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Data powerful. It can generate leads, inform customer interactions, and ultimately increase revenue.
Data is also a force that businesses can use for good (or for evil). An example of the latter is third-party data, which has given the analytics industry a bad name in recent years. However, as third-party data is phased out, this opens the door for companies to rewrite the data scenario with more efficient data collection practices.
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The Benefits of Healthy Data Collection
Healthy data collection is the process of collecting, organizing and using data in a legal, fair and secure manner. It is an approach to data that is in everyone’s interest.
When a business has certain consumer and customer data, it can personalize the experience. From personalized emails to unique sales pitches, customers get the best overall experience when the right data is passed between them and the brands they patronize.
Healthy data flow also impacts both ends of the sales funnel, generating more quality leads from potential customers. For those close to the point of sale, key data elements (such as email address) may result in fewer abandoned carts. All this leads to an increase in income, which is in the interests of each company.
The question is, how can companies take advantage of this positive, respectful approach to data usage as we move towards a data-free future?
Here are a few strategies companies can use to collect data on both potential and existing customers in a way that is beneficial to both business and consumers.
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1. Use local software to collect first hand customer data.
As third-party data becomes irrelevant, the emphasis is on primary data – data consumers offer to businesses with their explicit consent. There are several ways to collect this data yourself, including directly on your website.
Software solutions can be installed on a company’s website, allowing the brand to collect raw data directly from visitors. This can match anonymous digital identifiers with customer profiles – most importantly, using data collected with the knowledge and confirmation of their owner.
The need for proper first-hand data collection is great, especially in a world that is increasingly skeptical of information from third parties. Collecting first-hand data allows brands to confidently create personalized browsing, customized product offerings, and targeted abandoned cart emails.
2. Surveys are a neat and clean data collection strategy.
If a business wants to collect data on its own, one of the best ways is through surveys. This is a great way to get information from online customers as they walk out the door.
The most obvious way a survey can help with data is by collecting important personal information. By asking the client about certain preferences and inclinations, you open the door for personalized marketing in the future.
You can also use surveys to get a general idea of your customers. survey monkey highlights the importance of closed questions that provide clear quantitative data.
For example, consider a scenario in which a company asks existing customers how easy it was to navigate their website. It offers specific answers on a five-point scale from “difficult” to “super easy”.
This provides a growing set of data that comes directly from customers with their explicit consent. The company can then use it to improve their e-commerce shopping experience, benefiting both businesses and consumers.
This can turn one-time interactions into long-term customer relationships. Moreover, both parties are fully prepared to exchange data.
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3. Offer gifts (with reasonable terms)
Another way to proactively collect consumer data, even from those who are not yet your customer, is by giving away gifts.
Contests are a great way to encourage participation and build brand awareness. They also double as an easy way to get a person’s data with their blessing.
Participation in a product draw often comes with certain conditions. This could be posting a post, leaving a comment, or subscribing to a newsletter. The last option is a great way to start generating customer data. Once you have a person’s email, you can start chatting with them and use things like polls to expand on the data they’ve already given you.
It is also recommended to use a dual subscription solution to respect the client. This is also called confirmed consent and consists of a confirmation email that the person must accept before actually being added to the list.
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Campaign Monitor notes that the dual-following approach has an important advantage in generating better leads. The additional step of being listed twice on the email list indicates that the consumer in question has an increased interest in your business to the point of willing to put in the extra effort.
Companies can collect data in a variety of ways, from giving away dual subscriptions and post-sale surveys at the point of sale to end-to-end solutions like Resolution. These are strategies that benefit both businesses and consumers, allowing both to mutually benefit from a new third-party cookie-free future where data remains as relevant as ever.