DigiActive.org

A few notes on Permission Marketing

Permission marketing definition: eMarketers ask permission of their audience to send them advertisements, usually through a method of opting into a platform chosen by the marketers to disseminate information.

This concept can be directly applied to digital activism: as activists, we are trying to market our causes in a and persuade people to believe in them. While we’re not selling anything, we still want something from our listeners, and it’s our job to convince them that they want it.

Permission marketing is achieved in many ways, most prominently through platforms such as Facebook, Digg, or cause-specific social networks. Blogs aren’t generally considered permission marketing because people don’t have to read them if they choose not to.

In digital activism, as in marketing, there are few Dos and Don’ts to consider when using tools that are meant to reach a vast number of people who’ve allowed you to contact them and who you hope to persuade.

Do make it personal: People want to feel as if your message is tailored specifically to them that they’re as close to the source of information as they can be, and that the source (you) is genuine in wanting to influence them personally.

Do succintly state your reason for taking their attention: Since people have opted in, they expect you to respect that fact. They can easily opt-out should you not appeal to them in any way. Tell them immediately and clearly how you expect to fill their time, and make your points of contact valuable to them.

Don’t overdo your message: Closely linked to being clear of your intent is being cautious of crossing the line with your messaging. The audience receives your messages whether they want to or not. Excessive messaging with little value will more likely be detrimental to the overall goal.

Don’t make it difficult for people to opt-out: You can’t win everyone over. Let them leave, un-questioned, if they want to. This becomes easy in many programs, but if people can’t leave with a click of a button or a simple request, irritation could result. And while we all know and believe in the power of spreading good messages online, negative messages can also spread.

The concepts of permission marketing can be very valuable to digital activism, but it they need to be used wisely to be effective.