Who Cares About Your Privacy Policy?
The answer, perplexingly, is everybody and nobody…
Privacy policies have long been a standard sitemap inclusion for website owners, but as more marketers are realising the true value of data, customers are becoming increasingly aware (and wary) of what, how and why they share their personal data with brands.
Traditionally, a website data privacy policy takes the form of a quasi-legal document stating how data is collected, what it is used for, how it is stored, if cookies are used, and a disclaimer about the contents of any third party site linked to from the website. Thousands of websites the world over use more or less the same format, and most are never read. The truth is, they don’t really achieve anything apart from to tick a box.
In the previous article I mentioned a list of attributes that affect an individual’s likelihood to share their personal data, including perceived trustworthiness, a data policy that fit with brand values, and a clarity about how and why data will be used.
There are some innovative examples of how brands have taken these factors to heart in their data policies, and achieved some impressive results.
One that comes to mind is Channel 4, whose 4oD catch-up TV service requires a user to sign up and provide elements of personal information. Not only do they have a very clear yet in-depth section on their website detailing how and why they use data, they created and circulated a short video featuring Alan Carr explaining their ‘Viewer Promise’ in simple terms that clarified the benefits to the public as well as to Channel 4.
Within 18 months of launching the service in this manner, 4oD had reached over 18 million sign ups, including half of the UK 16-25 population – an enviable database for a brand such as this.
So what do you need to do?
- Review the language around your sign-up forms. Is it in line with the rest of your brand, or does it just sound like a generic request for data?
- Review your terms and conditions. There need to be an elements of legal protection information in there, but there’s no need for your policy to be legal jargon. Keep it simple, break it down into bite size chunks, and write it for humans (not lawyers…)!
- Be transparent and honest. If you are going to use the data to contact the user in the future, tell them. If they don’t sign up because of it, it’s highly unlikely you would have converted them into a client with future direct marketing activity anyway.
- Explain the benefits. Are they going to get premium content, better service, access to offers, competitions, deals? If so, make it clear. If not, then you’re going to struggle to get them to sign up anyway…
- Don’t ask for too much (or too little). There’s a ‘creepy line’ that you don’t want to cross – if it doesn’t seem natural for your brand to ask for certain information then there will probably be a lack of willingness to share it. On the other hand, if you’re going to ask for data, don’t be scared to ask for what you need.
In summary, just think about it from your audience’s perspective. It’s highly doubtful that they ‘owe you’ their data, so the simple fact is that you’re going to have to work for it. And the best way to do that is to make the sharing of data in some way transactional and clearly beneficial to both parties.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but you’ll be surprised about the difference a fresh approach can make.
Do you have experience of data collection methods that have particularly impressed or horrified you? If so I’d like to hear about them, so please get in touch with me on Twitter or LinkedIn, or if you found this article useful, please click here to share it.
