Data is the meth-amphetamine of email marketing. The more marketers get, the more they want and the faster they want it, however marketers are often incredibly greedy when it comes to hoarding data by asking for information they don’t really need and often never use. Some marketers can even be stealthy about their collection practices, and don’t want their subscribers to know how or where their information is being collected, what it’s going to be used for and who it’s going to be shared with.

Email marketers do need data to create relevant experiences for their customers and prospects; without it, targeting, personalisation and segmentation would be impossible. As a result, it benefits the subscriber to share their information and give marketers a sense of who they are, what they like, where they live, how and when they’d like to be contacted and what they want from an email relationship with the marketer.

Where marketers often fall short is respecting that subscribers took the time to give them this information and remembering that the relationship is really all about the subscriber (not an opportunity to send lengthy press releases, dull product updates or irrelevant company news). Marketers can also miss the boat when it comes to disclosure. Some think it’s better to hide their collection practices amongst paragraphs of “legalese” that confuse the subscriber. This approach assumes that the less the subscriber knows the better.

As UK email marketers know, this practice is illegal, according to the Data Protection Act of 1998. In addition, it’s counterproductive to the marketer-subscriber relationship. When subscribers are clear about how their information will be used, what will arrive into their inboxes, when they’ll receive it and how it will benefit them, they are more likely to be active and engaged, and more likely to make a purchase and become brand ambassadors, rather than brand detractors.

The good news is that marketers have an excellent tool at their disposal to help educate subscribers about how their data will be used and pave the way to a positive relationship: their privacy policy. This tool often gets overlooked as marketers focus on their sign-up forms, their creative and the data they want to collect. However, a well written privacy policy can pave the way to gaining subscriber trust and setting clear expectations about the relationship.

If you need help complying with the Data Protection Act or if you need guidance for writing or revising your privacy policy, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has recently released a terrific guide (http://www.ico.gov.uk/what_we_cover/data_protection/guidance/codes_of_practice.aspx) that outlines what the purpose of a privacy policy is, the information it should contain, the tone it should take and why an effective privacy policy can help enhance the marketer-subscriber relationship. The ICO recommends that marketers consider the subscriber’s perspective when requesting personal information, and ask themselves the following questions:
• Would the subscriber know who is collecting the information?
• Would they understand why you are collecting it?
• Would they understand the implications of this?
• Would they be likely to object or complain?

Additionally, they recommend that a privacy policy should be written in language that is easy to understand. So leave out the “hereto fore’s,” “hither to’s,” and “pursuant to’s” and use simple language that clearly lets subscribers know your intentions. The ICO’s guide includes some great examples of privacy policies that follow best practices (and those that don’t).

Marketers will always be reliant on data to inform their messaging strategies, but there’s no need to conceal data collection practices or treat them like a dirty habit that can’t be kicked. Subscribers are more likely to give you the information you want (and need) if they understand what the benefits are and feel confident that you’ll respect their privacy. Disclosure is always preferable to deception.