After “Purple Cow“, “Permission Marketing…“, a marketing-bible in your pocket, is a must-read. It defined a new marketing paradigm (back in 1999) but is still as relevant today as the “right” way to develop a marketing strategy for the world on Web 3.0 if you want your business to be successful. In a world where hulu, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, and iTunes are more relevant than network television, his recipe for success rings true: engage your customers, draw them into your world, develop a long-term relationship with them and marketshare will follow.
“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.”