Using personal data for your marketing activities can be a scary prospect, especially if you are a small to medium-sized company without a large in-house legal team to hold your hand.
Reading about the tens of thousands of pounds of fines issued by the ICO alone can be enough to make you throw away any marketing ideas you might have had. And that before we get into the reputational damage that comes with being “named and shamed” on the ICO website!
The truth is it shouldn’t have to be stressful to promote the goods and services you offer.
However, there is no getting away from the fact that there are rules and regulations that apply to your marketing activities.
Understanding the rules isn’t easy, as so many factors must be considered.
Including, whether you’re a
- A B2B company or
- A B2C company or
- A bit of both?
Then there are the channels you use for your marketing:
- Email, SMS, Social Media,
- Phone,
- TV and Radio,
- Direct mail,
- Billboards…
… the list goes on.
Then whose products and/or services are you marketing?
- Your own, or
- A 3rd party partner/sponsor?
For example, let’s say you’re a builders merchant and you want to promote your new range of screws and nails to your local builders’ firms. The first question you need to ask is, what is the best way to do this?
Once you’ve decided that, you need to make sure your marketing speaks to your audience, grabs their attention and builds desire. Then you must ensure your marketing is legal and complies with the regulations enforced by the ICO. Not only because of the fines and reputational damage I mentioned earlier, but because you want to make the right first impression.
You see, if you send an email campaign to customers who have not agreed to receive marketing, you will lose the credibility and loyalty you have worked so hard to build.
The bottom line is, knowing the rules, and being able to apply them to your marketing activities will ensure you stay ahead of your competition.