On 25th May 2018, new regulations for privacy and data protection come into force and will change the way digital marketing activities are performed forever. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and ePrivacy Regulation are designed to bring current, outdated data laws up to date for a digital era to ensure all companies are collecting and handling customer data in more transparent and open ways.

Although both are EU regulations, they will come into force before Britain leaves the EU and the ICO has confirmed that similar legislation will be introduced into the UK before Brexit. The penalties being introduced are severe if you’re caught out, up to €20 million or 4% of a company’s global turnover, so as digital marketers, we have a responsibility for getting up to speed with the changes and making sure our activities are compliant. This is vital to understand whether you are happy in your current marketing job or looking for a new position since your role will likely involve having to tackle this at some point in the near future.

Here are our 4 tips for staying ahead of the game:

1. Do your research

The new laws have been four years in the making but there are still a lot of grey areas. Not only do you need a good overview of the changes to current law, you’ll require insight into how these apply specifically to your business whether it’s business-to-consumer or business-to-business.

2. Invest in staff training

Who is responsible for data management in your team? Can you expect them to know about and implement all the necessary changes to ensure your business is compliant with less than a year to go? The resources are out there for training individuals or whole teams in how to cope with the GDPR and, take it from us, the cost of not training staff could be much worse.

3. Do an audit of current data collection and management practices

From a name on your database to a cookie on your website, the GDPR says that anything that could be used to identify an individual will now be recognised as personal data. So it’s probably time you start making a list of all the data you collect, how it’s collected and where it is stored. If your business is ever part of an investigation, you’ll need to show that this has all been done by the book.

4. Take the opportunity to provide more customer value

Senior marketers shouldn’t just see the GDPR as a hassle though. Along with an emphasis on openness and transparency, the new Regulation should result in a more effective use of customer data to create added value and increased relevancy.

Looking for a new marketing challenge? Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of GDPR and how it will affect your role and the future of digital marketing jobs. It’ll put you in a stronger position when it comes to your application and interview.