In recent years, social media was heavily criticized continuously for its poor handling of personal data. After all, there are enough examples of how internet users worry about their privacy online, especially when they are active on Facebook and other public platforms. Pew Research Center studies showed that only 9% of social media users were very confident that the firms would protect their data. About half of users were “not too” or “not at all” sure that their data were in safe hands.
Image Source: PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Although most of the users quietly ignore the details of privacy policies, this sudden distrust among the users made them question the data collection practices by social media platforms and businesses. Hence, as a marketer, what should you do? You need to establish trust among your clients that can help your business grow in the long run.
Stronger the Trust, More Number of Followers
Trust matters a lot in social media marketing. The Edelman Trust Barometer report reveals a crucial fact about brand trust among U.S. buyers. It says, 80 percent of people chose to buy from the firm they trust, and 68 percent would advise such firms to friends and family. Though, 63 percent decided not to buy from a company they don’t believe. So, as a marketer, you can’t afford to lose trust in the minds of the patrons.
Don’t Give Away Your Customers Personal Details
No customer would like to share their data with the public for a significant gain. Yes, you heard it right! A bulk of the marketers assume that people are ready to give out their data to receive a better deal, particularly e-commerce and technology users who draw seasonal discounts. Take a look at this survey report to learn this harsh truth.
- 91% of users don’t like if any firm collects their data unknowingly as an exchange for the discount they provide.
- 71% of buyers agree that they don’t want any online or physical store to monitor their online activity, in exchange for letting them use the store’s internet, or Wi-Fi, for free.
- 55% were not okay with allowing the store they shop use information it has about them to improve the services they provide to the clients.
So, stop hurting your customer’s online behavior while promoting your brand on social media.
Timely Audit of Social Media Practices
Auditing your social media marketing plans is crucial to elevate your brand value. Try answering these questions to know where you might have gone wrong while executing your social media practices.
- What data does your firm collect?
- Is all the data needed?
- How long do you keep this data with you?
- Is your customer’s data a fair exchange for the discounts you offer?
- Are you selling this data to third parties?
- What does third party do with these data?
- What are the customs and policies of third party vendors?
Pay More Heed to Your Privacy Policy
What is the purpose of your privacy policy? Is it easy for your buyers to learn what data you collect and how you use them in your firm? For many companies, a privacy policy is a legal report that tells the type of data gathered as well as its usage in a long and complicated word. And, most of the people don’t go through this page as it is surprisingly ineffective at telling them about the data acquisition means.
The study by Lorrie Faith Cranor and Aleecia McDonald reveals a surprising truth about the privacy policy page.
Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which took effect on May 2018, enforces strict terms on privacy notices. It says every note must be in clear and readily available form, with a plain text. But sadly, most privacy reports are not meeting these demands today. Hence if you don’t want to be one among them, start revising your privacy policy now.
Even So, Social Media is A Better Place to Focus
Yes, if we earn the trust of the users, social media is a better place to focus! If we don’t, we are likely in for more crises and different government regulations such as GDPR will kill the long-built brand credit in no time.
