“Permission marketing,” is a term attributed to Seth Godin, firmly established in his book by that name. This expression most often applies in reference to marketing and email marketing. In actuality, I believe it applies to all promotion and marketing aspects. When appropriately incorporated, results are measurable with successful campaigns.
As a longtime marketing and sales professional, early in my career I was fortunate to be impacted by Phil Wexler’s live presentation on “Non-Manipulative Selling.” Anyone who has ever sold anything – or maybe even bought something — knows you cannot force a sale. I believe any and all results, promotions, marketing and sales are based upon the relationship between the marketer and their contact, prospect, customer or client.
If the marketer, sales professional or company is tuned into the customer and their needs, relational bridges are more easily built. Most companies realize long-term relationships are best, providing greater possibility of repeat business and coveted referrals. Where did so many go wrong in trying to “make a sale” to have to come back to this place?
Email marketing is a prime contemporary example, especially considering the unsolicited commercial email or “SPAM” as a technological advance (please pardon the irresistable double entendre). Marketers engaging in this tactic discovered thousands of new contacts could be purchased for a low-cost investment, and various sales messages could easily be “pushed” to them.
Not only is SPAM a form of ”interruptive marketing,” employing an Old School-type tactic similar to the “shot gun approach” and buying bulk mailing lists, it can create a lot of ill will in today’s marketplace.
Email Marketing is said to be very much alive. Judging from my inbox, I have to agree. However, the application of it has changed with new insight and perspective in effective communication focusing on the target audience.
Based on current marketing philosophy, folks are not anxious to receive “advertising” messages companies want to push to them. This should come as no surprise! Folks will give their name and email address to receive information from an entity if they see value in it. Sometimes a sales message may accompany that information, and it seems acceptable. However, capturing email addresses for one purpose and using them for another is not.
Still, this tactic is used, as businesses ask for customer email addresses for one purpose – a service (ie, appointment confirmation), turning around and using the same list to promote a series of special sales events. A better approach is to establish more than one list or subset a list of clients, customers or prospects who want to receive the promotional information. It may take some time to establish a relationship with the initial contact list, but better to build a bridge before rushing them off to market too soon.
Is it time to fine-tune or more fully develop your company’s email marketing communications program? Enduring customer relations can be forged through an effectively-designed email campaign with newsletters, specially-targeted messages and marketing tools like auto-responders with a reliable, solid software/service provider. Click this link to see my recommendation…
