We’ve teamed up with DPAS (Data Privacy Advisory Service), who are a leading data protection consultancy and training provider based here in the UK. They have helped us here at Infinity Digital better understand B2B marketing data and buying email lists – check out the typical questions & answers about this exact topic below:
Does B2B marketing fall under UK-GDPR?
Well, potentially yes, however, the real regulation that you need to be aware of here is PECR – Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulation. PECR governs all of our electronic communication, so that includes emails, newsletters, and those marketing mailers! Marketing rules in PECR refer to ‘subscribers’, there are two types – corporate and individual, with different rules for both. Make sure you know which data you are using, watch out for the differences in company setups having an effect, sole traders and partners, for example.
Can I buy a client list/data set?
The black and white answer is yes. But there are lots of things to consider. Buying the data is not the problem, the source of the data, the data subjects knowledge, and the purpose of processing are all very important. This is where UK-GDPR comes into play. Do your homework, know where the data comes from, and what its intended purpose is before talking numbers. Remember, UK-GDPR applies to any personal data – familiarise yourself with the definition.
Can I use publicly available data?
Generally speaking, yes you can. So perhaps data you have found on Companies House, social media, and/or websites. Of course, for any marketing activity then PECR will apply (remember those different rules we mentioned earlier). However, the big player here, once again, is UK-GDPR. First of all, once that data is in your possession, you become the controller of the data, and so, therefore, have lots of compliance obligations. Also, remember, just because the information is in the public domain, does not mean that the individual has consented to marketing!
As a business, if you are using Google Analytics so you can understand your customers better then you need to be aware of your legal obligations with regards to cookies. Take a look at the DPAS Cookies top tips guide, don’t fall foul to angry customers that do not realise that you have dropped cookies onto their devices where you didn’t ask and record their consent. This is happening a lot and organisations are opting to pay compensation to these customers or prospective customers – remember failing to comply with the law looks bad on your organisation!
