Avoiding The Toxicity of
Social Media Marketing
In recent years, social media has been widely 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.
By now, we all know that the current state of the social media system has broken completely.
Although most users quietly ignore the details of privacy policies, this sudden distrust has 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 Trust, Higher 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. However, 63 percent decided not to buy from a company they do not believe. Therefore, as a marketer, you cannot afford to lose trust in the minds of the patrons.
Don’t Give Away Your Customer’s Personal Details
No customer would like to share personal information even for a significant gain.
Yes, you heard it right!
A bulk of the marketers assume that users are ready to give out their data to receive a better deal, particularly e-commerce and technology users who draw seasonal discounts.
- 91% of users do not like if any firm collects their data unknowingly as an exchange for the offer they provide.
- 71% of buyers agree that they do not want any online or physical store to monitor their online activity, in exchange for letting them use the store’s internet, or Wi-Fi, 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.
Audit Social Media Practices
Auditing your social media marketing plans is crucial to elevate your brand value. B2B marketing solution provider like Thomson Data has come up with a few essential pointers for businesses to analyze and review their social media practices, which are beneficial for their campaigns to drive the high number of leads and sales.
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. Moreover, most of the people do not go through the policies, 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. However, sadly, most privacy reports are not meeting these demands today. Hence, if you do not want to be one among them, start revising your privacy policy now.
Even So, Social Media is A Better Place to Focus on
While we continue to see a crumbling of trust in various social networking channels. In today’s technological advancements of both mistrust and misinformation, the glass is slightly more than half-full. It is more important than ever for brands to make the best out of social media marketing. By now, we are likely in for more crises and different government regulations such as GDPR will kill the long-built brand credit in no time.
In the meantime, Good luck with your campaigns!
