Shared by Customers

Zero-party data is information that customers intentionally provide, usually in exchange for a more personalized experience. It includes survey responses, preference center selections, interactive quiz answers, and any other data that prospects or customers willingly share with a business. 

Unlike first-party data, which is inferred from behavior, zero-party data is explicitly stated, making it one of the most transparent and useful types of data.

For B2B marketers, zero-party data is an opportunity to build stronger relationships with potential buyers. By directly asking customers about their interests, pain points, or business challenges, companies can tailor their marketing and sales efforts more effectively. 

As data privacy concerns continue to rise, zero-party data also ensures compliance since customers provide it willingly.

Examples

• Survey responses about customer pain points or goals
• Preference centers where users select what content they want to receive
• Interactive quizzes that help customers find the right solution

Which Data Type Should B2B Marketers Prioritize?

First-party and zero-party data should be the foundation of any B2B marketing strategy. These data types are the most accurate, privacy-friendly, and useful for personalization. Second-party data can be valuable when working with trusted partners, but it should complement first-party efforts rather than replace them. Third-party data, while still available, is becoming less reliable and more difficult to use due to privacy regulations. 

Marketers who shift away from third-party data and invest in collecting and utilizing their own audience insights will be better positioned for long-term success.

By prioritizing first-party and zero-party data, B2B marketers can build stronger customer relationships, improve targeting, and future-proof their data strategies.

First-Party Data FAQs

What Is First-Party Data?

First-party data refers to the information that a company collects directly from its customers or prospects through various interactions. This data is sourced from first-hand interactions, making it highly reliable and valuable for understanding customer behavior and preferences.

What Is the Definition of First-Party Data?

First-party data is defined as the information gathered by a business from its own audience through direct engagement channels, such as website visits, email subscriptions, social media interactions, and customer surveys. This data includes demographics, behavioral insights, and transaction history.

What Is First-Party Data in Marketing?

In marketing, first-party data is used to enhance audience understanding, personalize messaging, and improve targeting. It allows marketers to create more relevant campaigns based on actual customer behaviors and preferences rather than relying on assumptions or external sources.

What Is First-Party Data in B2B?

First-party data in B2B marketing refers to the information collected by businesses about their clients and prospects through direct interactions, such as sales calls, email communication, website engagement, and event participation. This data is important for understanding client needs and tailoring marketing efforts accordingly.

What Is a First-Party Data Example?

An example of first-party data is the information collected from a customer who signs up for a newsletter on a company’s website. This information could include their name, email address, job title, company, and preferences regarding content they wish to receive.

What Is the Difference Between Zero-Party & First-Party Data?

Zero-party data is information that customers voluntarily share with a brand, often through preference centers or direct surveys. It includes explicit information about their preferences and intentions. In contrast, first-party data encompasses any data collected from customer interactions, which may include inferred insights and behaviors. 

While both types of data are valuable, zero-party data is more about the direct, self-reported insights from customers.

What Is the Difference Between First-Party & Third-Party Data?

First-party data is collected directly from customers by the business itself, while third-party data is sourced from external providers who aggregate information from various sources. Third-party data can be less reliable due to its indirect nature and may raise privacy concerns, as it often relies on cookies and tracking methods.

What Is the Difference Between First-, Second-, & Third-Party Data?

First-party data is collected by a business from its direct interactions with customers. Second-party data is essentially another company’s first-party data shared directly with your business, often through partnerships. Third-party data is collected by external entities that aggregate information from multiple sources, which may include browsing behavior, demographic information, and more. 

Each type of data has its own advantages and drawbacks regarding reliability and privacy.

Why Is First-Party Data Important?

First-party data is important because it provides accurate, actionable insights into customer behavior and preferences. It enables businesses to create more effective marketing strategies, improve targeting, and foster personalized customer experiences, ultimately leading to higher conversion rates and customer loyalty.

Why Does First-Party Data Matter?

First-party data matters because it allows marketers to understand their audience on a deeper level, enabling them to tailor their messaging and offerings to meet specific customer needs. As privacy regulations become stricter, first-party data provides a compliant and reliable way to engage with customers.

Why Is First-Party Data So Valuable to Marketers?

First-party data is valuable to marketers because it is both accurate and relevant. Since it comes from direct interactions with customers, it reflects genuine preferences and behaviors, allowing for more effective segmentation, targeting, and personalization in marketing campaigns.

How Do Brands Collect First-Party Data?

Brands collect first-party data through various methods, including website analytics, lead capture forms, customer surveys, email marketing, social media interactions, and event registrations. By optimizing these channels for data collection, businesses can gather meaningful insights from their audience.

Who Owns First-Party Data?

First-party data is owned by the business that collects it. This ownership allows companies to leverage the data for their marketing strategies and customer relationship management as long as they adhere to privacy regulations and maintain transparency with customers regarding data use.

Does First-Party Data Use Cookies?

First-party data can utilize cookies to track user interactions on a website. Cookies allow businesses to gather insights about user behavior, such as pages visited and actions taken, which can help inform marketing strategies. However, the use of cookies must comply with privacy regulations, and businesses should inform users about their data collection practices.

How Can First-Party Data Improve Customer Relationships?

To improve customer relationships, businesses can use first-party data to create personalized experiences that resonate with customers. Understanding customer preferences and behaviors allows companies to communicate effectively, offer tailored solutions, and enhance overall satisfaction, fostering long-term loyalty.

What Role Does First-Party Data Play in Compliance with Privacy Regulations?

First-party data plays an important role in compliance with privacy regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) because it is collected directly from users with their consent. This transparency and user control over their data help build trust and mitigate risks associated with data privacy breaches.

Can First-Party Data Be Used for Predictive Analytics?

Yes, first-party data can be used for predictive analytics. By analyzing historical customer interactions and behaviors, businesses can identify trends and patterns that help predict future actions, allowing for more informed decision-making and proactive marketing strategies.

Conclusion

As privacy regulations continue to tighten and third-party data sources dwindle, now is the time to prioritize first-party data collection and utilization. By leveraging the insights gathered directly from your audience, you can make more informed decisions, optimize marketing efforts, and foster lasting relationships with customers.

If you’re looking to harness the power of first-party data in your B2B marketing campaigns, the experts at OneIMS are here to help. With our experience in data collection, analysis, and strategy development, we can guide you in building a comprehensive approach tailored to your business goals. 

Schedule a consultation with us today to learn how we can assist you in maximizing the potential of your first-party data, achieving success in your marketing initiatives, and growing your business.