All posts by Annabel Youens

Annabel Youens

About Annabel Youens

I'm a co-founder and CMO at AE. I believe that truly successful internet businesses have to connect people. {wave} When I'm not online I'm exploring beautiful Vancouver Island. Things I love: everything scifi, literary fiction, coffee, Google Music, my workhorse sewing machine and board games.

How Shawn Mendes Got Famous: The Marketing Strategy Behind His Success

Annabel Youens  By     Success Stories, ,

While great songs can take singers far, there’s nothing like a good music marketing campaign to help them rise to stardom. Let’s take a look at how Shawn Mendes got famous and the marketing strategy behind the Canadian singer-songwriter’s success.

 

Shawn’s (Marketable) Origin Story

While most of us forgot about where Shawn came from as soon as “Stitches” and “Mercy” dropped, his fans didn’t.

Shawn Mendes became an internet star at 14 thanks to his vines. Now defunct, the platform was known among teens for allowing them to upload funny, six-second looping video clips. Shawn used Vine for a different purpose. He posted his covers of popular songs.

By the time Vine shut down in 2016, Mendes had over half a billion views and an established fan base.

He was successfully marketing to his audience even before Island Records found out about him.

The first thing he did was notice that no one was doing song covers on Vine. YouTube was already saturated and offered few chances for growth, so Mendes turned to a new platform where his target audience hung out.

One of the first videos he posted on Vine was the chorus from Justin Bieber’s “As Long As You Love Me,” and it blew up, accumulating over 10,000 likes overnight. In four months, he grew to 200,000 followers on Vine and Twitter!

Shawn Mendes also often filled fan requests, a strategic move that ensured he always knew which songs were the most popular with his audience at a given moment. 

Mendes became so popular that he started going on meet-and-greet-conventions (MAGCONs) with other social media celebs to engage with fans. 

In the end, it was his cover of “Say Something,” that caught the attention of major record label, Island Records. 

#HandwrittenBuyouts Music Marketing Campaign

When Mendes started marketing his first album, Handwritten in 2015, it caused a lot of controversy in the media.

In a tweet, he announced the release of his album by inviting his fans to go to their local music stores and buy out all the Handwritten albums on shelves.

They had a chance to find a golden access pass to meet Shawn in person and watch him perform in a tropical destination.

Despite creating some controversy, this tactic worked. His album flew off the shelves and he sold 119,000 album-equivalent units in the first week. This is no record-breaking number, but impressive nonetheless.

Now, all of this would’ve been impossible if Mendes hadn’t become a person his fan base could relate to. Instead of perceiving him as a singer with a marketing team behind him, his fans saw him as a friend and rushed to support his first album.

Mendes interacted with his fans who bought stacks of his albums (frequently spending hundreds of dollars to clear out the shelves), retweeting their photos and celebrating his success as the youngest artist to have a number one album on the Billboard 200 chart.

While Mendes’ fan base was happy to just consume his songs, they thrived when he gave them a chance to do something to show support for him.

And win a meet & greet, of course. 😉

How Shawn Mendes Promoted the Album Illuminate

The first thing Mendes did in 2016 (quite literally – it was Jan 21) was appear on CW’s show The 100.

Mendes also sang in the episode, which was the third season premiere of the show.

By appearing on The 100 (whose audience is demographically and behaviorally similar to that of Mendes), he was able to capture more interest and reach the audiences he hadn’t before.

The best part? Mendes is rumored to have landed the role after tweeting to the show’s producers.

Whether this is true or not, if his audience wasn’t sold on him by that point, they would’ve been. Once again, he showed how much he resonated with his fans.

After appearing on The 100 and getting in front of a large, previously unreached target audience, Mendes announced his second world tour.

Shawn Mendes’ OOH Advertising Campaign

When it came time to promote Illuminate, Spotify and Mendes launched an Out-of-home (OOH) campaign.

This time, instead of putting Mendes front and center, his marketing team opted for billboards displaying his lyrics across cities in the US.

Mendes himself invited his fans to take part in the campaign by sharing the photos of the boards they found. Lucky winners would meet him on the tour.

OOH advertising campaign is part of how shawn mendes got famous
Shawn Mendes teamed up with Spotify in an out-of-home advertising campaign

According to Musically, the campaign’s budget was around $25,000 and it had a good success rate, garnering over 21 million impressions across the US, the UK, and Canada.

When it comes to digital music marketing, this was a good move on Spotify’s part.

Instead of putting Shawn at the forefront of the campaign, they put his lyrics in the spotlight in order to capture a new audience.

Mendes’ Music Video Fulfills Fan Fantasies

It’s not a secret that a big part of Mendes’ fan base is attracted to his boyish looks and demeanor.

And that’s exactly what Sharon Timure of Island Records used to promote his single “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back.”

In the music video, Shawn Mendes is shown falling in love with a girl who’s apparently his fan (judging by the scenes showing her in the audience as he’s performing on a tour).

The video itself is cute, but what’s even cuter is the marketing behind it; every Mendes’ fan wants him to fall in love with them.

Teen magazines like Seventeen started asking themselves: “Who would reject Shawn’s love? Also, how is his voice always ~so angelic~ and ~soft~?”

Fans wanted to know if the love was real, Jimmy Fallon made a cover of the song, and Ford used it to promote their 4×4 Ranger.

Successful? Definitely. Mendes’ fan base does like his songs and his voice, but they love his personality even more.

It’s a great card for his marketing team to play, especially since fans today expect to get more access to the celebrities’ private lives than ever before. In the words of Mendes’ manager: Authenticity is a must.

Shawn Mendes’ Partnership with Spotify

Since digital music marketing is gaining more and more traction with each passing day, it’s not enough to just drop an album and call it a day.

Record companies have to focus on the tools that the fan bases are using, and that’s exactly what Mendes did with his self-titled album.

By partnering with Spotify again, and adding his album to the Pre-Save program, Mendes generated a lot of hype. Spotify also organized a meet-up with Mendes’ biggest fans on their app.

The album debuted at the top of the US Billboard 200, with 182,000 album-equivalent units (142,000 pure album sales).

Shawn Mendes Artist Spotlight on YouTube

Next, Mendes focused on building his brand through YouTube and a big part of this was YouTube launching an Artist Spotlight Story for Mendes.

In the spotlight, directed by Casey Neistat, Mendes looks back on his journey and the music that led him to where he currently is.

Again, it’s all about Mendes’ authenticity that his fan base can relate to. And when it comes to the channels his marketing team chooses, they’re the ones used by his fans.

While he does appear on TV shows, the majority of Mendes’ influence is perpetuated through social media and digital channels, and it’s something we should take note of in music marketing. 

How Shawn Mendes Became So Famous

Mendes’ songs may be catchy, but it’s his personality, paired with the right marketing channels, that allow him to consistently engage his fans. 

Mendes’ marketing campaigns and industry partnerships have been thoughtfully curated by a team that knows their stuff. And with that kind of support, there’s really nothing holdin’ him back.

Key Digital Marketing Takeaways from Sean Mendes’ Campaigns:

  • Keep an eye out for new platforms your target audience is using, and find a way to stand out. Vines were a BIG part of how Shawn Mendes got famous.
  • Connecting with the artist’s fan base should be the number one priority. Create a strong bond and learn more about their preferences.
  • Gamify promotion to engage the audience more.
  • Increase the relatability of the singer in regards to their target audience. Fan connection has and always will be a big part of Shawn Mendes’ marketing strategy.
  • Know when to remove the singer from the spotlight and let their music attract new fans. Having a strong fanbase was critical to how Shawn Mendes got famous.
  • Local has an influence on digital, so try OOH experiences to engage fan bases.
  • Identify overlaps in audience in TV shows and movies to expand a singer’s influence with native advertising.
  • Singers are public figures. Hinting about their private lives (if the fan base is involved enough) can be a great way to promote new material.
  • Make fan fantasies come true. Do they want the singer to fall in love with them? Give them a chance to experience it, even if it’s just in a music video.

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Trust Is The Next Big Data Opportunity

Annabel Youens  By     Smart Data,

This year, the battle lines are being drawn in the fight for consumer data privacy. Trust is the next big data opportunity to make your company stand out. Read the full article below or watch the video summary!

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Trust Is The Next Big Data Opportunity

In January, Apple CEO Tim Cook, took a stand for consumer privacy rights in an article for Time Magazine, asserting that consumers have a right to know how their data is being used. 

The past few years have been like the “wild west” in data harvesting. Taking a stand for consumer privacy at this moment in time is a calculated move on Apple’s part. Building trust around data and privacy is necessary in today’s digital world.

Apple is wise to focus on trust being the next big thing. The tech company’s bold position confirms that online privacy is a polarizing issue of our time.  And you can expect more businesses to follow suit.

cover of time magazine with tim cook from apple- cook agrees big data opportunity exists
Privacy is huge part of what makes the Apple brand attractive to consumers.

The Dark Side of Consumer Data Privacy

On the other side, big companies are even becoming more bold in their attempts to collect consumer data. In January, TechCrunch reported both Facebook and Google had apps in the Apple Store that were shut down because they were tracking users on their devices, flying in the face of Apple’s policies.

Businesses we trust and depend on have found a shady path to making big money — tracking users and brokering their data. And for some, it’s going to be a tough habit to break.

For consumers, agreeing to give up some data is an expected part of digital life. Most of the time, if we want (or need) to use an app, buy a product, or subscribe to a service, we can’t avoid a certain amount of data in trade.

But consumer advocates and governments are starting to step in. Purchasing a product online shouldn’t lead to your data being sold to a broker. Credit card companies and online services shouldn’t be collecting and selling your information without your knowledge or consent.  As Cook mentions in his article, these violations happen every second of every day.

Stay Ahead of Data Privacy Legislation

GDPR protects consumer data privacy rights
The US and Canada need more progressive data privacy regulations like the GDPR in Europe.

As regulations and consumer advocates stop companies from harvesting data for a competitive advantage, our digital world becomes more and more polarized. Good vs. bad companies, trustworthy vs. suspicious business practices. So what does the next age of data look like for businesses?

The crack-down on shady data practices is starting. Cook’s article calls on the U.S. Congress to “pass comprehensive federal privacy legislation.”

The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) implemented in Europe last spring is the most comprehensive legal mechanism so far, intending to put control back into the hands of the consumer. Under the GDPR, consumers can explicitly deny or agree to transfer their data to a company they trust.

Being known as a “trustworthy” brand is becoming a requirement to doing business online.

Trust is The New Age of Data

As data collection and legislation matures, it’s time to re-think how data can create something beneficial for the consumer. And this is where data really excels — it can personalize mutually-beneficial, two-way relationships with consumers, setting companies up to perfectly serve their customer base.

This new age of consumer data will be about forming more useful relationships with individuals. Think about movie suggestions on Netflix, or useful product suggestions on Amazon. The right products can be offered to the right buyers — even more so, the right products can actually be invented and refined to anticipate the buyers’ needs and serve them perfectly.

And customers will have easy access and full rights to approve or deny a company’s forays into their data. This is why trust will be such a huge data privacy opportunity.

Making a Data-Enabled Future Possible

Zoom ahead to the Jetsons future and imagine your AmazonFresh App alerts you that it’s just ordered sourdough bread, soy milk, and eggs because it knows you’re about to run out. You’ve already agreed with AmazonFresh that you trust them to order on your behalf because they know what you want, saving you time and decreasing your mental load.

a picture from the old tv show the jetsons
How can create a positive future by nurturing a beneficial two-way relationship between companies and consumers?

I know I’m looking forward to the day when a self-driving car shows up, unordered, in anticipation of my flight, and at the right time based on traffic and immigration lines at the airport. But we don’t get to this future without some sort of two-way data relationship.

The new age of data requires a big adjustment for many businesses as well as consumers. Instead of seeing data agreements and privacy as a challenge, think about knowing more about your customer and serving them better, more creatively, more uniquely.

Data can build a better relationship with a more invested audience who find value in a product or service. The first step is to rebuild that trust.

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6 Ways Marketing Automation can help Establish Trust with Customers

Annabel Youens  By     Smart Marketing

Have you been watching?

The year we’re about to close has brought a LOT of changes to the world of online business. Consumers are demanding privacy and becoming more leery of online sales tactics than ever before.

The online landscape has already started to change. And that affects relationships that brands have with customers.

The upheaval started with Facebook’s many privacy blunders and policy changes and lead to the sweeping new structure of the GDPR (if you don’t know what that is, start learning here). Both of these notable changes have made businesses more accountable for the way they treat people online.

In the end, marketing work is about building relationships. Marketing automation can be used to help build those relationships… but we need practices that are not invasive and impersonal. Privacy improvements are a good thing if they help us build more trusting relationships.

Marketing Automation DONT’S:

  1. Pushing out content
  2. Buy, buy, buy
  3. Unboxing (ugh!)
  4. Impersonal marketing (Hello customer xyz!)
  5. Black Friday specials
  6. Faceless emails

Marketing Automation DO’S:

  1. Be useful
  2. Expose customers to new ideas
  3. Resonate with shared values
  4. Don’t take yourself (your brand) too seriously
  5. Respect your customers’ time
  6. Be genuine

Build Real Relationships

If you’re a marketer who cares about building real relationships with your customers, try a few of these ideas with your automated marketing — whether that’s Bots, Email Marketing, Funnels or Retargeting PPC ads.

1. Be useful:

Nobody likes a friend who only talks about themselves: “me..me…me!” We’ve all had one of those friends!  If we don’t like people who behave that way, why would we like a brand that behaves that way? A “me-me-me!” brand is one that always talks about itself and its problems and successes. If you’re building a brand and doing that, stop it right now!  Be a brand that comes from a place of service and share stories your customers can use.

Leslie Ziegler interviewed for First Round on branding.
Image courtesy of First Round

First Round Review — Getting Useful
A startup fund that produces amazing content for founders. 

This article on brand strategy gives you a great taste.

“The branding choices you make now are building your company as much as the programming language or CRM software you select.”

— Leslie Ziegler, Rock Health (interviewed by First Round)

2. Show Me New Things

Doing the same old thing is comforting. I love walking to work the same way every day because it feels nice. But science shows us that doing things differently — even changing your route to work — changes your brain. It helps you retain more information and be more successful. The same thing happens when we’re exposed to new ideas.

Be a brand that brings new ideas, challenges your customers, and helps them master their world. Open up those neural pathways and offer something new and valuable.

The Story of Microfibers video by The Story of Stuff.
A screenshot from The Story of Microfibers

The Story of Stuff — Bringing New Ideas

A movie kicked off a movement focused on how we buy and use our stuff. 

This video about microfibers is a wealth of new information.

“Every time we wash synthetic fabrics, whether they’re made from recycled bottles or brand new materials, super tiny pieces of plastic called microfibers wash off and flow down the drain — up to hundreds of thousands each wash.” — “The Story of Microfibers”

3. Resonate With Shared Values

We naturally surround ourselves with people who feel like members of our tribe. Most likely this means that we have similar core values. Values are important because they are guideposts that help us make decisions in our lives and remind us what we stand for.

Just as we all have our own personal values, brands also have values. When these values are clearly posted, you quickly get a feel about what the brand stands for. Today values are having a resurgence. It’s becoming clear that not only do you have to state your values, but you have to follow through with actions. Be a brand that takes a stand and lives up to that — in every channel, including your automated marketing channels.

Some zany art for Lyft's Round Up & Donate initiative.
Image courtesy of Lyft

Lyft — Sharing Values 

Their values couldn’t be more clear and different from Uber. I love them and what they stand for.

Lyft’s Round Up & Donate initiative is a perfect example.

“The more we ride, the more we raise. Support the causes that you believe will make the world a better place.” — Lyft

4. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously

Let’s be honest, most companies we interact with every day are not saving lives. They want to be successful, make money and return money to their shareholders. If you’re not a successful business, you can’t survive. But being a successful business doesn’t mean you have to be uptight.

I love a brand that reflects humor, spontaneity and positive messaging in kooky ways. It’s an important part of our daily lives to step back, reflect and inject humor where we can. I like to think of humor as the connective tissue that holds our relationship together. Be a brand that isn’t a stuffed shirt.

MailChimp made this graph showing the top emojis used by their clients over the holidays.
Image courtesy of MailChimp’s blog

MailChimp — Being Lighthearted
An email platform that makes everything fun. How can you not love that monkey!

This fun article is a great example of MailChimp showing its playful side!

“There was a 34% increase from 2016 to 2017 in total emoji used by MailChimp customers during the holiday season. 🎄 was the top emoji used in subject lines, followed by  🎁, 🎅,🎉, and 😍.” — Kasia, MailChimp writer

5. Respect My Time

Don’t make me jump through digital hoops to get on your mailing list. Don’t tease me with content and then not provide it when I visit your website. Don’t send me an automated email newsletter every week just because you should (no you shouldn’t – see Be Useful).

Don’t send out a Black Friday coupon because everyone else is doing it. Be a brand that delivers something meaningful to your customer.

An example of a newsletter from Note to Self.
Image courtesy of Note to Self

One of my favorite podcasts, Note to Self, gently prods me when a new podcast is online and always includes other content that’s valuable. They curate for me and save me time.

6. Be Genuine in Your Automated Marketing Campaigns

Stop doing what everyone else is doing. You don’t have the same customers as your competitors. Those customers don’t have the same problems. Everyone’s customers care about different things, so why on earth would you be trying to communicate with them in the same way.  

Be a brand that respects the time I take to read your newsletter and click on your links. And most of all, make it personal so I care.

The team at Sago Mini being genuine.
Image courtesy of Sago Mini

Sago Mini — Being Genuine 

This brand for kids’ apps and toys is always about being themselves. In this blog post, a team member gives a candid account of how she came up with an idea for a new game.

“I started thinking about the brutal but beautiful winters in my hometown of Edmonton, and all of the fun activities we used to do in the snow.” — Teena Saur, Sago Mini Director of Brand & Marketing.

Building relationships is no easy task.

It’s no longer good enough to sign someone up… it’s too easy to quickly lose them. Onboarding has become a big deal for businesses working online. That’s just one hint at a larger trend — the new standard in marketing automation is a fully personalized experience for your leads and customers. 

You have to look at every customer touch point and engineer the marketing experience way past the point of signup. Who are your real users? Those people are busy, they have families and friends to spend time with, grocery shopping to do, bathroom sinks to clean and time to rest at night. The only way you can stay relevant is to show you really do care. 

Brands and companies who treat their end customers like breathing humans with limited time will be winning. And that makes me happy because the hard work that smart digital marketers are doing every day will be paying off.

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The Ultimate Tool For Music Marketing

Annabel Youens  By     Company News

AE was recently featured in Music Ally’s Sandbox, a monthly report for music marketers. We shared what we are doing here at AE and why AE is the perfect tool for music marketing.

This September’s issue was all about what to do when your music marketing campaign takes off. The report showcased how AE’s fan insight technology can impact music marketing for the better.

While we can’t give you the full article, you can get a free subscription trial here, and we have included some of our favourite quotes below!

Capture And Campaign

“Acquire, Attribute and Automate are the three A’s that are driving modern music marketing….Enter The Appreciation Engine (AE). This allows marketers to capture fan information from streaming and social platforms and then view insights down to the individual level.”

-Music Ally’s Sandbox Report

musically's sandbox report appreciation engine is the tool for music marketing

Get The Engine Running

“Inside AE’s dashboard, you’re able to view what’s been going on across your fanbase at an artist level, a global level and an individual fan level, so teams for a specific artist or across a wider catalogue can all work together within the same place.”

-Music Ally’s Sandbox Report

musically's sandbox september issue music marketing for the digital era where ae is the tool for music marketing

Enterprise to Indie

“AE is currently available to any labels and management companies that would like to start working with it and, although its features are currently geared for very large labels, it is prioritizing its updates over the coming years to be every bit as accessible to smaller labels…”

-Music Ally’s Sandbox Report

musically logo for music marketing

Sandbox by Music Ally is a subscription-based online publication that releases a fresh report every month. Their in-depth articles share recent digital marketing trends, useful tools and services, the industry’s most successful campaigns and interviews with industry leaders.

We were thrilled to be featured as a tool for music marketers and we hope you get a chance to read the full report! You can learn more about Sandbox and get a free trial subscription here.

xxx

What a real example of AE in action? See how we helped Kesha reach 3.5 million fans here!

Stop Confusing Influencers and Advocates

Annabel Youens  By     Smart Marketing

A lot of people use the terms “influencer” and “advocate” as synonyms. In some ways, it makes sense because at first glance they both promote products on social media channels. But each group possesses very different characteristics and plays specific roles in social web society.

Their Definitions

Influencers are:

  • people who are active on social media and have the capacity to affect another person’s behavior simply based on what they post
  • often celebrities, politicians, or other individuals with a sizeable and loyal audience

Advocates are:

  • individuals who publicly support a product or service based on its incredible quality
  • people who vocalize their support for a product over social media and hope their admiration inspires others to buy

At AE, we believe the most important difference between influencers and advocates is:

  • influencers agree to promote a product in exchange for free goods or services
  • advocates promote a product because they genuinely like it and are impressed with its quality

Basically, advocates develop a long-term loyalty to the product they promote, while influencers create a very temporary and short-term connection to the product.

Their Motivations

An advocate’s motivation is:

  • to help his/her friends find high-quality products
  • advocates are selfless and want to help others in their community

On the other hand, influencers’ motivation is:

  • to increase the size of their own audience
  • unlike advocates, influencers are selfish- influencers are only concerned with how promoting a product will help them in the long run (they’re only in it for the freebies and the free press!)

This is backed up by Forrester Research, which states that only 18% of consumers trust influencers and their opinions, while Nielsen says that an astounding 92% of consumers trust brand advocates.

When trying to classify a customer, look for passion behind their posts that promote a product. Advocates always have a genuine passion and admiration for what they promote, where this passion is often missing from influencer posts.

Influencers and Advocates in the Real World

Two Facebook users are talking about Nike, but they speak very differently.

Influencer Post: “Check out Nike’s new sneaker! It’s fashionable, form-fitting, and definitely my new favorite shoe.”

Advocate Post: “Just bought Nike’s new sneaker. These shoes are the most durable pair I own! Went on a 5 mile hike and the sneakers didn’t have a mark on them. The soles are excellent at gripping dirt too. A must-have for all hikers and runners!”

Marketers Need To Know These Distinctions

Understanding these two groups is a vital distinction for marketing teams so that they know which customers they should connect with and focus on. So use this ammo to develop genuine and meaningful relationships with your brand advocates.

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What the EU’s GDPR Means for Marketers in North America

Annabel Youens  By     Smart Data, ,

GDPR. GDPR. GDPR.

Anyone else still recovering from the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) inbox flood?

If you’re based in North America, you’ve probably also wondered to yourself if you’re even affected by GDPR. (Spoiler: you are!)

While centered on the European Union (EU), the GDPR will have a global impact.
While centered on the European Union (EU), the GDPR has a global impact.

The GDPR’s Global Impact

While centered on the European Union (EU), the GDPR has a global impact. Here’s why.

Even if you’re based in the US, Canada, or Mexico, if you handle any data from EU customers (there are 28 countries in the EU), you’ll be affected.

There are certain caveats to these rules:

  1. If the EU visitor/customer is not in the EU when you collect their data, the GDPR does not apply.
  2. Your visitor or customer does not need to purchase from your site for the GDPR to apply to your business.
  3. If you’re hosting a generic survey without directly targeting EU consumers, but a prospect from Britain fills it out, they are not covered under GDPR. However, if your study even mentions the EU, then the law kicks in.

But what about California?

The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 is another hot ticket item that could bring GDPR-like privacy rules to California– the heart of tech.

The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 could bring GDPR-like privacy rules to California.
The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 could bring GDPR-like privacy rules to California.

This could spell out a major change for businesses that collect and sell customer data. Customers will have to ask how their data is being used, and request to be removed (opt out). The GDPR focuses more on opt-in requirements, making the California regulations much more friendly to data collectors.

Customers who choose to opt out, cannot be punished or charged higher fees for services. And here’s the clincher: it allows public prosecutors and citizens to sue for data breaches or for the sale of personal data after someone has opted out. There’s no requirement that specific harm be proven before damages can be awarded.

Citizens can sue for data breaches and there’s no requirement that specific harm must be proven before damages can be awarded under California’s proposed Consumer Privacy Act.

This will make effective tracking and following through on opt-outs a top priority for companies that collect data in California.

What does this all mean for marketers in North America?

In a time where people are being asked for their data on a daily basis, and that data is being traded with other businesses, it’s about time customers gained some power. Historically, customers have had their data traded and sold without their knowledge, and with the rise in cybersecurity leaks, it’s well past time every internet user had rights.

As a marketer, it means you need to be prepared for a new age of data collection and transparency.

With these regulations moving from a possibility to a reality, we need to become proactive. Even if California’s privacy act does not pass, it’s inevitable that marketers will see a shift in data collection regulations.

Marketing strategies must shift from a cold transactional approach, to a warm, transparent and relationship-focused strategy.  

So, How Do You Build Trust as a Marketer?

It starts with upfront communication before you ask for any customer data.

When you collect data from customers, you need to clearly tell them how you plan on using that data. The context will matter when working within regulations like GDPR, because your stated context for collecting/using data is the only way you are legally allowed to use this data.

You can earn big points with consumers for providing the transparency they deserve.

From there, you need to give them explicit details on how you will use their data, and if you want to send them different information, you need to get permission.

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Additional Resources

  • IDC Five Steps to GDPR
      • This white paper is basically a more in-depth version of the five-step guide above, so if you want more details, here’s the next stop.

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