User privacy has become a fundamental factor in developing a marketing strategy. After the security failures generated since the advent of the internet, the attitude of customers to online privacy is of vital importance. According to a report by the multinational Ipsos for Google, we know that 70% of internet users distrust the use made of their data. However, 91% say they tend to buy brands from which they receive offers based on their tastes. Therefore, data is necessary to achieve user personalisation because, if they feel identified with the brand, they will grant the necessary permissions to generate higher quality information. The key lies in finding the balance between compliance with data protection regulations(RGPD or the LOPD at national level) and the promotion of digital marketing.
The rise of inbound marketing is due to the attraction of customers through the personalisation of content. This is achieved through the tracking and analysis of data that provides valuable information to direct the user to our campaigns. Thus, the incorporation of technology into a business is intrinsic to the processing of data. Consumers demand personalised experiences, not to be part of an audience segment. To offer this service, marketing companies have had to update and place privacy at the forefront. While before it was enough with the user's digital footprint, now it is necessary to ask for permission. The privacy-first marketing concept draws on these beliefs and seeks an alliance with the user to gain his or her trust.
what protects user privacy?
The right of consumers to decide how and to what extent companies can use their information is protected by privacy laws. The valuable data that enjoy this protection are:
- Identifying data: Also known as PII, this provides information relating to recognition in official databases such as identity or social security number, IP address or date of birth.
- Contact information: Includes full name, address, contact telephone number or email address.
- Usage details: Shows tracking on websites, previous visits and cookies.
- Financial data: These are bank account or credit card numbers.
why is user privacy necessary?
New data regulations limit the work of digital marketers as they now rely on user privacy. It used to be easy to track leads, but now these processes are conditional on global privacy. It is important to adhere to cookie regulations as failure to do so has serious legal consequences. Adaptability to these restrictions is desirable because data is needed to:
- Convert leads
- ImproveSEO strategy
- Optimise marketing campaigns
- Show ROI of marketing spend
- Know our target
From another perspective, brands that incorporate user privacy in their marketing strategies increase the value of their business. Defending the protection of their data is the first step to gaining their trust. In addition, this brings a series of benefits:
- Support for the company's code of ethics
- Transparency
- Gaining competitive advantage
- Enhancing brand value
- Innovation
5 steps to adapt user privacy to digital marketing
Awareness of digital privacy and its jurisdictions is established when marketing platforms include it in their strategies. Advertisers must row in favour so that the abundance of data is not affected. Tracking the target audience must be done to lessen the work of professionals. Therefore, it is advisable to work with a responsible data collection method that empowers the web to privacy and reach the audience in a resourceful way. Following the steps below is a good start to join this digital marketing trend:
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Offer quality content
Initially, the main focus of marketers has been to match KPIs with content. Now this approach must change by putting quality content at the forefront. Impact is important, but more important is the creation of creative and personalised elements that engage the user. It is better to lock in a customer than to half-heartedly satisfy an undefined group of users.
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Improving communication
Adapting to this new circumstance means consolidating the relationship between the company and the customer. In addition to sending personalised messages, it is advisable to increase the frequency of sending. To achieve a complete communicative approach, the ad or message must be shown several times. Connecting with the audience depends on brand recognition and this is achieved by remaining present in the user's inbox.
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Include brand analytics
Technological innovation means fine-tuning your brand metrics. Monitoring the activity of a marketing campaign from customer satisfaction, ROI and ad spend gives you a global view of the big picture. In the same way, it will show you more information about the user.
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Join the transparency
Being aware of data protection laws, we must include transparency in our branding. Users have the right to know what data capture methodology we use and where it goes. We must prepare the elements of our website over which we have power, such as the privacy policy section or customer engagement. By doing so, you will be less vulnerable to a fine or complaint.
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Choice
One of the most common mistakes is to wait passively for the user to choose to share their personal information. It makes sense to offer the user a reward in exchange for their data, this process is known as a "closed offer". For example, if you want the customer to complete a satisfaction survey after making a purchase, you can offer a discount code at the end of the process. These offers give the user the power of choice whether or not to click the box that verifies the sharing of their data.
4 evolutions in digital marketing
We have seen that user privacy is susceptible to change, as is digital marketing. With these new protection policies, we are aware that companies must be prepared to evolve, even if the consumer continues to respond to the offers that generate the most satisfaction. For this reason, even as the technological environment evolves, we must focus on observing the audience. Digital marketing must anticipate these 4 evolutions for the future:
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Multiple consumer choice
After the advent of user privacy, it is interesting that the focus should be on offering more choice to internet users. In other words, brands must be prepared to make their customers feel comfortable in the data collection processes. The company must be prepared for new legislation that obliges compliance with certain requirements such as multiple choice and adapt its marketing channels to these procedures.
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Large-scale analysis
The use of macrometrics in our business would ensure independence from millimetric damage. If laws make it difficult to access specific data, observing behaviours in groups will facilitate the monitoring of our marketing campaign. Obviously, these groups must respond to a series of common characteristics.
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Transparency
As jurisdictions adopt data protection regulations, there is a greater reliance on transparency. This means that marketers must be able to show the inner workings of their methodologies and explain how their data is processed. This is beneficial because we can know what methods our competitors are using, but detrimental because they can know our movements.
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Do not sell data to third parties
For consumers, the trust transmitted by your company is just as important as the trust transmitted by the brands you interact with. Selling digital data to third parties generates distrust. This should be avoided unless the user subscribes to be part of a process and is aware of this processing.
