Effective Permission Marketing

What is Permission Marketing?

Permission Marketing is about catering to the needs and desires of the individual. Messages are wanted, and are related to a topic that is of interest to the recipient. Permission Marketing helps you prove to your audience that your business is on their side, rather than the side of traditional marketing companies that engage in forcing unsolicited advertising campaigns on society.

The concept behind Permission Marketing is very simple: offer consumers the opportunity to volunteer to receive marketing materials via email. In turn, recipients will be more likely to pay attention to the messages they receive, and more likely to give your company's service or product a try. Offer an incentive, such as free vital information, special subscriber only discounts (Ryanairs' Webster newsletter is a superb example of this method of e-mail marketing) or a free sample, and you've laid the foundation for a long-term, interactive Web-based marketing campaign supported by a large and loyal following.

How does it Work?

The first step in beginning a Permission Marketing campaign is the careful development of an incentive system. It is general knowledge that people want compensation for their time. In order to attract and retain a following, a participation bonus must be provided, be it subscriber discounts, special information, gift certificate or cash prizes. Consider the general demographics of the target audience and select what seems appropriate. Just be certain that the incentive is clearly identified and labelled so recipients will not miss it.

Once an appropriate incentive is developed, the next step involves approaching prospects. When presenting the opportunity to them, it is necessary to be truthful about your aims and to explain in detail the purpose and expected duration of the project.

After gaining a willing audience, the marketing begins. Since the group has essentially agreed to listen in exchange for an incentive, all efforts can be placed on praising the marketed item without the typical concern over losing the target audience. As time passes, customers are gradually given more and more marketing material to consider. After a while, they may find themselves preferring your product brand and recommending it to their colleagues, friends and family. Eventually, Permission Marketers can leverage the attention they have gained and transform consumer behaviour into profits.

Permission Marketing Plusses

Permission Marketing provides bonuses all around. The consumer receives clear, concise information on a topic of interest, while the Marketer is able to extol his company within the safe bounds of an interested audience.

Not surprisingly, Permission Marketing appears to be working well. Investigations have suggested that it is a highly effective and reliable means of spreading information. In fact, independent Internet research firm Forrester Research, predicts that by 2004 marketers will be sending more than 200 billion emails annually to take advantage of the medium's cost effectiveness and reliability.

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