GDPR: Here’s What You Need to Know for Your SMS Messaging
The effort to protect individuals’ information began way back in 1981 when the Council of Europe Convention 108 voted to make it a priority. Fast forward to 2016, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was approved by the EU to bring the concept into the modern era.
Even though the UK voted to exit the union, it’s been made clear that the UK intends to follow the GDPR. It sets the highest standards for protection and gives control to the individual over how you use their data. It’s set to take effect in May 2018.
In preparation, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has started publishing guidance on how businesses and organisations will be impacted. If you’re using SMS messaging, you’re already aware that you need permission before contacting anyone. One of the major aspects of the GDPR is the changes for obtaining consent.
Right now, there are two different opt-in options: soft and hard. It appears that the soft opt-in may not be allowed and there are additional requirements for hard opt in. Here are some of the highlights from the ICO documentation so far:
“Consent requires a positive opt-in. Don’t use pre-ticked boxes or any other method of consent by default.”
“Keep evidence of consent – who, when, how, and what you told people.”
These tie into the updated definition of consent shown here:
They sum it up as follows: “In essence, there is a greater emphasis in the GDPR on individuals having clear granular choices upfront and ongoing control over their consent. “
The Good News
The changes aren’t all bad news. It turns out that if you’re already complying well with the existing Data Protection Act, then you’re in good shape. That doesn’t mean you don’t need to take steps though.
The ICO released a twelve step checklist for organisations to use in the coming months to work towards compliance. The GDPR involves more than just consent and touches on all the gathering and processing of personal data.
Another potential positive side effect of the GDPR is that the more stringent opt-in requirements mean that you’ll have less “casual” people on your SMS lists. People need to be more deliberate in giving their permission, which means those that do may be more motivated to take action.
So whether you are running an SMS marketing list or a list for a non-profit, it means you’ll have more success. Your ROI, however you measure it, should improve.
More Information
The ICO is maintaining a webpage with links to their blog, events, and latest publications on the GDPR. You can check it for updates, or sign up for their newsletter.
Our account managers and support staff are also ready and able to address any questions about the changes too. Feel free to contact us via Live chat, email or phone.
Related Articles
What Not to Do When the ICO Comes Calling
The regulations about SMS marketing are quite clear. But sometimes people, and companies, can make mistakes. Find out what happened to a company that reacted poorly to the ICO’s request for information, and how it made their situation so much worse.
A Demonstration on How Not to Build Your SMS List
Over the last month or so I've signed up for quite a lot of webinars. I'm always trying to learn more about technology, marketing, best practices – you get the idea. So I've been excited to see many organisations offering SMS reminders for webinars. But there is one experience I had with an SMS reminder for a webinar that I simply had to share.
Our 10 Best SMS Mobile Marketing Blog Posts
Need to know all about mobile marketing with SMS messaging? We’ve pulled together the top ten blog posts that tell you everything you need to know. The list starts with the basics and goes through analysing the success of your campaign.
Why Finance Companies Should Excel at SMS Messaging
One of the most interesting use cases for SMS messaging is the financial industry. Just a couple weeks ago I wrote a blog on 7 ways the financial industry can use SMS messaging to communicate with customers. In this blog I'll expand on the topic from a different perspective: personalisation.
Proof SMS Messaging Gets Results: Giveaways and Contests
Companies use contests and giveaways all the time. It turns out that doing them over SMS messaging works really well, and offers some advantages over other channels. Read our blog to see the types of results various companies achieved when using SMS giveaways.
How important is it to run an SMS opt in campaign?
Hefty fines for companies not following opt in SMS messaging policies
Never Use SMS Marketing the Way This Company Did
You’d think a large, multinational company would have all the resources and planning it needed to run an SMS marketing campaign. But that isn’t always the case apparently. Find out the big mistake this one company made and how you can avoid doing the same thing in this blog.
What You Can Learn About SMS Marketing from These 7 Companies
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) issued seven monetary penalties against companies this year. We’ve read through them all – so you don’t have to – and discovered two lessons every company should learn about SMS marketing if they want to be successful.
Is SMS Marketing Complicated?
How hard is it to use SMS marketing? If you’ve been told it’s complicated, you heard wrong. Using SMS is simple, though there are a few things you should know. This blog shows you how simple it can be, and provides links to useful resources.