3 Ways to Avoid Creepy Marketing Practices and Build Trust With Your Customers

3 Ways to Avoid Creepy Marketing Practices and Build Trust With Your Customers

I recently visited a travel website when my family was considering a Hawaiian vacation. Yet almost immediately, I started seeing online ads and emails about fun things to do in Hawaii. But when so many marketers are trying to find ways to target you or your company, there is a potential downside. While it's helpful to be reminded about unfinished tasks, getting content or ads that have nothing to do with our interests or needs is bothersome. When using buyer data to target your campaigns, the most important thing to do is to add value to their day. Know how your buyers consume content and where they go to find it. Customers respond differently to marketing based on their age, company role and their individual needs. Millennial buyers are also twice as likely to respond to a personalized message than Gen Xers and baby boomers. Baby boomers, on the other hand, might find that incredibly creepy. At the end of the day, the more value you provide, the more willing customers will be to share their data in return for more personalized experiences.

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3 Ways to Avoid Creepy Marketing Practices and Build Trust With Your Customers

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I recently visited a travel website when my family was considering a Hawaiian vacation. I did a little research and logged off after deciding it wasn’t a good time to travel based on the rates. End of my dream vacation, right? Yet almost immediately, I started seeing online ads and emails about fun things to do in Hawaii.

Every day, we all receive numerous messages in our inboxes and across the web that use our personal data to target us. Gleaning information about us from the websites we visit, the content we read, the places we check in and more, marketers take advantage of our digital footprint to send us targeted offers. Often, this outreach is welcomed. It can help us plan a vacation in our personal lives or help us find the best software in the workplace. It often saves us time, reminds us to finish a task or finds us a better deal. It’s fair to say these are all helpful outcomes.

But, sometimes, too much personalization in marketing can feel a bit creepy, or just simply awkward. A recent Forrester report showed 89 percent of digital businesses are investing in personalization. But when so many marketers are trying to find ways to target you or your company, there is a potential downside. While it’s helpful to be reminded about unfinished tasks, getting content or ads that have nothing to do with our interests or needs is bothersome. And finding out just how much a company knows about you and your business can be downright creepy.

When do marketers cross the line? And when do potential customers stop appreciating the offers and start feeling a little uneasy about them? Here are a few recommendations for using the data you capture in a way that can help boost trust among customers and prospects.

Use your data to add value to your customer’s day.

When using buyer data to target your campaigns, the most important thing to do is to add value to their day. Don’t reach out to potential customers just to say, “I see you downloaded…

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