beacon

What the hell is wrong with online marketing these days? I don’t have a particular opinion of companies like KISSmetrics. I’ve never used their product. But, seriously. If a customer deletes his or her cookies, is it really a good idea to undelete them? The company now says that their privacy policy discloses what they do. Now there’s a lawsuit to boot.

Is it any wonder that practices such as these, or Facebook’s privacy missteps or Apple and Google’s geo-tracking issues cause consumers heartburn?

I’ve suggested for some time that businesses need to care for their customers’ privacy as if it were their own. As I’ve said,

“Customer relationships are built on trust. All relationships are. “

I’m a marketer. I make no bones about it. And I’m proud of what I do. I also respect the need of all marketers to use tags and tracking codes to figure out how best to help customers. I frequently help clients figure out how to use all sorts of technology to better understand their customers’ behaviors. But, we all need to continually ask ourselves if what we’re doing is truly in the best interest of our customers. And, if what you’re doing ever feels the slightest bit creepy or over the line, it isn’t worth doing at all. You may risk a minor point of conversion in the short-term, but your customers will appreciate you much more in the long-term.

Are you getting enough value out of your small business website? Want to make sure your business makes the most of the local, mobile, social web? thinks helps you understand how to grow your business via the web, every day. Get more than just news. Get understanding. Add thinks to your feed reader today.

Or subscribe via email.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.

Tim Peter & Associates helps companies from startups to the Fortune 500 use the web to reach more customers, more effectively every day. Take a look and see how we can help you.

Technorati Tags:
2011 predictions, analytics, android, behavioral targeting, customer satisfaction, customer service, E-commerce, e-commerce, e-commerce satisfaction, E-commerce strategy, e-marketing, email marketing, F-commerce, Facebook, facebook, Google, google, Google antitrust, Google Buzz privacy, internet business, internet marketing, iphone, marketing, marketing best practices, marketing predictions, measurement, metrics, online marketing, privacy, social, social media, social strategy, strategy

Tagged as: apple, beacon, behavioral targeting, facebook beacon, facebook marketing, geotargeting, google antitrust, iphone, privacy

{ 1 comment }