Will it be more than just a number?

It is unlikely that there will be any changes made to the appearance of the new vehicle registration plates! The EU flag symbol was only ever an identifier and was never compulsory under EU-wide law.

One thing, however, is for certain! September 1st 2016 will mark the arrival of the '66' registration plate. And, if you are planning your next marketing or sales campaign, not only can we connect you to the UK's fleet decision makers we can give you real targeting choices too!

Covering over 40,000 sites across all industries, our database is searchable by vehicle type, fleet size and demographics; all maintained for accuracy by continuous telephone research.

And that's not all! License £3,000 of our Fleet FOCUS or any other FOCUS data before 31st August 2016 and you will qualify for our Summer offer, a SMART TV*. You will be able to keep abreast of the latest Olympic results or Brexit updates, whilst driving your marketing campaigns forward.

* Terms and conditions apply. Visit: www.corpdata.co.uk/Summer16Offer

Brexit - The EU, The Data Law and The Legislation Reforms

New data protection laws are needed. The old UK data protection laws have been struggling to cope with the complex challenges of our modern, on-line, social media enabled world.

Earlier this year on April 14th, after four years of negotiation and drafting, the long awaited EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was finally adopted at EU level. But what happens now in light of Britain opting out of the EU?

There has been much speculation on the matter as it remains uncertain what direction UK data protection law will take from now on. In accordance with Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty it will be a minimum of two years before the UK fully withdraws from the EU. However, if the UK is not part of the EU, then any upcoming EU reforms to data protection may not directly apply.

We agree with the ICO's recent statement, “If the UK wants to trade with the Single Market on equal terms we would have to prove 'adequacy' - in other words UK data protection standards would have to be equivalent to the EU's GDPR framework starting in 2018”.

It could be argued that if Britain were to follow the 'Norway model' by remaining in the European Economic Area then most of the EU-derived laws will remain in place and, therefore, likely that the GDPR would in fact come into force in 2018.

We do think that it is likely that the UK data protection law will continue in the planned direction and change to reflect the GDPR and believe that it is important to remember that this directive or at least something very similar, is much needed in our ever growing digital economy.

Without doubt it is difficult to predict the exact changes or indeed when they will become law. As we learn more we will continue to keep you updated. In the meantime should you have any questions or require any advice please do call us on: 01626 777 400, we are here to help.

Outcomes of Purchasing B2B Data just on Price

Rarely does it pay to purchase B2B data on price alone. Without question, there are plenty of cheap deals to be found which seem increasingly appealing as the number of contacts rise, or costs fall.
When your only objective is generating noise to a wider audience for less, then email marketing to a large low-priced list is undoubtedly the cheapest and easiest method. However, our experience shows us that real-world direct marketing campaigns are rarely this simple!

When a campaign needs to deliver outcomes - reputation reinforcement or brand building, for example; a generic email to a mass audience is best avoided. Equally, sales teams won't be thankful for out of date lists. Telemarketers will be de-motivated by calling people who are not there, particularly the deceased. Recipients of unwanted calls or mail may share their bad experiences on-line with disastrous effect.

The consequences can be costly when choosing data primarily on price, regardless of the medium used. The printing and fulfilment costs of unread mailers, the manpower hours of telemarketers contacting wrong phone numbers and unproductive sales teams will result in more budget used for less return.

When reputations really don't need protecting and outcomes are not an objective. When domain level blocking doesn't matter; then maybe sending a generic message to a wider audience is OK. But rarely does it pay!

By recognising that an up-front saving on data can play out as a bottom line disaster, our customers repeatedly avoid these pitfalls and can boast consistently productive campaigns.

As The UK's premier B2B data provider, we understand that...

'Data doesn't create campaigns… Data is the enabler of campaigns'

...and this is why, we make sure we supply accurate and up-do-date lists. For almost 25 years, we have telephone researched our data to ensure an average age of 94 days. We know our quality data will not be the cheapest. Yet, we are experienced enough to realise that there can be occasions when volume outweighs the importance of accuracy.

Throughout this 3 part series we will explore what happens when B2B data is purchased purely on price. In this issue, we find out how, and when it can occasionally work. Next month we focus on the financial implications of using less than accurate data and our final piece will identify costs which are harder to quantify.But is everyone your audience?

Email marketing campaigns are undoubtedly the cheapest (depending on what you count) and easiest method of getting high volumes of your message out there for less. Surely, if the sole objective is all about noise generation, the more contacts the better?

Or, is it?

Without doubt, there is plenty of cheap B2B data to be found, often we don't have to search for it. 'Last opportunities to buy' and 'fire sales' of data landing in inboxes do nothing to dispel it is readily available. Invariably these kind of deals become more appealing as the number of contacts rise.

When it is considered that a total of 75% of businesses in the UK operate as a sole trader and just over 4% employ between 10 - 249 people, the authenticity of cheaper and high volumes of data has to be questioned. For direct marketing email campaigns designed to create a loud and noisy awareness drive it is easy to see why these cheaper data lists are perceived as cost effective. And when there is no reputation to protect and it really is just about hitting as many contacts as possible. When outcomes are not an objective. Sending a generic message to a wider, non-specified audience is OK.

But data changes all the time. Companies fold. New businesses form. Premises change. Employees move on. Promotions happen. People pass away. Out of date, or worse still fabricated data will result in less than favourable delivery rates. If blocked email and even domain level blocking really doesn't matter, and reputations are not at stake, then why not sacrifice quality for quantity? The reality is simple. Our customers don't want interruptions to their email traffic. They recognise that they have reputations to protect; want to build positive brand awareness and achieve a good return on their investment. That is why Corpdata UK is their chosen B2B data provider.

Next month we will look at the financial implications when using less accurate data for the more traditional marketing campaign.