How I Will Generate More Leads Thanks To GDPR

I’m no lawyer

And so do your own research on the following advice

…GDPR is going to affect cold email in Europe no doubt

And knowing that many companies (especially SaaS) generate 80% of their leads from cold email — this is going to cause problems (nevermind the data protection and double opt-in regulations aswell as cold email)

So here are 2 ways to avoid GDPR affecting your lead generation

1) Cold email US employees at US companies

Nice and simple, if you’ve never targeted US companies, now is your time

A few objections I hear when I tell people to do this

a) The company won’t want to work with us due to time zones

This is usually no problem, it causes longer work days, but it’s often worth it

It’s fair enough if you can’t commit to working past 6pm yourself, then it might not be worth it

b) Our sales reps/I can’t close work on the phone

These statements are largely untrue, although you might have a higher close ratio in person

Taking client calls over Zoom/Skype can be hugely beneficial and actually make you more efficient

By hosting presentations online, instead of going to in-person meetings, you can close sizeable contracts and instantly get back to your work-day

So if you want to cold email US companies

Make sure you comply with CAN SPAM laws in the US

But apart from that emailing US companies shouldn’t breach GDPR regulation

Just be careful not to accidentally store UK data while buying or scraping US data

2) Use Linkedin To Generate More Leads

If your primary source of leads come from cold email

Now is a great time to make the transition to Linkedin

Through cold connections and messages alone you can get thousands of connections in a few months

And by regularly reaching out with free guides, webinars and live event invites — you can generate more leads than your sales team can handle with a few accounts

GDPR is the main reason Linkedin lead generation became my main focus for this year

That and it’s a much longer term strategy

On Linkedin you can use automation and growth hacking initially

And long term following and authority using content

It often produces higher value leads than cold email, due to the fact it’s the largest content marketing platform for people at large companies/organisations

By focusing on Linkedin this year, I will generate more leads than if I stuck with cold emails

So thanks GDPR ;)

Have you had to change your lead generation strategy due to GDPR? Respond in the comments below

Charlie