Permission Marketing in the era of Social Media

Permission Marketing by Seth Gordin photo by Glen Green

In the age of Social Media, consumers still expect marketers to respect permission and privacy. As evidence of this, consider the outcry that has occurred with many of Facebook’s tone deaf modifications to the user privacy settings. Facebook is the 400lb gorilla in the room and currently has a good deal of inertia on its side but as shown time and again, this can change very quickly . However, consumers will extend permissions if there is an open dialog between organizations and the consumer and if the consumer is enabled with controls (something that Facebook has been recently improving). These concepts were outlined by Seth Gordin in Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers and are as true in the Social Media realm as ever before. Marketers ignore these concerns at their peril. In a digital world, it is easier than ever to switch brands and hard worn loyalties are easily lost with even a simple error in permission and privacy policies. So, organizations need to keep a tight rein on their policies and their agencies who too often may be willing to sacrifice long term brand loyalty in their eagerness to push campaigns.