TL;DR

• Zero-party data beats rented data - prospects tell you what they want, how often, and on which channel.
• Implement three assets fast - a quiz or survey, a preference center, and a double opt-in flow.
• Store consent with versioning - keep timestamp, channel, and policy version for every contact.
• Automate activation - segment with Smart Lists and trigger If-Else branches for offers, cadence, and channel.
• Respect choices by design - use DND per channel, compliant SMS language, and easy opt-out links.

Build consent-driven funnels that personalize without risking compliance

Third-party tracking is fading. The smartest marketers are moving to zero-party data - information customers intentionally share - and using it to drive respectful personalization. This SOP shows exactly how to collect, store, and activate zero-party data inside GoHighLevel with surveys, preference centers, and consent-aware workflows.

What is zero-party data vs first-party data

• Zero-party data - customers voluntarily provide it through forms, quizzes, surveys, preference centers, chat. Examples - product interests, budget range, timeline, preferred channel, content topics.
• First-party data - behavioral data you observe from owned properties. Examples - pages viewed, emails clicked, purchases.
• Use both - zero-party to ask, first-party to validate and enrich. GoHighLevel can hold both as custom fields, tags, events, and notes.

The privacy-first architecture you will build

1. Capture - GHL Forms, Surveys, and Chat collect preferences with explicit consent boxes set to unchecked by default.
2. Store - custom fields for interests and consent, plus tags for status, plus notes for context when needed.
3. Activate - Smart Lists and Workflows personalize messages, frequency, and offers.
4. Control - a Preference Center page updates fields and sets DND per channel automatically.
5. Audit - consent version + timestamp + source on each record. Export monthly.

SOP - implement zero-party data in GoHighLevel

Step 1 - define what to ask and why

Create a short data blueprint so you never collect more than you use.

• Business goals - win back lapsed buyers, increase AOV, shorten time to booking.
• Questions to ask - primary goal, category interest, budget band, timeline, location radius, preferred channel, frequency, content topics.
• Activation plan - for every field, write the trigger that uses it. If no trigger exists, do not ask that question.

Step 2 - create custom fields in GHL

Settings - Custom Fields - New. Suggested fields:

• interest_primary - single select
• interest_secondary - multi select
• budget_band - single select
• timeline - single select
• content_topics - multi select
• channel_pref - single select (email - sms - voice - whatsapp)
• cadence_pref - single select (weekly - biweekly - monthly - promotions only)
• location_radius_km - number
• consent_email - boolean
• consent_sms - boolean
• consent_voice - boolean
• consent_version - text
• consent_timestamp - datetime
• consent_source - text (form name - survey - chat - checkout)

Step 3 - build a quiz or survey that earns answers

Sites - Surveys.

• 5 to 7 questions max - progress bar on.
• Use conditional logic - only show budget if they selected a paid service.
• Add explicit consent checkboxes per channel - unchecked by default.
• Add microcopy - “Sharing preferences helps us only send what you actually want.”
• Map each question to a custom field.
• On submit - redirect to a thank you page with next action - book - browse - claim offer.

Copy to steal

• Headline - “Get tailored recommendations in 60 seconds”
• Consent line - “Yes, send updates on this topic by email. You can unsubscribe any time.”
• SMS consent line - “By entering your number you agree to receive text messages related to your request. Reply STOP to opt out.”

Step 4 - launch a preference center

Create a page called “Email and SMS Preferences”.

• Use a form that shows current values - prefill from contact where possible.
• Controls - topic checkboxes, channel toggles, cadence select, unsubscribe from all.
• Hidden fields - consent_version, consent_timestamp, consent_source set to “preference-center”.
• Link to it in footers and every email.

Step 5 - wire compliance into workflows

Automations - Workflows.

A) Double opt-in for email

• Trigger - Form Submitted or Survey Submitted where consent_email is true.
• If double_optin is false - send confirmation email.
• On link click - set tag email_opted_in, set double_optin true, set consent_timestamp now.
• If no click after 7 days - reminder - then set to dormant segment.

B) SMS compliant opt-in

• Trigger - keyword or form with consent_sms true.
• Immediate SMS - confirmation, brand name, help - stop language.
• If no interaction - limit to 4 messages per month maximum unless transactional.
• If STOP received - use Update Contact action to set DND - SMS true and remove from all SMS Smart Lists.

C) Preference center updates

• Trigger - Form Submitted equals Preference Center.
• Branches update DND per channel based on toggles.
• Update consent_version to current, refresh consent_timestamp.

D) Frequency controller

• Use cadence_pref in an If-Else to schedule emails - add delay actions - weekly - biweekly - monthly.

Step 6 - segment with Smart Lists

Create Smart Lists for:

• Interests - interest_primary equals "Botox" - content_topics contains "case studies".
• Lifecycle - Last Activity > 30 days and cadence_pref equals monthly.
• Channel - consent_email true and DND Email false.
• VIP - purchases_total >= 3 or LTV >= 500.

Step 7 - personalize offers and content

Use If-Else steps to branch messages.

• If budget_band equals Premium - show bundle - free shipping - white glove perk.
• If timeline equals “this month” - move to fast track nurture with stronger CTAs.
• If channel_pref equals SMS - send short bursty copy with calendar link.
• If content_topics contains “how-to” - send tutorial sequence not product hype.

Step 8 - log consent for audit

Store three items on every record.

• consent_version - match your current privacy policy version string.
• consent_timestamp - ISO datetime.
• consent_source - capture point.
  Create a monthly task to export contacts with these fields and archive securely.

Step 9 - reporting and QA

Dashboards - Custom report ideas:

• Opt-in conversion rate by source - survey vs chat vs checkout.
• Preference adoption - percent with at least one topic selected.
• Channel shift - email to sms migration.
• Churn guard - complaints and spam rates after preference changes.
  QA checklist before go live:
• All consent boxes unchecked by default.
• Unsubscribe works on first click.
• STOP - HELP - START handled by SMS workflows.
• DND flips correctly per channel.
• Preference center edits update lists within 5 minutes.

Use cases

Local med spa

• Quiz collects area of interest - budget band - timeline.
• If Botox - show consultation slots within 7 days - SMS reminders - before and after gallery.
• Result - fewer no-shows and higher show rate because cadence respects preferences.

Ecommerce boutique

• Style quiz tags silhouette and color preference.
• Weekly digest becomes a personalized 4-tile email using Smart List subsets.
• Result - higher clickthrough and AOV from bundles aligned to preferred silhouette.

B2B services

• Preference center offers topics - pricing updates - case studies - webinars - partner news.
• SDR outreach pauses automatically when cadence set to “promotions only”.
• Result - lower unsubscribe, better reply quality.

Templates

Consent block - email
“By subscribing you agree to receive emails about [topic]. Unsubscribe any time from the link in our emails or update your preferences here.”

Consent block - SMS
“By submitting you agree to receive recurring automated texts from [Brand] about your request. Msg and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out - HELP for help.”

Double opt-in email subject lines

• “Confirm your subscription so we only send what you asked for”
• “One click to set your preferences”

Preference center microcopy

• “Pick the topics you care about - set how often - choose email or text.”

Common mistakes to avoid

• Asking too many questions with no activation plan.
• Using one global unsubscribe when a channel level DND is more respectful.
• Hiding the preference center link.
• Skipping double opt-in in stricter jurisdictions.
• Not versioning consent - you need a paper trail.

Rollout checklist

• Custom fields created and mapped.
• Quiz or survey embedded on site.
• Preference center page live and linked in footer.
• Double opt-in workflow tested.
• SMS compliance copy verified.
• Smart Lists built for top 3 interests.
• Reporting widgets added to dashboard.
• Monthly consent export task scheduled.

Legal note

This guide is for operational best practices - not legal advice. Requirements vary by region - CASL in Canada - GDPR in the EU - TCPA in the US. Consult your counsel before launch.

FAQ

What is the minimum data to start

• One interest field - one channel preference - one cadence preference - plus email or phone and consent.

Should double opt-in be global or per source

• Per email list is cleaner - enable wherever acquisition is cold or compliance is strict.

How do I respect channel preferences in GHL

• Use Update Contact to toggle DND Email - DND SMS - and branch workflows off channel_pref.

Can zero-party data live inside tags only

• Use custom fields for stable preferences and tags for campaign states. Fields are easier for Smart Lists and reporting.

How often should I refresh preferences

• Ask every 6 to 12 months or after a major product shift. Use an automated “refresh your picks” campaign.

What if a user unsubscribes from email but wants SMS

• Keep email DND true - continue SMS if consent_sms is true and STOP was not sent.