SUPERCHARGE YOUR BUSINESS PRIVACY POLICY PAGE GUIDE

 

  PRIVACY POLICY PAGE GUIDELINE 

Who we are

In this section you should note your site URL, as well as the name of the company, organization, or individual behind it, and some accurate contact information.

The amount of information you may be required to show will vary depending on your local or national business regulations. You may, for example, be required to display a physical address, a registered address, or your company registration number.

What personal data we collect and why we collect it

In this section you should note what personal data you collect from users and site visitors. This may include personal data, such as name, email address, personal account preferences; transactional data, such as purchase information; and technical data, such as information about cookies.

You should also note any collection and retention of sensitive personal data, such as data concerning health.

In addition to listing what personal data you collect, you need to note why you collect it. These explanations must note either the legal basis for your data collection and retention or the active consent the user has given.

Personal data is not just created by a user’s interactions with your site. Personal data is also generated from technical processes such as contact forms, comments, cookies, analytics, and third party embeds.

By default WordPress does not collect any personal data about visitors, and only collects the data shown on the User Profile screen from registered users. However some of your plugins may collect personal data. You should add the relevant information below.

Comments

In this subsection you should note what information is captured through comments. We have noted the data which WordPress collects by default.

Media

In this subsection you should note what information may be disclosed by users who can upload media files. All uploaded files are usually publicly accessible.

Contact forms

By default, WordPress does not include a contact form. If you use a contact form plugin, use this subsection to note what personal data is captured when someone submits a contact form, and how long you keep it. For example, you may note that you keep contact form submissions for a certain period for customer service purposes, but you do not use the information submitted through them for marketing purposes.

Cookies

In this subsection you should list the cookies your web site uses, including those set by your plugins, social media, and analytics. We have provided the cookies which WordPress installs by default.

Analytics

In this subsection you should note what analytics package you use, how users can opt out of analytics tracking, and a link to your analytics provider’s privacy policy, if any.

By default WordPress does not collect any analytics data. However, many web hosting accounts collect some anonymous analytics data. You may also have installed a WordPress plugin that provides analytics services. In that case, add information from that plugin here.

Who we share your data with

In this section you should name and list all third party providers with whom you share site data, including partners, cloud-based services, payment processors, and third party service providers, and note what data you share with them and why. Link to their own privacy policies if possible.

By default WordPress does not share any personal data with anyone.

How long we retain your data

In this section you should explain how long you retain personal data collected or processed by the web site. While it is your responsibility to come up with the schedule of how long you keep each dataset for and why you keep it, that information does need to be listed here. For example, you may want to say that you keep contact form entries for six months, analytics records for a year, and customer purchase records for ten years.

What rights you have over your data

In this section you should explain what rights your users have over their data and how they can invoke those rights.

Where your data is sent

In this section you should list all transfers of your site data outside the European Union and describe the means by which that data is safeguarded to European data protection standards. This could include your web hosting, cloud storage, or other third party services.

European data protection law requires data about European residents which is transferred outside the European Union to be safeguarded to the same standards as if the data was in Europe. So in addition to listing where data goes, you should describe how you ensure that these standards are met either by yourself or by your third party providers, whether that is through an agreement such as Privacy Shield, model clauses in your contracts, or binding corporate rules.

Contact information

In this section you should provide a contact method for privacy-specific concerns. If you are required to have a Data Protection Officer, list their name and full contact details here as well.

Additional information

If you use your site for commercial purposes and you engage in more complex collection or processing of personal data, you should note the following information in your privacy policy in addition to the information we have already discussed.

How we protect your data

In this section you should explain what measures you have taken to protect your users’ data. This could include technical measures such as encryption; security measures such as two factor authentication; and measures such as staff training in data protection. If you have carried out a Privacy Impact Assessment, you can mention it here too.

What data breach procedures we have in place

In this section you should explain what procedures you have in place to deal with data breaches, either potential or real, such as internal reporting systems, contact mechanisms, or bug bounties.

What third parties we receive data from

If your web site receives data about users from third parties, including advertisers, this information must be included within the section of your privacy policy dealing with third party data.

What automated decision making and/or profiling we do with user data

If your web site provides a service which includes automated decision making - for example, allowing customers to apply for credit, or aggregating their data into an advertising profile - you must note that this is taking place, and include information about how that information is used, what decisions are made with that aggregated data, and what rights users have over decisions made without human intervention.

Industry regulatory disclosure requirements

If you are a member of a regulated industry, or if you are subject to additional privacy laws, you may be required to disclose that information here.

Blogging for Fun and Profit: How to Build your Business Blogging Skills

 

So, your business has decided to take the leap into the blogosphere. Great! There’s no shortage of reasons why blogging can benefit your business. However, the world of business blogging may still feel like uncharted territory. What should your blog discuss? How many posts should get published, and how often? Just who the heck is going to read this stuff, anyway? This blog about blogging (a meta-blog?) is intended to help you hit the ground running with tips on creating timely and fresh blogs that meet the needs and engage the minds of your readership.

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Lay the foundation

A great blog starts with a great plan, and the planning stage is where you first answer the big questions that will determine what you write about, who you write for, and why you’re writing in the first place. Before you fire up your typewriter, be sure to nail down answers to the following questions:

• Start with buyer personas—who is going to be interested in what your business has to say? What are their pain points, and how do your products or services address and resolve them? Targeting your content to a specific readership makes it more likely to be seen (and shared).
• Develop a list of keywords relevant to your buyer personas. What kinds of search terms will they use when they’re looking for solutions? Knowing your keywords and putting them into use can optimize your blog to be found, guide your writing process and keep your copy consistent.
• How often will you write? The fresher and more frequent your content, the more you’ll have to offer to your readership, and the more Google’s page rankings will look favorably on your website.
• Set measurable goals in both the short and the long term. Are you looking to grow your email list and cultivate new leads, or are you focused on making your brand’s voice trusted and authoritative in your field? Whatever your goals, ensure that you have reliable metrics for measuring your progress.

Pick your topics

Are you drawing a blank every time you sit down to write? It may be easy to simply write a product feature or fluff up a sales pitch, but it’s important to remember that the point of your blogs is to provide value to your audience, not to sell to them. Take a look at your buyer personas and their pain points or problems, and assemble them into categories. These categories and their relevant personas will focus your writing and guide your use of keywords to optimize the SEO boost that the post provides. From here, you can begin to address some general topics.

Another great source of blogging inspiration is your existing customer base. Think about the kinds of questions from customers that you answer on a regular basis. Many of these represent common pain points, and can easily turn into full blog posts. For every one customer who comes in or sends and email with a common question, just imagine how many there are tapping their query into Google in search of an answer!

For example, a furniture store might write a blog on the difference in durability between leather, vinyl, and fabric upholsteries, or the different types of mattresses and their levels of support. An informative post that answers common questions and gives your readers information that they can act on is going to rank higher on search engines and position your business as a source of information that readers can trust.

Content (not copy) is king

Getting the copy down is one thing, but your blog will be as dry as a bone without engaging content to supplement that copy. The content that your copy supports, more than anything, is what sets your blog apart from your competitors and drives the solution to your readership’s problem.

It’s best to make your own, but there are plenty of resources out there for those who don’t collect data or employ a design team.

• Statistic Visuals

Provide relevant and substantiated statistics in the form of graphs and infographics—these add credibility to your posts, and can provide shock value when used properly.

• Header and Sub-header Images

Use visuals to break up the text. The text of headers and sub-headers can often be incorporated into a relevant image that draws the reader’s attention and invites them to read further. A well-chosen graphic or photograph can serve to break up the monotony of plain text as well as add a visual frame to the information the audience receives.

• Screenshots/photos
  Finally, use screenshots or photos to demonstrate your solution in action. Remember that you’re here to provide value, not to sell.Getting to the end of a blog and feeling like you just read a really long ad means that you’re not going to come back for anything informative or authoritative. The more your readers can learn from your post, the more likely they are to return to your blog when they have another question that needs an answer.

What’s your Story?

Tell compelling stories (and write snappy titles). Narrative is a powerful tool, and we’ve known how to use it in sales and marketing for a long time. The same goes for your blogs. Framing the movement from conflict to resolution as a journey makes your audience more receptive to the information you have to share and puts it within a familiar and memorable framework.

Start with choosing a narrative voice. Anecdotes and stories about your business can use a first-person voice to draw readers in and demonstrate your unique way of overcoming challenges in ways that others can learn from and put into practice. A second-person voice (like the one used in this blog) allows readers to visualize themselves acting out your solutions as your offer them, while a third-person voice is suited to communicating stories about how your business has been part of another customer’s success.

Leverage your buyer personas and their challenges to tell stories that will engage your audience and show how your business fits into their lives. Your posts don’t have to read like a novel, but putting your info in action will help transform your blog from a lecture into a success story.

Sharing is Caring

You’ve written something you’re proud of, so be sure to put it out there! Share your new blog on your business’ other marketing channels, and put the work in to gain readers other than Googlers and regular visitors to your site. Leveraging your business’ social media following to widen your blog’s audience has the added benefit that a new post that a follower finds useful or interesting is always easy to share with their own network. The more readers that come to see your business as a trusted source of information, the better!

Your blogs can (and should) also link to one another. Where there’s an overlap in information or your blog posts address similar issues, have them link to each other! An engaged reader will always be ready to find out more, and demonstrating that you have more information to offer is never a bad thing.

Finish Strong

Finally, and importantly, bring things home with a with a call to action. Have you ever gotten to the end of an interesting article, how-to or blog post and been filled with the inspiration to immediately test what you’ve learned? While the point of your blog isn’t to sell, it’s important to give your readers something to engage with that allows them to take action and apply their new knowledge. Whether it’s more content, a link to a product or promotion or a contact form, your readers will have a way to act on their inspiration, and you will have a way to track engagement and turn readers into leads.

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Here’s hoping this blog has inspired you to start writing your own! By following these tips, you should be well on your way to inspiring your own readers with engaging stories, compelling content, and valuable information that will position your business as a reliable source of information. Write well, help others and have fun!