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1-Page Summary of Permission Marketing

Overview

Today, marketers are facing a huge problem: consumers aren’t paying attention to advertisements. Most marketing today comes in the form of advertising and it is done through interruptive marketing techniques. These methods include TV commercials, banner ads on websites, etc., which force people to look at products or services being advertised.

Creative, attention-grabbing ads have been popular for decades. In the mid-twentieth century, companies that used this type of advertisement were often rewarded with higher sales and profits. The process was easy to control and predictable in nature.

As mass marketing became the norm, companies realized that they needed to advertise more and more in order to reach as many customers as possible. As a result of this strategy, advertisements have become omnipresent and consumers stopped paying attention to them. Marketers then started using increasingly ingenious ways of interrupting people’s lives with advertising messages.

Today, there are ads everywhere. People can’t ignore them because they’re on the floors of supermarkets and the tops of taxis. However, most people don’t have enough time to notice all these ads.

Traditional interruptive marketing is not effective anymore. If you want to be successful, you have to fight for people’s attention and risk being ignored or forgotten.

Traditional advertising that interrupts people to get their attention is losing its effectiveness.

Big Idea #1: Permission Marketing is a more effective marketing technique where consumers volunteer their attention.

If interruption marketing is no longer effective, what should businesses do? The answer to that question is permission marketing. This technique involves getting consumers’ permission before delivering advertisements to them.

On the other hand, permission marketing is based on a conscious acceptance of an offer by customers. For example, commercials that invite viewers to “find out more about this product” are examples of permission marketing because they give consumers control over their time and attention.

Permission Marketing is a good strategy that can be used effectively. One example of this is Hooked on Phonics, which helps children improve their reading skills. The company launched a radio advertisement campaign to invite parents to call the hotline for more information about its products and services. This was an effective way to reach out to prospective customers because it invited them instead of forcing them into making a decision they might not want to make at that time.

Consumers are more likely to pay attention when they’re active participants in the process. They don’t commit to a product or service; rather, they simply choose whether or not to accept the message. By responding, consumers have agreed to hear what you have to say.

In a permission marketing strategy, the consumer volunteers their attention to the marketer.

Big Idea #2: Permission Marketing still requires interruptions, but they are focused, frequent and appeal to consumer self-interest.

Although permission marketing is less intrusive than interruption marketing, there’s still some kind of interruption involved. However, with Permission Marketing you’re targeting people who actually want to hear from you instead of interrupting random strangers.

When you’re trying to get someone’s attention, it is important to offer them something relevant. People are self-centered and will only pay attention if they see the benefit of your message. If they don’t understand why you’re contacting them or what value they’ll receive from listening to you, then they won’t listen.