Tag: <span>Websites</span>

Tag: Websites

Why Data Privacy Just Got Serious for American Websites

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By Bekkah Anderson, Art Unlimited.

We have seen pretty much every app developer or corporate business send us an email saying they have recently updated their privacy policy. We’ve even seen those new annoying pop-ups telling us they have cookies, but now, consumer data rules are hitting your business.

As a business owner, is data privacy something to think about?

Two months ago, many people were saying, “Naw, just change your settings to block other countries from viewing your website.” But since California rolled out their own data privacy rules on June 28th, 2018 via the California Consumer Privacy Act, this isn’t something to sneeze at. As we start to see more initiatives to protect Americans’ privacy, big data should respond accordingly.

What do I have that could be considered private information?

You might not think you have any “big data,” but if you have a list of past customers, newsletter subscribers, a mailing list, online payment options, or use Google Analytics, you technically have possession of data that has privacy rights. Some privacy rights have always been out there, but most businesses had to make the ethical choice to use the information at their discretion because enforcing compliance on every business was obnoxiously hard for anyone to do.

Caveat: Unless one of two things happened to you that got people worked up:

  1. You had a ton of people you were contacting without permission that all decided to complain together and make a class action lawsuit against you.
  2. You got hacked and all of your customer data was stolen

Most of the rules for the new data protection, honestly, just made good marketing sense. Such as, if you send a previous customer 27 emails in one day, you’re going to get marked as spam and email providers will block you. This also has probably happened to you if you tried to include 60 people in the same email and you accidentally locked down your email account.

What can I do to ensure I’m compliant with the 2018 California Consumer Privacy Act?

Step 1: Ensure you have an updated privacy policy that clearly lays out how you use the data such as (but not limited to):

  • If you do remarketing with this data
  • If you keep their data to contact them later with promotional content
  • If you sell their purchase habits to a 3rd party provider
  • If you record their device location
  • If you track their last click to leave your website
  • If they like your page on Facebook
  • If you share their contact information with any of your affiliates in order to target users better
  • If you collect their information to use for marketing purposes via sweepstakes, trade shows, or drawings (or any other paper form)

The list could just keep going. Anything that collects information about your users on your website should be listed in your privacy policy or anyone who has access to this information should be listed. If you do it, name it in your privacy policy. You should probably get this reviewed by your legal adviser as well to make sure it has everything.

Step 2: Clearly provide an opportunity for customers to “opt-out” of how you are using the data

Website users now have the right to request that you stop collecting their data, and you need to make sure this option is provided loud and proud.

Tip: be careful with how your program your pop-up though, especially on mobile. If all your users can see is a pop up that blocks your homepage navigation on mobile, it could affect your ranking because of a poor user experience.

Step 3: Have a process for actually following through on the users that request to be removed from your data uses.

This is where my heart hurts for business owners because this is rarely enforced well. If you say you’re going to stop talking to them after they ask you to, ACTUALLY DO IT. In the past, I just marked you as spam, but now (if I was a California resident) I could just report you to the Attorney General’s office or go after you with a personal lawyer. Have a process the thoroughly removes their information from your system and documents when the user requested to be removed.

Step 4: Don’t target people under the age of 16 unless they have specifically given you permission to or their parents have agreed to consent (if under the age of 13).

Bottom line: You have to disclose how it’s used, who has access to it, and how users can choose to not be a part of the data.

Having a data control officer who knows where the information is, where it’s going, and how it can be removed is good to have for your business. The more you know, the safer you can make your business for your customers.

What happens now if I accidentally do something I shouldn’t with customer data?

Under the new California laws, you could have to pay a civil penalty of $7,500 per incident AND pay for the cleanup/recovery of any person that had actual damages affect them OR pay out $750 a person for the violation to their privacy (whichever is a larger payout).

How long do I have before I need to make these changes?

The California Consumer Privacy Act unleashes its fangs of consequences for non-compliant business owners in 2020. You have some time to start planning your implementation strategy. Don’t get nervous, but have a clear plan of action steps to get you to where you need to be. It’s also important to keep an eye on the changes that might happen to the data rules in the months ahead. If the laws get extended to other states, there might be some new changes that make things more detailed as to certain industry or specific platform compliance.

I don’t do business in California: Do I still need to change my privacy policies?

For the present, yes and no, if you want to block your website from being searchable by any of your customers within California you could just avoid this all together….But it’s going to limit your reach, hurt your ranking ability, and if some of your customers have a beach home in California, you might be losing some of your client base because they can’t find you.

More Data Privacy Rules Are Inevitable

No matter how much money Amazon and AT&T pump into lobbyists, the passing of new laws usually has a domino effect in American legislature. If it works out nicely for California, you can expect it to either start rolling out in your state soon, or becoming a federal initiative.

We’ve already seem rumblings in Washington to push this into a federal compliance law. So, it’s always better to start being privacy complaint sooner rather than deal with the consequences of doing it later. Rushing things in the last minute to avoid penalties is never a fun spot to be in as a business. Plus, who wouldn’t want to gain a higher level of trust with customers by being respectful of their data?

Note: This article first published on Art Unlimited’s website and can be viewed here.

Photo credit: Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Marketing Technology Tools for Contractors – Part 1

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By Heidi J. Ellsworth, HJE Consulting.

 

In today’s world where efficiency and precision take precedence, technology is a key component when it comes to doing business within the contracting community. Technology comes in many shapes and sizes but leading contractors are realizing that if they are not progressive in their use of technology they are going to be left behind.

 

Technology is not just software, it is using services and cloud-based solutions to help increase productivity for the company and employees.  Exploring multiple types of technology and evaluating their effectiveness for a roofing company, no matter the size or type can play an important part in the growth of a business.  In this technological age, it is essential to incorporate technology into the business’ processes and culture.  In fact, contractors are finding that they can get more done, faster by using technology while staying ahead of the competition.

New technologies and applications are introduced literally every day.  Understanding what is beneficial for a roofing business and more importantly, the best technology for the size of the business is critical for success.  Here are a few important sales and marketing technologies that can make a difference in growing sales and profitability in 2017.

 

Websites

The number one, most important marketing technology is a website.  It needs to provide enough information about the company so potential customers will act by requesting estimates or additional information for projects.   A customer wants to feel confident in the vendor’s experience and professionalism.  By validating the company’s expertise concerning high-quality work, long-term service and excellent responsiveness along with strong knowledge of the latest products and technologies, customers will be enticed to respond.  This can all happen on a website.  The quality of information will speak to the customers long before they pick up the phone.

A website should be dynamic, meaning that the content is fresh and always up to date.  It should feature a section or blog on the site that provides short articles and information that customers will find interesting.  Press releases and other news should be shared regularly on the site.  A good website will have a prominent button or link on every page that a visitor can click on to request an estimate.  Ask them to complete a form that captures their contact information (name, address, phone, and email) but also use the opportunity to try to gather some basic qualifying information.

Finding a good website developer can be challenging but there are several options.  Everything from do-it-yourself, to leasing a website, to finding a knowledgeable internet marketing agency are available.  Before hiring a company to update or develop a website, take the time to look at other websites and note what is impressive.  Often the name of the company that developed the site is noted at the bottom of the homepage.  By pulling information together ahead of meeting with developers, it will save time and money when working with a new web development company.  Lastly, look internally first.  Often there are employees who can create websites or work on marketing projects who are already on the payroll.

 

Smart Devices

It does not seem possible to survive in today’s world without a smart device and that is especially true when it comes to business.  Smartphones allow contractors to be in touch immediately with their customers giving them the edge when it comes to customer service.  The agility of utilizing smartphones makes sense for communication with other employees while providing the overall benefit of informed customers.

It is important to use phones in a way that works with customers, so knowing their preferences concerning email, text or phone usage is beneficial for creating enhanced communications.  As part of the sales process, ask how the customer would prefer to receive their project communications.  A critical part of utilizing technology is understanding how customers want to interact with that technology.

Smartphones and or tablets make day-to-day business easier on the road, hopefully eliminating some of the late-night work.  Asking vendors, such as manufacturers and distributors, about their technology offerings and especially finding out which apps make working with them easier helps both businesses.  To be able to order materials, reports or services through the phone or tablet can lead to efficiency and time savings.

In deciding which smart device to use, take the time to coordinate the company’s phones, tablets, and computer system with cloud-based software in a way that all devices can speak to each other.  This creates an easy, efficient means of transferring data and documents while also documenting customer discussions.

 

Customer Relationship Management

There are several Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems designed for roofing professionals.  CRM systems have evolved significantly over the years from server-based systems such as ACT to simple contact management solutions such as Microsoft Outlook or Excel to cloud-based, enterprise-level software like Salesforce.  In the roofing world, there are many contractor CRM software systems that help manage customers.  They are often also connected to project management and/or accounting software.

Questions to ask when looking for a CRM system include how the program works for residential vs. commercial business. Ideally, will it handle both.  There are companies that are very focused on residential projects with functionalities that track canvassing, sales and overall leads.  Commercial roofing software may focus more on inspections, service, and maintenance and may feature a customer portal that allows property owners to access service records and to request maintenance online.  Depending on the business model of the roofing company, residential, commercial or both, the CRM needs to fit the business.  As roofing companies continue to grow and gain sophistication, an important element for any CRM systems is the ability to track customer’s overall data and retain that data for long-term use.

No matter the CRM chosen, the key is to maintain a strong, up-to-date customer database that becomes not only a historical view of customers and projects but also a strong database for future sales and marketing.  By using a CRM software instead of an Excel document or a Rolodex, customer contact can be automated and shared including notes, past correspondence, property data, material preferences and/or potential future projects.