Seth Godin, one of the world's foremost online promoters, offers his best advice for advertising in
Permission Marketing. Godin argues that businesses can no longer rely solely on traditional forms of "interruption advertising" in magazines, mailings, or radio and television commercials. He writes that today consumers are bombarded by marketing messages almost everywhere they go. If you want to grab someone's attention, you first need to get his or her permission with some kind of bait--a free sample, a big discount, a contest, an 800 number, or even just an opinion survey. Once a customer volunteers his or her time, you're on your way to establishing a long-term relationship and making a sale. "By talking only to volunteers, Permission Marketing guarantees that consumers pay more attention to the marketing message," he writes. "It serves both customers and marketers in a symbiotic exchange." Godin knows his stuff. He created Internet marketer Yoyodyne and sold it in 1998 to Yahoo!, where he is a vice president. Godin delves into the strategies of several companies that successfully practice permission marketing, including Amazon.com, American Airlines, Bell Atlantic, and American Express. Permission marketing works best on the Internet, he writes, because the medium eliminates costs such as envelopes, printing, and stamps. Instead of advertising with a plain banner ad on the Internet, you should focus on discovering the customer's problem and getting permission to follow up with e-mail, he writes.
Permission Marketing is an important and valuable book for businesses seeking better results from their advertising.
--Dan Ring
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Reader Reviews
When traditional methods of advertising or direct mail don't work as effectively in attracting your customer's attention, what do you do? Read up 'Permission Marketing' and apply the principles and practices recommended by Seth Godin. According to Godin, an advertising message which interrupts a customer's life - her time, privacy and peace of mind - has a lower chance of persuading her to buy a specific brand. Instead, he advocates, a marketer can build a relationship with a customer over time and win her permission to market to her. In other words, make friends with the customer. The customer, then, not only becomes more receptive to the advertising message, but actually anticipates it. Godin calls this method 'permission marketing' and illustrates its strengths with success stories ranging from Amazon.com to Yahoo!. Simple? Well, not exactly. It requires a deep understanding of direct marketing and using the Internet as a direct marketing tool. But, Godin makes all this easier in his new book. Read it before your competitors do.
