Don’t just tick the boxes to comply with GDPR – embrace the legislation! It could help grow your business, and connect with your customers.

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is forcing businesses to take a good, hard look at how they’re collecting and storing their customer data. But for the most ingenious businesses, there’s a lot more to it. GDPR represents a way for you to get ahead of the competition, building more meaningful relationships with your customers than ever before.

Keep reading and discover three ways you can harness the power of GDPR to grow your business and stand out against the competition.

1. Build phenomenal trust with consumers and staff with transparent, authentic communication

Companies that only grudgingly comply with GDPR guidelines will avoid penalties and, for many, that will be the only thing they care about. But if you embrace the changes, and let your customers know that you highly value their privacy and your own accountability, you’ll really stand out from those who just comply on paper.

GDPR has come about because our world is changing; consumers face real threats if companies fail to keep their data secure, and they’re increasingly aware of this. Businesses that clearly have trust and accountability built into the fabric of their organisation, and communicate that with sincerity, will be championed by their customer base.

But GDPR doesn’t only apply to consumers. Employees will also gain more control over their own data. Again, companies that show their dedication to the security of their employee data will unleash much more trusting relationships, where staff feel more in control of their working lives and identities.

With better staff relationships comes more long-term retention of your best talent. Meanwhile, more trust from your consumers will mean more positive reviews and referrals and, ultimately, more business.

2. Create outstanding messaging that naturally gains consent (where other companies don’t)

One of the important aspects of GDPR is the need for businesses to gain active consent from consumers in order to receive their mailings. By offering valuable, unique and useful insights for consumers, you’ll be able to naturally gain their consent, where your competitors don’t.

The volume of messages consumers receive will go down as they opt out from all but the best communicators. Be one of those outstanding businesses, and you’ll shine brighter than ever before as the dead wood starts to fall away.

As competitors lose ground with frustrated consumers, your company’s brilliant communication techniques will make the world your oyster.

3. Gain better returns from more targeted, lower volume campaigns

In a very practical sense, GDPR will allow your marketing department to show off their abilities because they’ll have access to better marketing technology.

Consumers being able to revoke their consent at any point will mean that the poorly targeted, mass-market campaigns run by your competitors will lose customers, fast. By creating much more personalised, intelligent campaigns, you’ll be able to capitalise in your marketing and communications.

By carrying out lower volume, more targeted marketing campaigns, your business will gain a far higher return on investment. Savings can then be channelled back into ever more innovative, experimental and cutting-edge campaigns, creating a virtuous circle of continuous improvement in your marketing.

bOnline’s insights:

May 2018 is creeping up on us, and this legislation has the power to make or break businesses. It’s up to you to determine the outcome for your business. Get your business ready now and reap the benefits next year.

Here at bOnline, we are using the expertise of PORT.im to assist with our GDPR compliance. We’ve been talking with Julian Saunders, the founder and CEO of PORT.im, a service that makes complying with the new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) quick and simple for businesses of all sizes, to get bOnline ready.

Using PORT.im, we are fully embracing the new legislation for our new and existing clients. For more information about GDPR and PORT.im service offering, we encourage you to visit the PORT website.

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