Before we see how we can do it, let's remember what the GDPR is, what its objective is and how it affects email marketing.
What is the GDPR and what does it entail?
Well, before we get into the subject, let's define a little what the famous new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is and what it consists of . As many of you know, it is the new update of the data protection regulation made by the European Union and which affects entities of all kinds : SMEs, multinationals, public authorities, etc.
What is your goal?
As its name indicates, its main objective is to protect the rights of the user . How? In the case of email marketing, in the following ways:
Ensuring that the user registration or recruitment process is optimal and clear
Ensuring that the subscriber really wants to receive outlook email lists communications from “X” company or brand
Forcing users of a database to unsubscribe at any time
Unifying laws among the countries of the European Union, since in some countries the legal framework was much more restrictive than in others.
How does it affect email marketing and my company?
This is the question we have all asked ourselves since we learned that this new regulation will be implemented and that, therefore, non-compliance with it would lead to huge fines. But let's get to the really important part: is my company in breach of the GDPR? Take a breath and let's see!
Well, in a simple and broad sense, what the regulations tell us is that the database of any entity must agree to receive communications from it and comply with the objectives we have discussed above. And this is where the key question comes in: does what you did in the past comply with this new regulation?
If the answer is “ YES” and you have historically done things right: you have opted in correctly, subscribers have been able to unsubscribe without any problem, etc.; you are complying with what the new regulations say.
However, if the answer is “ NO” and you have historically had somewhat dubious recruitment efforts, you would be outside the new regulations and it would be highly advisable to send an email and ask the user if they want to continue receiving your communications and how we are going to use their data from now on.
Now let's see how we can take advantage of it and turn the situation in our favor.
When news of this new regulation update spread, a general feeling of collective hysteria spread. However, what at first seems to be a “making things difficult for ourselves” can actually be very good for our email marketing.
Improve open rate, bounce rate and unsubscribe rates
If you remove users from your database who do not want to receive your emails, the quality of your database will automatically improve. Consider that these are users who are not interested in the content of your emails and you will surely have already invested time and effort in carrying out reactivation actions to convert them into active users. Clean your database without fear and you will obtain a better reputation as a sender . This translates into a clear improvement in openings, bounce rate and a decrease in future unsubscribes .
Take advantage of double opt-in and opt for progressive registration
With double opt-in, the user will have to confirm that he really wants to subscribe to your newsletter . The process works as follows: the user must first register on the website and then receive an email in which he must confirm his subscription. We encourage you to use progressive registration , which consists of offering the user a registration process in phases. In the first phase, we will only ask him to opt-in (low friction, high registration/visit ratio). Once the opt-in is done, the user will enter the second phase, in which we will ask him to “enrich” his profile with more information. In this way, obtaining the largest number of registrations possible is not penalized and the momentum of the moment is used to obtain relevant information from the user.
Implement an email where the user can decide if they want to unsubscribe
As we all know, users should be able to unsubscribe easily and whenever they want. A good idea would be to include this option in an original email and offer the user other options. Here you can see two examples. The first one is clear and direct. It simply asks the subscriber to confirm or not whether they want to continue receiving communications from the brand. The second one is more original, complete and offers the user 3 options.
