“Instead of using technology to automate processes, think about using technology to enhance human interaction.” –Tony Zambito
Technology has infused itself in EVERY aspect of our lives. No doubt this includes sales and marketing automation for your business.
Sure…if you love digital marketing, you probably love following all of these new technologies and solutions. Probably eager to try 1 or 100 of the 7,000+ martech solutions on the market today…
…am I right?
The term “big data” blows people’s mind. No matter how much we all love the convenience of the modern world, the Internet, social media, and all things digital…as marketers, we have to be careful about how we leverage big data for the sake of convenience and business automation.
Don’t get me wrong…I love business automation. Automation strategies create efficiencies in our daily routines. They make follow up more systematized and consistent.
Automation can deliver customer journeys for all levels of your business funnel – top of the funnel, middle of the funnel, the bottom of the funnel.
However, we cannot forget the human side of business automation. Like Tony’s quote at the top of this article, imagine what happens when we reverse our reliance on technology, and we use it to enhance our customer relationships.
It is all about how you, your team, the real-life people in your business connect with your audience – no matter where they are in your funnel.
Tips to help you weave a human touch into your automation strategy, processes, and messages.
- Connect – how are you connecting with your audience during their journey with you? Making a connection online starts with the language you use. Take the time to infuse your authentic voice into the message, whether in an automated email, scheduling social media, or creating a chatbot pop-up.
Another example is when sending automated emails ALWAYS send the email from a person’s name – not the business name. If the language you are using is authentic to your brand and the email is from you, your customers feel like you sat down and sent them a personal email.
Same goes across all platforms…chatbots, social media, and your website. Set up your sales and marketing automated messages to connect more personally. - Personalize – creating a personalized experience for your customers is now an expectation of the consumer. A few years back, it was weird for a business website to greet you with your name. Now, we want that personalized greeting and those personalized shopping recommendations.
But there are more ways to leverage automated customer experiences to feel more personalized. From your post-purchase follow-up email series to your client acquisition sales funnel messaging, find those moments to connect with your audience in a personal way. Include their name in the body of an email message (instead of the standard greeting line). Reference a specific purchase decision they made with you. Share your own personal story for them to connect with you.
If you can nail the personalization piece and combine that with authentic messaging that connects with your audience, you are on the right path to success with your automation strategies. - Blend – this is where it all HAS to come together. If you really want to make sure that human touch is infused in your automation strategies, it is time to blend your authentic messaging and personalized approach with sincere traditional human touchpoints…face-to-face, on the phone, in the mail.
That’s right. To blend your digital automation with traditional [*ahem…offline] moments will set you apart from your competition. PLUS…you can still automate parts of this process with reminders, tasks, or system add-ons that make you look like a client relationshipping rockstar!
Here’s how you can find ways you can stay connected with your audience, show you care, demonstrate your value while leveraging the efficiencies and convenience of your automated strategy.
First, define the steps in your strategy when a client should receive that personal phone call or thank you note.
Next, identify messaging that could be more personal, show more personality for your brand, and set your message apart from other businesses.
Finally, find opportunities to leverage automation with human interaction. For example, on a client’s birthday, you probably mail them a card, right? Schedule that task a week in advance, but then record a quick 1-minute selfie video that you can schedule to send on the morning of their birthday.
There are so many digital and traditional touchpoint opportunities across your customer’s experience. Don’t be afraid to create truly unique experiences for your clients and potential buyers.
Sales and marketing automation tools allow you to create these blended workflows that personalize customer journeys, real human messaging that have personality, and reminder tasks so you never miss an opportunity to reach out in-person to connect with your ideal audiences.
Whether you create these journeys as part of your client acquisition sales funnels or focus on customer retention automation funnels in your post-sale processes, there are infinite ways to create a marketing tech stack that gives you the best of both worlds.
It all comes down to creating an amazing customer experience… an experience will allow you to WOW your customers an differentiate you from your competitors. It will allow you to connect with your ideal audiences beyond your brand message.
How are you leveraging the full capabilities of your tech stack?
Need help? Work with Smart Girl to get your business automation strategies in going the right direction.
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