We’ve looked at an overview of GDPR, how it affects your data handling as a small business, and how to use it to your advantage.
Here, we’ve got a quick-look guide to help you make sure your next GDPR-friendly direct mail or flyering campaign goes smoothly!
When creating your flyers, remember to follow these four steps…
1. Use An Opt-In Tick Box
Gone are the days of the opt-out tick box! Those are known as a “soft opt-in” and under the GDPR it’s no longer suitable.
Whenever your flyer or postcard requests the reader to include their personal information, you need to include a tick box.
Next to this tick box, you must clearly state what you will be using their details for. For example, you could say “Please confirm that you are happy for us to use this information to contact you via email for marketing purposes. We will not share your details with a third party.”
2. Remember: No Coercion!
You can’t include an exclusive discount or offer that is solely available to those who sign up to receive marketing communications from you.
If your flyer is promoting a discount, this discount must be available to everyone. You can, however, offer a different opportunity for those who sign up – again, you can’t promote an immediate cash incentive but you may wish to phrase it with something like:
“25% off this week! Want more offers? Sign up online at yourwebsite.com”
Doing this means you’re not offering an undue incentive, as you do have offers which are available to all and not just those who sign up to receive marketing.
3. Tell People What You’re Doing With Their Data
Flyers have limited space, so you don’t need to go into depth on this one.
However, if you’re sending out flyers under the ‘legitimate interest’ clause of GDPR, you do need to tell people a) what you’re doing with their data, and b) that they’re allowed to opt out at any time.
For example, you may wish to include a short line such as:
“You’ve received this mail as a previous customer of Your Company. Remember, you can always email hello@yourcompany.com if you don’t wish to hear from us.”
4. Keep A Record Of Your Flyers
As part of GDPR you must be able to prove explicit consent from your customers.
If you’re sending out direct mail which requires customers to interact – for example, to enter a competition – you must keep all physical and digital records of this consent.
Without keeping these records, you could land in hot water!
*This email master class/ blog series has been prepared by instantprint as a condensedsummary of GDPR and not as a full comprehensive review. We advise all readers to undertake their own further reading and research into GDPR, including a review of the GDPR guidance set out on the Information Commissioner’s Office’s website.