It has been 6 months since the EU enforced GDPR. At the end of May 2018, only 50% of the content marketers who participated in a study conducted by Callcredit claimed that they were GDPR complaint. Many content marketers are still reluctant to deal with GDPR, assuming that it will reduce the effectiveness of their content marketing strategy. However, in reality, GDPR is an opportunity for you to up your content game and improve your content targeting efforts. Here are a few benefits of creating a GDPR-compliant content strategy.

  • GDPR forces you to create a more transparent brand. Transparency is known to increase an audience’s trust in a brand.
  • GDPR makes you rethink data collection such that you only collect necessary data. This, in turn, makes your targeting more precise.
  • GDPR requires you to ask for consent before sending content. This allows you to track audience preferences and share content in a more effective way.

Convinced that you need a GDPR compliant content strategy? Here are five ways to create one.

1. State how you plan to use contacts when collecting them

When collecting leads on newsletter subscription forms or content giveaways, be upfront about how you plan to use that data. Set-up dual consent triggers wherever you plan to collect leads. Get your audience to reconfirm their desire to receive content from you. Doing this will get them to think twice about engaging with your brand, and that’s a good thing. Someone who has consented to receive content from you twice is more likely to open your email when you send one.

2. Create more options on your unsubscribe form to understand audience preferences

GDPR requires you to give your audience the option to opt-out at any juncture in your relationship. This gives you the opportunity to understand more about your audience’s preferences. Create email segments and ask your audience to update their preferences on a regular basis. This will not only clean up your email list but also give you means of creating better content for your prospects and customers.

3. Encourage your sales team to new avenues

Marketers who can’t rely solely on email newsletters for conversions are forced to get more creative. You could take this opportunity to ask your salespeople to try social selling. Social selling could be a great way to get acquainted with prospects before you begin targeting the, through content. You could also have your sales team collaborate with your marketing team to collect more insights for better content targeting.

4. Delete unnecessary fields on your data collection forms

People today have short attention spans. They won’t appreciate extra fields on a data collection form. Many times, marketers create forms with details that they may never use. Ask yourself if your lead’s second name really matters. Marketers also make the mistake of collecting information that doesn’t have a place in their marketing strategies. For instance, many forms ask website visitors for their phone numbers. Don’t ask for this detail unless you have a definite use for it.

5. Edit your privacy statement to include GDPR changes

Every brand’s privacy statement is an important part of their promise and relationship with their audience. Once you have implemented GDPR based changes to your content strategy, it’s time to convey the same to your audience. Revisit your privacy statement and use it to earn more trust from your customers. Show your audience how you care about their privacy using the privacy statement and ensure that everything you promise is implemented on your website.

Wrap

Are you GDPR compliant yet? If you’re not, there are huge benefits of updating your content strategy today. Use the tactics on this post and get started.