Quickfire questions 5 in five Tricia Fox FCIM, CEO of marketing and public relations agency Volpa We put five questions to Tricia Fox about how marketers in smaller businesses are adapting to GDPR and where that might lead in 2019 What has been the main impact of GDPR on smaller businesses so far? GDPR has been a major undertaking for all businesses, regardless of size. Many smaller businesses asked why this was being thrust upon them, and some were simply relieved to make it beyond the May deadline in one piece. Small companies, for instance, dont necessarily have a marketing team in-house, which leaves them reliant on agency guidance when it comes to compliance. However, it has focused all organisations on understanding what data is, and where and how theyve been collecting it. Also, weve found that those businesses that were proactive in their approach were generally happy with the outcome even with, in some cases, dramatically depleted databases. Have all small businesses responded to the regulation in the same way? In our experience, businesses have reacted in one of two ways. Some decided to rebuild immediately with a belt and braces re-consent approach. This group sought to focus on a data-acquisition strategy, which was more aligned with what they wanted to achieve with those new datasets. The other camp, after surveying the landscape, are opting to explore new or different methods of reaching and communicating with potential and previous customers. Whichever camp the business is in, GDPR has forced businesses and marketers to take a sharp look at what they want to say and how they want to say it. Have there been any surprising outcomes from this reassessment of communications strategies? For the past 10 years, all the talk has been about digital channels. However, some companies, particularly smaller ones, have reverted to more traditional forms of media outdoor, print and direct mail, for example. The key is that people have felt that these channels arent as directly affected by GDPR. In general, were seeing a renewed interest in media that had somewhat lost its appeal during the digital age. Larger organisations, whose marketing strategies might be slower to turn around, are still taking a digital-first and mobile-first approach, while smaller organisations are pursuing alternative options. Does this amount to a retreat into a simpler, more traditional type of marketing? Not at all. In fact, it can be seen as a shift away from the easy digital option, towards the perhaps more complex communication vehicles, such as improving media relations, stakeholder engagement and community management. Brands are increasingly interested in these areas as a result of GDPR; we have found some clients have upped their focus on PR as a means of communicating, for example. The financial savings made from no longer having to invest in email marketing systems, and less emphasis on content development, are being channelled into alternative media. While not spelling the end of the email marketing industry, this should serve as a red flag for those whose business models rely on it as an income stream. What trends might we see in 2019? Obviously, many big players will continue to invest heavily in digital. But, for the smaller end of the market which in many ways is the mass market were definitely starting to see businesses scrutinise their digital spend to a greater degree. If they dont have a big database to rely on, or cant make as much use of the data they have, marketers need to reconsider what channels are worth their time and investment. cim.co.uk/exchange