Marketing Post-CCPA: Data Privacy Laws Require Leadership, Careful Targeting

The CCPA has begun the tightening of borders around personal data. Some marketers and advertisers were originally deeply worried when it passed. Will we be able to continue personalizing, targeting, and customizing our messages and customer experiences? But a little appreciated aspect of the CCPA is that while it requires data-driven businesses to adapt, it also favors precise strategic marketing. Moreover, California’s recent privacy legislation—which is now enforceable—is driving how we’ll need to approach consumer data.

How Do CCPA Requirements Change Marketing Operations?

The CPPA does mandate some changes to marketing operations. Among other things, it requires us to:

• Ensure a full understanding of our privacy-policy practices and consumer-choice options
• Require affirmative express consent
• Provide customer contact choices
• Establish a scalable customer-focused privacy response

We’ll also need to document all data collection and storage; monitor and assess our exposure to risk; and be even better prepared for possible data-related events.

It might sound like a lot of new conditioning, but by forcing us to recalibrate our marketing focus, CCPA compliance also provides us the platform to be leaders.

By giving them more control of their consent and preferences, we enable consumers to identify whether they truly want to be our customers (as opposed to ignoring or deleting everything we share with a growing indifference to the brand). Those who opt-in for marketing content under the new guidelines will be expressing they want to hear from us. We can know with greater precision and certainty whom, what, and how to target.

Leveraging the CCPA for Stronger Marketing: 4 Questions to Ask

Knowing what the CCPA is and what it requires helps us build the proper foundation for consent and preferences. Our mission is to guide consumers’ greater control under the new law into strategic marketing that achieves powerful, compliant use of data.

As we adapt to take the lead, we should ask pivotal questions such as how we can:

• Create a scalable approach to handle consumer rights requests as legislation evolves
• Authenticate consumers before honoring the request
• Document all the interactions with consumers for recordkeeping
• Extend our customer database, whether custom technology or Customer Data Platform (CDP) technology, to achieve a clear and organized understanding of current behaviors and desires

We also now have an excellent opportunity to better align and centralize customer validation. We can further consolidate customer records into a single reliable source with unique identifiers that help us recognize good data, purge bad data, and delete duplicates, as well as free up data storage space.

Dig Deep for Customer Data and Preferences

Likewise, we can shore up the preference centers we provide. Rather than offer straight “yes or no” options, we can encourage more opt-down preferences instead of opt-out. Giving customers this command of personalization empowers them to help shape and refine our optimal marketing strategies.

We should consider the long view as well. Understanding that other states are following California, is it in your company’s best interest to extend California residents’ rights to all U.S. consumers now instead of later? Doing so could position your business for easier adaptation to future legislation.

The new direction of data privacy might also substantiate having a privacy policy–practice office or department to handle aspects such as accountability, remediation, and proactive monitoring of internal data systems.

Take Charge of Data Privacy and Gain Strength Through Alliances

Knowing you’ll need to gather and apply intelligence with urgent efficiency, you may at times feel like the adjustment period is overwhelming. However, you won’t be alone as you take charge of the new world of data privacy.

Specialists in consent and preference management can help you chart the best paths within your existing marketing technology platforms while minimizing the risks. With the right partnerships, you can reinforce your service, brand, and viability to differentiate yourself while accommodating consumers to stand in front of your market.

Allant and Treasure Data: Here When You Need Us

If you would like to further discuss CCPA or integrating consent and preference management into your strategic marketing approach, visit allantgroup.com to find out more. To learn about how Treasure Data Customer Data Platform is foundational to privacy, check out this ebook authored by David Raab, head of the CDP Institute.