Hi,
I received the latest e-mail newsletter last week, asking me to sign a petition to help people with autism. Here's the link:
After I completed my details, I scrolled down to the bottom but was confronted by lots of boxes that I had to read very carefully to make sure I filled them in correctly. Here's a screenshot:
Paraphrased, this is:
- If you don't want post tick this box.
- If you do want e-mail tick this box.
- If you do want SMS tick this box.
- If you don't want telephone calls tick this box.
This is one of those standard marketing methods which try and confuse people into signing up for marketing communications through not knowing what boxes should be ticked or not ticked, resulting in the customer accidentally signing up to get contacted by some method, when they didn't want that. It's great for the company receiving the data, because they're getting explicit consent to send the customer lots of marketing stuff, but distressing for the customer because they start to get marketing communications when they didn't want them, and now they have to work out how to stop it all, and hope that their details weren't passed on to other parties.
I would suggest that, in the context that you are sending this request out to people who specifically have difficulties with language and communication, this is inappropriate.
Ironically, when I came to register for this forum to inform you of this, I was presented with the exact same on the forum Register page:
Thought for the people you support should come before your organisation's marketing agenda.
All communications should be opt-in, not half opt-in and half opt-out.
I suggest the following rewording across your communications:
- Please tick this box if you want to receive information by post.
- Please tick this box if you want to receive information by email.
- Please tick this box if you want to receive information by text message on your mobile.
- Please tick this box if you want to receive information by telephone call.
Or if you want to simplify, where the bullet represents an empty box:
Please tick the box if you want to receive further information by:
- post
- text message on your mobile
- telephone call
(I have changed "SMS" for "text message", because this is clearer)
You want to make it as easy as possible for people with autism to sign the petition and register for the forum. That's in your interest, and in the interest of the people you support. If you make it difficult and confusing, people either won't complete the process or will get upset at having to process the confusing language and will start to get unwanted communications, which they then need to somehow stop.
Hope this helps.
