The first thing that’s important to point out is that GDPR WILL affect your business if you process data from EU citizens, even if your business is based outside the EU.

The next thing is that as a digital marketer, you are going to have to be transparent any time you wish to collect data on someone.  You will have to communicate very clearly that you want to collect data and explain explicitly how that data is going to be used.  You then must gain consent while also informing consumers about their right to refuse or withdraw their consent.  This means that you might have to get a lot more creative when trying to convert a website visitor into a lead.

In addition, you can ONLY collect data that is necessary to the intended purpose of the collection.  If you collect any extra data, it will be considered in breach of the GDPR.  For example, it’s probably reasonable to collect information like a consumer’s name, email address, and home address, but if you try to go farther and collect information about their medical background or place of employment that data will most likely be considered unnecessary and put you at odds with GDPR.

Once you’ve obtained consent and collected the necessary data, you’ll need to be mindful of how that data is stored and used.  If you plan to share the data with another company, you have to obtain consent for that.  You also must make sure you’re taking appropriate security measures to prevent a breach of data.  Encryption is a great way to do that.  You’ll also have to limit the amount of people who have access to the data.  Only parties necessary to the collection should be able to retrieve it.  If there IS a breach of data, GDPR requires that you report it within 72 hours.

You’ll also need to create extensive records that show the names of who consented, the dates and times when they consented, as well as how they consented.  In addition, you must have a way to completely wipe out this data if a consumer chooses to withdraw their consent.

GDPR presents some very real challenges to digital marketers, but overall, we feel that it will lead to positive change in the digital business world.  Marketers are going to be held to a higher standard that forces them to put their customers first, and this is not a bad thing.  GDPR is going to require fresh thinking and more creative marketing strategies, and ultimately it should help build better relationships between businesses and their consumers that are built on trust and transparency.

Article Source: Adam Heitzman 

www.inc.com