After the news of Sephora getting hit with a $1.2M fine from the Attorney General for violation of California’s consumer privacy laws, businesses and consumers alike are becoming more conscious of consumer data privacy laws. In the United States, there is a lack of federal consumer privacy laws which has left consumers’ information at the mercy of the WWW (wild, wild, West) – the internet. Texas is not yet implementing new consumer privacy laws meaning the new consumer data privacy laws will not directly affect your privacy policy.
What is it that you should consider as a Texas business owner? As with any new law, it started as a Bill that was written with the intent of being the voice of the people. The new consumer data privacy laws that are coming online next year are a result of hearing consumers’ cries for companies to keep their private information, well, private.
Consumer Privacy Laws Are Changing Consumer’s Mindset
There likely have been several times you noticed an advertisement for a product you were searching for on Google. Or the creepiest, when you were simply talking about a product and open your phone and see an ad for it. Consumers are taking note of this and losing trust, becoming suspicious, and are less willing to hand over their information.
While you are likely not a multi-billion-dollar tech corporation stockpiling data to sell to your multi-national corporation friends, consumers are still paranoid and could be less willing to fill out your contact forms or join your mailing list.
Trust should be at the forefront of your company’s online presence if your business survives on online lead generation, retargeting, or email marketing. Texas business owners can use the provisions stated in these new data privacy protection laws and begin to implement protections for their consumers to build online trust.
So, while many will say, ‘there may not be a direct effect from these new privacy laws’, we are going to see a connection between the level of trust in consumers and the number of leads you will receive on your site.
As tracking has become more apparent, consumers are beginning to become more protective of their personal information and mindful of the information they share with any given business website. Building consumers’ trust level will assist in allowing the consumer to feel comfortable in sharing their personal information with your business.
Keeping your company ahead of the consumer privacy laws
One solution to position your company as a brand that consumers can trust is to update your privacy policy. If you are still using the vague default privacy policy that came with your web template, take this as an opportunity to begin building trust on your website.
Learn from the new laws that are going into effect starting in 2023 and use those laws as a baseline for your new privacy policy. Begin to look at and implement some of the rules regarding consumer privacy. Each state’s legal terms within the new privacy laws slightly vary, but they have serval provisions in common. Such as:
· The users’ right to access and delete personal information; and
· The users’ right to opt out of the sale of their personal information.
Under the new privacy laws, these websites are required to honor the consumers’ request to opt-out of having their data shared. These new data privacy laws state that websites must let the consumer know the following:
· What personal data is being collected by the website,
· If their data is being shared; and
· To whom their data is being shared with.
Giving consumers control of their personal information provides the consumer with a sense of control and builds trust in that business.
Getting ahead with the new privacy laws (Building Trust With Potential Leads)
All of your marketing efforts converge to build an overall level of trust in your prospects that will lead them to the steps to becoming your customer. This has been the focus of our efforts at Brand Ranch Media from the beginning. If you’re like us, you are too busy providing quality service to your clients to ever consider selling their information.
We want to help you grow by cultivating trust in your customer throughout your entire marketing system from start to finish. If you are not sure if your privacy policy needs a refresh, reach out to us.
Brand Ranch Media has digital marketing consultants to assist with understanding the changes in consumer privacy laws. Our dedicated team strives to serve our clients with expert knowledge, thorough guidance and explanation, and the necessary tools to keep your website’s privacy policy up to date. Give us a call at 713-309-6380 or send us a message today to open a discussion.