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Many businesses have used direct mail to alert customers about GDPR, while the regulations themselves leave direct mail relatively free and unchanged, writes An Post’s Éibhín Eviston

People like direct mail because it’s tangible and goes straight to source. Even younger customers react well to direct mail, simply because it’s unusual in a world where they’re constantly receiving impersonal emails.

More than four million GDPR-related letters were sent in Ireland in the countdown to May 25. Among the business groups relying on mail were banks, car dealers, insurance companies, utilities and charities. The feedback An Post has had from customers is that awareness is very high regarding the need to keep communicating around GDPR.

The new rules are about controlling the chaos of the digital world. For many businesses, having an online presence or sending online newsletters became just another task. It’s now time to regulate that and ask whether every email really needs to be sent.

So where does that leave direct mail? Relatively free and unchanged. Businesses need to offer customers an opt-out clause when using personalised data for their mailings and make sure identifying information is not shared, but that leaves plenty of room for manoeuvre.

For any companies still feeling unsure, the rules about when it’s safe to process customer information are quite clear. There are six broad categories defined by regulations, so ensure that the reason for mailing customers lines up with just one of these to be in the clear.

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Valid Reasons

The valid reasons for mailing customers
are when:

1. Customers have given consent for use of their data.

2. The mailing is required to complete a contract between the company and the customer.

3. The company is legally obliged to do this.

4. The vital interests of the customer can only be protected by use of this data.

5. Data is being used to carry out work in the public interest.

6. The mailing is in the legitimate interests of the company.

An Post research shows that businesses are more likely to use direct mail with repeat customers. Business customers tell us they see a need to continue updating their clients about GDPR, saying it helps to verify a physical address, for example, by sending a letter. Other use mailings include securing opt-in consent to digital marketing, if required.

Speaking at the recent GDPR summit in Dublin, direct marketing guru Marc Michaels explained that the key is offering clear opt-out and consent methods so customers feel they are in control of their mail preferences. This means no pre-ticked boxes or other methods that assume consent by default.

Innovative Products

An Post has a range of innovative products to make sure business mail gets to the right target audience. Admailer is a partially addressed service ‘to the householder’ that uses a combination of mapping technology and marketing to enable companies to target geographical areas and generate striking postcards that won’t be ignored.

For businesses that develop their own material such as leaflets, flyers, brochures, newsletters, magazines and other promotional material, Publicity Post (the An Post unaddressed service) makes sure they arrive on time and in front of the right people. Partially and unaddressed direct mail falls outside GDPR.

For a business with a database of customers, the An Post Reach Plus service is priced from 57c per item. For addressed publicity mail items, remember to always offer an opt-out to the recipient.

For more information on how direct mail with An Post can help your business, email post.media@anpost.ie