Despite the introduction of the GDPR last year and continuing horror stories of big corporate data breaches, just 21% of businesses in the UK had cybersecurity policies in place during 2018.

The same report from which I grabbed the above statistic also revealed that the average cost for a business data breach is £4,180.

Can you afford to shell out that kind of cash if someone dips into your database this afternoon?

But how does cybersecurity impact marketing, you might ask? Well, data-driven marketing is the norm for most businesses these days, and that means you (or your marketing team) are dealing with inherent cybersecurity risks every single day.

A report by PwC suggests that more than 90% of consumers think companies should be more proactive about their data protection. Can you safely say that data security is at the foremost of your mind during marketing campaigns?

You can’t take your eyes off customer data

Chances are, you’re using some form of software to collect and manage the personal data of both existing and prospective customers.

This might be a CRM that keeps track of the sales team’s progress with active leads, or a tool on your website that collects email addresses from people who download your lead magnets.

This information gathering probably results in you profiling, analysing and targeting the owners of the data. And, providing you’re doing that ethically, you’re doing nothing wrong. In fact, you’re conducting a modern marketing campaign that should provide a tangible return for the business.

Accessing, storing and processing data of this kind is a critical business task, but it’s also inherently risky. Despite this, database management and GDPR compliance is often seen as being outside the scope of marketing teams.

This needs to change. For instance, if an email marketing database is insecure, it could be breached, and that will leave your business at the mercy of the ICO and its stringent GDPR rules.

The answer? Call in a GDPR expert to help your marketing team, tools and strategy comply with the new legislation. This might require new software, processes and a re-think of how you’re collecting personal data, but it will be for the good of your marketing team and business in the long run.

Marketing needs to get involved in data breach recovery, too

A key aspect of the GDPR relates to the response of businesses that suffer data breaches. Under the rules, your business must inform the authorities within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach.

This isn’t just down to your IT team or board of directors, either - it’s a job that involves every corner of the business, including marketing.

Think about it - a data breach can have a perilous impact on your brand image. It’s not something you can - or should - hide, either; one way or another, news of your data breach will get out there.

And who’s job is it to control the messaging, persona and brand image of your company? That’s right - the marketing arm!

A data breach could cause enough of a stink for people to stop buying from you, thus hitting profits and impairing growth. If the marketing team can work during the aftermath of a data breach to offer genuine, honest feedback to customers and detail what will be done to mitigate future instances, your business stands a far better chance of getting through the episode unscathed.

Recovering from a data breach is a task ideally suited to marketing - trust me.

Wrapping up

Data privacy is no longer a tick-box exercise - it’s an integral part of every modern business. And, if you thought cybersecurity is something that needn’t make its way onto your marketing meeting agenda, think again; you’ll need that element of your business more than ever if something goes wrong.