A Marketers’ Dilemma

We're right in the middle of those hazy, lazy days of summer, when it can be challenging to stay focused on serious business issues. But one thing that I have been reading and thinking about lately is the fine line between gaining more insight into your clients and prospects and crossing that line into the gray space that feels more like invasion of privacy. I don't mean invasion in the legal or technical sense but in an ethical and moral sense. When is staying close to your customer a little too close?

I'm not the only one thinking about this issue of course. The July 31, 2009 New York Times had a cover article entitled, "Ads Follow Web Users, and Get More Personal" which addressed some of these same concerns. Technology is enabling us to learn more about our clients and prospects in their daily lives and particularly in their online lives. We can now have a front row seat observing them as they surf the web, transact online and view material on demand. It's a cornucopia of information!

As a marketer this is an exciting development, sort of like a never-ending focus group. And from a marketing perspective there may not be such a thing as being too close to the customer. The more you know, the more you can target and customize to fit that specific individual's needs and requirements. Everything you know about your client or prospect should make them happier with your products and solutions and ultimately make you and your firm more successful.

But as part of the buying public this can all feel a little too close for comfort. The fact that so much personal information is readily available about you and what you see and what you do can feel invasive, sort of like someone is looking over your shoulder. Not long ago I visited a web site of a company I was considering doing business with. I looked around but decided it was not quite a fit for our needs and left. A day later I received a call in the office from that same company asking about my interest in them. I cannot tell you how disturbing I found this call-one day I'm looking at a web site in the privacy of my own office and the next day that company is calling me unsolicited to follow up on my web site visit? That's what I call invasive!

So if you're a marketer what should you do? You want to meet the needs of your clients and prospects as best you can. You have information you believe is interesting and worthwhile to share and want to target it to those who would find it most useful. How can you use the technology and tools available in a positive and not an invasive way? I'm not sure what the answer is-maybe there is no one answer. Perhaps we need to find ways to give our clients and prospects an opportunity to "opt out." to let us know their comfort level with our collecting and using their personal information? Maybe we just need to inform them ahead of time about our collection of personal information? Maybe we use that personal information to customize and tailor to their needs but don't reach out to them with a phone call or email without their prior permission?

I believe as marketers we will all be working our way through this issue for a long time - trial and error - until we hopefully reach a balance between what is possible and what is right.