• This topic has 16 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 5 years ago by ajaj.
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  • Email lists B2B, GDPR?
  • seosamh77
    Free Member

    How do they work with lists now, is it just a complete no-no to send bulk emails out? I don’t really get this GDPR thingy?

    Scenario.

    I’ve a load of email contacts, some of whom will know me, some won’t. But I’d like to send a general email out to all of them, informing of some services I’m offering, which will be relevant to their business.

    I’m I allowed to bulk email them(probably via mailchimp)?

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    How did you come by their emails?

    ElVino
    Full Member

    If you can show legitimately that the service you are offering them is likely to be of interest to them and you offer them the opportunity and mechanism to unsubscribe  every time you mail them you should be ok

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    seosamh77
    Free Member

    Stole work contacts basically.  But also another list that I know was made up just by individuals trawling the web.

    seosamh77
    Free Member

    El Vino

    If you can show legitimately that the service you are offering them is likely to be of interest to them and you offer them the opportunity and mechanism to unsubscribe  every time you mail them you should be ok

    yes, I was reading something about that, that you can still do it, if it’s relevant. unsubscribe would always be there on mail chimp emails anyway. Wonder if a better was to do it, might be to just send and email out with the relevant info, and then asking them to subscribe. I think the assumption that you can just fire people on to a list and keep firing away these days that is the sticking point.

    ElVino
    Full Member

    ouch first one is illegal, nothing to do with GDPR

    seosamh77
    Free Member

    Company has been liquidated though so not like they would have any grievance. Can you get pulled up from elsewhere about that?

    I’m aware I need to tread carefully on this. Are the trawled emails fair game?

    tenacious_doug
    Free Member

    Stole work contacts basically.  But also another list that I know was made up just by individuals trawling the web.

    I would not be sending out any “marketing” emails to anyone who’s details I have gathered through either of these ways

    deadkenny
    Free Member

    Can you guarantee these are work addresses and not personal. Even if work addresses, are they on behalf of the company or acting as an individual, and regardless can you personally identify that person from the address? In which case it’s personal data.

    If any of the latter, they must have opted in, and not just a soft opt-in and you can’t send something unsolicited with an opt-out link.

    You also have to provide proof that you have acquired the list with consent of all individuals and have permission to store those in the list. You must also communicate your intent in using the data and privacy policy to everyone on the list.

    Fines for GDPR breaches are significant.

    And yes, stolen list and acquired by trawling the web are red flags.

    seosamh77
    Free Member

    So basically, john@ address’s are off limits, but info@ should be fine, for example?

    P-Jay
    Free Member

    I think these days you pretty much have to have permission to send mails.

    Personally I wouldn’t go through with it because:

    1) Unsolicited generic mail is a terrible way to market yourself and will do more harm than good.

    2) Mailchimp will declare a Fatwa on you if more than a few % unsubscribe from your mailing list stating they never asked for it.

    3) Even using Mailchimp you may end up with your domain blacklisted as spam and you’ll have nightmares in the future.

    TBH B2B scattergun marketing is a fairly bad idea these days. Better to be more focused. It takes a long time to do it properly, but the quickest way is via LinkedIn. Start with people you really know and have worked with in the past, open a dialogue honestly, don’t hard sell it NEVER works B2B and people talk. If someone doesn’t want or need your product, ask if they know someone who does. Be polite, build networks, offer the fruits of your experience, don’t just spam people or they will never work with you.

    seosamh77
    Free Member

    Interesting points PJay. I’m not actually doing anything with them yet tbh, I am just exploring some thoughts, and I’m clearing out folders, so I’ve just came across with that one with the lists and curious if anything could be done with them given these GDPR restrictions these days.

    I’ve already emailed people I had a direct connection with, so I have one decent email list. Just investigating the pro’s and cons of a scatter gun approach. (coming out as all cons it seems! 😆 )

    seosamh77
    Free Member

    To be honest twitter seems like a decent approach for getting people you don’t know to know you exist. Folllowed about 80 over the last couple of days, and I’ve got 20 followers already on that from 0, not a bad return for a few clicks. I’m basically just investigating certain marketing routes at the moment.

    I only started getting into this on monday! 😆 So long way yo go, and alot of strategies to come up with.

    Think I’ll just scan though the lists, take any I’ve missed that I’ve had deals with in the past and bin the rest.

    Cheers all, that’s settled that! 🙂

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    To be honest twitter seems like a decent approach for getting people you don’t know to know you exist. Folllowed about 80 over the last couple of days, and I’ve got 20 followers already on that from 0, not a bad return for a few clicks. I’m basically just investigating certain marketing routes at the moment.

    Only if the followers have a pulse, read what you post (lots will just do it so you will retweet them) and have anything to do with your business.

    Start with the basics, identify your market, work out where those people are and get known. Referrals are some of the best bits of advertising you can get, a clear and concise website.

    Marketing to people who are not going to buy from you is a waste of time.

    seosamh77
    Free Member

    Aye, lost of reading to do. I’m going to open up quite a few routes to market, essentially that’s what the next month is, learning how to do that efficiently and finding out what has the best impact.

    ajaj
    Free Member

    GDPR has very little relevance to this specific question. You’ve got a legitimate interest in the processing. You’re in GDPR territory just by having the list in the first place anyway. Only real connection is that you have no legitimate interest in people you aren’t planning to contact.

    What is relevant is the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, which have a very limited get out for some, but not all, corporate entities. The exemption doesn’t look like it’ll be staying long-term.  The ICO explains on their site. And all the stuff about opt outs mentioned earlier.

    That said, I’d second most of P-Jay’s  advice.

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