In just a few short weeks, the GDPR deadline will be here and it will affect many companies worldwide. If your company handles the data of EU citizens, you need to be ready. You need to have “an effective, documented, auditable process in place for the collection, storage, and destruction of personal information” and ensure that permission to market to customers is clear and absolute via digital channels. But what about GDPR and Direct Mail?
The new regulations are designed to protect individuals and to stop the unauthorized mass collection and sharing of personal data. GDPR is not there to stop businesses from marketing their products and services, it’s about building and maintaining customer trust at every stage of the communication game.
The new emphasis is on the data that you hold, how you handle it and how you use it.
GDPR and Direct Mail
We expect to see a rise in the use in direct mail as marketers around the globe look for different ways to target customers and stay in the safe zone of GDPR compliance. However, there are still guidelines to be followed.
You need to be sure that:
- You have a reason to send a print piece to the individual. You must have a legitimate interest in doing so, such as sending a marketing piece to someone who has expressed an interest in your brand or purchased from your business in the past. And your data handling must comply with the regulations.
- You need to ensure that your list has been cleaned to remove anyone who does not wish to receive direct mail (for instance in the UK citizens can stop unsolicited Direct Mail by registering with the Mailing Preference Service (MPS).
- You need to give the receiver the ability to opt-out of any further direct mail, and the instructions for how to do so must be clear.
Use Direct Mail to Reignite the Digital Conversation
As long as you are using data appropriately you can also lead your customer from a printed piece to a personalized site online where they can continue engaging and conversing with the brand.
Use the opportunity to seek explicit consent for any other purposes, like email marketing, but in case they don’t want to continue the conversation, be sure to add information about how recipients can opt out of receiving direct mail in future.
Print offers value
In the post-GDPR world, the printed piece allows marketers to present something of value and trigger the consumer to interact. It’s impossible to have this kind of impact using newer technologies such as email or SMS.
You can also use a printed direct mail piece to carry on a conversation that started online. For example, if you have a prospect shopping online who selected three items before abandoning their cart. There is an opportunity here for you to send a direct mail print piece highlighting the items they were interested in and encouraging them to head back online to complete their transaction.
The GDPR Opportunity to nail the Omnichannel Experience
Whether you’re a big or small company, having a data policy in place is 100% critical as the GDPR deadline approaches. If you don’t have one, the time to create one is now. This will help you get to the root of your communication strategy and foster customer trust.
XMPie can be your secret weapon in the post-GDPR world. Use XMPie to take an initial direct mail piece and build it back into a conversation online. Deliver an integrated and consistent brand experience across all channels, without having to tradeoff media capabilities, presentation or design.
XMPie GDPR Compliance
The XMPie platform provides you with the tools, mechanisms and guidelines to allow your organization to comply with the GDPR requirements. Make sure you understand how XMPie or your other vendors have implemented GPDR compliance changes into their software and update your data policy accordingly to incorporate the process. Here are our GDPR Guidelines.
Is your company ready for the looming GDPR regulations? Check out our blog series Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 for more detailed information.
Want to learn more about the data security and GDPR compliance measures within our product set? Watch a replay of our recent webinar or get in touch with an XMPie representative.