When it comes to successful marketing campaigns, businesses have to be creative to stand out. But being creative doesn’t mean breaking the rules. Anti-spam regulations are a serious matter all over the world and cover everything from phone calls to email to instant messaging. And those who don’t know how to play by the rules, aren’t going to be in the game for long. Here are 5 tips for delivering compliant marketing campaigns and realizing the lifetime value of a customer.
Understand the rules of the game: Compliance rules can vary from region to region and knowing what is allowed where and when, is key to realizing the full value of a marketing campaign. Cutting corners is not worth the cost with fines and punishments fully capable of crippling businesses of all sizes. Regulations can also change quickly so using trusted applications to create and deliver integrated digital marketing campaigns is invaluable. That’s because they build compliance in automatically, and won’t let users break the rules. And that type of intelligent automation frees marketers up to focus on what they do best – positioning, promoting, and selling products and services – not always struggling to keep up with regulations.
Be authentic: Nobody ever wants to feel as though they have been tricked or manipulated by a brand. Customers should always know who and where they are receiving messages from and be clear on what those messages are about. The lifetime value of a customer is one of the single most important metrics for businesses of any type. And the one-time benefit of using a deceptive email address, subject line, or worse, is simply not worth the cost to reputational capital. When people trust and respect a brand, they’ll be eager to opt into new opportunities to engage.
Look, listen, learn: Feedback can always be spun into gold, even if it doesn’t involve high praise or glowing reviews. Businesses need to know that and encourage customers to tell them what they want and don’t want so they can adjust accordingly. And data is the ultimate feedback. Gathering that data across platforms will help you determine if you’re overposting, sending too many messages or simply not interesting to customers, for example. And through that, you’ll know to course-correct and move closer to creating the best possible experiences for customers.
Timing is everything: There is always a time and place. In some regions, the time of day is absolutely not to be infringed on by overeager (or uninformed) marketers. The Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST) is the regulatory body that oversees telecommunications in Saudi Arabia and the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) regulates the Information Communications and Telecommunications (ICT) sector in the United Arab Emirates. Marketing and commercial messaging can only be sent between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm KSA and 7:00 am to 9:00 pm UAE time. Poorly timed campaigns or messages could potentially be perceived as inappropriate or even offensive. Well timed campaigns on the other hand can inspire and delight, strengthening long-term connections between brands and customers.
Opt in, opt out: It is hard to get customers in the door, especially with all of the rules around customer consent. And getting somebody to opt-in to receive instant messaging might seem like a big task. However, it’s worth the effort. That’s because once a customer does opt-in it’s a sure sign they’re a quality lead. It might seem counterintuitive to show those hard earned customers a way to the exit, but clearly displaying an opt-out is clearly regulated And some creative copywriting, for example, can keep things entertaining around both opting in and opting out.
Navigating the list of regulations related to marketing messages can be challenging. But not as challenging as dealing with the consequences for those businesses that fail to do so correctly. Play by the rules. Make the process entertaining. And above all, encourage and pay attention to feedback and data. Delivering what people want, when they want it is key to moving past a one time transaction and realizing the lifetime value of a fully engaged customer.
