Building trust is essential to making sales. No one wants to hand money to a company they do not trust. All successful marketing campaigns make some effort, direct or indirect, to instil trust in the audience. Professional qualifications, awards, customer testimonials and comprehensive returns policies are all used in marketing to build trust in a brand.
People want to know the product or service they are buying is what they expect. They want some evidence that it is what it says on the tin, that it will function properly and meet their needs. But today, they also want more. In addition to being able to trust that the product or service supplied is up to their expectations, they also want to trust that the company can be trusted with their payment and personal information.
We don’t pay with cash as much as we used to do. Today, we use credit cards and we make purchases online. Businesses wind up with more than our money. They get our personal details and our payment card information too. And people are demanding to know that the companies they use will treat that sensitive information very carefully and protect it. That’s why we now have the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It’s not only the law, it’s also a potential marketing tool.
With GDPR data destruction became all the more important. People want transparency from government and from businesses. It builds trust, which is an important factor in motivating sales. In terms of marketing, it isn’t enough to simply be GDPR compliant. It’s vital to communicate clearly to your target market that their data is safe because your company is GDPR compliant.
The more detail you provide about how your company complies with GDPR requirements, the more powerful the message is. Simply telling people you comply with the law is not that impressive. But telling them how you comply with the law and how this law fits in with your company’s ethos of customer service is far more compelling.
When you ask people for their personal information – either online or in person – remember to explain how the information will be stored and used, and more importantly, how it will be disposed of safely. Data stored on hard drives and printed on paper can be shredded to ensure it is destroyed beyond all recognition.
Of course, you want to pick a company you can trust to shred your paper and hard drives. Additionally, knowing that you take your GDPR responsibilities seriously and deal with a trustworthy shredding company will reassure your customers that they can indeed trust you with their personal data and payment information.
Cyclone Shredding is a government of Ireland approved supplier, with quality and environment certifications from the National Standards Authority of Ireland. We offer a guarantee to completely destroy the items, and we provide clients with a Certificate of Destruction, for both hard drive destruction and shredding services. Services are offered on-site and offsite, with options for once-off bulk shredding and scheduled, regular shredding services, on a number of locations across the country. Quotes can be provided online or, if you prefer, Cyclone will reach out to you to help you decide which service is appropriate and to answer all your questions about GDPR compliance.
