What is permission marketing
Permission marketing is a non-traditional marketing technique that sells goods and services when advance consent is given. We, marketers, ask for the customer’s permission first before we communicate with him.
It is a concept introduced in a book of the same name in 1999 by marketing guru Seth Godin who is also the author of the purple cow book.
Traditional methods of marketing often revolve around the idea of interruption – whether it is a television advertisement that cuts into a TV show or an internet pop-up that interferes with a website. According to Godin, such methods (often referred to as “interruption marketing”), have become less effective in the modern world, where consumers are overloaded with information.
Interruption marketing is essentially a competition to win people’s attention. In today’s world of mass-marketing, people are overloaded with advertisements that compete for their limited time and attention.
In 1999, Godin observed that successful campaigns were the ones that sought the customer’s consent. From such observations, Godin believed that marketing strategies should be based on the following elements:
- Anticipated: people will anticipate the service/product information from the company.
- Personal: the marketing information explicitly relates to the customer.
- Relevant: the marketing information is something that the consumer is interested in.
Opt-in email is an example of permission marketing, where Internet users request to receive information about a certain product or a service. Clients are more interested in information that was requested in advance. It is also more cost-efficient in comparison to traditional marketing methods, as businesses only need to target consumers who have expressed an interest in their products.
Double Opt-in is a must-follow the rules of email etiquette!
Opt-in, opt-out and double opt-in all apply to SMS and messenger (Whatsapp and Facebook messenger) marketing as well.
Finally, don’t ever forget that treating people with respect by getting their consent is the best way to earn their attention.
Source: Wikipedia
