Interruption Marketing vs. Permission Marketing

When is the last time that an advertisement or marketer interrupted what you were doing? Think about your initial reaction – did you immediately brush off the message or person, or did you wait to see if it would be worth your time to hear more? According to Caroline Melberg,  the well-known marketing writer Seth Godin is known for coining the term “interruption marketing.” Whether you get a call from a telemarketer or you’re approached by a salesperson at a department store, interruption marketing seems to be all over.

But what if more businesses utilized social media to get to know their target markets instead of using a generalized approach? Social media sites are excellent business tools that allow people, businesses and brands to establish relationships with one another on a permission basis – not an interruption basis.

For example, getting more followers on sites like Twitter or fans on your Facebook page gives you another vehicle for marketing to your target audience – who all choose to opt in to hear what you have to say! You can feature new products or offers to keep your audience up to date without getting the annoying sales stigma, and you can build upon those relationships to make those people life-long customers.

Taking the time to learn more about your target market can really pay off. Are you taking advantage of social media business tools?

Published on: April 13, 2011