Before beginning to collect email addresses, make sure to establish a clear, concise and transparent privacy policy.
It is fundamental that you let your subscribers know that their personal information will be kept safe and confidential, explaining how their information will be used and if you plan to share their information to outside parties.
An accurate privacy policy will help you build and maintain a trust relationship with your subscribers. On the other hand, if you do not provide enough information about every step of the opt-in process , your prospects and existing subscribers may not feel protected. As a consequence, the lack of privacy could affect your email marketing activities and, in general, your business.
In particular make sure to reply to these important questions:
- How do you protect your subscribers’ information?
- What do you use their information for?
- Do you disclose any information to third parties?
- What kind of communications are they subscribed to? (newsletter, special offers, service announcements,…)
Review it many times before it is too late!
When you are ready to publish it, make sure to keep your privacy policy easily accessible on your website.
If you change the opt-in process, be sure to update your policy and post those changes on the privacy page.