I don’t know if my spam filter wears out over time, spammers get better at slipping through, or my mood is influenced more than I thought by the lunar cycles, but it seems my level of spam waxes and wanes on a monthly basis. Right now it’s waxing pretty hard. And this is when I get very disciplined about ensuring that the commercial e–mails I get are ones I asked for. I only want e–mails from the companies and friends that I know and for whom I opted-in, not somebody’s cousin, twice removed, living in Bulgaria.
The opt-in concept, although a curious technical term for permission granted, is not unlike what we do all the time in our social life. We give new acquaintances permission to call or e–mail us by presenting our business card or writing our phone number on a bar napkin. We program our caller ID to intercept or even block those callers we want to avoid. And we manage telemarketers with our participation in the Do Not Call list. Those who violate these social norms are guilty of being a boor at the very least, and could be subject to a restraining order at the very worst!
In the online Relationship Marketing world, the protocol is very similar. Legally as well as professionally, you don’t want to be sending a prospective customer promotional information without explicit permission. The best kind of marketing is respectful marketing, and that includes only sending information to prospects and customers who have opted-in, or given you permission to communicate.
The ultimate value for a brand for holding this level of permission is that now the marketing team can communicate directly with the physician rather than going through a third-party intermediary. By communicating respectfully and supplying content that provides value to the customer, you are able to build a healthy and fruitful relationship. And then when it’s that time of the month and your customer is getting trigger-happy with the spam filter, you know that you’re safe. You’re a friend.