I was talking to a client the other day and he told me he signed up for a free webinar.
As part of the sign-up process, he had to agree to receive marketing emails – he received 7 on the first day!
For the avoidance of doubt, this is illegal!
This is one of the easiest ways to come to the attention of the ICO, as people are more aware of their data rights and more likely to complain.
Once the ICO become interested, your whole business practices come under scrutiny. Responding to their questions and requests for evidence of your data handling will take time and effort and can be very stressful.
Now, I am sure you are not sending 7 emails a day. But make no mistake about it, if you force people to opt-in for regular marketing emails to access a free webinar or other lead magnets, you are breaking the law.
And not only that, would you trust a company that did this?
Forcing someone to opt-in is the wrong start to your relationship with potential customers. You are not being honest and you are not respecting their right to choose how you use their data.
If you have a good offer, potential customers will come. They may not flock to you, but those that do will be a high-quality lead more likely to convert into a paying customer.