GDPR Deadline Day: We've Leapt Over The Final Hurdle, But What’s Next?

I’m not going to lie.

As a business, GDPR has been painful. For most commercial teams, the four letters have been the proverbial ‘hot potato’ tossed from department to department.

However, as a consumer, It’s been cathartic - receiving a deluge of emails from companies I barely remember, let alone being an active customer or advocate. Although the pre-deadline sprint from companies to re-engage with their database has been exasperating (cue memes of Samuel L Jackson: “Say GDPR one more time, I dare you.”), I feel like I’ve been handed back control over my inbox - yes, I do want to hear from you again - no, I don’t want your emails anymore, so goodbye forever. Here’s hoping my emails will become more of a curated list of valuable content from of organisations I am engaged with and interested in, rather than what it is at the moment, a desperate scramble for my attention from addresses I don't recognise.

As a marketer, I have been party to many business concerns. Am I going to get fined for storing data? Do I really need to dispose of data that I have gathered over the years? What about my mailing list?

My response is this; if you have followed the guidelines (updating your policy, informing your databases, ensuring your data is stored safely) your business is going to rise from the ashes of the Personal Data Wild West.

Through the opt-in process, your marketing database may drop from staggering numbers as a result of years’ worth of collecting data, to a diminutive number of opted-in active followers, which is throwing marketing managers into a state of mourning for their carefully cultivated database, this is a GOOD thing. Who wants a database of thousands, when you’re sending out your mailer and its getting rebuffed by 50% of mailboxes, ignored by 30% and inciting chippy responses from a grumbly 5%?

Post GDPR deadline, you may only be sending your thoughtful content to a fraction of your original database, but you are guaranteed that this new segment is totally engaged and primed to open, read and absorb your messages.

For me, at least, telling a story to a chattering, distracted, uninterested audience in a concert hall versus telling a story to a select group of engaged listeners around a table enjoying a glass of wine (that last bit is just a bonus) is a much more valuable experience, for both the audience and the marketer.

Secondly, GDPR forces organisations to be more creative and holistic with their marketing tactics. Marketers can no longer rely on sending a monthly email blast out to their database in the hope that throwing enough s*** some will stick. Marketers must now examine their audience and think creatively about how to approach them effectively.

I find both of these revelations very exciting, forcing us to create beautiful, relevant and valuable content because you KNOW that people are watching now they’ve actively opted into receiving your emails. Capturing their attention is done, but the next challenge is keeping their attention and developing the relationship beyond flirtation (or marketing as some people call it). This legislation is also revitalising the way in which we connect with our target audience, stop relying on the ‘send’ button, and start trying new tools, techniques and most importantly actually meeting people face-to-face… what an alien concept in this data and technology driven time.