Permission isn’t forever
3 Comments
Ever since reading Seth Godin’s book (has it been 10 years already?!), Permission Marketing has been the cornerstone of all marketing I’ve tried to do since.
Creating an environment where people request information from you sets the stage for them to be much more receptive to your messages, and is much more in line with the ethic of the web.
Now, due to a combination of government legislation and our own performance testing, most of us plan our campaigns around this concept.
But I think the big thing we need to realize is that permission isn’t forever.
We need to understand that there will be a point in time when the permission we’ve received ends.
- Maybe the person already received the information they needed from us.
- Maybe we’re not providing the information that person was originally looking for.
- Maybe that person is simply no longer in the market for what we have to sell.
Instead of fighting this, embrace it. Move forward with building your audience of people who do want to hear what you have to say. Let the others go.
Permission must be continually earned. Strive to constantly provide value in order to keep attention.
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Its interesting you mention this Josiah. I was just talking to a friend about the kind of content a hotel blog should have.
Now while I do like to have some inside information about a hotel I am staying at (events, places to see, hang out, eat etc), once I have stayed at the hotel that information isn’t relevant to me anymore. So, as you say, my permission ends.
And it will only be given again if the blog continues to be relevant and interesting – maybe if the character of the blogger comes through, if he or she blogs about travel in general or day to day topics that interest me.
There is always a fine line between hotel specific and generic content and that is a line we hotel bloggers have to walk every day.
Cheers
M
The concept of permission you make reference to above is why some of the most profitable email marketing lists have a double opt-in before they start receiving your email message (whatever that might be). If they’ve opted in twice, the likelihood that they’ll unsubscribe from your list (unless you’re doing a poor job or have become irrelevant due to circumstance) is also much less likely as well.
Great point, Alistair. I think more email marketers should use double-optin for that very reason. It may reduce your list size, but the list will be far more responsive.