by Will Rotondi
Wouldn’t it be a marvel to live in a science fiction world where you’d have the occasional hovercraft gracefully skim through the air above you? Perhaps more than an occasional one – maybe a whole highway. Would it be as exciting for us as for Marty McFly? Who’s to know, although Google seems to be on its way to starting the path toward commercialized aerial transport, even if it’s just in the early stages of test deliveries to an Australian farmer with items like cattle vaccines and candy bars.
Lucky Aussies…
But when you think about it, there’s a lot behind this techno-craze in our current age. So much is becoming automated, streamlined for much the same reason as dishwashers were considered revolutionary in a previous generation: take care of one chore so you have time to do something else!
Cold calling seems to be that marketing process that is slowly receding due to what we are capable of accomplishing on the Internet. (It’s why you’re reading this, right?) You have to be careful with automation, though, particularly because so many others want to get on the bandwagon, too.
Sounding too generic or limited in your marketing can create a detachment between you and your prospect, and ultimately destroy the very thing you were hoping to maintain: that human element. After all, do you call up a company with the hope of only speaking to an automated messaging system? (I’ll bet you know the quickest way to get a real person on the other end during those voice prompts.)
Remember this the next time you want to reach out and touch someone.
After all, we may have Google drones in the production for bigger things one day, but we can still rely on our trusted postal and pizza delivery drivers. Much like our online marketing, some things can be placed on automation (coupons, profiles, and notifications), and some things need that something extra. Otherwise, it’s just a bunch of noise.
