Data privacy and use is a major concern for both companies and consumers these days. How lead generation data is collected, stored and used is especially important to advertisers who are paying or have paid for targeting that includes both first and third-party data. Data privacy regulations are taking effect across the globe, and tighter restrictions are becoming the norm. Overall, this is a good thing for everyone, but it takes some adjustments as we settle into the “new normal.”
The General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, has had a major impact on North American companies, despite being a European Union policy. But California has just passed similar legislation, and more states may follow soon. Marc Benioff has called for a national data privacy law, much like the EU has with GDPR, and we may not be far off. Taking extra steps to ensure you follow proper data privacy policies now will pay off in the long term.
What Lead Generation Data Do You Have
Ask yourself what data you have stored from your current customers, potential customers and leads, as well as previous customers or unsubscribed users. Is it stored securely? Encrypted whenever transmitted? Look at how deep your data sets are, in terms of personally identifiable information, as well as accuracy. Are they up to date, or is there some legacy data? How relevant is the information you’re keeping, and is it organized in a useable way? Too often we see a stockpile of every piece of data imaginable, but no way to sort or take action on the information.
How Did You Get Your Lead Generation Data
Alongside your data should be some type of consent capture or qualifying information on how you got the information. This might be the ad campaign name or tag, targeting data or other internal cataloging system. When it comes to consent, you’ll want to include the language used and the mechanism for opting in. Your ultimate goal is to have proof of explicit, express consent for every addition to your list.
How Are You Using Your Lead Generation Data
Finally, you’ll want to address what you are doing with the data you currently have, and what you plan to do in the future. Are your marketing plans in line with data privacy regulations currently in place, as well as future policies? For many, the answer is “not yet.” But that’s OK (for now!) as long as you are taking steps to comply with all applicable regulations. Think about how you use current data for lead generation, whether you are directly targeting known users or using customer data to determine commonalities and indirectly using data to find new users. Make sure you are protecting yourself, your customers and your leads by encrypting data transfers and making consent options clear and trackable.