Data drives everything in our lives from the advertisements we watch to the music we listen to. It has become so intertwined in our daily life that we don’t think about it. However, January 28th marked International Data Privacy Day, and it might be worth investigating the last time you updated your website’s privacy and data collection policy.
There are currently twenty states with some form of data privacy law (Connecticut being one of them), and your website needs to comply with all rules and regulations. Violations can cost you not only in legal fees but also in potential fines that could set your business back and put your growth on hold.
Not sure if this applies to you? Well, if you’re using tools like Google Analytics or have a form on your contact page, your policy needs to be up to date. The challenge is how to do this. Large corporations like Disney and Pratt & Whitney have departments dedicated to compliance with state regulations and even they fail to do so at times.
Manually editing your policy on a regular basis is cumbersome. Even if you have the staff to make these updates, who is going to monitor the legal changes for each state? Fortunately, we’ve partnered with a company that can help. For an annual fee of less than $150 you can ensure your policy stays up-to-date regardless of legal changes in any state. They keep track of the law and simply send a code to add to the website when new laws take effect.
Not that your privacy policy is all set, what’s next?
If you’ve taken the time to ensure your privacy policy is up to date, be sure you go a step further and use the data you’re collecting.
- Use your analytics to help improve your website for better search engine optimization
- Make sure you monitor your contact forms and act on them. Respond to inquiries. Add them to your database. Sounds simple, but you’d be amazed how often this slips through the cracks
If you need to update the privacy policy on your website or want to better utilize the data you’re collecting don’t hesitate to contact us. We have a history of helping small to medium manufacturers in Connecticut and would welcome the opportunity to help you with any of your marketing or website-related needs.