Why a permission marketing approach is required for a B2C site?

Permission marketing is a term used in marketing in general and e-marketing specifically. Marketers will ask permission before advancing to the next step in the purchasing process. For example, they ask permission to send advertisements to prospective customers. It is used by some Internet marketers, email marketers, and telephone marketers. It requires that people first "opt-in", rather than allowing people to "opt-out" only after the advertisements have been sent. (source : wikipedia)

The key points from permission strategy :
- Since an e-mail strategy is proactive, get your customers’ permission; otherwise it is spam
- Rules of permission marketing
1. Permission must be granted – it can’t be assumed
2. Permission is selfish
3. Permission can be revoked as easily as it’s granted
4. Permission can’t be transferred
- Tests of permission marketing
1.Does every marketing effort encourage a learning relationship with thecustomer?
2.Does it invite customers to start communicating?
3.Do you track the people who have given you permission?
4.If a customer gives you permission, do you have anything to say?

Levels of permission marketing
1.Intravenous treatment – the emergency room
2.Green stamps – frequent flyer miles
3.Personal relationships – neighborhood butcher giving you ribeyes instead of sirloin at no charge
4.Branding – people usually choose the known over the unknown
5.Situational selling – a sales clerk recommends a video
6.Spam – calling a stranger at home during dinner without permission


There are some basic principles to be followed when performing B2C email marketing:

Permission marketing:
Before sending further information about your product or offers you have to get your customer’s permission. This is not only to apply with anti-spam rules, but also because unsolicited emails usually fail miserably in conversions rates. Opt in also outperform opt out email marketing. You can incentive people to subscribe to your list by offering a free report, a sample or a discount bonus.

The emails
You must be very precise when writing the email campaign. The first thing your subscriber will see is the “from” line and here the common mistake is to put your name along, trying to make the emails personal. Besides you are an international authority, use your product’s or company’s name along with yours because the final interest is in the product and people wouldn’t always remember who you are.

The second thing people read is the “subject” line. This is the only phrase that can make your mail to be opened or to be sent to the trash folder. It has to be catchy, but don’t make it totally irrelevant to the mail content and always try to avoid the use of words that trigger the spam filter (like “free”).

Now, if you have made it thru the previous steps, your subscriber has opened your mail and is reading your content. Don’t bore him! Make short messages and state clearly what is in there for him. You can use his or her name in the copy, but this feature has lost it effectiveness, the same with multiple PS calls to action.

Every mail must have a link to unsubscribe or change address, and again your name, your company’s name (if applicable) and a way to contact you for any question.

Remember that in B2C email marketing you are writing to a single person that is interested in your product. Be sure all your subscribers get the message!

source :http://ebusiness.leewaygroup.com/blog/b2c-email-marketing