Email collections under GDPR - The right way
Published: 2021-11-01 12:10:48

You're a certain someone who works on development of a client-oriented technical solution(s)? You probably want to have the best ways to communicate to those who are consuming your services in a robust way and scale it easily? If that's all you then keep reading.

This article has plenty of non-developer essential angles of email marketing covered, yet it emphasizes the need of conveying your messages properly. If you're not that interested in high-level why's and how's, but still are looking for the best solution (platform, APIs, SDK, portal, etc.) then I'd suggest you jump straight to the solution we linked for you below and start playing with it.

##What is email marketing and why should you care?##
In earlier years it was possible to collect and use consumer data with little restrictions (if any). Lately, however, with all the data privacy topics being in the focus it is now a service provider who must be careful on how is he approaching service consumers.

With email marketing, you can create long-lasting connections with your consumers. It's the process of sending commercial emails to those on your list who have given permission for us to contact them through email by subscribing - and people love getting **great** offers!

An example campaign would include an automated message sent at 9 AM every morning reminding customers about some exciting deals happening now only available via this link which will take 10 minutes off their purchase time - what are they waiting for!?

When it comes to small companies, it is one of the most cost-effective options. It's critical to realize that a large part of your success is entirely dependent on the email marketing software you select since they are ultimately responsible for ensuring that your emails get sent. If you're not cautious, you'll find yourself paying much more for fewer marketing options and poor email deliverability rates.

If you are looking for a reliable email solution, look no further than [Infobip](https://www.infobip.com/). Infobip platform handles plenty of communication channels, and email is just one of them. Check how simple it is to incorporate our solution into your product and choose for yourself if it meets all of your requirements. Our [free trial](https://medium.com/r/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.infobip.com%2Fdocs%2Fessentials%2Ffree-trial) 

will assist you in familiarizing yourself with our solution, understanding integration, and recognizing the best possibilities with our solution.

##How much do you need to worry about GDPR?##
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new set of European Union regulations governing the handling of personal data. Due to the constant development of the digital world, the GDPR is intended to bring prior data protection regulations up to date. It is designed to improve data protection inside the EU by implementing rules (and fines!) regarding personal data processing, acquisition, and storage.

The GDPR applies to your business if it processes, saves, or utilizes the personal data of EU people. Personal data includes email addresses, names, phone numbers, and behavioral data about your consumers. It is critical to remember that the rules apply to personal data transferred beyond the EU (to the US, for example).

Businesses may send email marketing to people only if the following conditions are met:
* The person has expressly agreed.
* They are a current client who purchased a comparable service or product and was provided with an easy method to opt-out.

The rise of social media has changed the way we interact with brands. In many cases, companies will send customers emails without their permission because they haven't unsubscribed from marketing lists or opted out - even if you don't want the communication! The best thing a person can do is check your inbox for any unsolicited messages and make sure that nobody else could have access to it either - only signing up using one email address should be enough protection against bad actors trying too hard to sell everything all at once… but let's face it: Most people just end up clicking "yes" anyways; whether on purpose or not doesn't really matter as long as there isn't an Automated Response waiting.

To be acceptable, however, they must have been provided a clear and simple option to opt out. This should be made available when their first data is taken and should be included in any future messages delivered.
This regulation implies that, although information may be given to current customers by email or text, it does not apply to new contacts or prospective consumers. Additionally, it does not apply to any promotional activity that is not commercial, such as political campaigning or charity fundraising.

##Why is the Subscriber's consent important?##
The GDPR imposes strict requirements on how you get, record, and maintain permission for marketing communications. In reality, this implies that people providing you with their email address must express permission actively and openly before you may send them emails.

Consent must be provided voluntarily. This implies that it cannot be accomplished via the use of a pre-ticked box. Apart from that, explicit permission is essential. This means that the client must understand what they are signing up for.

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/y0vleknwxswyfgprv7fu.png)

Take note that if you are contacted, you must provide evidence of the permission provided. It is critical, then, that you maintain a record of all consents granted by your subscribers.
You may send emails without obtaining permission. Rather than relying on consent, you may claim that you distribute newsletters to further your company's legitimate interests. However, and this is critical, the individual you are sending emails to should have some connection with you, such as having purchased one of your goods. It is up to each business to choose which approach is most appropriate for them - whether via consent or legitimate interests - and ensure compliance with the GDPR.

##Email Marketing After GDPR implementation##
Email marketing is a popular kind of advertising that was formerly very simple to deploy. However, with the implementation of GDPR, there is another area that needs careful attention.

For example, businesses must get express permission from their contacts before continuing to send them emails. This necessitates a more rigorous membership procedure that includes a double opt-in and an easy opt-out option and prohibits forced or compelled opt-ins.

A double opt-in verifies that users want to receive emails, filtering out fraudulent or negligent requests (for example, a user's failure to uncheck an automatically selected subscription box). If a customer gives their email address for a subscription, they will be required to consent to it a second time in their email.

The need for double opt-in serves as a safeguard for businesses that send promotional emails. Anybody subscribing to your emails should do so freely and without feeling compelled to do so in exchange for a specific product or service. Additionally, they should be able to unsubscribe from your email list at any moment without suffering any consequences.

##To conclude##
Well, we discussed that GDPR refocused marketers on established email best practices, further strengthening marketing campaigns for those already committed to providing superior customer experiences.

Now, these similar standards and guidelines advise subscribers how they will hear from you and how they want to communicate with you. As we've seen, this puts your marketing efforts in an ideal position to connect with a genuinely engaged audience, enabling you to deliver high-performing messages that impact your revenue. As marketers, we can now target and plan with more zeal, laser-focused on the information we have about our consumers. Now, their expectations have the potential to impact our companies significantly.
Moreover, using the right platforms can help create robust email solutions for their services, which helps in creating highly interactive email newsletters quickly and easily with robust solutions.

Feel free to sign up for our [trial](https://medium.com/r/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.infobip.com%2Fdocs%2Fessentials%2Ffree-trial) account to test out how we solve communication challenges! There you can experience how to integrate [Infobip](https://www.infobip.com/docs/essentials/free-trial)communication platform into your technical solution(s) and how it might help you expand the business.