Protecting client data in digital marketing campaigns: Best practices

From demographic insights to transaction history, the components of client data offer a roadmap for creating impactful strategies that meet customer needs. But with great data comes great responsibility. In other words, securing this information is just as vital as using it.

Read on to explore what client data entails, its importance, and best practices to protect it effectively.

What is client data in digital marketing campaigns?

Client data in digital marketing campaigns is information about potential and existing customers that can inform and improve marketing strategies. It helps teams create more personalized campaigns and improve customer engagement.

Key components of client data in digital marketing include the following:

Demographic data	Information about clients’ age, gender, location, income level, and education.
Behavioral data	Insights into how clients interact with a brand, including website visits, content consumption, social media engagement, and purchasing behavior.
Psychographic data	Information about clients’ interests, values, lifestyles, and attitudes.
Transactional data	Records of past purchases, including what was bought, when, and for how much.
Feedback and survey data	Insights gathered from customer feedback, reviews, and surveys.
Contact information	Basic details such as email addresses, phone numbers, and social media profiles.
Segmentation data	Information that allows marketers to group clients based on shared characteristics or behaviors.

This information helps marketing teams create a more impactful strategy that meets customer needs and improves ROI.

Why is it important to protect client data?

Teams should securely store and manage client information because their business depends on this data. Equifax’s story is a good example of what can happen when data protection fails.

In 2017, one of the largest credit reporting agencies in the world experienced a massive data breach that exposed the personal information of about 147 million people. The reason was a failure to patch a known vulnerability in their software. Overnight, Equifax lost the trust of millions of consumers and faced severe financial repercussions.

Equifax Reports Data Breach Possibly Affecting 143 Million U.S. Consumers – WSJ

So, if teams ignore security measures and protocols, they risk losing sensitive data, customer loyalty, financial stability, and reputation.

What are the five best practices for protecting client data?

Do the following and never worry about data breaches, customer trust, or regulatory fines:

1. 1. Use virtual data rooms

Implement the software for client information storage and file-sharing. The solution provides secure access controls, encryption, and detailed user activity tracking. This way, client data is only accessible to authorized personnel, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.

👁️‍🗨️What is a data room? Explore the software, its features, and benefits to see how it can protect your documents and workflows.

When selecting a platform for storing and sharing client information, consider Intralinks data room.

As Ronald Hernandez, founder of dataroom-providers.org, puts it, “Using a virtual data room like Intralinks ensures not only secure data management but also better collaboration among team members.”

2. 2. Ensure third-party vendors and partners also protect your data

The information security relies on the tools you use. If you have a SaaS that processes some of your data but lacks strong security measures, your documents may be at risk.

Before integrating any new platform into your marketing stack, assess its security standards. Verify that any storage you use complies with SOC 2 or ISO 27001. Also, review their security standards. If they don’t adhere to SOC 2 or ISO 27001, choose a more secure alternative.

3. 3. Avoid data silos

When documents are in separate locations, they often end up in unauthorized or unsecured applications. This fragmentation can lead to confusion about where certain information resides, increasing the risk of breaches without your knowledge.

By eliminating silos, you can establish a reliable customer data management strategy. This strategy will outline where and how data is managed and reduce the likelihood of storing information across multiple tools and losing oversight of your data handling practices.

👁️‍🗨️What are Data Silos and What Problems Do They Cause?|Definition from TechTarget

4. 4. Restrict data access

Not everyone on your marketing team requires access to all the information you collect. Each access point, where someone logs into a data analytics tool, represents a potential weakness.

For instance, if you have 25 user accounts for your website analytics tool, that creates 25 vulnerabilities. If just one of those accounts uses a weak password, it opens the door for a brute-force attack on your entire system.

Therefore, limit access to data only to those who truly need it. Doing so reduces the number of vulnerabilities in your system and makes it easier to manage security.

5. 5. Train employees

Effective data protection relies on company-wide commitment. Therefore, you should educate team members about cybersecurity threats. Pay special attention to phishing schemes that deceive employees into sharing their credentials.

Additionally, consider appointing someone to oversee data privacy, such as a Data Protection Officer. This way, you can ensure compliance and promote a security culture within the organization.

Data Breach Causes – Marchel & Associates Risk Consulting

Final thoughts

Incidents like the Equifax data breach remind us that neglecting data security can have serious consequences. So, if your team cares about client data protection, you can build customer trust and strengthen your business faster. Use our best practices, consider implementing virtual data rooms, and make data security a core part of your marketing strategy.