The new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) come into force this Friday, on the 25th May. You may have already noticed an influx of emails in your inbox asking you to reconfirm an email subscription or informing you of an updated privacy policy. We take a look at what the change in rules mean for your email marketing strategy.
Sorting the wheat from the chaff
There are some concerns about the number of subscribers that may be lost to a company as a result of the new rules. Although this may be the case, it’s worth remembering that the people lost will be those least engaged with your brand. Having a smaller, but more engaged, list will make all the response statistics more meaningful. From A/B testing to CTRs, you’ll be able to gain a clearer picture of what’s really working once you’ve filtered out the people who aren’t interested in your company. That means that you can have a greater level of insight to support a process of continual improvement in your email marketing strategy.
Keeping data secure
A key aspect of the rules relates to the security of customer data. Given the number of data leaks and potentially avoidable hacks that have hit the headlines in recent years, it’s no surprise that the new regulations address this major concern amongst consumers. Keeping your data and systems secure isn’t just a matter of achieving compliance; while there are fines for any company that fails to adequately protect customer data, the greater cost will come from the damage to a brand’s reputation. Having stringent security measures and contingency plans in place not only reassures your customers, it means you can react quickly to any issues and limit any damage to your company’s reputation.
Putting consumers in control
At the heart of the new GDPR is the concept that individuals should be in control of the data companies hold on them. That means we can all expect a rapid response to requests on what data is held on us within a company and how it is processed. It also strengthens the right to be forgotten, which means if you request removal from a mailing list then companies are obliged to comply. While from a strategic perspective you may feel those concerns about a diminishing mailing list again, the truth is that these rules highlight the importance of customer engagement. Certainly, some companies are going to have to raise their game in order to ensure they don’t sustain massive losses to their database but there is an opportunity for any company that focuses on engagement as a key objective and metric. Any company that puts the customer at the heart of everything they do will be on track to not only comply with the GDPR but also reach out and increase their engagement and revenue within an increasingly discerning subscriber-base.
Still not sure what GDPR means for you? Here’s the definitive guide, from the ICO:
https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/
2 thoughts on “Email Marketing after GDPR”
Keeping data safe (both offline and online) is vital for your business and trust with suppliers/customers/staff. It can be difficult knowing where data is stored on a computer system. Just call for more help.
As Chris said, a cleaner list will allow you to focus on the audience you have and help you target your marketing.
If you have not done so, ensure your are registered with the ICO (https://ico.org.uk).
Absolutely, sound advice.