Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
Although it has been years since the European Union adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), many people still have questions about compliance with the law.
This is no surprise. Legal matters can be quite complicated and every organization and situation is unique. Email marketers collect personal data, which means we all have a responsibility to protect the contact information we use to do our work.
So where can you find reliable GDPR resources? Email on Acid has scoured the internet for the best places where email marketers can learn the ins and outs of GDPR compliance.
Check out the GDPR resources below, and you may find that many of the email deliverability best practices you already follow will also help you comply with data protection laws.
Official GDPR resources
There is no more authoritative source for information on GDPR than the EU itself. Visit GDPR.eu, the official website of this important data protection regulation.
The website contains a wealth of information that you can trust as it comes directly from the EU.
- Get an overview of the GDPR
- Discover news about GDPR and other data protection initiatives
- Find answers to your questions in the GDPR FAQs
- Check out templates to help you create GDPR compliant forms and websites:
This official website should be your first stop, as it's full of helpful resources on GDPR. There's even an article on how GDPR affects email. (Thanks, EU!) If you want to dive deeper and read the actual legislation, you can also find the full text of GDPR here. That's all 11 chapters and 99 articles full of legalese. Enjoy!
Understanding the basics of GDPR
Of course, you're probably not a lawyer and you might want things explained in simpler terms. Need a little background on how this regulation came about and why we need it? Some of the leading business and technology publications have in-depth articles explaining the story behind GDPR.
You can always visit Wikipedia's GDPR page for more details, knowing that Wikipedia editors are always up to date on data protection law.
Mailjet explains GDPR requirements for email marketers
Our friends at Sinch Mailjet have put together a comprehensive GDPR resource aimed at email marketers like you.
Visit Mailjet's GDPR Hub to find answers to frequently asked questions and helpful articles. You can even download a GDPR SOS kit to help you comply.
You can trust Mailjet as one of the best GDPR resources because this brand has been at the forefront of compliance since day 1. The email service provider was the first company in the world to receive GDPR certification from ANFOR. Mailjet is also based in Europe and its data centers are located in EU countries. This (among many other reasons) means you can also trust Mailjet as a GDPR compliant ESP.
GDPR training
For those of you who truly want to become GDPR experts, there are numerous online GDPR training opportunities.
One of the more “official” places to get training on GDPR is the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Check out their training schedule to find a course on GDPR.
Accredited certification bodies may also offer GDPR training that you can consider. For example, PECB is one accreditation body that offers GDPR training for data protection officers. These organizations are the third parties that assess the organization's compliance against certain international standards (ISO 27001 and ISO 27701).
Our sister brands Mailjet and Sinch Mailgun use A-LIGN for security and compliance audits and certifications. A-LIGN has an excellent article explaining ISO 27701, a standard that includes specific GDPR controls.
Here are some other reliable resources for GDPR training:
Udemy.com also offers a collection of online GDPR courses that you can try. These are paid courses that cost between $15 and $20.
Downloadable GDPR Guides
You want a nicely packaged PDF explaining GDPR issues like data subject rights and how to send a data breach notification? Who doesn't? They exist.
This is what we recommend to marketers:
GDPR Checklist – Resources
It should come as no surprise to anyone that we're pretty big fans of checklists here at Sinch Email on Acid. After all, we built our product Campaign Precheck around the idea of an automated checklist before sending emails. A checklist is also really handy if you want to make sure you've covered everything related to your GDPR compliance.
Here are several places where you can get a GDPR checklist:
Sinch Mailjet also offers a GDPR checklist for email marketing that covers choosing a compliant ESP, mapping your email data, and more. Your existing ESP, customer relationship management platform (CRM), or other marketing tech solutions may have their own GDPR checklists and documentation.
GDPR compliance and email deliverability
Now that you've had a chance to review and utilize all of these GDPR resources, the question is: what can email marketers like us expect when we're confident we're complying with the law and adequately protecting personal data?
One of the biggest benefits of complying with GDPR guidelines is the significant potential for improved email deliverability.
Although GDPR isn't necessarily meant to impact deliverability, it does. The regulation requires email marketers to follow best practices that improve your sender reputation, which is how mailbox providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail evaluate your trustworthiness.
When you comply with GDPR requirements, you only send emails to people who have actually opted in and want to hear from you. This improves email engagement, which can directly impact deliverability. When you comply with GDPR, you are less likely to receive spam complaints, which will certainly negatively impact email deliverability.
Ultimately, GDPR is making us all more responsible senders. And that's a very good thing. But… if you still need help with deliverability, you need to check out Mailgun Optimize.
With Mailgun Optimize you can:
- Quickly clean your email list to reduce bounce rates and maximize the reach of your emails.
- Make sure that every new email address you add to your mailing list is genuine.
- Run a seed test on your emails to make sure they land in your inbox and not in your spam folder.
- See exactly where they end up in Gmail and other tabbed mailboxes.
- Preview your emails on all popular devices and clients.
- Monitor IP blocklists so you can take immediate action if you are listed.
- Work with the best strategists in the email industry to develop an email strategy tailored specifically to your business needs.
- Maintain 100% GDPR compliance.
- Identify and avoid spam traps in your email lists.
- And much more – we’ll be bringing you even more great features soon!
Don't leave your email deliverability to chance. Take control of your inbox placement and get more of your messages delivered with Mailgun Optimize.
This article was updated on August 15, 2022. It was first published in May 2018.
Author: Kasey Steinbrinck
Kasey Steinbrinck is the Senior Content Marketing Manager at Sinch Email, which owns the Email on Acid, InboxReady, Mailgun, and Mailjet brands. He understands how email and content go hand in hand to create a strong strategy. Kasey has also spent time working in traditional media, e-commerce marketing, and for a digital agency.
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
