Why I think GDPR is a positive improvement to marketing, business & customer relationships
I want to follow up last weeks GDPR post with a note on what I think about the coming GDRP update (or what you call this). There is a lot of negative and fearful talk about the GDPR and I think this new improved legislation is actually a good thing. Here is why:
Unsolicited emails/marketing will have to stop – there is a shift within marketing from company focused to customer centric, some companies have not yet made that shift and is still utilising email address from customers that did not give consent. Not caring about if a person actually want to hear from them or not. There is no better way to alienate customers then disrespecting the them from the get-go.
This will force companies to actual be relevant in their marketing & communication – which means that if a company is still behind in adapting to the way of modern marketing there is now an powerful incentive to actually do so. In the end this will mean more relevant marketing and communicating, thus better results generated in the end of bot marketing budgets and other resources.
This will force IT & marketing departments to unite – as they should. Me thinks. As a online presence is now in many cases critical for a business, digital is not reserved for either IT or the marketing department, but relevant to involve all departments in.
Companies need to take responsibility for safety – as we trust more and more companies to store such vital information as for example our card details so customers can enjoy one-click purchases, which is really speeding up the path to purchase, a company need to take the uttermost care of their customers details. Not just credit or debit cards. Therefore having clear processes and protocols in place to handle and protect that data should be part of the fundamental hygiene tasks.
We are all paying with our personal data – and everyone knows there is nothing that is free online anymore. We are all paying for the content, service or whatever it may be with our personal details. But when we don’t want to be part of something anymore, anyone should have the right to have their personal details removed from any records if one wish. And by being able to remove ones data, helps the company in question to keep their database maintained and the records fresh with customers that actually wants to hear from the company in question.
So in the end, what is so bad with taking responsibility for how you process your customers personal details, taking care, showing respect if someone wants to wipe their record, becoming more relevant and improving maketing and communication and last but not least helping your company to unite departments and remove silo processes within an organisation?
I do understand that preparing incurs both cost, time and resources that where not expected and there are still som uncertainty about what GDPR actually entails. But I think both customers and companies will benefit from this long term by taking proper responsibility.
Image: found via Google from Pinterest, no photo credit/source was stated.