Data Privacy in Digital Marketing

It has never been that easy for brands to interact with their customers. Before the rise of the Internet, it took marketers a lot of effort to reach their target audiences. Now, you can do this in minutes, which means that your company can easily reach new heights and grow as quickly as possible.

According to Jatapp software development professionals: with smart goals, the right strategy, a talented team, and a marketing budget, there are almost no limits. Almost no because when you want to have immediate access to information about your target audience, you need to think about personal privacy. Not only are you required to follow the law but it is also crucial to build trustful relationships with consumers, and balance your business needs and their privacy. 

So, what is digital privacy definition, and how can your business coexist with modern regulations?

What should you know about data privacy?

Before we can provide you with some tips on how to develop digital marketing and protect consumer privacy, it is necessary to start with the basics.

When we speak about the personal information we mean data that can be used to identify a person. Usually, it includes, but not is limited to:

  • Name;
  • Address;
  • Email;
  • Phone;
  • Date of birth; 
  • SSN;
  • IP;
  • Payment information;
  • Cookies and other usage details. 

The chances are your company is already using these or other types of data for marketing analytics. It means that you need to know what you can do and what you can’t do in order to avoid consumer privacy issues. Depending on the legislation, it is important to be well aware of GDPR or CCPA, guidelines that regulate how businesses collect information and give people the right to opt out whenever they want. 

Is it possible to avoid data collecting? Obviously, not. The thing is, you can’t abuse personal data anymore, you can’t track every move of your target consumers. It is time to learn more about how you can be more responsible. There are 5 tips that will help you along this way.

 

Adapt to a “messaging for many” approach 

In a new reality, it is impossible that your marketers to match content to various metrics such as website visits, traffic for channels, interactions of visits, etc. Now, your major focus should be on quality content that meets the expectations of many people.

It means that you need ads and creative media, fascinating campaigns involving discounts or promo codes. Your content should be unique, and it definitely should offer value. It goes without saying that personal data is valuable, so when you ask for it, it is a good idea to give something in return. If your marketers are creative, they can come up with many exciting ways to learn more about target customers and avoid data privacy issues.

Look at the bigger picture 

If you are still looking at marketing campaigns’ effectiveness at a micro level, you need to change an angle. You need integrated brand metrics that will give you a bigger picture of:

  • Return on investment;
  • Overall ad costs;
  • Customer feedback.

Once you stop focusing on the success of individual campaigns, it will be easier for you to maintain privacy marketing and boost your overall message. When you know how people engage with your content, what they click, why they unsubscribe, and how much money you spend on acquiring new consumers, you understand for sure whether you need to tailor your approach. 

Be as transparent as you can 

When we say that you need to be transparent to avoid data privacy concerns, we mean it. Not only is this approach ethical, but there are also many places where it is required by law. People who visit your website, or who are covered by your digital marketing campaign, should know how you use their data, and for what purposes. 

The rules are as simple as that. Does your site use cookies? Ask your visitors for permission to use them, and don’t block content if consumers don’t accept them. Remember that your final goal is to provide value and attract a target audience, you don’t have to exploit people. In the modern world, you don’t need to squeeze profit out of customers, the bottom line is that you connect your products or services with people that are looking for them.

Opting out should be easy

It is important that you treat data responsibly at all stages. For example, if an individual agrees to share his or her data, does it mean that you can use it as long as it is needed? Obviously, not! People may wish to opt out at any stage, many of them unknowingly agree to have their information shared, and so on. 

All your promotional emails should include an “unsubscribe” link so that people can opt out with ease. Even if you lose a target customer for some reason, the reputation of your brand will stay solid. And vice versa, when it is more difficult to opt-out than opt-in, you should not expect positive feedback and a fair relationship with customers.

Rely on access control 

While customer data privacy is valuable, there is a limited number of people in your company that needs this data to do their job. Yes, when it comes to data protection, you need to be sure that you’re protected from the inside. Not even all marketers should be able to protect sensitive information. 

Invest in appropriate training for people who will handle data so that they know how to avoid data leaks and breaches. It would be also a good idea to consider additional layers of security, e.g. encrypting customer data at all times and protecting it from external threats. 

Wrapping things up, it is necessary to remember that rules and laws are changing all the time. However, the key marketing principles, the ideas of consumerism, and the patterns of human behavior remain the same. Focus on your final goal and look for the right tools that will take your marketing to the next level. Are you up to the challenge?