The Importance of Data Privacy for Digital Marketers

Digital marketers spend most of their time in the development, implementation and management of marketing campaigns. They help develop and enhance brand awareness in the digital space by driving website traffic, acquiring leads and building a strong customer base. They are well-versed in analytics, e-mail marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO).

With such a huge role in the digital space, there are a number of concerns digital marketers must consider. Providing a customized, tailored experience is key, but it’s more important to provide peace of mind for customers who want to believe their data is protected. Data privacy is one of the primary benchmarks of a digital marketer’s success. Here’s why:

• Trust

Customers continue to frequent brands, engage with their social media, and go to their websites when they know they don’t have to worry about their data being compromised. This builds trust. Using opt-ins and other transparent strategies to inform them how their data is being collected and used makes a difference.

• Reputation

Once a brand gains consumer trust, they can build on that trust and develop a good reputation with them. This propels them to spread the work so that others can start building trust too. A brand’s reputation affects how the brand is perceived. Those that have strong reputations can attract and convert more leads.

• Loyalty

Strong reputations build loyalty. Loyal customers help drive the bottom line and assist in growing an organic, healthy following.

Should brands try using VPN such as surfshark.com/vpn-free-trial to protect their sensitive data? Absolutely. Digital marketing has become more sophisticated. As regulatory measures continue to move into this space, scrutiny becomes harder to manage. Consumer data is prime for misuse and abuse, and regulatory agencies continue to implement legislative efforts to combat these misdeeds. How can digital marketers navigate these issues, and why is it becoming a big deal?

Realizing how to deal with privacy issues without sacrificing personalization is on the mind of every digital marketer. In fact, with research indicating 78% of internet users saying personally relevant content from brands increases their purchase intent, making sure privacy is first and foremost is more crucial than ever.

With the number of data privacy scandals on Facebook , and the implementation of the GDPR, consumers are more aware of how their information is being compromised. This presents a huge challenge for data marketers, who must provide trustworthy experiences each time the brand they represent interacts with consumers. There are a few things they can do:

Inventory

It’s important to take inventory of what’s already there prior to making any new policies. How is the data being used? Where is it being stored? How is it being stored, and where is it going? Once the answers to these questions are solidified, it will be easier to take note and analyze current practices to see where changes need to be made. One of the key components that may be a factor – disclosure.

Standards

Although the GDPR has really tough standards on how information is being used and whether the person has to give their consent in Europe, it does affect how things are being done in the United States. As time goes on, these rules will become model policies for many countries. Operating as if it were already so can be useful when communicating information to consumers. The more protection a digital marketer can offer, the better.

Regulations

While there is a lot of emphasis on the GDPR, there are a few regulations that will impact how digital marketing is done in the United States very soon. The California Privacy Act is slated to go into effect in 2020. Not knowing what this means for digital marketing in that area can be detrimental. Staying on top of everything coming down the pipeline as it relates to data privacy and how it should be handled is always one of the first orders of business.

Human Needs

Protecting data is a huge issues, but with data-based marketing, things seems to get lost when it comes to what marketing messages should look like. Who is the marketer speaking to? In this case, people matter first. Data-driven decisions are always a factor, but that data collection should be centered on consumer intent and brand purpose. There should be clear objectives on what data is collected, why it is being collected and what will be done with it. In many cases, digital marketers may find they don’t need as much data as they collect, creating algorithms that filter out the extra. Customers appreciate brands that recognize they don’t need as much data, adding additional layers of protection on the backend.

Responsibility

When representing a brand, the digital marketer may be seen as someone who doesn’t have a hand in privacy rules. That is far from the truth. The digital team should be sitting down with the IT team to ensure data being extracted is what they need and nothing more. Additionally, protocols should be in place for who accesses this data, who has access to it and whether they are aware of the ramifications of misuse. Internal team members must be aware of every factor that could compromise consumer data and the brand.

Restrictions

Data assets should only be available to those who really need them. Digital management platforms have the ability to create inheritance and group-based access control lists to see who is accessing and navigating the data.

Why your business should be using a VPN

It’s obvious data collection and management for digital marketers is in serious trouble. One of the main ways they can protect the data they collect is through a VPN. While it’s normal to hear individuals discuss why they use a VPN, you don’t hear it very often in business. The truth is, it can be even more effective in a business setting to protect consumer data.

Here are a few reasons why:

• Security

VPN services have elevated beyond the standard “hide my IP” scenario. They can have a positive effect on a brand’s data safety in more ways than one to achieve information security. There are a number of companies who don’t need the bells and whistles of remote access but having a secure data platform is still a priority. With so many businesses moving toward working in the cloud, it is uncommon for any business to not have any resources in the cloud. If there is a chance of having a remote worker, the need for a VPN significantly increases. This is beneficial for the company because it is cost-effective without needing a huge data center to handle things. A VPN service installed on user devices is all a company needs to create secure connections to their resources and keep business and consumer data safe.

• Remote Access

Truthfully, VPN software is nothing new in the IT space. Before remote working became popular, the IT team would put this software on the employees’ devices to access information in the office when they needed it. Now with the adoption of web and cloud services, companies don’t need a data center, but there is still a significant need to protect the data being remotely accessed. In these instances, the VPN provider selected should allow the IT person access to view their user logging data. This provides a secure record of who is accessing the data, where they are accessing it from, when and how they are using it. It’s the same as an in-house VPN setup, only for remote access.

• Global Independence

Even if a business is based in the United States, the internet has made it convenient for customers to come from anywhere in the world. Additionally, if there are employees in different parts of the world that block internet access, there needs to be a way for them to communicate and share resources. A VPN handles those issues, in addition to using identity management system protocols tailored to the business needs.

• Affordability

Even large companies needs to watch the way they spend money, ensuring their digital marketing efforts and data security methods are effective. A VPN removes the need to invest large tech budgets into systems that require expensive hardware to maintain. Instead, having a VPN service account for each user and excellent web hosting can save millions.

Digital marketers are in a challenging position moving forward, as consistent changes in privacy legislation will have an operational impact on what happens next. Building these types of protections into the overall strategic marketing plan can help management, IT and the marketing team get on the same page to continue delivering quality, personalized digital content that resounds with their audiences.

Brands cannot afford to lose audience engagement or connections. Taking the steps to ensure consumers are aware of how they protect their best interests and data can make the difference between a brand that continues to have strong brand loyalty, and a brand that falls apart due to data breaches and noncompliance. By creating promotions that are personal while giving consumers control over when they share and engage with the brand is key, reducing the added pressure of privacy concerns while reaping the benefits of success.