Q22 What is the best way to keep consumers informed about data privacy and security?

Consumers want privacy, yet they may not realize how much they are giving away when they share information. For Ethical Marketers it is not enough to have a little link at the bottom of your website that says “Privacy Policy” hoping your customers will find it and click on the link.

Companies, and their Ethical Marketers, are taking extra precautions by doing the following:

Using language about “Cookies” that pops up immediately on websites alerting consumers that they are being tracked in an effort to optimize and personalize their experience.

• • Educating consumers on what personal information is being collected and how it will be used and stored.
• • Using website language, which consumers understand, and asking them to the accept terms regarding the collection and storage of their information.
• • Updating consumers frequently on data privacy and being transparent with any new measures or changes to their data privacy and security policies.
• • Limiting the amount of personal information collected; just because you can collect information does not mean you should collect ALL of it.
• • Securing personal information with state-of-the-art encryption on your site.
• • Encouraging conversations and questions about data privacy and security with consumers. Of course, if you are encouraging conversations then as an Ethical Marketer you should understand and be well-versed.
• • Educating all employees in the company about consumer privacy; not just your team of Ethical Marketers, go beyond your marketing and PR departments.

What kind of safeguards do you have in place? How are you helping consumers to feel safe when they share information with you? Many of the practices you put in place may not be visible to your customers. Yet, the fact that you can take these precautions and let customers know how you are safeguarding their data makes a difference. Your business should be among the brands offering better experiences and also maintaining trust through their transparency.