Permission Marketing is vintage jargon nowadays but - despite this - it still remains relevant for email marketing, perhaps more than ever. But what do we mean by permission and would your customer or prospect agree?

At the most basic level, there are legalities to consider in obtaining the right level of permission from individuals. The better job you make of this, the more flexibility you will have to target them with specific marketing campaigns. Here are five key things to consider to ensure that you are legally compliant, able to deliver a good user experience and increase your reach:-

1. Ensure you have the technical structure to capture permissions - both opt-ins and opt-outs - so you can segment data on this basis

2. Capture data with clear and explicit intention of use. Allow the individual to decide how their contact detail can be used and don't force them into opting into everything

3. Ask relevant questions to help you make sound judgements about what information may be relevant to them

4. Consider how you want to use individuals' email addresses and capture permission for relevant levels - do you want to send a regular email communication? Do you also want to be able to send ad hoc promotional emails?

5. Create a preference centre allowing users to manage their email use - format, frequency and favourites are key preferences that will help you create and retain engaged email recipients

What constitutes permission from senders' and what feels like a breach of privacy from users' perspectives can be worlds apart...