The wave of GDPR panic that overwhelmed many digital marketers at the start of the year, has been cited as the reason why UX – and therefore the resulting customer experience (CX) – seems to have gone out of the window for many brands. For others, it is the hunger for leads that has made it almost impossible to navigate some websites without encountering a wall of data capture forms that prevent any action whatsoever.
However, irrespective of the challenges at the forefront of marketers’ minds, one thing is for certain – with consumer expectations rising, there’s never been a more important time for marketers to nail the CX. So, here are five tips to ensure data capture strategies don’t ruin it:
Establish a value-exchange
Firstly, there needs to be a mutual understanding of the value exchange that is taking place in a possible data capture scenario. Consumers – as the recipients of information – will be willing to provide something (i.e. basic data) in return for a high-worth piece of content, for instance. But in the same vein, brands should equally be willing to give something away before any data is requested. Otherwise, how can the value be ascertained, and the exchange be deemed worthwhile?
Uncover the unknown
Marketers need to personalise an individual’s data capture journey so that they only request information they genuinely need at a point-in-time.
The advice in this respect is two-fold:
- Firstly, if the recipient is known, by name, that field of a data capture form should always be omitted or pre-populated
- Secondly, it isn’t necessary to ask everything. It may feel like it will save a future job to obtain every piece of possibly-relevant detail from that individual, at that moment, but in truth it will probably only deter them from completing the form in the first place
Think of it as creating a path of least resistance and only request data that is relevant to an individual’s specific point in a journey. If it’s their first interaction with a brand for example, their name, email address and – at a push – company name, should be requested. The next steps of the journey – or better still a human conversation – can enrich the record with missing information, as the relationship evolves. In summary, a progressive capture strategy is essential. The more the individual engages, the more they’ll be happy to volunteer their data.
Don’t behave like a robot
A staggering proportion of data capture touchpoints are surrounded by content that sounds as though it has been auto-drafted by a robot. ‘Enter name’ or ‘click here’ is devoid of any personality. The language therefore needs to be akin to real life, as very few brands would have such a clinical or abrupt tone of voice in a physical interaction with a customer. Imagine if this communication approach was mirrored in a store environment – ‘pass product’ and ‘pay now’ would hardly deliver a positive CX.
Ensure data capture clarity
The role of a campaign-specific landing page is to persuade the visitor how great the content is. The role of the form is to sell the data submission.
People are far more likely to provide their details if they have absolute clarity surrounding how their information will be used. If they’re honestly not going to receive a call, it is crucial that marketers say that, and overcome the objection before it arises. That way, people know what they’re getting in to, as this page helpfully shows.
Don’t become shackled by over-compliance
GDPR fears caused many marketers to fall over themselves with data worries, not just surrounding the capture of information, but also the opt-ins and outs of privacy policies, cookie tracking and so on. Of course, adherence to the new legislation is essential. However, rather than speak to and/or pay for specialist advice from a GDPR expert, many brands have ‘erred on the side of caution’ and shackled themselves with the implementation of needless processes that stretch far beyond what they need to do from a compliance perspective. It is therefore crucial for marketers to analyse whether uber compliance is truly necessary, or whether it is ruining the CX and costing them significantly.
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