The future of marketing in a post-GDPR world

GDPR has arrived. We are now, finally, in a post-GDPR world. What does this mean for brands? We examine what a post-GDPR marketing strategy might look like.
GDPR has given consumers back control of their online data. It has also redefined what constitutes personal data and how organisations obtain consent for its use.

Prior to GDPR, how brands sought this consent was largely unregulated. Anything went. Tools such as list spamming and automatic opt-ins sat alongside tricks such as complicated terms and conditions, all aimed at collecting as much customer data as possible.

The Wild West data capture days are now, thankfully, over. We’re moving into an era where data quality trumps quantity.

Now that GDPR is part of our daily data lives, it’s key to understand how the new regulation will impact marketers and their customer acquisition strategies.

Above anything else, consent is key. This is the most important thing to come out of GDPR. Without explicit consent, brands can no longer pepper customers with marketing messages.

This has already led to decimation in brands’ customer lists. But it’s clear that because of the consent brands now have to get from their customers their databases may be smaller but they’ll be engaging better, and more valued, connections. These are people who brands know want to hear from them. Rather than commiserating over the smaller number of mailing list subscribers, brands should be celebrating the prospect of being able to report better ROI – in sales funnel terms they’ll be marketing to the people who are already through the consideration stage and ready to convert.

Another impact of GDPR is how it will affect marketing departments’ ability to collect data for analytical purposes. A recent study by DataMeer found that customer analytics made up 48% of big data use in sales and marketing. Using this data businesses can build a picture of their customer list and effectively and efficiently target individual consumers based on information such as browsing habits and brand loyalty. Again, marketing departments are going to have to get creative about how they build their customer lists.

To do so, will involve strategic, rather than tactical, thinking.

Above all, GDPR should also inspire brands to build trust with their customers and offer a more personalised online experience. A combination of alternative and traditional marketing techniques will be needed which means it’s an exciting time to be in marketing.