In 2008 marketing guru Seth Godin coined a phrase that has changed the way that we think about getting the consumers attention and selling products – permission marketing. While Godin was not the first to talk to about permission based marketing, he was the first to clearly explain why it is so necessary in the 21st century marketplace. Read on an learn more about permission marketing and how it is transforming the way businesses promote their products and services.
Overview Of Permission Marketing
In the 20th century the path to getting your marketing message in front of consumers was relatively straight forward. You purchased time on radio, hired a billboard, got a TV spot or bought space in the newspaper. All of this can be termed interruption marketing. The consumer was doing what they actually wanted to do (watch TV, drive their car, listen to the radio) and then the advertiser interrupted that experience by inserting their marketing message. And this strategy was actually highly effective. Brands were built solely on interruption based marketing and businesses thrived.
In the 21st century interruption marketing is losing its effectiveness. Their are two main reasons for this. An increasingly sophisticated consumer and technology. Consumers have been exposed to interruption marketing for the entire span of their lifetime. This means that they have become very good at subconsciously blocking the messages out. When we read the newspaper our eyes drift over the advertisements and selectively pull out the editorial content. We are also more sceptical of the claims made and understand that what we are seeing is advertising.
Even more importantly technology has made it much easier to block out advertising we don’t want to see. TV on demand, YouTube, tablet readers and many other technological changes mean that if we don’t want to be exposed to advertising we won’t be.
In reaction to these trends we have seen the birth of what is called permission marketing. With permission based marketing the customer gives the advertiser explicit or implicit permission to have them send their promotional material. In order for permission marketing to be effective the material must be valuable to in some way.
One of the major benefits of permission marketing is that advertisers can concentrate their efforts on those prospects which are most likely to turn into buyers. When a customer self selects themselves by asking for more information it shows that they have a genuine interest in what the business is offering. This customers are more likely to purchase and to spend more money when they do so.
The Use Of Email In Permission Marketing
One of the main tools used by permission marketing is email. Email is a perfect example of permission marketing because people need to request to receive communications from the marketer. At any time the customer can choose to unsubscribe and stop receiving the emails. This is why the marketer must continue to provide valuable and / or entertaining content.
Going forward permission marketing isn’t just an alternative it is rapidly becoming a necessity. Interruption marketing is become less and less effective each year. If you want to sell to a sophisticated, techno savvy 21st century consumer then you need to plan to get their permission first.