Permission MarketingTM - Godin, Seth

Here’s a summary of the key points from the foreword by Don Peppers:

• Permission Marketing is based on the idea that people’s attention is a scarce resource. As we get busier, our attention becomes more valuable.

• To sell to consumers in the future, marketers will need to get their permission in advance by engaging them in an interactive dialogue. This is preferable to interrupting them with unsolicited ads.

• Interactive technology allows for personalized two-way conversations with consumers at scale. This can lead to greater customer loyalty compared to mass marketing.

• In an interactive world, marketing becomes a collaborative process between marketer and consumer. The consumer helps the marketer sell, and the marketer helps the consumer buy.

• Mass marketing has reached its limits. Consumers are overwhelmed with choices and messages competing for their attention. Permission Marketing provides a better way forward.

In summary, the foreword argues that Permission Marketing, facilitated by new interactive technologies, represents the future of marketing in an increasingly busy and overloaded world.

• The author wasted millions on ineffective traditional advertising early in his career at Spinnaker Software and in book publishing. He realized advertising wasn’t working well - it was expensive, difficult to measure, and unpredictable.

• In 1990, the author and his colleagues created successful online promotions for Prodigy that increased usage and retention. This led to promoting other online services.

• Through this work, the author realized he had stumbled upon the idea of Permission Marketing - marketing that secures customers’ consent before selling to them. It is more efficient and effective than traditional advertising.

• The author believes the internet will change marketing and make traditional advertising obsolete, as it enables Permission Marketing. However, Permission Marketing works online and offline.

• There are two types of companies today - brave ones that adapt, and dead ones that don’t. The author hopes this book will help companies adapt to the new marketing landscape.

• At the end, the author notes his company Yoyodyne was acquired by Yahoo!, giving them more ability to implement Permission Marketing techniques.

Here are the key points I gathered from the summary:

• There is an attention crisis in marketing due to the overwhelming number of ads and marketing messages consumers face daily. This makes it difficult for marketers to capture consumer attention.

• Traditional interruption marketing, where ads interrupt what consumers are doing, is becoming less effective as clutter increases. Marketers have responded by increasing ad spending and clutter even more.

• Consumers have less need to seek out new products/solutions as quality has improved and they are satisfied with existing brands. But marketers keep bombarding them with messages trying to get them to switch.

• The average consumer sees about 1 million marketing messages a year, making it extremely difficult for marketers to stand out.

• The attention crisis and ineffectiveness of interruption marketing presents an opportunity for a new, better approach to marketing.

The mass marketing world is struggling to adapt to an increasingly fragmented media landscape. With the proliferation of TV channels, websites, and other options, it is harder than ever for advertisers to reach a mass audience. Marketers are responding in four key ways:

1. Spending more on non-traditional and obscure media placements, like ads on parking meters or baseball catcher’s masks.

2. Making ads ever more shocking and entertaining to grab attention. However, this often leaves less time to actually convey a marketing message.

3. Changing ad campaigns more frequently to keep them “fresh,” at the expense of building long-term brand equity.

4. Shifting budgets from advertising to direct marketing like mail, in-store promotions, and coupons. While this can boost response rates, it is still incredibly wasteful - with 98% or more of targeting audiences ignoring the message.

As each of these techniques becomes oversaturated, marketers must constantly scramble for new ways to break through. The fragmentation of mass media and audiences has Posestagled the business of interruption marketing.

• Interruption marketing is failing because there is too much noise and clutter competing for consumer attention. Consumers have limited time and money.

• As interruption marketers spend more trying to break through the clutter, it leads to more clutter. This vicious cycle makes interruption marketing less and less effective.

• Ad agencies are struggling to solve this problem due to short-term client relationships, focus on mergers over branding, and changes in the commission structure.

• Permission marketing offers a solution by getting consumer permission and attention first before delivering a marketing message. This allows the message to be anticipated, personal, and relevant.

• The scarcest resource today is consumer time and attention, not raw materials or finished goods. Information and services are abundant and cheap.

• Interruption marketing wastes the most valuable consumer commodity - time. Permission marketing respects consumer time and builds engagement.

• Permission marketing turns clutter into an advantage. The more clutter, the more valuable consumer permission and attention becomes.

In summary, permission marketing provides a better way to reach consumers by earning their voluntary attention, while interruption marketing fails by annoying them and wasting their time.

Here is a summary of the key points about Permission Marketing:

• Permission Marketing involves getting consumer permission to market to them over time through relevant, anticipated, and personalized messages. It’s like “dating” potential customers.

• It contrasts with interruption marketing which interrupts consumers with impersonal one-time messages.

• Five steps: 1) Offer an incentive for consumers to opt-in. 2) Provide useful information over time that teaches about your product. 3) Reinforce the incentive. 4) Get more permissions. 5) Leverage the permission to drive profits.

• Acquiring permission requires investment, but it builds relationships and trust that lead to higher conversions compared to interrupting strangers.

• Key advantages are anticipated, personal, and relevant communication versus random impersonal messages with interruption marketing.

Here are the key points from the passage:

• Before mass advertising, small local businesses dominated retail. They provided personalized service and built trust with customers.

• Giant brands and multinational companies arose due to the Industrial Revolution and improved transportation, which enabled economies of scale.

• These large companies needed mass advertising to sell the output of their factories to a wider market.

• Advertising was extremely profitable - sales growth exceeded ad costs. This led companies to become addicted to mass advertising.

• Media outlets flourished as vehicles for mass advertising.

• Crisco is an example of how a company relied on permission marketing before mass media, using tactics like getting product placement and endorsements.

• Mass advertising enabled the rise of big brands and multinational corporations by allowing them to efficiently reach a national audience. This shifted power away from small local businesses.

Here are the key points from the passage:

• Focus on increasing sales to existing customers rather than acquiring new customers. Existing customers are less expensive to sell to.

• Increase “share of wallet” - sell more products/services to existing customers.

• Increase customer retention by investing in the relationship.

• Offer more products/services tailored to customers’ needs. Build an interactive relationship.

• Start nurturing customers early, even at the ‘stranger’ stage. Use permission marketing to turn strangers into friends, then customers. Send anticipatory, relevant, personal messages to cut through clutter.

• Focusing on the early stages of the customer relationship improves results later on. An organization focused on this process will outperform others.

The main ideas are: shift focus to existing customers, build interactive relationships starting very early, use permission marketing techniques to move customers along the relationship spectrum. This creates a natural synergy for profitability.

• Permission Marketing builds on one-to-one marketing techniques to turn strangers into friends and then customers. One-to-one marketing leverages the permission granted by existing customers to create even better, more loyal customers.

• The one-to-one marketer focuses on getting maximum value from each customer rather than just acquiring new customers. The permission marketer focuses on converting prospects into customers and leveraging ongoing permission.

• You can’t have a one-to-one relationship without explicit customer permission at every step. Measuring the depth of permission shows the value of your marketing asset.

• Companies like Amazon are using permission techniques to build customer relationships and assets, not just a brand. Their goal is increasing share of customer, not just market share.

• With permission, companies can optimize marketing efficiency by customizing messages and leveraging technology like email. This can dramatically increase profits.

• Traditional marketing is about increasing market share by selling to as many customers as possible. One-to-one marketing drives share of customer by getting individual customers to buy more from you.

• Firing unprofitable customers might help shift focus to the most valuable customers and permission relationships.

• Sometimes it is necessary to “fire” unprofitable customers who take up disproportionate time and resources. This optimizes customer service for the majority.

• To acquire new permission-based customers, you still need to interrupt them initially with advertisements or promotions to grab their attention.

• The goal of this interruption is not to make a sale, but to get permission to send them more information, like a brochure or free sample. Provide a clear benefit for them to voluntarily opt-in.

• Once you have permission, you can send more personalized, relevant information over time to build trust and turn strangers into friends and eventually customers.

• Transitioning from interruption marketing takes planning and capital, as you still need compelling interruptive ads and media budgets. But done right, it leads to more qualified leads and better ROI.

• The permission process continues after the first sale to expand wallet share. Anticipation and rewards help prevent attrition.

In summary, combining strategic interruption with a permission-based approach can optimize marketing results. It takes more work but builds stronger customer relationships.

The key to building trust with consumers is through familiarity, which requires awareness. Awareness is driven by advertising frequency - repeatedly exposing consumers to your message. One ad is rarely enough, no matter how compelling. Frequency makes ads more effective by cutting through clutter and helping the message sink in over time.

Marketers often prioritize reach (exposing more people to an ad) over frequency. But frequency has more impact - repeating the ad to the same people drives familiarity and trust. Reach alone cannot build the familiarity needed.

Leveraging permission marketing helps facilitate effective frequency. With permission, each interruption becomes more welcome and less costly. The marketer can ride the impact curve up through greater frequency without equal cost increases. This allows transforming an ad into many communications over time at little incremental expense - the key to building trust.

• Frequency (repeated exposure to an ad or message) is important for building brands and driving sales, but it is expensive.

• Marketers often face a trade-off between reaching a wide audience with little frequency vs reaching a smaller audience with higher frequency.

• High frequency is necessary to break through the clutter and get people’s attention. Studies show it can take over 20 exposures for an ad to sink in.

• Permission marketing helps solve the frequency problem by allowing marketers to repeatedly reach receptive audiences who have agreed to receive messages. This makes frequency more affordable and effective.

• Trusted brands like Crisco and Tabasco have been built over decades through extremely high frequency marketing to build familiarity. Permission marketing can help newer brands achieve similar trust-building frequency.

• The core problems frequency solves: ads are ignored without enough repetitions, messages get lost in the clutter without frequency, new concepts require repetition to stick, and it’s tempting to always reach new people instead of repeat messaging. Permission marketing helps overcome these challenges.

• Permission marketing involves getting consumers’ overt consent to market to them on an ongoing basis. This builds trust and allows for effective frequency of communication.

• Not all permission is equal. There are different levels of permission, ranging from low (“You can market to me sometimes”) to high (“Keep sending me relevant offers”).

• The five levels of permission are:

1. Situation - Permission for one-time marketing messages based on a specific situation. Lowest level.

2. Ongoing situation - Permission for marketing related to a situation that repeats. E.g. buying movie tickets every Friday.

3. Brand trust - Permission based on trust in a particular brand. Medium level.

4. Personal trust - High-level permission based on a personal relationship and high degree of trust.

5. Total trust - Highest level where the consumer wants to hear from the marketer frequently and about a range of topics.

• Marketers should aim to move consumers up the permission ladder, granting higher levels of access and frequency. This builds loyalty.

• The Internet makes getting permission easy. But trust must still be earned through relevance and value.

In summary, permission marketing is about building trust through ever higher levels of consumer permission, which enables more effective frequency of communication. Marketers need to continually provide value to earn higher levels of access.

• Permission Marketer aims to move consumers up the “permission ladder” from stranger to friend to loyal customer. Each step builds more trust and profits.

• There are 5 levels of permission, from highest to lowest:

1. Intravenous - Marketer makes buying decisions for the consumer, like a doctor administering medication. Highest level of trust.

2. Purchase-on-Approval - Consumer must approve each purchase before being billed. More common than intravenous.

3. Personal Relationships - Building personal connections with consumers.

4. Brand Trust - Consumer trusts the brand to deliver value.

5. Situation - Lowest level, consumer opts in for a specific situation.

• Spam is the sixth, lowest level - unsolicited and unwanted.

• Intravenous level is like giving the marketer a blank check - huge privilege but can be revoked if abused.

• Main reasons for intravenous: Saves time, saves money, avoids choice, ensures no stock-outs.

• Purchase-on-approval requires a second authorization before billing, like a “negative option.”

• Key is to leverage permission to build more trust and profit at each step, not just rely on invisibility of automatic billing.

Here’s a summary of the key points:

• Amazon.com is building its business around the idea of “purchase-on-approval” - using customer data and preferences to recommend new products customers are likely to enjoy. This requires earning customers’ permission and trust.

• Purchase-on-approval represents a powerful level of permission, allowing an open channel between marketer and customer. But marketers can’t become complacent - they must continue providing value to maintain permission.

• Points programs like S&H Green Stamps are another permission level, formalizing the exchange of customer attention/loyalty for rewards. Points create a quantifiable currency for attention, allowing marketers to determine the cost of gaining attention.

• Points programs get more effective over time as point values accumulate. They must be designed so earning more points becomes compelling.

• Points solve issues with cash discounts, which can misalign value for both marketers and customers. Points have predictable costs and results.

• Online points programs like Yoyodyne’s leverage prizes and sweepstakes to change consumer behavior very effectively. They encourage real engagement, not just faked attention.

• Concerns that points attract “Opportunity Seekers” are misplaced. All customers seek opportunities and rewards. Smart programs align points with quality prospects.

• Offering something of immediate value in exchange for attention does not necessarily attract only the “lowest common denominator.” Many wealthy and successful people participate in programs like frequent flyer miles to get rewards, even though they could afford to pay outright.

• These programs work because they make people feel smart, in control, and give them a sense of mastery. People enjoy accumulating points and getting “me-mail.”

• There are two types of points programs:

1. Liability programs where points equal guaranteed rewards. Risk is fraud/abuse.

2. Chance programs where points equal more chances to win prizes. Risk is lack of engagement if prizes aren’t compelling enough.

• For chance programs, the stakes must be raised over time with bigger and more relevant prizes to maintain interest and change behavior.

• Well executed points programs attract engaged, educated participants, not just the least interested. The key is understanding motivations and structuring the program properly.

• Permission marketing has three levels - public, private, and personal relationships. Each level allows progressively more impactful marketing.

• Public permission comes from things like buying a product or signing up for a mailing list. It allows some basic marketing but doesn’t enable deep personalization.

• Private permission involves loyalty programs, points, and other opt-in relationships. This allows for more customized, relevant marketing.

• Personal permission comes from actual relationships and trust built over time. This enables the most powerful marketing, but doesn’t scale as well.

• Higher permission levels enable more effective marketing. Marketers should seek to build personal permission where possible, while also utilizing public and private permission.

• Permission must be granted overtly and clearly. Surprising consumers erodes permission.

• Technology like loyalty programs and data mining enable more private permission marketing, but care must be taken to maintain consumer trust.

The article discusses different levels of permission that marketers can have with consumers, from highest to lowest:

• Personal information level - Consumers share personal information and preferences with a company, allowing highly customized and relevant marketing. This requires building a relationship over time.

• Point of view level - Consumers opt in to hear a company’s point of view on topics they care about. The company earns permission by providing valuable content.

• Brand trust level - Consumers have built trust in a brand through consistent and positive associations. Brand trust allows some permission to market new products, but it can easily be damaged if abused.

• Situation level - Consumers give temporary permission by initiating contact for purchases or questions. This allows marketing in the moment but needs to be leveraged quickly.

• Spam level - No permission given for interruptive and irrelevant mass marketing messages.

The article argues that permission levels beyond spam are more effective, but must be earned and handled carefully over time to avoid eroding consumer trust.

Here are the key points about permission marketing:

• Permission is nontransferable - you can’t rent or sell permission that a consumer has given you to market to them. Transferring permission voids it.

• Permission is selfish - it is given for the benefit of the consumer, not the marketer. The marketer must provide value in exchange for continued permission.

• Permission is a process, not a moment - it must be continually earned through ongoing valuable interactions. It is not a one-time thing.

• Permission can be canceled at any time - the consumer controls the permission and can revoke it at any point if the marketer fails to provide expected value.

• Attempts to secretly gather consumer data or transfer permission violate trust and make consumers fear loss of privacy. This fear damages marketing effectiveness.

• Successful permission marketers like Esther Dyson tightly control their permission assets. They don’t sell access because that would devalue the permission.

• The key is to earn ongoing permission through anticipated, personal, and relevant messages that consumers want. Surprising the consumer or transferring permission without their expectation destroys its value.

• Permission Marketing is the opposite of traditional interruption marketing. In permission marketing, the consumer is in control and marketers must give them a reason to pay attention.

• Consumers are selfish with their time and attention. Marketers must offer an explicit reward or benefit to get consumers to opt-in.

• Permission is an ongoing process, not a one-time moment. Marketers must continually provide value to consumers to move them up the permission ladder.

• Permission can be canceled at any time by the consumer, so marketers must ensure every communication provides value to avoid cancellation.

• Successful permission marketing builds a dialogue and relationship with the consumer over time through continual exchanges of value. It requires patience compared to interruption marketing’s focus on immediate impact.

• Examples like Robert Half recruiting and Marshall Industries demonstrate building ongoing permission through free guides, services, and continued relevant communications that provide value to the consumer.

• Many people mistakenly believe the internet can be treated like broadcast media (TV), where ads and content attract viewers that can then be marketed to. But this does not work online.

• The internet is not like TV with its limited channels that ensure high demand for content. There are millions of websites competing for attention, so getting an audience is extremely difficult.

• Major media companies have tried and failed to profitably create entertainment content sites. If they can’t succeed, most companies have little chance attracting an audience to their own sites.

• Many vested interests (ad agencies, tech providers, content creators, early adopters) want the web to be like broadcast, but this is not realistic.

• The rush to build company websites is fueled by insecurity and a desire to appear cutting edge, not sound marketing.

• Key questions about goals, measurement, costs, and scalability are not being asked.

• Myths persist about metrics like hits and stickiness. Real business outcomes like leads and sales are what matter.

• The web is ultimately about direct marketing and sales, not broadcasting. Companies must use it properly or lose out to those who do.

Here are the key points from the passage:

• The Internet offers major benefits for direct marketers, including free “stamps” (no mailing costs), fast testing, high response rates, curriculum marketing potential, free frequency of communication, and free printing.

• Permission marketing works well on the Internet through these 5 steps:

1. Use banners to offer an incentive for consumers to opt-in. This gets attention cheaply.

2. Offer an educational curriculum over time by emailing opt-ins to return to your site. Email is key for the web.

3. On the site, use offers, information, interactivity to teach consumers about your product.

4. After education, ask for sale or other commitment to extract value.

5. Reward ongoing permission with new curricula to hold attention.

• The web allows efficient permission marketing through cheap attention capture, free follow-up communication, and interactive education. It’s the ultimate direct marketing medium.

• Permission marketing involves getting consumers’ overt opt-in consent before marketing to them. This creates more valuable and responsive leads compared to interrupting strangers.

• Email is a key permission marketing channel due to its low cost, personalization potential, and ability to start an ongoing dialogue. Loyal email lists become very valuable assets.

• Spam (unsolicited emails) is ineffective and damages brands. Marketers should avoid it.

• Websites should be optimized to convert visitors into permission-givers. Test different offers and messaging to maximize opt-in rates.

• Make the opt-in very clear and transparent. Don’t trick people. Overt, willing permission is ideal.

• Respect privacy concerns. Develop trust by communicating how data will be used. Anticipated, welcomed messages are most valuable.

• Nurture and incentivize permission-givers over time to turn them into loyal customers. Frequency and relevancy builds relationships.

• A small kosher caterer placed an expensive ad in The New York Times targeting Jewish customers for Passover foods. This was inefficient because it wasted money reaching the vast majority of readers who were not interested.

• They should have collected customer permissions over the year to directly market to interested customers instead of interrupting a broad audience. This would have been more cost-effective.

• The mutual fund industry spends heavily on boring, untargeted ads that don’t encourage response or build relationships. They should use permission techniques like teaching investors why to choose them.

• Mutual funds also fail to effectively market to existing customers, instead spamming them with dense, irrelevant mailings.

• Stockbrokers use intrusive cold-calling which is extremely inefficient. They should build asset value and long-term relationships instead.

• The auto industry favors expensive TV ads over cheaper, targeted online ads. They should embrace digital permission marketing which can micro-target interested prospects.

Overall, many companies rely on traditional interruption advertising instead of cheaper, more effective permission marketing. Building customer relationships over time is more valuable.

• Car companies spend huge amounts on advertising, but the ads don’t give consumers a reason to respond or provide a call to action. They are focused on branding rather than generating sales.

• Word of mouth, dealer satisfaction, and car quality are more powerful than branding ads, but the ads don’t integrate these.

• Direct mail campaigns by Lincoln and Mercedes successfully used a curriculum approach to engage prospective buyers and teach them about new models. This generated more visits and sales.

• Car dealers could eliminate their dealerships and instead have company-owned showrooms in malls. They could then use permission marketing to build relationships with prospective buyers.

• An alternative model is subscription-based car access rather than purchase. This reduces marketing costs and risk for manufacturers.

• Building personal relationships through tactics like sending greeting cards is a simple but effective permission marketing approach, as demonstrated by car salesman Joe Girard.

• Loyalty programs like American Airlines’ AAdvantage encourage repeat business and allow personalized communication with subscribers. Partnerships with other companies leverage this permission.

• Phone and utility companies are also learning to leverage their subscriber relationships through permission marketing.

• Bell Atlantic uses a six-question form to get permission from customers to send relevant, personalized junk mail. This results in higher response rates and profitability.

• Software companies like Starfish (Sidekick) get permission by offering free upgrades and companion products via email. They provide continuous value to customers while marketing new products.

• Churches leverage existing permission from parishioners to make personalized appeals for donations that meet their goals.

• Columbia Record Club pioneered “negative option” permission marketing - sending albums automatically unless the customer declines. This could be expanded to more niche clubs.

• American Express gets customers to pay for permission via annual fees. They leverage this to sell aggregate data, provide magazines, and make special offers. Their existing permission allows them to market products like videos that otherwise wouldn’t sell.

In summary, these examples show how getting customer permission allows relevant, anticipated, and personalized marketing that drives higher response rates and profits. Companies can provide ongoing value to customers while leveraging permission for new marketing.

Here are the key points from the passage:

• Tributes were the original group of card members who bought the video that American Express targeted. Amex analyzed their purchase patterns and sent the video ad to similar members, getting a high response rate.

• Amex also has an annual desk calendar continuity program where they offer the first year free to get permission, then send a new calendar each year that members anticipate and buy.

• The ice cream company identified their top heavy ice cream buyers and built a permission-based club with them, sending exclusive info and coupons. This helped maintain market share.

• Remedy magazine requires readers to fill out a health survey to get the free magazine. This allows tailored content and high renewal rates.

• Contractor Zygi Szpak starts with small low-cost jobs and permission, then leverages that to get bigger jobs with the same clients.

• Hard Manufacturing sells hospital cribs primarily to pediatric nurses. They built permission through surveys and input into new crib designs, allowing more effective marketing.

• AOL wants to leverage permission to become the buying agent for members, getting fees from vendors for sales referrals.

AOL grew dramatically by using aggressive marketing techniques to acquire new members, even spending $300 in marketing costs per new member at their peak. They leveraged free trials and getting credit card info to retain members. This permission allowed them to cross-sell many services. However, they risked burning permission with intrusive pop-up ads.

Other companies like BonusMail and CyberGold also use permission marketing by rewarding consumers for their attention and engagement. Consumers opt-in by providing profile info and get rewarded for responding to targeted emails (BonusMail) or interacting with ads (CyberGold). Both protect consumer privacy. This enables more relevant, anticipated marketing while compensating the consumer. AOL and others show the power of permission marketing, though it must be done carefully to avoid abusing consumer trust.

Here is a summary of the key points regarding successful Permission Marketing efforts and customer privacy:

• CyberGold keeps customer information strictly confidential to help guarantee privacy.

• CyberGold uses TRUSTe, an independent nonprofit privacy initiative, to build users’ trust and confidence on the Internet. TRUSTe is mentioned earlier in the book.

• By partnering with TRUSTe and keeping customer data private, CyberGold aims to earn users’ trust that their information will be kept confidential as part of the company’s Permission Marketing strategy. This is important for getting customer permission and building ongoing relationships.

Here are the key points in summarizing the passage:

• Yoyodyne has developed an online system optimized for permission marketing. It involves attracting consumers with banner ads, getting them to register and provide their email, then engaging them with personalized emails and rewards.

• For H&R Block, Yoyodyne used banners about a “We’ll Pay Your Taxes” game to attract people and get their permission to send them emails teaching them about H&R Block’s services. This resulted in very high engagement rates compared to direct mail.

• For EZSpree, banners offered a chance to win a shopping spree to attract people to register. They were then sent personalized emails based on the stores they visited to encourage online shopping. 14% made a purchase, often their first online.

• The author argues permission marketing can be very powerful when done right by attracting people with relevant offers, gaining their permission, and engaging them with personalized, anticipated communication.

• Ten key questions are provided to evaluate any permission marketing program on dimensions like cost per permission, depth of program, and metrics to determine success.

Here are the key points on permission marketing and using websites:

• You do not need a website to do permission marketing. It can work in any medium where there is two-way communication with the consumer.

• Permission marketing is about engaging the consumer in an ongoing dialogue, not just having a website.

• Websites can be a useful platform for permission marketing, allowing personalized and relevant communication. But the website itself is not enough - you need to actively build that dialog with consumers.

• Any marketing campaign, online or offline, can incorporate permission marketing components like opt-in lists, feedback channels, etc.

• The key is to get consumers to “raise their hand” and proactively give you permission to market to them. This starts the dialog.

• Once you have permission, you can refine communications to be more personal, relevant, and valuable over time. This increases permission levels.

• You can leverage the permission asset to expand relationships and offer new, related products and services.

So in summary, websites facilitate permission marketing but are not required. The focus should be on building ongoing, mutually beneficial dialogs with consumers, not just having an online presence.

Here are the key points from the passage:

• Permission marketing can work very well for B2B marketing. The challenge is the high cost of contacting qualified prospects, not the marketing approach itself.

• Once you get a prospect’s attention, you must nurture that relationship over time to turn them into a customer. Follow-up and ongoing relevant communication is key.

• For B2B, build a Permission Marketing program that turns strangers into friends and eventually customers through relevant, anticipated, and personal messages over time.

• On the web, have separate sites for existing customers and prospects. Focus the prospect site solely on getting permission to follow up, then use email and curriculum marketing to educate.

• Leverage existing marketing like TV ads to drive people to your permission-gathering website. Get their email permission first via the site.

• The bait offer to get permission doesn’t have to be a sweepstakes for B2B. Find something relevant that will enhance attention from your audience.

• Overall, coordinate your marketing efforts to first get digital permission, then nurture those leads over time via relevant, personalized messaging.

Here are the key points from the passage:

• Permission Marketing involves getting ongoing permission from consumers to market to them. This creates a mutually beneficial relationship where the consumer gets relevant information and the marketer builds loyalty.

• Permission Marketing is like farming - it requires regular effort but is more predictable and scalable. Interruption Marketing is like hunting - spraying bullets hoping to hit something.

• Branding is less important with Permission Marketing since you have direct access to consumers. Branding is better for mass Interruption Marketing.

• You should not sell the consumer data you collect through Permission Marketing, as it violates the trust and makes the permission less valuable. The one exception is if the consumer explicitly opts in to having their data shared.

• As Permission Marketing grows, power will shift to the companies that build direct relationships with consumers. They will gain more leverage over suppliers, who will be treated as commodities.

• Acquiring consumer permission is becoming more valuable but also more difficult. Only a few companies in each industry will end up with widespread permission from consumers.

In summary, Permission Marketing builds mutually beneficial long-term relationships between marketers and consumers. It shifts power to the marketer with consumer permission, making supplier relationships more transactional. This approach is more scalable but acquiring consumer permission is increasingly competitive.

• The main reason interruptive TV advertising still dominates is habit and inertia. Direct marketers know it doesn’t pay, but no one gets fired for running a TV commercial.

• Testing is critical for permission marketing. You can test every element since communications are individual and private. Aggressive testing can dramatically improve effectiveness.

• Existing company websites should be simplified to quickly collect email addresses in exchange for a promised benefit. Then use the data to establish permission relationships.

• Two big stumbling blocks are organizational resistance and greed to monetize too quickly. Permission marketing requires a different structure and patience to build the audience first before leveraging it.

• It’s better to focus on giving value rather than taking from the audience, especially early on. Building the relationship and trust is more important than short-term revenue.

• Permission Marketing is getting permission from customers to market to them. It builds relationships and trust over time.

• Interruption Marketing interrupts people to get their attention. It can annoy consumers and is less effective today due to ad clutter.

• Getting customer permission takes patience and planning. Communication needs to be anticipated, personal, and relevant.

• Steps to implement Permission Marketing include calculating customer lifetime value, creating communication suites, changing advertising to get permission, measuring results, assigning someone to guard the permission asset, and leveraging permission.

• Case studies show how permission techniques work for companies online and offline. Implementing Permission Marketing also requires changes to company culture and metrics.

• The book explains the power of frequency, building trust, using curriculums, and other tactics to make Permission Marketing work. Data is an asset to leverage, but consumer privacy must be respected.

In summary, Permission Marketing builds better long-term customer relationships. It requires planning and commitment from the company, but pays off with greater loyalty and higher profits.

Here is a summary of the key points from the book Permission Marketing by Seth Godin:

• Permission Marketing is based on getting customers’ explicit consent to market to them. This is more effective than traditional Interruption Marketing like TV ads.

• Permission has different levels, from basic contact info to personal relationships. Marketers should aim to move customers up the “permission ladder.”

• Frequency is key - you need repeated interactions to build trust and loyalty. But frequency must be anticipated, personal, and relevant or it can backfire.

• Permission is an asset that can be leveraged across channels. Marketers should budget for acquiring and expanding permission.

• The Internet facilitates Permission Marketing through interactivity, personalization, and data collection. But interrupting strangers online also risks backlash.

• As consumers gain more control, marketers must shift power to them and collaborate to provide value. Permission will become central to marketing strategy.

In summary, Permission Marketing argues for a more customer-centric approach focused on consent, relationships, and value in order to succeed in the modern marketplace. The core ideas remain relevant in the age of digital media and increased consumer power.

Here is a summary of key points from the text:

• Permission Marketing relies on getting customer permission before marketing to them. It fosters more trust and relevance than interruption marketing tactics like cold calls.

• The Internet provides new opportunities for Permission Marketing, but also poses challenges due to factors like lack of trust and customer patience online. Marketers must tailor their strategies appropriately.

• Tactics like offering free content and building online communities can help gain customer permission and trust. Personalization and relevance are key.

• Marketers should start by identifying the customer’s situation and permission “rungs” before requesting higher levels of permission and engagement. Testing and patience are important.

• Examples are provided of companies using Permission Marketing tactics both online (e.g. Yahoo) and offline (e.g. American Express). The book argues Permission Marketing will become more pervasive.

• Various principles, strategies and stumbling blocks are discussed throughout for applying Permission Marketing effectively. The core focus is respecting the customer’s wishes.