Permission Marketing

I recently completed reading Seth Godin’s Permission Marketing for the second time, and once again found things that were immediately useful to my work. In my previous post I discussed the expansion of the internet as having changed the way marketing is conducted, deconstructing the accepted model of mass marketing – to the confusion of most corporations and the chagrin of the ad agencies and brokers that rely on this outdated model. Even with Wal-Mart expanding around the globe, companies are learning that they can find success by selling more things to fewer customers.

In their book The One to One Future, Peppers and Rogers turn the focus to increasing sales of a smaller percentage of your existing customers, rather than spending your time looking for new customers. As Godin points out, the new world of marketing is about loyalty and retention, not mass marketing. Companies need to look beyond mediocrity, and find new ways to build customer loyalty and keep them around for the long-term by providing real value, not gimmicks and branding.

(reprint, 031606)