At the same time, human nature has us marketers all scrambling towards the “next big thing,” and we’re sometimes tempted to put all our eggs in that gilded basket. By pointing out the problems with a new form like BT, I was hoping to emphasize that it isn’t the be-all, end-all method of marketing that some might think. I wanted to reiterate that it’s wise to stick with proven methods while proceeding cautiously with newe ones.

As to your question about building a list with/for permission-based messages: The answer comes in your statement about different types of campaigns “working together.” Permission messaging is “push” (proactive) rather than “pull” (reactive), requiring people to sign up, on their own volition. To get people to sign up, a brand should employ several methods, such as: Having salespeople ask customers to sign up during checkout; having a form on one’s website that people can fill out to sign up to get messages; advertising a short code on everything from billboards to print to online ads–even behaviorally-targeted ones! (To entice people to sign up, you can promise free/discounted merchandise/services or other special offers.)

After or during sigh-up, you can ask subscribers not just for their contact information, but also demographic/psychograpnic info. If you have the right platform, all this information can be stored in your database. In the future, you can use this information to send highly-targeted mesages to the right customers and prospects.

Hope that answers your question. Thanks again for reading!

Yes, advertising on social networks has gone down, because it’s not *new* anymore, and users are dropping off (though while Myspace saw a large drop, I bet Facebook saw a huge increase, as many jump from one social fad to the next and eventually settle into the most appropriate niche site) However, I doubt people are leaving sites because of ads, what about those super annoying Facebook apps? I’d say a more justifiable reason to leave!

Back to permission messages though–how do you build your list? BT ads are a great way to reach many and build a clean, high quality database.

Basically I think you are comparing apples and oranges, the two should work together, not against each other.

my 2 cents!