Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash
Are you someone willing to take the easy way out?
What if you knew you could get away with it?
Just a few shortcuts and you’re the envy of your fellow entrepreneurs. A few things that aren’t quite playing by the rules, but no one has to know that. For now, anyway.
If you want to be more than a one-hit wonder, you already know what to do. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
I know, privacy came in and messed up the marketing campaign you so meticulously designed. That list you worked so hard to build? Whether it was 50 or 50,000 deep, each and every one of those people had to opt in again before you could contact them.
Ouch.
You grumble about the hassle of it, but we both know that isn’t really the problem.
It’s how vulnerable we are when we have to ask that question.
Again.
Yes means we’ve done well and held our subscriber’s interest. We’ve sent engaging material and offered more value than we’ve asked for sales.
No? Not the end of the world, but a reminder to do better.
This is your chance to do it and stop praying for a shortcut. Don’t tell me that’s all you’ve got.
The new privacy laws meant rethinking all of our campaign strategies. We had to pull back and re-evaluate how to maintain our reach and consider new ways to grow it. And while you might hate me for saying it, this is actually a good thing.
Emailing people who don’t want to hear from you is a waste of money. If you lost half your list, consider it a chance to invest in a more compelling campaign, language that will engage your subscribers and encourage new ones. Getting kicked out of your comfort zone is going to be the best thing that’s ever happened to you.
It means you’ll finally stop doing the same old song and dance everyone is doing.
How many times have you cringed at yet another email from someone whose list you never remember signing up for? How frustrated were you when, after scanning the email, there was no obvious way to unsubscribe?
We want to be treated like more than a piece of data and so do our customers. This all-too-familiar scenario is a lose-lose for both parties. Trust me, you don’t want to be that guy.
Ad tracking helps us learn about what our customers are interested in, but it is the equivalent of online stalking. I owe it to you to at least let you know that every step you take, every move you make, I’ll be watching you (couldn’t resist that Police song reference!).
And if I don’t? The real life equivalent would look something like this:
- I follow you from your house to your job taking note of everything you do along the way.
- I peer in through the window while you work to watch what you look up on your laptop and phone. Devious cackle optional.
- I hang out at the coffeeshop across the street that you go to on your lunch break so I can pretend to run into you and take note of what you eat and drink so when I do it tomorrow it looks like a coincidence that we like the same things.
- I show up at the gym you hit after work and write down what brand of trainers you’ve got on, what kind of bottled water you drink, and what you’re listening to on your headphones.
- When you get home, you open your mailbox to find ploys to buy things exactly like everything you ate, drank, watched, listened to, or wore throughout the day in language similar to how you speak.
How awesome is that?
Rather than turn your nose up at privacy, you have the chance to see the value in boundaries, rise to the challenge and let it make you more innovative. Build trust with each customer that continues to grow with your business.
“Are you someone I can trust?” is the question every potential customer has as they scroll through your website.
It’s time you make sure your yes is loud enough they can hear it.