How can we get our customers to opt in?

Rosemary Smith, director of data protection consultancy Opt-4, gives practical advice on how to obtain customer permissions without alienating existing customers and prospects.

Understanding the rules around how to apply positive consent (opt-in) versus a negative option (opt-out) and defining your permission strategy and privacy policies are the first steps.

You also have to think about the demographics of your audience – younger people may be willing to surrender personal information in return for incentives or services; older prospects tend to be more likely to opt out – even from postal communications.

Above all, keep all your communications clear, easy to understand and compliant with data protection legislation.