One of the best ways to spread awareness about your brand, products, and services is through a dedicated mailing list of subscribers. What you may not realize is that the way you are collecting emails and information from your subscribers without having an easy to find privacy policy could get you in big legal trouble.
In case you haven't read the small print about privacy policies here is what you need to know before you start an email list.
1. Google/Amazon/Facebook Require It
What you don't want to do is get black balled from Amazon Affiliate links because you didn't abide by the guidelines. The same with Google Ads, Google Analytics, Facebook Ads and services like it. At bare minimum they require you put users on notice that by accessing the site you are collecting information or that a third party like Google is collecting information about what they are clicking and curating ads based on where they are visiting on your site. So as much as you appreciate knowing what posts are getting the most traffic its important you put your visitors on notice about how their activity is being monitored and used. Failing to do this could result in your affiliate link privileges being suspended or even facing a fine.
2. International Law Requires It
Almost everywhere in the world has deemed that an individual's right to privacy INCLUDES ONLINE PRIVACY and is a basic human right. By not giving subscribers or visitors to your site the option to continue or opt-out you could be violating their rights and face fines or hefty lawsuits ( ask Snapchat...they got sued by the FTC in May 2016 for privacy violations)
3. It's the right thing to do....consider Young Metro
When people are giving you their personal information (email, telephone, address, credit card for e-commerce) it is best to have a visible privacy policy to build trust with your audience ( we all know what happens when Young Metro doesn't trust you) so they know their information is in good hands and that there is a real person on the other side of the website/email in case something should go wrong.
Protect your brand and your customers by putting a easy to find and understand privacy policy on your site. Not only is it a good business practice it is the law.
This is an informational post and should not be taken as legal advice. Feel free to contact me to schedule a consultation on how you can protect your brand, your content, and your money without breaking the bank.