Breaking Through the Marketing Clutter

Nobody has an infinite amount of attention. As the amount of noise in our lives increase, the percentage of messages getting through inevitably decreases. Marketers are discovering that traditional marketing/advertising just doesn’t work anymore in grabbing and keeping consumer attention.

Consumers have developed an immunity to traditional tactics such as TV commercials, banner ads, or even emails. So how do you cut through the clutter? One way to sell a consumer something in the future is to simply get their permission in advance to participate in the selling process. Here are some strategies to consider:

• People are selfish about their time and attention. Without a really good reason you’re not going to grab a piece of their precious resource
• Consumers care very little about you, your company, and your products. You need to give them a reason to pay attention. Consider offering an explicit reward such as information, education, or entertainment to get the consumer to opt-in to the message
• Even after you’ve achieved their permission, you’ll need to continue to offer consumers added incentives to pay attention
• “What’s in it for me?” is the question that must be answered at every step
• Continue to engage the consumer in an interactive relationship, with both you and the customer participating
• Consumers like to feel in control and safe. They like getting me-mail, not email because every interaction is anticipated, personal, and relevant, not to mention unique, to them
• Points are a formalized and scalable approach to attracting and keeping the prospects attention – you’re rewarding the consumer for paying attention or for buying something
• That’s why loyalty programs and other promotions are such an effective overlay for many marketing campaigns
• If you have a device that automatically rewards consumers for paying attention, you can allow the messages to develop more slowly and effectively over time

Permission Marketing lets companies develop long-term relationships with customers, create trust and build brand awareness. For more information read Permission Marketing by Seth Godin.