How to be more sophisticated in your privacy messaging

Privacy and data security are among the top challenges facing comms pros in the months ahead.

Privacy ranks as one of the main factors in corporate reputation, as shown in research from Weber Shandwick:

So, how can communicators become better messengers on privacy and help their colleagues clearly communicate on this crucial issue?

Andrew Bates, enterprise data strategy director for AARP, shared some tips in his presentation for Ragan’s Social Media Virtual Conference on Sept. 10.

One of the most important lessons for external communicators—and anyone who touches customer data—is that the internet is changing, Bates argued. Organizations that scramble to respond to each new development in a piecemeal fashion will always be trying to catch up. Whether facing Google’s plans to stop using cookies, Apple’s new privacy rules for apps on its mobile phones or other data-sensitive changes on the horizon, Bates says the approach should be proactive.

Getting the language right

One of the big ways comms pros can help their organizations is to set some definitions for terms used to describe the changes occurring with the internet and customer data.