Permission based marketing was first introduced in 1999 by marketing guru Seth Godin. According to Seth ‘permission is like dating. You don’t start by asking for the sale at first impression. You earn the right, over time, bit by bit.’
Permission based marketing is a privilege, not a right! The term ‘permission marketing’ speaks for itself. It is an approach to marketing and selling goods and services when a prospect has explicitly given consent to receive information. Permission based marketing is customer-centric, which means the customer is an active participant in generating the marketing message and not simply a passive recipient.
Permission based marketing recognises that treating potential customers with respect is the best way to earn their attention and has helped give birth to the communication rules marketers around the world now follow.
Permission based marketing leads to better results because your communications are:
- Anticipated – the lead is waiting for your email.
- Relevant – the content is something the lead is interested in.
- Personal – the content is relevant to the lead.
There are two kinds of permission- based marketing:
- Explicit permission is obtained when the individual opts-in or specifically requests to receive information from you. (Sign up for newsletter, contact us form on website, etc)
- Implicit permission is obtained by a customer or client relationship. (contacting current customers about new offers, incentives and more)
Consequences without Permission Based Marketing
People who haven’t given you permission are more likely t report your email campaigns as spam, and less likely to engage with your campaign or make purchases. It’s in your best interest to always secure express permission.
Spam reports can lead to aggressive spam filters or blacklists, which makes it impossible for some subscribers to receive any of your campaigns.
‘The presence of just one spam trap can drop your deliverability rating by up to 53%’ – Return Path’s Reputation Benchmark Report, 2009-2016
What you can do
To ensure a healthy subscriber list, always secure permission before you send. Never assume you have permission, and when in doubt, get confirmation.
Always making sure that you are following the best practice below:
- Don’t send without permission
- Guarantee privacy
- Send a welcome message
- Send a notification
- Let them choose
- Add an unsubscribe link
- Verify your single opt-in list
- Re-engage or delete inactive
- Encourage a reply
Thank you for taking the time to read our blog. We hope you found this blog helpful and please feel free to call or email us at any time for a free consultation on your mobile marketing and web texting strategy.