How to capture and use customer data for best practice email marketing

Consumers today have a lot more power when it comes to their data and that includes the details required for email marketing. The introduction of tighter data protection rules gives consumers much more choice with respect to who they provide their details to – and what emails land in their inboxes as a result. However, it’s still possible for brands to be successful when it comes to the capture and use of customer data so that email marketing is productive but also adheres to best practice standards.

Instant data capture requests are annoying

It may be a priority for you to gather consumer data from those browsing your website but that’s not why customers are there. So, avoid aggressively trying to obtain data the moment a user lands on your website and give them the opportunity to have a look around first. Once they have had time to explore the site and to get to know your brand consumers will be much more likely to hand over details, such as an email address.

Be wary of duplicating requests

For most customers, if they have already provided an email address to a brand and then they are asked for it again, irritation will occur. It may be through no fault of the business, simply that a customer has provided an email address via one device and then returned to the site to browse on another – and so the request has been re-made.

However, this can have a negative impact on how valued a customer feels as a result. It’s important to establish methods for identifying whether data is already in a CRM so that the customer is not hit with an email capture overlay that degrades their experience.

Understand the right moment for data capture

Timing is everything when it comes to acquiring customer data for use in email marketing. One of the most crucial points in the process is the moment before a customer leaves your website. There are a number of actions and behaviours that may indicate it’s a good time to go for data capture, such as placing items in a basket, reading reviews or browsing product sizes. If these have been carried out and the user then starts scrolling up they may be about to exit the site – so this is an essential moment to take steps to drive towards email capture and conversion.

Offering value is essential

Why should a customer hand over their email details to you? It’s important to make the value proposition clear if you want to be successful in data capture. This could be something as simple as receiving a discount or download in return, or it could be a process benefit, such as being able to save items to a wish list to come back and buy them later. If a user has been looking at content, requesting their email could be justified on the basis of providing direct updates of future content.

Once you have captured customer data it’s essential that you have the systems in place to be able to use it to draw insight into behaviours and understand the customer journey. This will not only help to improve customer-brand relationships but support growth and development of the business too.

Get in touch with our Email Marketing specialists today on 020 7100 0726.