The ultimate goal of any digital marketing professional is to keep audiences engaged through stellar content. Content comes in so many forms, and with the development of social media and other digital platforms, the amount of content floating around the internet is almost incomprehensible.
This means marketers and other communications professionals need to find unique and innovative ways to meet their audience’s needs and fine-tune their content accordingly.
However, when marketing firms use an omni-channel marketing approach, their audience can span across channels, making it challenging to create content that keeps them individually engaged. It’s also possible for your audience members to fall victim to dangerous online behavior, such as cybersecurity threats, spammy links, or online harassment, for example.
Below, we’ll explore some of the ways you can ensure your audience is engaged without compromising their privacy and online security.
How to Keep Your Audience Engaged and Safe
If you’re still reading, then you’re likely someone who works to deliver content to an audience in some way. You’ve probably heard all of the age-old adages that marketers will rely on to help them produce engaging and personalized content experiences.
However, customers’ demands are changing, especially with emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). More people are online than ever before, which means there’s more risk associated with providing personal information over the internet.
For example, suppose you create an interactive piece of content to garner the attention of your loyal customers. They may need to enter their email address or other personal information, which may open more opportunities for hackers to steal that information and exploit it.
So, how can you keep your customers engaged and safe at the same time on the internet?
1. Take Preventive Cybersecurity Measures
With increased connectivity and the widespread availability of data, marketers need to be employing the best cybersecurity practices when applying their marketing strategies. Marketers are aiming to take what they know about consumers and personalize their advertising experience.
With that in mind, marketers need to prioritize protecting their audience because marketing leverages a wide variety of technology platforms and is becoming increasingly data-driven. For example, you likely store customer data in some form of data management platform (DMP). That platform must be frequently updated and monitored to reduce the risk of a cybersecurity incident.
There’s no reason why marketers should compromise customer data to create engaging content. Some companies, like Oracle, have used autonomous data storage solutions that encrypt sensitive data, provide security updates, and automatically protect data from external risks.
2. Create Safe Online Brand Communities
Online communities are becoming more popular across industries. Take the power tool company DeWalt, for instance. They created an online community where loyal DeWalt customers could discuss various products. This led to DeWalt saving $6 million in research costs, product innovation, and reduced support costs.
It’s key that safety is at the forefront of your online brand community because the internet is essentially unregulated at its core. Set strong community guidelines that users need to abide by to access the group. Have users accept terms and conditions, so they agree to participate online, and with your content, appropriately. Be sure to safeguard your site with robust security measures and monitor activity often.
3. Avoid Using Spammy Phrases in Content
Not all customers online will be digitally literate, meaning some customers may be more vulnerable than others in your audience. Clicking on spammy links is something users want to avoid, so ensure your copy is free of any spammy phrases. You don’t want your marketing emails to end up in the junk folder because of poor copy.
Many phishing scams are carried out via email, and phishing scams are on the rise. Be sure to protect your customers by employing the best copywriting techniques. Avoid phrases such as “100% free,” “earn extra cash,” or “free consultation.”
For example, we’ve all seen the spammy personality quizzes on Facebook — CNN reported that Ukrainian hackers used these quizzes in multiple attempts to steal personally identifiable information.
4. Secure Your Social Media Accounts
We all know how critical a role social media plays in our everyday lives, and marketers are essentially the ones behind the scenes, creating the social posts and ads that we scroll through daily.
Every digital marketer should see social media as a bright opportunity to reach existing and potential customers. However, the last thing you want is for your account to be compromised.
It’s always suggested to use multi-factor authentication for all of your business’ social media accounts, as you want to make sure you or your social media management team has access to posting on those accounts.
If hackers or would-be cybercriminals gain access to your account, valuable consumer data becomes compromised. Multi-factor authentication, also known as two-factor authentication (2FA), is a widely used tool that can act as an extra layer of digital security.
It’s vital to keep these tips in mind if you’re an internet marketer looking to protect your customers and their data from external threats.
Engage Your Audience and Prioritize Their Safety Online
As a digital marketer, you must always prioritize user safety above all else. No customer wants to be spammed, phished, or their information stolen and used maliciously. If you’re putting forth digital content, you need to keep in mind that your audience may be at risk of experiencing dangerous online behavior.
Consider some of the points listed above so you can enhance user safety and still keep your audience members engaged.
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