I’m sure over the past few weeks you’ve been receiving tonnes of GDPR emails from companies begging you to stay on their mailing list. Well, there is a good reason for this, and we wanted to tell you a little more about it. The new GDPR came into practice on 25th May 2018 and for us it means that our new website is fully compliant with this and is kitted out with a brand new privacy policy, cookies, and terms of service. This is extremely important to us as a company with a digital focus, because handling customer data correctly is a key point in both ours and their success.
So, here’s all you need to know about GDPR, what it means for small businesses, and how we’re moving things forward to keep in line with the new regulations here at Vision Marketing, as well as some new and exciting news!
WHAT IS IT?
GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation, and this is a law within the EU that ensures data protection and privacy. It’s basically an introduction of new rights for you as a customer that prevents your data from being shared where you don’t want it to. It puts you in complete control of the privacy around your data and enables you to withdraw a companies’ access to it at any time you wish. On the flip side, it’s a new set of rules for businesses that state what they can and can’t do with customer data. So, for example, this is why you have been receiving emails from companies requesting for your agreement to remain on their mailing list, as without it they are no longer entitled to have your data on their files, nor are they allowed to contact you.
WHAT DOES GDPR MEAN FOR SMALL BUSINESSES?
Basically, unless a company is GDPR compliant, they are no longer able to have access to client data. As a small business, you must seek permission from the client first and cannot do anything with their data without prior consent from them. As we mentioned a little earlier, here at Vision Marketing we collect client data and it is something that is staple to the way we function, and so it is essential for us to be compliant with GDPR. As of last month, our website has been updated so that is in keeping with these new regulations. Before we contract any client data, it is imperative that they firstly agree to the terms of what it is being used for, who has access to it, and how long for.
You may see that we have a contact page on our website, where new or existing customers can come become acquainted with us. As a result, this means that we gain access to some of their data, such as their name, email address or phone number. However, with these new regulations in place, we would not be able to do anything else with that data, such as adding them to our mailing list, without them consenting to it first as this would be a breach of privacy. Customers also have the opportunity to cancel or withdraw our access to their personal data at any time they want.
HOW THIS IMPACTS VISION 51
Particularly for us as a digitally based business, our website is a key tool in how we work and also how both new and existing customers are able to find us online. We understand that in this day and age, a lot of people go about finding help and information by searching online, which is why we have made our website fully equipped with all the information and facilities that our audience would be looking for. Each time somebody visits our website, we want to create a positive impact, and welcome any queries or requests via our contact page.
To portray Vision Marketing in the best possible way through this online platform, we have a little bit of background information about us as a business, a break down of what we do and how this could be of help to other businesses, as well as a portfolio of work, where people will be able to see the work we’ve done in the past and previous client successes. If somebody likes what they see, they can then visit our contact page, where they can get in touch with us either directly by calling or emailing us themselves, or alternatively, leaving a message along with their personal details so that we can get back to them. Because of this, it is essential that the site is fully compliant with GDPR so that we are never in breach of any client data and that it remains looked after in accordance of the clients wishes and that it is not used or shared without prior consent.
Furthermore, as we mentioned at the start of this blog, we also have fresh and updated terms of service, cookies and a new privacy policy so that we remain in keeping with all of the new guidelines, and customers old and new have the ability to consent to use of their data.
WE’RE NOW REGISTERED WITH THE ICO!
We also have some great news for Vision Marketing, as we are now registered with the ICO. The ICO is the UK’s independent body set up to uphold information rights, sponsored by Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. As a business that processes personal information, it is a legal requirement for us to register with the ICO, and this means that as a customer your data is kept safe and the Data Protection Law is adhered to correctly.
We hope this information has been useful and if you’d like to know more or are interested in our services, please get in touch with us today via our contact page!
