Category: Marketing Automation

 An event is a fantastic opportunity to delight existing customers, while also reaching new audiences and increasing brand awareness.
Consider, for instance, how I first came across Southcoast Open Air Market — a local, Massachusetts-based market featuring handmade goods, fresh produce and meats, and live music — by searching “Events near me” on Facebook.
I never would’ve found the company if not for an event they posted recently:
And, thus, the ultimate power of online events: The ability to attract new customers to your business.
Fortunately, an event doesn’t have to be expensive. You can set up virtual events and webinars with Facebook Live for free, or create small events at your company’s physical location to encourage new local visitors.
Of course, one of the biggest challenges when hosting a Facebook event is spreading awareness of the event to both new and existing audiences.
If you’re going through the trouble of hosting an event, you want people to show up — and, better yet, you want people to continue spreading the word about your business even after the event is over.
Here, we’ll explore some creative opportunities you can use to promote an upcoming event on Facebook.

How to Promote an Event on Facebook
To demonstrate how to effectively promote an event on Facebook, let’s walk through an example.
Let’s say I recently started a business — Caroline’s cupcakes — and I want to host an event to drive new traffic to my page.
But, once I’ve created the event … how do I promote it? Let’s explore how to do that, next.
It’s important to note — in this section, we’ll explore how to formally promote your event using Facebook advertising features, which means it costs money to run these promotions. If you’re looking for cheaper or free alternatives, skip to the next section in this post, Best Ways to Promote an Event on Facebook.
Additionally, take a look at Facebook’s instructions if you’re new to creating a Facebook event. You’ll need a Facebook event to continue with these steps.
1. As soon as you’ve created your event, Facebook will serve you a pop-up that reads, “Boost Your Online Event”. Click “Boost Event” to promote your event to new audiences.

Alternatively, if you clicked away from the pop-up or created the event a while ago, simply return to your company’s page and click the “Promote” button displayed there:

And then click the box that reads, “Boost an Event”.
2. Next, fill in the Ad Creative you want to use when you promote the event, including an event description, image, and Ad Category. Here’s where you want to use advertising best practices to ensure your copy and image attract new audiences when they come across your event.
3. Once you’ve filled out the Ad Creative, you’ll want to choose the Audience you want to see your event. Plug in certain key audience factors related to your target audience, or consider using Facebook’s lookalike feature to find similar people to those who already follow, Like, and engage with your content online.  
4. Finally, choose the duration for which you want to promote your event. We’d recommend promoting a few weeks before the event, so your audience has time to schedule it into their calendars and even invite friends or colleagues. Additionally, you’ll want to choose your budget here, as well.
5. Once you’ve finalized your ad, click “Boost Event Now” to ensure your event is shared with new, interested audiences.
Of course, these steps can help you promote your event through advertising. But if you’re on a strict budget, you might not have the resources to officially promote it.
Fortunately, there are a few alternative best practices to promote your event — which I’d recommend doing even if you’ve officially boosted your event, as well.
Let’s explore those, now.

Best Ways to Promote an Event on Facebook
1. Change your business’ page settings so your Events are listed first when people find your business page.
When visitors find your business page, they’ll see a few tabs at the top, including “Home”, “Group”, “Photos”, etc.
To increase traffic to your events page, consider re-organizing these tabs so an “Event” tab is listed first on your business page.
To do this, click the “More” dropdown on your company page, and then select “Edit Tabs”:

Next, drag the “Events” tab to the top, right under “Home”:

This is a small detail, but it could go a long way towards encouraging new page visitors to click and view upcoming events.  
2. Share and pin your event to the top of your business page.
Even though you have a different page for your event invite, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be broadcasting the event on your business’ official Facebook page, as well.
To do this, share a post highlighting details about your event — including where people can sign up, when it is, and what content you’ll cover. Then, right-click the three dots at the top right-hand corner of your Facebook post, and select “Pin to Top of Page”:

This is another easy opportunity to promote your event. When both new and existing audiences come across your business page they’ll see, front and center, a pinned post about your upcoming event.
3. Post a status highlighting the event from your business page.
A few days before the event, reach out to your page followers with a quick reminder status. Use images, emojis, and other fun, interactive elements to remind your audience about the upcoming event and increase excitement for it.
If you can, publishing a short, promotional video could help raise awareness and excitement, as well. For instance, take a look at how Content Marketing Virtual Summit published a short video from one of its webinar speakers, Ellie Hernaman, to remind followers of the upcoming event:

4. Optimize your event page for wider reach.
If you’re going through the trouble of promoting an event page, you’ll want to make sure the event page itself is ready to attract and delight new viewers.
A few small details can go a long way, here. For instance, consider using a unique, original image as your cover photo, as The Honey Pot Company did with its Essence Wellness House Atlanta event:

Additionally, use relevant tags related to your event — such as “startup” and “technology” — to ensure the event gets shared and viewed by the right channels.
5. Share your event to relevant Facebook groups.
If you’ve created a Facebook group for your business, this could be a good opportunity to broadcast your event to audiences who’ve already proven an interest in your brand. 
Additionally, if you’re a member of a Facebook group made up of people you believe would truly find an interest in your event, go ahead and share your event there as a member post.
However, a word of caution: This can easily feel promotional and can backfire, particularly if members feel you’re only sharing content related to your own business.
Instead, you’ll want to ensure it’s authentic and helpful to the topic at-hand. For instance, if you’re part of a Tech Startup Facebook group and your company is hosting a webinar, “8 Impressive New Tech Startups to Watch”, then by all means — go ahead and post with a quick, “Hey fellow members, feel free to join this webinar on Tuesday.”
Just be careful not to overdo it, particularly if it doesn’t feel relevant to the other topics being discussed.
6. Copy the link and paste it into an email newsletter, or alternative channels to broadcast it to existing leads.
On your event page, you’ll see a “Share” option (the arrow pointing to the right) — when you click on it, Facebook gives you an option to copy-and-paste a specific URL link, or share to a Page or group: 
If you feel many of your prospects and customers engage with your brand outside of Facebook, it could be a good idea to copy-and-paste the URL into other channels and share with engaged followers on other social platforms.
Additionally, you might consider opening your event for “pre-access” to an exclusive email subscriber list — like those who’ve purchased your product or service, or your Blog subscribers — on a “first come, first serve” basis. Here’s an example of how that might look in practice: 

Ultimately, it’s a good idea to paste the URL into other content channels to expand your reach. For instance, if you have a dedicated Instagram following, you might paste the URL into your Instagram bio. 
7. Ask other businesses or influencers to co-host or sponsor your event so they can share your event with their audiences.
One sure-fire opportunity to reach new audiences is by asking another business or influencer in the industry to co-host or sponsor your event.
This can help you increase the amount of people who hear about your event, and it can also make the event itself more valuable by including unique, original thought leadership content. 
For instance, M&M BBQ, a Boston-based barbecue restaurant, partnered with Dorchester Brewing Company to host events like Sunday brunch and combine its barbecue with Dorchester Brewing Company’s popular beer. 
Recently, Dorchester Brewing Company posted about the event with a link directly to M&M BBQ: 

This serves two purposes: First, any Facebook followers or customers of DBC might take an interest in M&M BBQ as a result of the Facebook post (or an in-person experience of testing out the barbecue).
And, second, Dorchester Brewing Company has increased value of its own event by providing its loyal customers with the option to eat delicious barbecue as they test out beers. A win, win. 
Ultimately, you’ll need to figure out which promotional methods work best for your brand, your event, and your audience. Fortunately, the sky’s the limit when it comes to promoting an event on Facebook — both on, and off the social network.  

FOR EXPERTS: The key to selling people things… ​ Don’t sell it to them! Compliment your competitors! Promote and be proud of your flaws! ​ That may sound idiotic, but let me explain. ​ You come across as desperate, when you shouldn’t be. You try to fake it till you make it thinking you’re so smart right, no, terrible advice. Everyone is smart. Value them as so. Now ur lying and there’s holes in ur story and ur stuttering and hesitating and fucking up cuz ur making shit up. ​ Had a client asking for some SEO services.. ​ We talk over what he wants to ACHIEVE. I ask questions to figure out his NEEDS & his WANTS. Where he is at and where he wants to be. This is the foundation. ​ Then. ​ I say hey, well what are your options for buying the service? ​ Surely I’m not the only one on the table, I understand that. Theres a ton of other great options out there, And I don’t want to mess up anything you already have going on with one of my competitors. ​ He tells me about my competitors, what they’ve done or what they want to do etc. ​ I COMPLIMENT THE COMPETITORS!!! I TELL HIM THEY PROVIDE THE SAME QUALITY SERVICE AS ME AND OF COURSE I DONT KNOW THEM SO IM NOT SURE BUT ID BE WILLING TO BET ITS GREAT JUST LIKE MINE BECAUSE EVERYONE DOES THIS STUFF THE SAME WAY.. ​ BUT, ​ I tell him the truth. ​ “ Oh awesome man, that’s great, I don’t know them personally so I can’t say for sure but I bet they do great work. So I’ll be honest with you man, I’m not gonna sit here and lie to you and tell you oh mines better and I do this different blah blah blah just to sell you something man. I’m sure you get that shit all the time just like I do. There’s no crazy secret thing here, some people might say so but I mean let’s be real here. Of course theyre gonna tell you they have the best thing since sliced bread, they want you to buy it. all agencies including myself do SEO the same way really. I don’t have any problem admitting that when 90% of people don’t because I have a unique angle on the market that keeps work coming in. I’m sure you know I’m not some big agency, I’m just a single member LLC, I hire people for a few things here and there but it’s really just me. Which allows me to do the same work as everyone else like we said, but since it’s just me I’m able to put more time into it, I put in more effort to make things I’m proud of, and I can always beat big agency prices because I don’t have the overhead they do of huge office buildings, employees etc. etc. ​ I mean let’s be real here man, I’m running my business out of my house! ​ Client : oh man I hear that! I do the exact same. It’s just me running the show here too, I actually really like working with businesses like that. I appreciate you being honest with me, guys give me the run around all the time trying to sell me shit thinking I’m stupid. ​ ** client now understands the advantage of working with me, and knows I’m honest because I’m telling him the TRUTH and nothing but the TRUTH, including my shortcomings! Leaving NOTHING out. Fake it till you make it in a b2b environment is shit advice. People can smell it from a mile away. ** ​ FOR BEGINNERS : ​ Welcome to the world of Internet Marketing and I hope you guys are already doing a great job. Hoping to add a little value to your lives by offering this growth hack e-book (self-made). Also, I am not here for fancy marketing tricks, as I know that the Internet is filled with click-bait ads that are 99% good for nothing. ​ Being honest, this trick won’t make you a millionaire, but yes, it will help you earn some pretty extra cash to take your loved ones to a nice restaurant or to gift yourself a nice pair of clothes or shoes or whatever. I am not here to spam around and just trying to show you something that is 100% working, transparent and easy to start with. ​ Here’s the Guide: https://docdro.id/GzAwQfk ​ PS: sorry for the language because English is not my mother tongue. Once you get convinced that many tricks on the Internet Marketing world work for real, get back here and read the top “For Experts” section and keep adding values to people’s lives. Do upvote if found useful 🙂
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“Journey” is a pretty popular word nowadays. We hear it used to describe a spiritual path someone’s taking or a sudden wellness obsession. But for marketers, understanding the journey our customers are on is more concrete. It’s about identifying the actual steps customers take when interacting with our brand. Our customers’ motivations, their understanding of…
The post Your Ultimate Guide to Understanding Customer Journeys appeared first on Benchmarkemail.

At Salesforce, we love supporting organizations that share our passion for bringing companies and customers together. Today we’re excited to share Salesforce Ventures’ investment in Sercante, a leading group of Salesforce consultants who are passionate about marketing automation and Pardot.
Investing in the next generation of enterprise tech
Salesforce Ventures, our investment arm, is focused on creating the world’s largest ecosystem of enterprise cloud companies. Since 2009, they’ve helped accelerate the growth of over 400 technology startups. This investment strengthens the relationship between Sercante and Pardot. Here are just a few reasons why we’re excited to work more closely with the Sercante team: 

Sercante works with B2B marketers to stand up new systems, build workflows, migrate legacy data, and ensure they get the maximum value out of Pardot and other marketing technology. 
The company is committed to the Salesforce ecosystem and has a unique vision for how Salesforce companies can succeed with B2B marketing. 
Their team has a knack for simplifying tough marketing automation and sales process challenges, and it holds an incredibly high bar for quality customer service. 
Sercante’s top priority is customer success. Their consultants have been in our customers’ shoes, so they understand the challenges marketers face today. 

Better together
Salesforce and Sercante team members connecting over a video call
Salesforce and Sercante already have a strong track record of partnership and collaboration. Most recently, Salesforce was a title sponsor of ParDreamin’ 2020, Sercante’s four-day virtual conference dedicated to all things Pardot. Throughout the conference, Sercante showcased compelling speakers and sessions to help Trailblazers grow their marketing automation and Pardot skills. 
With Salesforce Ventures’ investment in Sercante, they can help even more Trailblazers draw value from Pardot and other Salesforce solutions. I’ll be supporting Sercante’s board as an observer to help reflect on Sercante’s strategy and support the team in delivering the best implementation services possible. Additionally, Sercante will receive access to a wider scope of resources for supporting their clients. 
More Pardot success stories is a triple win for Sercante, Salesforce, and the entire Trailblazer community.
“It’s been great to be a part of the Pardot ecosystem. It’s hard to believe it’s only been three years!” said Andrea Tarrell, CEO and founder of Sercante. “Our team is super passionate about Pardot and unlocking value for B2B marketers who want to work across the Salesforce platform.” 
She added, “This additional funding comes at a pivotal time to fuel our accelerated growth plans, deepen our product development efforts with Sercante Labs, and support our clients as they navigate digital transformation, Pardot, and Salesforce.”
Learn more about Sercante’s capabilities by visiting their website.

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This is a guest post from Megan Wright of ChamberOfCommerce.com
Millennials, individuals born between the years 1980 and 2000, make up the largest proportion of the workforce in the U.S. and Canada. It is estimated that by 2025, millennials will make up over 75% of the global workforce.
This generation also has enormous spending power that will continue to grow as the generation matures. For instance, in the U.S. alone, millennial shoppers spend over $600 billion a year. Clearly, this is a prime demographic to target if you want your ecommerce business to succeed, especially given this generation’s digital aptitude and comfort with online shopping.
But the question most new and growing ecommerce retailers have is, “How can I sell to the millennial powerhouse shopper?” Well, there’s no magic trick, but the following tips will help you form an effective email strategy.
Focus on nurturing a robust brand
With the advancement of technology and social media growth, the gap between brands and consumers is quickly narrowing. Now, people want to buy from brands, not corporations. 
Millennial buyers, in particular, are interested in brands. In fact, most millennials consider themselves to be as loyal to brands as their parents are.  This means if you can create a brand millennials can relate to, they will likely become a long-time customer. This brand loyalty can be further solidified by aligning your brand with the social issues they care about most. 
A great example of this is eyeglass brand Warby Parker. This brand has developed its brand based on sustainable manufacturing and their dedication to the “buy-one-give-one” model. They donate one pair of glasses to those in need for every pair purchased. They communicate these programs brilliantly through email, social media and their blog to continually align themselves with their millennial customers.  

Please keep in mind that millennial shoppers will conduct their own research before they buy from you. So, take care to keep your online reputation clean and keep up your end of the deal. If you aren’t actually doing the good your brand is founded on, then you could quickly end up being outed online and lose all credibility.  
Consider a coupon and loyalty strategy
Millennials desire an open give-and-take with their retailers. They appreciate brands that give something in return for the relationship. This is why coupons drive 69% of sales to millennials.
Remember, millennials don’t have as much wealth as their predecessors. They are price conscious and want the best deal before they commit their hard-earned income. The following statistics will help you understand just how much millennials love coupons:

23% of millennials need coupons with at least a 50% discount, although 17% will appreciate a discount of any amount.
63% are more likely to check in to different businesses if they will get a coupon in return.
A 20% discount can prompt almost 50% of respondents to visit a retail location.

Millennial shoppers also love loyalty programs. Seventy-three percent (73%) of smartphone users would like to use their devices to interact with a brand’s loyalty program. A majority (75%) are ready to switch to a brand that offers real-time discounts while shopping, and 84% of consumers prefer to visit websites of retailers who offer loyalty programs.
You can integrate loyalty reward tools, like Yotpo, into your current ecommerce and marketing messages. As customers meet predetermined purchase thresholds or frequency you can dynamically message them through email or SMS about rewards they’ve earned from your brand. 

Seize your chance by incorporating online coupons and a loyalty program in your ecommerce site, and you will begin to attract millennial shoppers.
Optimize your shopping experience 
Millennials are early digital adopters across devices, social platforms and even new forms of payment like Bitcoin. These consumers are on the cutting edge, which is where your shopping experience and marketing needs to exist.
Multi-channel 
When creating your brand’s marketing strategy, consider all possible millennial consumer touchpoints before they actually make a purchase. Do you have the business intelligence to know when a specific customer starts the browsing process in one channel before making the purchase in another? Brands that can react in real-time with omnichannel marketing will win in today’s marketplace. 
For example, consider Tina, a 30-year-old professional who launches a smartphone app from her favorite skincare brand while waiting on her friend. The app automatically directs her to products she has purchased in the past while showcasing complimentary products she may be interested in. 
She doesn’t make the purchase within 24 hours which kicks off a personalized email based on her status as a VIP customer. She is notified about a 20% off coupon to be used toward her next purchase. She clicks through to complete the transaction. Mission accomplished!

Mobile-first
Sixty-three percent (63%) of millennials use their smartphones to research, browse and shop. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that 72% of people prefer mobile-friendly websites. This means that if you want to tap into this market, you have to ensure that your ecommerce site is optimized for mobile.
Payment forms
Millennials expect brands to offer a wide range of payment options – specifically the option they prefer. Venmo, Apple Pay, Paypal, credit card, in-app purchases and cryptocurrency, just to name a few. Since they grew up in the digital age, millennials are used to adopting the transaction method that makes their life easier or provides rewards for their loyalty.
The biggest trend in the Fintech space is the desire of millennials to use cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to make purchases. Brands like Overstock, Expedia, CheapAir, and Newegg joined the growing list of companies who offer cryptocurrency payments along with other forms of digital payment.
For online retailers considering Bitcoin payment options, make sure you connect the payment gateway to a cryptocurrency exchange wallet like OKEx, Coinbase or Paxful to immediately convert Bitcoin to fiat. This will avoid any sudden swing in the digital currency’s price that could lead to lost revenue. 
Create a social media marketing strategy
A few years ago, star-studded ads and celebrity endorsements were the way to go if you wanted to capture the market’s attention. But with millennials, this tactic is less effective. According to recent research, 78% of millennials are unmoved by celebrity endorsements. What should you do? Go social.
Millennials are big fans of social media platforms. Before purchasing anything, they will ask their friends for advice, mostly using social media such as Twitter and Facebook. They are more likely to buy something after their friends or family recommend it, and they trust these recommendations more than what the brand itself says.
Create a content marketing strategy aimed at millennials
One of the primary ways millennials learn about a company and its products is through content consumption. Millennials will research before they make a purchase, and most of this research will happen on a company’s website. This tells you that if a millennial is interested in your product, they will search for the content you produce.
Therefore, you should aim to create content around your products, deals, coupons, sales, and product releases because this content is just as crucial to your site visitors as your social media marketing content.
To better appeal to millennials, ensure your content is visually appealing across all devices. Be sure to use images and videos too. That being said, although they value content, millennials prefer to be in control of how they engage with you. So make sure they can easily opt-in and out of your subscriptions, email list, etc.
Wrap up
Marketing to millennials can seem like a hectic task, but it’s not. If you are quick to adapt to new trends and you implement the tips we’ve talked about, you will begin to attract the right shopper: the millennial shopper.
Be careful not to alienate other customer segments as you target the millennial shopper. Your campaigns should include a variety of elements to appeal to other demographic targets.
The post How Ecommerce Retailers Can Use Email to Engage With Millennials appeared first on Campaign Monitor.

When I was hired for my first marketing role, I got really excited to pitch new, exciting ideas to my team.
And I thought — as long as I had data to support the potential success of a project — that my team would be thrilled to hear these ideas.
Which they were. But they were also cautious, and one of their biggest concerns was, “Okay, this sounds great … but how much is it going to cost?”
Ultimately, being a successful marketer isn’t just about thinking strategically. It’s also about adhering to a strict budget, and achieving new levels of growth while simultaneously choosing the most cost-effective option for your business.
Here, we’ll explore typical marketing budgets, as well as marketing budgets by industry, so you can determine how your budget matches up against competitors.
Plus, we’ll explore how much of your yearly revenue you should re-invest in marketing materials to see stronger long-term growth.

What’s a typical marketing budget percentage?
As of February 2021, Deloitte’s annual CMO Survey reports that marketing budgets are now roughly 11.7% of total company-wide budget — a slight decrease from the 12.6% marketers saw in June 2020, but still a record high that most marketers haven’t seen over the last four years.
(It’s important to note, we saw record-high marketing budgets over the course of the pandemic as companies relocated some budget towards digital marketing strategies, rather than more offline tactics.)
Gartner’s 2020 CMO survey confirms most marketing budgets rest around 11% of total company budget.
While your own marketing department’s budget depends on a variety of factors — including industry, company revenue performance, and business needs — this should help you ballpark a reasonable percentage of your total company-wide budget that you should allocate for your marketing teams.
Of course, what strategies/channels marketing teams choose to invest in varies depending on individual company goals. For instance, while 73% of companies invested in website optimization in 2020, only 20% invested in machine learning and automation.
Web optimization, digital media and search, and digital marketing were the top three priorities for companies when determining budget allocation in 2020 — with roughly 73%, 65%, and 57% of companies (respectively) investing in each.
These trends are predicted to continue into 2021 and beyond.
However, the data we’ve reported so far pertains to marketing budget percentage of overall company budget — but what about marketing budget as it pertains to overall company revenue? Let’s dive into that, next.
Marketing Budget Percentage of Revenue
The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends small businesses (businesses with revenue less than 5 million) allocate between 7% and 8% of total revenue to marketing — assuming your business has margins in the range of 10-12 percent.
The amount of revenue businesses allocate to marketing has increased steadily over the past 10 years, with average marketing percentage of revenue landing around 13% in 2021, compared to just 8% back in 2011.
B2B Product industries allocate, on average, roughly 10% of revenue to marketing, which is similar to B2C Services (10.1%). B2B Services and B2C Product allocate higher numbers of 15% and 18%, respectively, of total revenue.
Of course, decisions related to marketing budget allocation remain largely industry-specific. To determine more accurate, industry-specific insights, let’s explore marketing budgets by industry, next.
Marketing Budget Percentage by Industry [2021 Data]
Deloitte’s 2020 CMO Survey found B2B (product-focused) companies attribute roughly 9.4% of overall budget to marketing efforts, while B2B (services-focused) companies attribute 11.4%.
Alternatively, if you work for a B2C (product-focused) company, Deloitte reports 15.9% of overall budget is the average given to marketing teams — for B2C (service-focused) companies, this is closer to 12%.
Of course, the type of business you work at (B2B or B2C) is only one factor when determining marketing budget percentage. Industry is a major factor, as well.
For instance, marketing expenses are highest in the Education sector at 19.4% of total budget — and they’re lowest in the Energy industry, at roughly 4%.
If you work in the healthcare industry, you might expect to see a marketing budget around 7% of total budget.
Alternatively, consulting services typically attribute 13%. Lastly, technlogy/software platforms attribute 12% of total company budget to marketing.
If you’re unsure how to manage your marketing budget, you’re in luck. We’ve covered marketing budgets extensively in How to Manage Your Entire Marketing Budget [Free Budget Planner Templates]. Take a look at that post to create a marketing budget that works for you — and use templates and samples to get you started.

 

 

74% of CMOs believe data ethics will get even more important for their business in the next five years, while only 48% of advertisers admit having data ethics policy. With the advent of more and more data privacy regulations, various companies and organizations are under tremendous pressure to ensure that their customers are protected and that their data is stored responsibly.

 

Keep your data ethical while managing customer preferences

 

Today, groundbreaking technologies such as AI and machine learning are helping businesses by creating opportunities to deliver better services. However, to fully use these fantastic mar-tech tools, there is a high need for possessing a huge database of client information. In times of data misuse, companies really have to focus on an ethical collection of data.

 

This is the last chance to actually act by data security standards to build high-end consumer relationships based on trust and to create the best Customer Experience by using improved preference management. 

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Transparency becomes a new must-have for companies

 

74% of CMOs believe data ethics will get even more important for their business in the next five years. That means that companies and what’s more, marketers are becoming more and more aware of the way they use and collect the data.

 

In the modern business model, it is impossible to work without data collected directly from customers or other sources. Since information is at a premium in the industry today, data ethics is becoming an increasingly pressing issue. This trend is only going to increase, which is why companies need to focus on ethical data management at all levels, from acquisition to use. As consumers become more aware of the privacy of their data, putting an emphasis on transparency for companies, these companies must do everything they can to keep customers informed of actions taken with their information. 

 

A survey of 147 marketing executives found that 82% of them would consider leaving their employer if they felt the data approach was not ethical. That’s exactly why data ethics is crucial to building a universal framework to guide what to do and what not to do with the data they collect. This will ensure that customers can trust the company they are giving their information to. 

 

Consumer concerns about data are rising rapidly, especially now, so it’s essential that those who share their data should have full, open and transparent insight into how it is used.

 

Importance of maintaining data ethics while ensuring Customer Experience

 

Preference management is a way of communicating with customers through their preferred channels and at their preferred times. In short, it is the recipient who decides what and when they receive from the company and not the other way around. Preference management seems to be a great improvement in communication, this way you can make sure that the information you send is always welcome if of course done in a legal way. Keep in mind that consumer preferences are changing, hence you must provide the update option. 

 

In the past years, we observed a huge conversion in the area of enterprise data cloud, and how it could simplify the management of data and AI. In 2020, we experienced COVID-19 outbreak, masses of data being used for the fight with the pandemic, personal cyber profiles that raise the discussion about privacy and the problem of data ownership in smart devices. We see a burning need to anonymize data for the benefit of society and to ensure strong data governance that monitors how it is used.

 

Benefits of data ethics

 

Only 48% of advertisers admit to having a data ethics policy, but do you know how it can affect your marketing? 

 

Given the fact that we have more and more privacy regulations like GDPR, CCPA and most recent one – CDPA, implementing ethical data management ensures yourself trust of your consumers which is crucial to maintaining long-term relationships. Moreover, it prevents any unintentional biases that can always happen and create a negative image of your brand, driven by poor business decisions.

 

The vicious cycle of data ethics and preferences

 

The Cisco Privacy Benchmark Study shows that concerns about data privacy have increased over the past year. 31% of respondents are concerned that their data will be used for non-corporate purposes, 25% believe that data will be shared with third parties, and 24% are afraid that data will not be deleted after COVID-19. 

 

Many consumers have taken action on their own and simply stopped sharing data with companies that don’t follow privacy policies. This unfortunately closely impacts preference management – without data, there are no preferences, but without content that customers prefer, there is no more data to exchange. So how do we impact this vicious cycle?

 

Ways of ethical data collection

 

With the holy trinity of Data Protection laws, withdrawal of third party cookies and Coronavirus, companies have to figure out a way of ethical data obtaining.

 

First, focus on giving your customers, unique or even exclusive content. They would feel obliged to give back and leave their information willingly. This way, at the same time, you will increase trust, and build a healthy database consisting of first-party data.  

 

Second, stop spamming ads – make your ad space useful, give customers the opportunity to gain or learn something from it. This will make them more willing to provide you with the data you need. 

 

Third, be honest with your customers – never ever, store or share customer data without their explicit permission. Remember that data always belongs to the user. 

 

Be prepared for the future

 

Maintaining data ethics is key today, and will be even more so in the future. The focus on owning ethical, actionable data across all channels, with clear and strong customer consent to its use, is proving to be a core issue in the coming years. 

 

Preference management focuses on allowing users to voluntarily provide information about their intentions, motivations, and interests, so you need to capture this data in the most legitimate way possible with the highest data ethics, so you don’t disappoint your customer. That’s why maintaining transparency about what a client’s data is actually used for will not only ensure a better reputation but also trust, retention and loyalty from both old and new customers.

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Whether it’s with a single client, a large internal team, or external stakeholders, hosting successful, engaging meetings is an art form.
It takes skill to know how to simultaneously capture attention, inform, be interactive, and leave a lasting impression — it’s really not an easy feat.
The prospect of holding a meeting may become even more stressful when the session is online. As meetings are new to the virtual world, there is no roadmap to hosting a successful one.
However, as nice as it would be, a roadmap is not always the key to success. Sometimes the key can be learning from people who have experience hosting virtual meetings and understanding what they think makes them successful. In this post, we’ll discuss common virtual meeting mistakes and get insight from experienced HubSpotters on how to avoid them.

1. Not acknowledging mistakes.
Nobody’s perfect.
Although many people know that, an all-too-common moment in virtual meetings is pushing mistakes under the rug and acting like they haven’t happened. Unfortunately, when everyone is looking at their screen, most people notice mistakes, and ignoring them can create a sense of awkwardness.
In these moments, it’s important to remember that an increasingly virtual world is new to everyone. We’re all aware that adapting to new processes can be difficult, so of course, there will be unexpected issues.
Jon Dick, Senior Vice President of Marketing at HubSpot, agrees, and his advice is relatively straightforward: “As the old saying goes, ‘If you can’t hide it, feature it!’ Slides not sharing? Children bursting into the room? Not on mute? Don’t stress out — just laugh, relax, and acknowledge it.”

2. No backup plan for faulty technology.
A dysfunctional microphone or PowerPoint won’t derail your in-person meeting, but it will effectively shut down a virtual one. Given this, Ashley Ladd, Manager on the Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging team at HubSpot, says that not having a tech backup plan for your virtual meeting is a mistake.
Ladd says, “Our internet connection is always stable until we need it to be, so having a backup plan ensures flawless execution of your events and less worrying about your connection or having the meeting dropped.”

She says that your plan B can include things like a designated co-host, teammate, or friend to take over if something goes wrong, or while you troubleshoot any issues: “The worst is when you have to spend time fussing with your connection and it interrupts the flow of your meeting.”
3. A lack of discussion and collaboration.
One of the greatest aspects of meetings is the collaboration and discussion that stems from audience engagement. Virtual meetings notably make this harder, and they’re often marked by the opposite.
Becca Stamp, Senior Global Learning and Development Onboarding Specialist at HubSpot, says that a common mistake is not making space for conversation. Her solution is to make a special effort to encourage it: “It’s important to give everyone space to come off mute and contribute throughout the session. Participants can add so much value, both through discussion and chat.”

Jill Noonan, Senior Facilitator at HubSpot, seconds this tip and says: “Create interaction whenever possible. Whether in person or virtual, listening to one person present without any interaction or conversation can be draining for those listening. If you’re presenting in a virtual environment and someone asks a question, open it up for group discussion.”
4. Leaving inclusion and accessibility by the wayside.
Whether your meeting is in-person or virtual, it’s crucial to be mindful of and prioritize inclusion and accessibility.
Opt to use software that adds captions for speech transcription, write alternative descriptive text of images for screen reading devices, and be mindful of the differing experiences that attendees may have.
Ben Perreira, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Program Manager at HubSpot, says that an easy way to show you care about DI&B is to encourage attendees to put pronouns in their profile names. He says, “Add pronouns to your Zoom name as a way of showing up for inclusion during virtual meetings, and encourage your teammates to do so as well.”

5. Trying to multitask.
It’s never been easier to join a meeting, and it’s also never been easier to lose focus during a meeting.
If you’re using a personal computer, it can be especially difficult to stay focused because everything you enjoy is right there in front of you. A quick check of your email can accidentally turn into ten minutes of distractions that take you away from meeting content.
That’s why a common mistake is, or at least trying, to multitask during meetings. Dick says: “Multitasking during your meetings is a sure-fire way to feel uninformed and unaccomplished at the end of the day.” His solution? Easy — “Mute notifications and close email.”
6. Not encouraging speakers and hosts.
Don’t assume that someone may be more comfortable during a virtual meeting because they’re not in front of an in-person audience. It can still be just as nerve-wracking to face a screen full of faces as it is to stare at a room full of people.
However, the support that people receive from attendees during in-person meetings, like applause, can be encouraging and make hosts feel more comfortable. Unfortunately, this support is often missing from virtual meetings.
Even if you can’t clap, Dick says that it’s still essential to show encouragement virtually, as it can feel strange to present without any human reactions. He says, “Hop in the chat window to cheer people on and encourage them when they’re presenting. It’s encouraging and helps people feel like you’re listening.”
7. Leaving no space for networking.
As virtual meetings occur on a digital device, attendees have no further interaction with their peers when they end. Stamp says that forgetting about the hallway chat aspect of meetings can be detrimental, as this time often gives people a chance to network, make connections, and decompress.
She says, about HubSpot employee onboarding, “We have seen incredible value in spending five to ten extra minutes on Zoom at the end of each session. It creates the hallway environment of in-person sessions, and these conversations help us build more community among the cohorts.”
8. Being impersonal.
You may feel pressure to display a more polished side of yourself during virtual meetings. In some cases, like when business executives speak to their teams, it makes sense and is expected that the experience is more corporate and clean cut.
However, being too polished can sometimes dehumanize you, which affects relatability between you and your audience.
Robotic meeting environments can also feel boring and disengaging, which is the opposite of what you want. Noonan’s tip is to display humanity through personalization. She says, “Humanity is extremely important. Knowing when and where to use personal examples or display vulnerability builds trust and shows that we’re all on the same page.”

9. Not using the mute button for all it’s worth.
Nobody wants to accidentally leave their microphone on so everyone can hear them yell to a roommate or ask a pet to stop making noise. It’s not a huge faux pas, but there are easy ways to avoid this short-lived but all-too-common mistake of not using the mute button for all that it’s worth.
Perreira says, “When you’re not talking, mute yourself. The mute/unmute can also serve as a signal to indicate you’re ready to contribute and serve a [sic] helpful way for group members to ensure that those who are looking to speak are given the opportunity to be heard.”
10. Not having fun.
Although hosting can be stressful, Ladd and Stamp say that it’s essential to have fun.
Ladd recalls a BLACKhub community check-in where attendees played a game called This or That. She says, “We did a Black History Month edition, so our game featured Black leaders in sports, film, entrepreneurship, and more. We had about eight different slides, and it was a fun, quick, and easy way to get everyone interacting and participating.”
Stamp makes space for these moments during onboarding meetings as well: “Schedule optional coffee, lunch, or afternoon hang-outs to help attendees connect. This gives our new hires a space to get to know each other in an authentic and more personal way.”
Virtual Meetings Can Still Be Successful, Engaging, and Fulfilling
Although there are quite a few mistakes on this list, they are exactly that — mistakes. They aren’t the end of the world, and nobody will penalize you for them.
Consider the advice from experienced HubSpotters, and you’ll likely find yourself hosting engaging virtual meetings that are just as impactful as those you can have in-person.