GDPR is a privacy policy that has affected many businesses. This European-based law created marketing restrictions in order to help better safeguard customer data. One limitation on marketing outreach has been the need to acquire customer consent when collecting any customer information that could be used for marketing purposes. This has a far-reaching impact on modern forms of advertising, such as digital marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, and more.
Why companies need to refocus their marketing efforts in the wake of GDPR.
While many businesses and agencies rethink their marketing strategies, many have begun to emphasize the importance of direct marketing in this new age of advertising. Mass or blanket advertising – banners on a homepage, magazine spreads, billboards – aren’t subject to GDPR regulations as they can appear to all consumers. Most other marketing is – all the information that a firm would use to disseminate information, such as location, IP addresses, age, etc., are all opt-in pieces of information. A customer has to give a business permission to collect and use this information to reach back out to them. Direct marketing efforts, then, become more crucial – they are now allowed to go to a much smaller number of people, and therefore their effect and impact must be more meaningful.
How GDPR is already changing marketing techniques.
What is direct marketing?
Direct marketing is described as a way to present a product or service directly to the consumer through the means of advertising. Over time it has become a cost-effective way of segmenting an audience and distributing different types of relevant messaging to the group of consumers identified as the most likely to be interested. Instead of spamming people with mailers and emails and catalogs and banner ads that might not be interesting to them or their purchasing history, companies can use customer data to better understand how, when, and where to distribute their marketing message.
Direct marketing usually allows brands to see a better response to their outreach, as it allows for more direct targeting of an audience where the message is likely to resonate and drive action.
What are the best direct marketing techniques?
Here are some ways to reach customers with direct marketing strategies, as well as some tips to help make them pop more in an age when GDPR has created a smaller potential audience.
1. Flyers, Catalogs, and other direct mail:
Flyers and catalogs can end up in the trash, but with a powerful message, headline, or image, you can attract the kind of attention that keeps your mail in someone’s hands and inspires action. Some businesses have even turned to send boxes with a built-in video display to potential top-tier customers, this kind of direct mail is expensive, but it’s sure to have an impact and if it’s big enough, it can turn into a huge ROI.
2. Email Campaigns
One of the best ways to create impactful email campaigns is by not sending customers an influx of messages. Too many emails can be a deterrent to engaging with a brand, so a steady stream of communication is better.
3. Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing should also be engaging, tying it into current news, holidays, or other events can help your social media advertising stay relevant.
4. Banner Ads
Banner ads are best used when retargeting a customer if they have opted in to let you capture their information, it’s easy to have banner ads appear that will remind them of your brand and help you stay top of mind.
Direct marketing certainly isn’t going away, but it’s become even more important to do it right. Every part counts more including the images, the copy, the timeline all matter, as it creates a message that will drive action. With fewer people to distribute to, marketers need to be more deliberate, more data-driven, and more creative than ever before.
