Decoding identity resolution: The key to smarter targeting across channels

In today’s fragmented digital landscape, consumers and business buyers engage across multiple devices, platforms, and channels before making a purchasing decision. This complexity makes it increasingly difficult for marketers to create a unified, accurate view of their audience. The solution? Identity resolution—the process of connecting multiple identifiers across touchpoints to form a single, cohesive profile of an individual or account.

When done right, identity resolution is the backbone of effective, data-driven marketing. It allows businesses to personalize engagement, optimize ad spend, and drive meaningful interactions across channels. Let’s break down why identity resolution is essential for modern marketing strategies and how it empowers smarter targeting.

Why identity resolution matters

Without identity resolution, marketers risk disjointed experiences, wasted ad spend, and an incomplete understanding of their customers. Consider these common challenges:

• Siloed data – Different platforms and teams manage their own datasets, leading to inconsistent messaging.
• Cross-device confusion – A single buyer might engage on multiple devices, but without identity resolution, they appear as separate users.
• Personalization gaps – Inaccurate data results in generic or mistargeted content that doesn’t resonate with the audience.
• Compliance risks – A fragmented view of customer data makes it harder to maintain privacy and regulatory compliance.

By resolving identities across different channels and devices, businesses can eliminate these pain points, ensuring they reach the right person with the right message at the right time.

How identity resolution works

At its core, identity resolution matches and consolidates data points across various sources to build a unified profile. The process includes:

1. Collecting identifiers – Gathering first-party data (emails, phone numbers, device IDs) and third-party data (cookies, IP addresses) from multiple interactions.
2. Linking data – Using probabilistic (pattern-based) and deterministic (direct-match) methods to connect identifiers across different touchpoints.
3. Building a single customer profile – Creating a centralized view of each individual or account, enriched with behavioral, demographic, and intent data.
4. Activating across channels – Deploying unified customer profiles to personalize experiences in email, paid media, social, and other marketing efforts.

The benefits of identity resolution for smarter targeting

• Omnichannel consistency – Ensure seamless messaging across email, social, display, and other channels.
• Improved ROI – Reduce wasted ad spend by reaching verified, high-intent buyers instead of duplicate or mismatched profiles.
• Enhanced personalization – Deliver hyper-relevant content based on an individual’s full interaction history.
• Stronger compliance – Maintain better control over customer data to meet evolving privacy regulations.

Looking ahead: The future of identity resolution

With third-party cookies disappearing and privacy regulations tightening, identity resolution will continue to evolve. The future will see greater reliance on first-party data strategies, AI-driven matching, and interoperable identity graphs that provide a clearer picture of buyers while respecting their privacy.

For marketers looking to stay ahead, investing in robust identity resolution capabilities isn’t just an option—it’s a necessity. The brands that master this approach will have the competitive edge in delivering personalized, scalable, and privacy-compliant customer experiences.

Ready to unlock the full potential of your data? Let’s talk about how identity resolution can transform your marketing strategy.