Two things are guaranteed this May: 1) the Indianapolis 500 and 2) the GDPR.
I assume you have heard of the Indy500. What is the GDPR?
GDPR stands for the General Data Protection Regulation. The GDPR is a new EU Regulation which will replace the 1995 EU Data Protection Directive to significantly enhance the protection of the personal data of EU citizens and increase the obligations on organizations who collect or process personal data.
Disclaimer: The following is for general information purposes only to permit you to learn more about GDPR and data protection. The information presented is not legal advice.
On May 25, 2018, GDPR will be in full force. There are new provisions further protecting the rights of personal data, along with harsher penalties for violations. Full details can be found here.
Does GDPR apply to you?
The territorial scope of GDPR is far wider than just within the EU. Ask yourself these questions:
1) Do you market your products to people in the EU?
2) Do you monitor the online behavior of people in the EU?
Even if you are based outside of the EU, GDPR will apply to you.
Our technology partner, HubSpot, has created a comprehensive webpage with everything you need to know about GDPR. You can find that page here.
What if you use the HubSpot marketing platform and/or CRM?
The good news is that if you use HubSpot as your data collection software, they have been working HARD to ensure their own practices are GDPR-compliant. To that end, they are ensuring that the HubSpot platform we all use today sets us up for compliance. Full details of HubSpot's GDPR Product Readiness can be found here.
What's the bottom line?
All of these data protection laws are built for one simple reason: to provide a better experience for our customers and the people who trust us with their data.
The concept of Inbound Marketing aligns with the data protection laws. Be helpful. Be transparent. Don't be spammy. Don't interrupt. Don't be overly aggressive.
If you have an ongoing partnership with TMC, you are already headed in the right direction.
TMC is committed to educating our current and future clients about GDPR. We all agree that data privacy and protection will continue to be a top priority that will only help strengthen relationships with your end customers and partners.