De-bunking the myth that vets need to use ‘Consent’ for marketing communications that are aimed at their clients
Consent is one of the most misunderstood elements of UK GDPR. Misunderstood, because many technology suppliers used by vets are simply misinforming their clients on where, why and how Consent should be deployed.
The Myth
Consent should be used as the legal basis for sending clients marketing communications, and that vets will need to ask existing clients for their consent to market to them.
The Reality
Consent is just one of six legal bases and is not always the best choice. In the case of marketing to existing clients, ‘Legitimate Interests’ is much more suited to veterinary practice needs.
Yes, to Legitimate Interest – A more useful approach
Legitimate Interest enables practices to send marketing communications to their existing clients. This means that they are not asking for Consent, but can still provide clients with a choice, ensuring they can always opt-out at any time should they wish to.
What are marketing communications
- Reminders for vaccinations, boosters and maintaining the administering of other healthcare treatments.
- Information on animal welfare, like top tips and health checks that can be completed at home.
- News, promotions and product or service offers.
What is required to use Legitimate Interest
- The practice will need to complete a Legitimate Interest Assessment (LIA) to ensure this legal basis applies to their processing.
- The data subject must be an existing client or have demonstrated an intention to purchase.
- Data Subjects should have been provided with an opportunity to opt-out when the data was collected, served with a Fair Processing Notice and given access to the practice’s full Privacy Notice.
- Marketing communications must be about similar or like products and services.
- Recipients must be given the opportunity to opt-out in any further marketing communications.
Our Conclusion
We strongly advise vets who ask us ‘the Consent question’ to understand the legal bases available in detail. Practices who blindly follow the advice of suppliers (who appear to be taking the line of least resistance regarding this important aspect of the UK GDPR) will probably suffer significant and un-necessary costs now and over time.
Here are four suggestions on how you might better understand and thus make an informed decision on whether to and then how to rely on Legitimate Interest or Consent.
1. Watch our FREE Consent Webinar – ‘DeBunking the Consent myth for Vets’ where we explain all this in more detail.
Watch our FREE Consent webinar
2. Take the first module of the Connected Vet Academy’s nine-step route to UK GDPR compliance for vets, for FREE, now. It’ll introduce you to the six legal bases, including Legitimate Interests and Consent.
Take the FREE GDPR for Vets Overview Module
3. Get our GDPR compliant document pack. The only UK GDPR document pack that has been specifically developed for veterinary practices. It’s got the Legitimate Interests Assessment, Fair Processing and Privacy Notices in there.
FREE diagram – Managing client registration using legitimate interests
4. Check out our ‘Three routes to GDPR compliance for vets’ PDF. Which outlines three veterinary practice specific routes to maximising your practices’ UK GDPR compliance.
And finally – Get an expert
Connected Vet really do know what we’re doing when it comes to properly preparing your practice for UK GDPR Compliance. But don’t take our word for it. Here’s what Tracy Manning, owner of Hook Vets in Hampshire had to say after we visited.
“I cannot recommend Connected Vet highly enough in providing much needed support and guidance for Veterinary Practices in achieving GDPR compliance.
Right through from the data audit meeting on site and through all email and telephone discussions that follow they make the process as streamlined and easy to understand as possible for the whole team.
In addition, the service represents extremely good value for money and has been an undoubtedly worthwhile investment for my Practice and has saved me any sleepless nights I might have had!”
Connected Vet Academy
Our Academy is an online training website designed to support vets and their teams to improve their digital marketing skills. We are a trusted voice when it comes to digital marketing for vets and we want to help practices improve their results, whether that’s increased sales, insightful client feedback or data protection compliance.