What Is GDPR? A Quick Overview For Small Business

The EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) come into force on 25^th May 2018 – but what are they, and how does it affect your small business?

Why GDPR Exists

There are some outdated marketing policies out there, which don’t take into account the growth of the internet in recent years.

The GDPR has been introduced as a measure to further protect the data of individuals residing in the European Union, and to reduce the amount of spam marketing activity that happens.

You’re Wasting Money Sending Emails To People Who Don’t Open Them

The introduction of GDPR means that companies must have explicit permission to contact individuals in a certain way about certain topics.

For example, a customer might want to receive emails with a company’s latest promotions but not receive any phone calls about them.

The GDPR means all businesses using customer data must comply with individual requests. Taking the above example, that means you could hold someone’s email address and contact them about only your promotions. If you contact them by telephone, when they haven’t explicitly agreed to it, you’re flouting the new rules. If you email them about your company news (and not about promotions), you could also be flouting the new rules.

How GDPR Affects Small Businesses

While the introduction of GDPR may seem like a hassle for small business, it could actually work in your favour.

You’re going to have to confirm with your customers how you can contact them, and what you can contact them about.

This seems like it could be a long and drawn-out process, but it’s actually going to benefit you in the long-term.

The new GDPR policies are going to make sure you have a clean marketing database. It’s a great opportunity to collect more specific customer information, such as their niche interests related to your business, for more targeted marketing.

With your new GDPR-compliant database, you’ll be able to spend less on your marketing overall, but see greater ROI as your audience becomes more targeted – and more interested. You’ll be contacting customers who have explicitly said they are interested in hearing about your business – which makes them warm leads ready to buy!

Learn More About GDPR For Free

If you want to make sure your small business is GDPR-compliant before the deadline, sign up to our free masterclass! This e-course is delivered over two weeks right to your inbox, with useful step-by-step information to help you become GDPR-prepared.

>>> Sign up to our GDPR masterclass here – it’s FREE! <<<

*This email master class/ blog series has been prepared by instantprint as a condensed summary 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.