Permission Marketing An introduction to the Seth Godin way of marketing

“ Businesses can no longer rely on traditional forms of "interruption marketing" in magazines, mailings, telemarketing, radio or television”.

(As the name implies, interruption marketing is a way of communicating with potential customers whether they want to hear from you or not...)

The more noise there is out there, the more businesses have to do to try and get your attention

It means shouting out their message to as many people as possible

And hoping that if they keep on trying , sooner or later, someone will be interested in buying whatever it is they’re selling

But today’s consumers are bombarded by so many marketing messages

They’re just not listening anymore

It’s time to stop and try something else

“ Permission Marketing” is the opposite of “Interruption” Marketing

It doesn’t interrupt people’s time, space or peace of mind

It realises that treating people with respect is the best way to earn their attention

It aims to attract, interest, convert and retain customers in long-term relationships by only marketing to people who give their permission Once someone has expressed an interest in what you are selling, it asks for their permission before contacting them again

So only the people who are genuinely interested in what you’re selling, hear from you...

Once a prospective customer volunteers his or her time to hear what you have to say ...

...you're on your way to establishing a long-term relationship with them and making a sale

It’s Opt-In for the consumer not Opt-Out

It means that every communication is: Anticipated Relevant Personal

Anticipated

Relevant

Personal

Not an unwelcome interruption Not an unwelcome interruption

Every contact with the prospective customer, should move them one step further up the “permission” ladder

From Stranger to Friend, Friend to Customer and Customer to Loyal Customer

The Five Permission Levels Intravenous – the marketeer makes the purchasing decision on behalf of the customer eg book clubs, magazine subscriptions Purchase on Approval – customer pays in advance but doesn’t necessarily use the product/service eg gym club subscription Loyalty Points – customer buys more of the product/service in response to incentives eg Air Miles, Loyalty Cards Personal relationships – individual –to - individual but not transferrable Brand Trust – a trustworthy name can take over 50 years to build and can be over-stretched Situation – Opportunistic eg “Do you want fries with that?” at McDonalds

Once first contact has been made, then every following contact should offer an incentive and be more and more tailored to answer the prospective customer’s business problem

The only time “Interruption marketing” is ever acceptable is the very first time contact is made

By replying to an advert, exchanging business cards at an event, sending an enquiry via your website, being referred by someone else...

Anything else is just unwelcome junk

And wins new business! Regular contact builds familiarity and trust over time