Privacy Policies.
Everyone has them (even Bronto). You can usually find them in the fine print at the bottom of pretty much every website.
When I first wrote that last sentence, I was kinda joking, but then decided to test it out. Try it. Go to your favorite website. Maybe it’s Google or ESPN or CNN. Scroll to the bottom. I promise that you’ll see a link to some form of a privacy policy. Trust me (or google “privacy policy” now).
But, what do “privacy policies” really mean? Who actually follows them to the letter or even spirit of the law? I’d argue that the answer to that last question is very very few.
I sat in on a session at the Marketing Sherpa Email Summit 2009 yesterday afternoon and heard the following statement from a representative of a major marketer when asked about how they adhere to their email privacy policy.
“[Company ABC] has a pretty liberal privacy policy.”
It was followed by an uncomfortable, somewhat awkward laugh, then silence. I’m not sure, but I may have even seen a “wink wink.” That type of statement worries me…and it should also make you - as a consumer - uncomfortable. When thinking about email marketing, what exactly does “pretty liberal privacy policy” mean?
As a marketer, if I have a “pretty liberal [email] privacy policy” does that mean I don’t need to honor the rights of my subscribers? Does it mean that I can send them any email I choose because my privacy policy states it is okay? Does it mean I can send third party emails? Because I have a privacy policy, can I just do whatever I want with “my” data or “my” customers?
If you’ve answered “yes” to any of the questions above, you may be experiencing deliverability issues. After all, much of good deliverability is about sending relevant, timely, targeted emails to those who have asked for it. Loose adherence to privacy policies tends to break one - if not many - of the above adjectives. If you think slapping that privacy policy on your website is the same as earning permission to email those who use it, think again.
Is it time to review your privacy policy? What do you think?
*Happy St. Patrick’s Day
DJ Waldow
Director of Best Practices & Deliverability at Bronto
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