Over time, intrusive data collection practices eroded customer trust. The digital trust between individuals and companies is not dissimilar to interpersonal trust. Companies have to earn it, which can only happen over time, and if that trust is broken at any point, it can take time to be regained, if at all.
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People are the Product
We are at a crucial period regarding one of the core elements of brand trust – digital privacy. Brands have not handled customers’ online data ethically, and the past few years have seen data malpractice skyrocket. Surveillance has become the business model, and people (and their data) have turned from customers into products, as Marc Goodman noted in his book “Future Crimes.”
As a result, customers are demanding more privacy and control over their personal information. They have become cautious about sharing data, and regulators have stepped up privacy requirements accordingly.
Organizations are learning that data protection and privacy can create business advantages and help earn and maintain consumer trust; they need to change their data collection practices and improve the user authentication journey.
A Progressive Approach
Progressive profiling is one solution that puts the focus on consumer privacy and builds long-term trust. It does this by playing the long game and gradually building up a customer profile whenever they interact with a brand. Progressive profiling is an important tool to lower the barrier to entry for new customers – requiring minimal information to sign up so that businesses can acquire new customers more quickly.
As part of the customer orchestration journey, it collects their data incrementally over time instead of bombarding the user with a dozen questions the first time they interact with the brand. This process enables entities to collect more detailed customer information without overwhelming them with too many questions.
Transparency is Precious
Given a difficult signup form, customers often provide false information in order to avoid giving accurate contact details and yet still achieve the access they need. This results in unclean data that sales and marketing teams cannot use.
Moreover, a lack of transparency over data collection builds trust slowly. Research highlighted how 39% of customers globally believe that “providing clear information on how consumer data is used would help the company build trust.”
Transparency acts as the cornerstone of building trust between an organization and its customers. By openly sharing information, intentions, and decisions, transparency drives an environment based on honesty and accountability. Transparency also encourages collaboration and participation, as customers are more inclined to engage with brands they trust.
Tangible Business Benefits
Progressive profiling has many benefits.
- Customer journey orchestration: Businesses can understand their leads’ journey from brand discovery to purchase and tailor their approach based on these needs, wants, and pain points for a more personalized experience.
- Boosting sales: Companies can engage warm and hot leads with personalized offers through progressive profiling, driving brand preference and sales.
- Increased customer trust and comfort: Customers are empowered to control their data, ensuring ethical use and fostering trust in the brand.
- More personalized marketing: By building trust, businesses can foster customized experiences, increase engagement, and nurture relationships through relevant content and offers.
- Better data collection: Collect genuine insights by gradually gathering data through progressive profiling, which helps avoid overwhelming customers and ensures data integrity.
Frictionless Compliance
Progressive profiling is also essential for data compliance as it cuts upfront data collection and aligns with data minimization principles such as the EU’s GDPR and CCPA.
It facilitates consent management by obtaining explicit user consent at each data collection stage, ensuring compliance with regulations, and maintaining data accuracy by gradually updating user profiles. This is critical for adhering to transparency, data accuracy, and integrity requirements.
Practical Implementation of Progressive Profiling
Key steps must be taken to implement progressive profiling and improve the user orchestration journey successfully.
Firstly, only essential questions should be asked, ensuring each data request has a clear purpose to maintain user trust and participation. Also, prioritize logical question sequencing, starting with general inquiries and adapting based on the sales funnel stage.
Furthermore, it offers sufficient value in exchange for personal data to incentivize participation and prevent strategy failure. Next, employ this technique in email campaigns, utilizing onboarding emails to gather information gradually and highlighting the benefits of data sharing.
An Easier Way to Collect Data
Using marketing automation tools provides an easier way of collecting consumer-specific data over time without aggravating or overwhelming the customer. In addition, these tools help organizations build rich consumer profiles and earn customer consumer’s trust. A good solution will have several features:
- Seamlessly integrate with registration services: Automated marketing solutions with progressive profiling features integrate with registration services, enabling businesses to construct detailed consumer profiles regardless of whether they log in via social login, standard login, or phone registration.
- Develop tailored profile-building workflows: Similarly, with these solutions, companies can select essential information they aim to gather from consumers throughout the purchasing journey, designing customized workflows to engage customers across various touchpoints.
- Link social media accounts: Entities can also enhance consumer personas by tracking clients’ digital activities and connecting multiple social profiles belonging to a single consumer to improve their insights and tailor better offers.
An Ethical Foundation
Ultimately, progressive profiling is the epitome of an ethical foundation of transparent, gradual data collection and value exchange, and businesses can cultivate long-lasting partnerships with their customers by fueling trust through these principles.
Embracing progressive profiling strategies to improve the user orchestration journey enhances data accuracy and transforms customer relationships into sustainable, trust-driven collaborations, paving the way for mutual growth and success.
About the Author
Kirsten Doyle has been in the technology journalism and editing space for nearly 24 years, during which time she has developed a great love for all aspects of technology, as well as words themselves. Her experience spans B2B tech, with a lot of focus on cybersecurity, cloud, enterprise, digital transformation, and data centers. Her specialties are in news, thought leadership, features, white papers, and PR writing, and she is an experienced editor for both print and online publications. She is also a regular writer at Bora.
Shahzad Ahmad Mirza is a web developer, entrepreneur, and trainer based in Lahore, Pakistan. He started his career in 2000 and founded his web development agency, Designs Valley, in 2012. Mirza also runs a YouTube channel, “Learn With Shahzad Ahmad Mirza,” where he shares his web programming and internet marketing expertise. He has trained over 50,000 students, many of whom have become successful digital marketers, programmers, and freelancers. He also created the GBOB (Guest Blog Posting Business) course, which teaches individuals how to make money online.
