You may have been exposed to lots of information relaying the ‘do’s and don'ts’ when it comes to data in line with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
However, you’re probably still scratching your head pondering ‘what do I need to do practically?’
As hands on digital marketing specialists, allow us to provide some insights into how you can generate leads in the GDPR era.
Get consent from leads
Under GDPR, you must demonstrate that individuals have given consent for you to send them information. If a prospect lands on your website, there are a number of ways in which you can obtain their data for future marketing, for example, a form to complete to obtain a download or a newsletter sign up.
You CAN include a tick box to get consent to contact them in the future, however, this box must NOT be pre-ticked. You should also give individuals the option to ‘opt out’ at any time on any future emails sent to them.
One other element of GDPR to note is 'the right to be forgotten', which means individuals have the right to request for their details to be erased from records within your business. This differs from opting out from emails, because where they may no longer receive marketing communications from you, you would still have their details on record, such as in your CMS or CRM system.
Apply preferences
Under GDPR, individuals must be aware at the time of providing their personal information (whether that be via an online form, email, face-to-face or over the phone), exactly what it will be used for.
Therefore, when collating lead data, ensure prospects are aware about what information they will receive from you in the future. E.g. a specific product range, brand, additional services, promotions, industry updates etc.
Document consent in a policy
Ensure you detail in your internal data protection policy how you get consent from website prospects and customers (as well as all other lead sources). This needs to be documented to be GDPR compliant.
Double opt-in
You don’t have to apply a double opt-in process to be GDPR compliant. However, it is good practice to ensure that you, as a business, are capturing the correct information. Having the recipient confirm via email that it was them who provided their information in the first place, not only provides confirmation that they want to receive communications from you in the future, it also provides evidence to support your data protection policy.
Carry out ultra-targeted marketing
As part of your GDPR compliance, informing prospects about the information they will receive from your business in the future, gives them the opportunity to select and receive RELEVANT information that they WANT.
What’s more, you will get an insight into what products or services that prospect is looking for or interested in, meaning you can deliver ultra-targeted marketing activity from useable data, generating more leads/sales.
Embrace GDPR and reap rewards
There’s no doubt that there is time to be spent by businesses in making the necessary changes to become GDPR compliant (throughout the business, not just for marketing).
However, by reviewing your current online lead generation tools and ‘ticking the GDPR boxes’ so to speak, you may be surprised how this change will facilitate a better lead generation process, which is also GDPR compliant, meaning win-win.
To get the ball rolling, you may be interested in our Website GDPR Compliance Audit or you can find out more about GDPR opportunities from our recent Q&A session.
Also, look out for our upcoming GDPR events
