CRyder Design

Risks of Social Media

Last week, I posted a piece discussing Pinterest’s privacy policy. After diving head-first into a privacy policy and looking at a few things under a microscope it allowed me to better understand the concerns that some individuals have when it comes to social media privacy. After all, there are massive amounts of data being collected and stored each and every day by social media. Jonathan Meltzer explains, “Brands now capture data from more customer interactions than ever, from apps, websites, and connected devices, and in response to marketing programs like email, social, digital ads, and more.” No wonder people are concerned with their privacy, right?

The Email

Recently, I was given an assignment that reads as follows,

“You are an online marketer. You mainly rely on email marketing and social media. A new prospect reached out to hire you for her online consulting business. She uses her name for her branding. However, she is very much concerned about privacy issues in social media. She is overwhelmed with the idea of using her pictures or videos. Write an email to convince her that it is essential to effectively use social media as a marketing channel especially if someone has an online business. Suggest best practices for using social media safely.”

The email that I wrote is below:

Amelia,

I understand the reservations and concerns you have regarding privacy on social media. I want to assure you that you are not alone in your beliefs. Although, due to the personal nature of your brand it may be essential to use photos and videos that include you as a subject for social media marketing. Social media is where personalized brands can thrive and bring massive success to their owners. Due to your profession being largely based on human conversation, providing a customer audience a snapshot of who you have the potential to speak volumes about your skills.

While your concerns regarding social media privacy are valid, legal risks, defamation, copyright, and spam are all real issues –  simply becoming familiar with social media privacy policies may help to ease your nerves. Understanding what types of data are being collected from you, and how it is being used can help you decide what type of content you do and do not feel comfortable posting. Additionally, there are several laws in place in the United States to protect user privacy on platforms such as social media. Because of this, there are several restrictions that limit the type of data platforms are legally allowed to collect from their users.

Furthermore, the potential benefits that social media marketing has to offer to your business may also help you realize its significance. Social media is one of the most effective marketing platforms, for you especially due to your business is based online. Social media helps you to meet customers where they already are, on their social media feed. Things such as organic reach, electronic word of mouth, and paid advertising can help you grow your audience through social media alone. There are several examples of businesses growing a large following on social media, this article by Hello Social provides five great examples of brands using social media to help them grow.

Although you may still have some concerns about sharing pictures and videos of yourself on social media, I ask you to do a few things:

1. Consider how much the benefits outweigh the risk that you are taking

Because this is a new practice that you aren’t yet familiar with, it can understandably be scary. However, you can incorporate baby steps into your social media strategy to allow you to post effectively, while also doing it at a pace that makes you comfortable.

2. Do some research on some social media privacy policies and privacy laws

Take some time to learn a bit more about the privacy policies that are in place on the platforms that you intend to use. Doing so, it will allow you to understand where a starting point that you are comfortable with is. This will enable you to develop your social media strategy accordingly.

3. Read over the article that I’ve included in this email and any similar articles you may find

This will show you some real-life examples of how social media alone, can benefit a company. Also, you will have the option to look up these companies to see what their strategy is like and how they are doing today.

I truly do understand your reservations and empathize with your position. I advise you to take these three steps that I have outlined for you in this email and then reach out to me when you are comfortable doing so. If you would like me to send you additional resources or have any questions or additional concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Best,

Cheyanne

Moving Forward

How would you write this email? Empathizing with individuals who have reservations about privacy is so significant in the world of social media marketing. Use the prompt included in this post to write a response of your own!