Why UK companies should not be using US based email marketing software providers
If you are a UK based business - using a U.S based company for supply of your email marketing software and services can be really problematic.
Well, the main reason that everybody talks about is because of GDPR, whilst there are some really serious issues to be aware of with companies overseas and how GDPR affects your decision - it really goes much deeper than that.
Service implications
When U.K businesses start using U.S based companies the one thing that they all talk about and often overlook is that it’s just a major pain to try and deal with someone who is in bed 5,000 miles away when you are at work and need some help. Hank in Atlanta make be very helpful, but not when he’s asleep in bed.
Whilst most modern email marketing software is pretty easy to use nowadays, sometimes we all run up against something that we need some help with. If you’ve got to send a support email and then wait 12 hours minimum for a reply, it can be a real deal breaker if you are up against the clock with an email broadcast deadline.
It’s awesome to have the freedom to use cloud based software that could be based on the other side of the world - this global marketplace makes for a really competitive market, but sometimes, it’s just nice to be able to pick up the phone and talk to someone and ask for some help or guidance.
It’s really reassuring to have that life line if you need it. This is especially true if you are a small business, or if you are the only marketing person in your business. Sometimes it’s really helpful just to get another set of eyes on your campaign - even the best of us sometimes go design blind and miss that all important typo.
Any decent email marketing account manager will be more than happy to lend an eye and a bit of unbiased feedback.
GDPR implications
Ok, so the next reason why UK business should not be using U.S based companies for email marketing is of course GDPR.
GDPR is an E.U law that regulates what third parties do with your data, this covers how they store it, encrypt it and how they use it.
So, if you are uploading your lovingly crafted list of email addresses of your business contacts and prospects, then you are effectively allowing a third party access to it.
Well, GDPR is the law put in place to make sure that these third parties act in a responsible and ethical way with your data. It is used to hold them to account if they are misusing your private data in any way.
But, your U.S based supplier probably says “it’s ok to store your data in the U.S we are fully GDPR compliant” - So, if they are, then what’s the problem??
The important thing to understand here is that GDPR only covers companies based in the E.U, so whilst your U.S company may be happy to observe E.U laws, nobody says that they have to - and if they decide to misuse your data GDPR cannot be used to take legal action.
This means that they could if they wanted to, sell your data to another company to use and there is not really a great deal you can do about it. You aren’t a U.S company - and your software supplier is not governed by the laws that are put in place to protect you.
Summary
So, in summary if you are a U.K business it’s really not a good idea to look over the water for an email marketing software supplier. There are a whole host of fantastic email marketing software products right here in the U.K.