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January 18, 2006
Let's Ban the Term "Permission"
Okay, so I am on a roll now. In my Jan. 10 post, I proposed several ways the list rental industry could clarify the level of permission it obtains from recipients. But if we really want to make the email marketing world a better place, I propose we ban the word "permission."
Let's replace it with the word "anticipation."
That's my proposal, plain and simple.
Think about it. Now, when you go to rent a list, you don't have to dance around the topic of the vendor's list sources or management practices. You simply look the vendor in the eye and ask, "Are your recipients anticipating advertising email from a company like mine?" Done.
If the answer is no, you can be sure that nearly everyone receiving your advertisement will view you as a spammer. If the answer is yes, then you can more comfortably know you are communicating with a receptive audience.
The term "permission" has been abused to the point of obsolescence. Let's find a more descriptive, more precise new term that is representative of what we as marketers care about: our brands and our relevance to our prospects. I for one am declaring myself an "anticipated email marketer" <grin>.
Posted by Bill Nussey at January 18, 2006 09:00 AM
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