Whilst there has been a lot of negative press surrounding the new General Data Protection Regulations, there really is no need to fear the change in law when it comes to using marketing data.
The Lawful Processing of Data
Some companies have paused their marketing activities since the new Regulations’ inception, through fear of not having the appropriate Consent of their subjects. This may have been a big financial mistake, since consent is only one such lawful grounds for processing under GDPR.
There are 6 lawful grounds for processing data under GDPR and many organisations can and will rely on other grounds, such as Legitimate Interest. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) itself acknowledges that consent may be difficult for an organisation to achieve and therefore suggests considering using LI as an alternative route.
What is Legitimate Interests?
Legitimate Interests may be the most appropriate grounds to apply where you use people’s information in ways they might reasonably expect and in ways that cause minimal impact. Being able to apply LI involves a three-step process:
- Identify a Legitimate Interest – i.e. promoting the organisation’s goods and services
- Show that the processing is necessary to achieve it – evidence that the interest could only be achieved without having to use personal data if it involved the use of disproportionate effort
- Balance it against the individual’s interests, rights and freedoms – in a B2B environment, it would be reasonable for an employee to expect to receive marketing material relevant to his / her job and the personal impact upon that individual would be minimal and unobtrusive
Marketing Data in the Future
Providing you can satisfy any one of the 6 lawful grounds for processing, then you can continue to market your wares to prospects.
Consent and legitimate interest are the two most appropriate grounds for the purpose of direct marketing and if purchasing a marketing list, you need to be certain that your supplier is providing GDPR compliant marketing data.
Not Sure if your Marketing Data is Compliant?
There is now a wealth of information available from various sources, the ICO being the proverbial horse’s mouth. However, it may be difficult to wade through the language and get to the bits you need to know in order to assess whether or not your practices live up to the grade required.
If you’re uncertain, the best thing to do is get in contact with a reputable data company, such as Data Bubble. We might not hold all the answers to all your questions, but we do have GDPR compliant marketing data that you can trust!
Why not get in touch and find out how your business can benefit from using GDPR compliant marketing data, or just get out GDPR information sheet. Email us oninfo@databubble.co.uk or call 01274 965411 now
