It’s all about balance, says Nick Martin.

It’s every marketer’s dream to know everything about the consumer and their prospects so they can improve brand loyalty and generate sales by understanding exactly what the customer wants and when they want it.

But how can marketers know, from the consumer’s perspective, when they have gone too far in tracking and using that trove of behavioural intelligence?

A balance is necessary between ensuring the protection of a consumer’s privacy and in worrying too much about privacy issues, preventing any personalised customer communications at all.

On the one hand the marketer must be careful to avoid bad publicity and protect brand reputation, but on the other not be too reluctant to embrace new technologies and take advantage of positive ROIs. Marketers need to find the right balance between customer protection and providing the best service – using techniques that are too extreme either way could alienate customers and break the brand.

Here are five simple rules to follow when it comes to judging the appropriate use of behavioural information in marketing campaigns.

1. BE TRANSPARENT WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS
Are you communicating with customers openly about your methods for collecting and storing information about them, and, indeed, do you know exactly how their data is being used? Don’t forget how your customers might feel if they weren’t aware of how the information you are calling upon to target your ads was collected and stored.
Ask your suppliers how they collect behavioural information and its source.
Be aware that details on health, ethnicity, children or personal finances could be considered sensitive. Transparency should not be underrated in earning consumer trust.

2. USE THE ‘SOFT SELL’ APPROACH
Every marketer knows you should treat the consumer responsibly, as a human being and not just a wallet on legs, and the same approach applies just as much when you are already in possession of information regarding their purchasing and lifestyle behaviour. Don’t use presumed knowledge in your marketing message, for example – you wouldn’t say: ‘Because I know you have been visiting lots of car sales sites, I think my car offer would be the best for you’. Instead, your message would be guided by the softer non-confrontational approach, such as: ‘In case you intend to buy a new car, my offer is . . . ’ This approach ensures the consumer doesn’t feel insecure and concerned that someone knows so much about them; instead they accept the marketing message as something that, at a particular time, is very relevant to them.

3. PROMOTE CONSUMER CHOICES
Everybody likes options, even if they don’t exercise it. You need to understand that the consumer can say ‘no’ when it comes to the kinds of information collected about them that can result in behavioural intelligence and targeted advertising. Come clean on your motives on your website or ask your supplier what kind of behavioural targeting information and choices they offer the consumer.

4. WORK WITH REPUTABLE SUPPLIERS
Behavioural targeting is sometimes seen as unregulated, so you can run the risk of collaborating with suppliers who don’t understand consumer sensitivities to information collection. Organisations such as the Direct Marketing Association, Internet Advertising Bureau, Mobile Marketing Association and Network Advertising Initiative publish industry guidelines to help set good practice, which in turn promotes consumer confidence. Be it online behavioural targeting, mobile marketing or any other forms of behavioural intelligence you may be using, you should check out the industry-approved guidelines: they can be very useful.

5. FOLLOW WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE PRESS
Behavioural targeting activity is a hot topic. The coverage can be positive or negative, so make sure you are up to date with these articles. Activities garnering criticism among policy makers are the ones you should think hardest about before engaging – it can make or break your marketing campaign and, more importantly, consumer brand perception.