The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, better known as GDPR, swung into full enforcement May 25, 2018. It was enacted to offer certain protections to EU citizens regarding their personal information. Though it was passed two years ago, SMBs and corporations without an international business model largely ignored it until the enforcement went into effect a month ago. You have likely noticed updated terms and conditions on many websites you visit. Understandably. It’s brought up a lot of questions for businesses and organizations everywhere. Here’s what we want you to know: What is GDPR? Through GDPR any citizen or resident of the European Union has increased control over their personal data. It does this by clarifying the rules and responsibilities for any company who collects or processes personal data of citizens or residents of the EU, regardless of where that company is located. The GDPR also empowers EU citizens with expanded rights about the collection and use of their data, with which companies are required to comply with. EU residents can even object to how their information is being used and can revoke their consent for the use of their information at any time. How does it affect your business? As an organization in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, this all may sound completely irrelevant to you at this point. However, the possibility remains that you might have web traffic coming from the EU and you may not even realize you’re collecting information on those users, via cookies and web tracking. Or, perhaps someone from the EU signs up to your email list. Remembering that the internet is a vast place and all things are possible, it’s important to ensure that your company is compliant with the GDPR. Failure to do so could result in trouble down the road, including fines. Changing the way people do business The European regulations are reshaping the way major companies approach user data. Global corporations are extending the new data paradigm to America and have already touted the benefits in Congressional Hearings. While GDPR has immediate implications for businesses worldwide, regulations like this tend to travel. The comprehensive law was implemented so smoothly that it is seen as the harbinger of a global shift towards increased privacy and respect for the sanctity of digital identities. Analysts anticipate similar regulations appearing in the US in coming years. Californians are expected to vote on a newly proposed data privacy law called the California Consumer Personal Information Disclosure and Sale Initiative. This new law would allow residents to request copies of data collected about them and affords them the right to know what third parties that data has been sold to and request that their information not be shared or sold. And the United States Supreme Court just passed a ruling requiring that police get a search warrant to review cell phone records that include data like a user's location. While this is not an imposition on businesses, it aligns with the global trend of increased privacy protections. Even for companies that are not subject to specific regulations yet, the tide has turned, and consumer and privacy advocates are gaining traction. People want to know their information is safe; otherwise, they are going to be less willing to part with it than just a couple of years ago. And businesses who rely on any kind of personal information – whether that’s site browsing habits, names or even email addresses – will do well to address and reassure those concerns head-on. Ignoring them will be considered one of the most egregious business faux pas of our times. For more information about the specifics of the GDPR, we recommend reading This Tech Republic article covering the details about compliance that you need to know. Is your business worried about the impact of GDPR? We can help take your worry away. Contact Multi IT on 011 435 0450 for more information.

The average web user’s attention span gets shorter every day. People don’t want to spend hours sifting through a website to find the information they need; they want it as soon as the page loads. To keep up with the times businesses have drastically changed how they develop their websites. Bite-sized content While there are several elements that make an effective website, the most successful ones offer ‘snackable’ content. These are bite-sized chunks of information that give visitors everything they need to decide whether a website is worth their time. Microsoft’s homepage, for instance, gets straight to the point, promoting each of their services with one line of text and links to more details. Besides accommodating short attention spans, concise content is easier to share on social media and increases brand awareness. The point is, if you’re working on your website, make sure you’re not overloading visitors with walls of text. You can expand on products and services on separate pages, but even those need to be broken up into digestible segments. Loading time How fast a page loads is a crucial part of a website’s user experience. If it takes over three seconds to load, users will click away and go to a more responsive site. This is why modern websites optimise their content for speed and responsiveness. High-resolution photos and videos slow down a website, especially if users are on mobile devices and networks. One way around this is by implementing mobile-friendly image formats that are quick and easy to load. Another popular solution among website producers is Google AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages). This solution creates a stripped-down, mobile-optimised version of websites so images and videos render quickly. Personalization Today’s internet users also want tailor-made experiences whenever they visit a site. They want the website to know what they’re looking for ahead of time so they don’t have to spend time digging for the information they need. Websites like Netflix, for example, use analytics to recommend movies and television shows a user might like based on their viewing history. While most businesses don’t have access to the same resources as Netflix, they can utilise Google Analytics to understand the people visiting their website and use the insights to customize the content accordingly. Some websites even ask what visitors are looking for to direct them to pages where the content is customized to their needs. If you want to increase customer engagement and page visits, make sure you’re doing all these things with your website. Web trends can also change at any moment, so stay tuned to our blog to know about the latest developments. Alternatively call Multi IT on 011 435 0450 for more.

As a small business owner, you’ve probably used social media to establish a connection with your customers and share stories that will shine a positive light on your brand. While social media is a great tool to foster your business name, if used incorrectly it could just shatter your online reputation. Here are some common mistakes you should avoid when implementing social media marketing in your business. Your online reputation will not take care of itself Assuming that your enterprise doesn’t need an online reputation management (ORM) strategy is the most common ORM mistake business owners should avoid and, probably the first one as well.Just because your business’s reviews were positive today, doesn't mean they will be tomorrow. Your online reputation can change in an instant. Think about it: The key to protecting your business from the harmful bad reviews is a good ORM strategy. In short – this is a process that could make or break your reputation, and you should be extra careful. The more work you put in ORM, the more control you have over what appears in search engines for your products or services. Expressing your personal opinion You’re making a big mistake if you let your emotions get in the way when posting content on your business’s social media profiles. Discussing religion, politics, or other controversial issues may turn off people who matter to your business. Unless they’re relevant to the nature of your business, avoid mentioning sensitive topics. Instead, try to keep a neutral tone, since the goal of your social media efforts is to appeal to everyone. Ignoring or responding aggressively to negative comments Negative feedback can be painful to hear but, if you can put aside your pride, it is a real opportunity for improvement. When customers post a negative comment, ignoring it can make things go from bad to worse. Customers may think that you’re not taking their issue seriously, and could resort to posting complaints on all sorts of platforms, which quickly become impossible to control. Also, don’t let things get out of hand – reply in a timely manner and try to solve problems as best you can, not by posting abusive rants or sending back angry emails to authors of bad feedback. Posting fake reviews (both negative and positive) Another online reputation mistake is to post negative reviews on your competitors’ website to dampen their credibility. This underhanded strategy is ethically wrong. On the other hand, influential websites like Google have algorithms in place to help weed out false customer feedback, so making the mistake of posting fake client reviews to boost your business is such a waste of time and effort. Instead, focus on delivering high-quality products and services to generate authentic customer reviews, which can really pay off in the long run. Being inconsistent To build a good online reputation, you need to be consistent. Your social media fans followed your page for a reason – they have certain expectations that you will post regular and interesting content. Updating social media with ten posts one day, followed by complete silence for the following few weeks, is a bad example of consistency. Don’t disappear for days or weeks on end. Try to schedule a routine and interact with your audience on a regular basis. A credible online reputation is an important part of your business’s public image. If you want to discuss how to establish an online presence and a strong ORM, contact Multi IT today on 011 435 0450 and we can give insights from experts.