It’s been nearly a month since GDPR compliance became law, and although there are no headline hitting breaches yet, it has had far-reaching implications for companies both large and small. This is not going to be another GDPR compliance blog but more about the effects it is having on day-to-day marketing activities.
As part of new regulations, companies who deal with consumers have to get specific consent to process and hold data. Many of these companies were required to re-consent their subscriber base before the May deadline but around 80% of these emails were ignored by consumers. The effect is that many companies’ databases have been severely impacted.
This has major repercussions: Apart from having to delete vast swathes of your existing data, you will have to rebuild it with fresh data based on subscribers opting-in. Also, outbound email was always seen as a low cost, highly effective method of communication. But now methods of customer engagement are having to be rethought. The success of email campaigns over the years has been good. This will continue to a degree, although the number of emails sent will reduce, a positive outcome will be that email response rates will be higher (as a percentage). This will reflect the fact that the recipient actually wants to receive information. With such a change to “outbound” communication, our inclination is that PPC and SEO will be the tools of choice in order to attract customers.
Unfortunately, PPC costs far more than outbound email and whilst SEO can be relatively inexpensive, it too has a higher ongoing cost and will impact the return on marketing investment (ROI) of many companies. It’s now more important than ever to take full advantage of those clicks and optimise your landing pages. There are many ways of doing this which could include just splitting your traffic to visit one or other page and use your analytics to determine which one is best. However, even if you look at the most basic of A/B testing offerings, it needs more than a piece of software and a gut feeling to grab and retain attention.
At Webtrends Optimize, we provide Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) services that stimulate the curiosity of web visitors and use tried and tested strategies to maintain their interest. This ultimately encourages conversions and drives revenue. We know that post-GDPR, every PPC and SEO landing page will need to provide engaging, personalised content, otherwise conversion rates will be limited and purchases stifled.
Embracing a new customer journey
Successful CRO relies heavily on a more engaging customer journey. To maximise web performance and see increased revenue, companies need to embrace clear strategies to target visitors and retain existing customers. Through effective site-wide webpage optimisation, companies can leverage visitors product preferences, the channel they used to visit their site and where and when they visited. Using just these simple pieces of information can help deliver a more personalised experience.
Although GDPR compliance may have created a barrier to old methods of communication, it’s helping to breath more life for the more innovative ones. Untargeted outbound email simply added clutter to the subscriber’s inbox that often proved annoying; not the best place to engage is a long-term fulfilling online relationship. Engaging with the visitor at the time they are interested in your product either through PPC or SEO, and delivering an intuitive personalised experience built using impactful and relevant content, will reduce any friction that will turn browsers in buyers.
To find our more please get in touch!
