Over the last 100 years advertisers have competed against each other to have more creative ads in even more creative places. The result has led to the average consumer exposure rate of 3,000 ads a day. Consumer increasing have less time, less money, and more options to choose from. So as Seth Godin says in his book Permission Marketing marketers are stuck in a catch 22-

The more they spend, the less it works. The less it works the more they spend

His solution? Get permission from your customer to market to them. All advertising otherwise is interrupting them from what they are trying to do. Wouldn’t it be great if your consumer not only appreciated your advertising, but looked forward to it? Of coarse, but how do you get people to want it?

Offer something of value.

Look at this diagram (created by mashable)to see how and why consumers follow brands on social media sites.

Good permission marketing creates value by offering coupons/discounts, entertainment, information, or something inspirational to name a few. They take full advantage of free internet tools like facebook, twitter, and youtube where people spend a good amount of their time these days. Some even go farther by purchasing some more powerful tools like email marketing software, google adwords, or facebook ads.

Traditional interruption still has its place, but it will always cost far more per customer gained than it does to spend time/money on permission marketing to keep the customer or to bring them a step closer to becoming a customer.

There are hundred of blogs out there that can teach you how to do this, but I recommend starting with the lowest hanging fruit. Go after what is free and easy to set up.

• Start a facebook page
• Create a twitter account
• Create a YouTube Channel
• Create a Blogger account (You will want to upgrade to wordpress later)

NOTE: Make sure you get the permalink as close to your company name as possible (ex: facebook.com/yourbusinessname)

Start brainstorming what to actually put on these channels. Here are some questions and examples to help you get you started. Remember that they must relate some how to your business.

• Are you an expert? Can you blog about the things people ask you about the most?
• Do you have a trusted opinion? Is your taste in interior decorating valuable?
• Would the latest news in your industry also be interesting to you customers?
• Are you developing new products or services? Give them a demonstration.
• Can you teach people something related to your business? If you run an art supply store could you record some videos demonstrating how to paint landscapes?
• Do fun or interesting things ever happen at work? Can you create a behind the scenes video series to give loyal customers a better look at who you are?

Pull out a pen and paper and start brainstorming. Create a list of ideas and create a schedule to go make it happen. Read Seth’s book if you want to take it even deeper.