#020 - Over-automation: Where marketers get it wrong | The Weekly Spark

We’re back with a hot one today! ??

Let’s talk about automation – marketers love it, sales teams rely on it, and let’s be honest, it makes our lives a whole lot easier. But here’s the problem: when everything becomes over-automated, engagement takes a hit.

If your emails read like they were written by R2-D2 (although, that would be kinda cool), or if your LinkedIn messages feel cold and scripted, and if your customer interactions lack, well… actual human interaction – congrats! You’ve officially fallen into the over-automation trap.

So, where do marketers go wrong? And more importantly, where should automation stop and real human connection take over?

When automation kills engagement

Automation is great – until it isn’t. We’ve all seen it:

• Mass emails with [First Name] fails ("Hi {{First Name}}, hope you're doing well!" ??)
• Chatbots that do everything but answer your actual question
• Cold outreach that feels like it came straight from an AI script

The result? Your audience disengages. Prospects ignore your messages. Customers get frustrated. And your carefully crafted automation workflows? Straight to the spam folder.

Nobody wants to feel like just another name in a database.

Where to use automation (and when to put your natural skills to work)

So, does this mean you should ditch automation altogether and start handwriting every email like it’s a love letter??

Not quite. The trick is knowing when to automate for efficiency and when to personalize for impact.

Use automation for more efficiency?

• Lead scoring, email sequences, CRM updates? Perfect for automation.
• Scheduling workflows and reminders? Yes, please.
• Data enrichment and tracking? Absolutely.

Don’t use automation to replace real connections

• Sales outreach, customer support, and relationship-building? Those need a human touch.
• If your automation makes people feel like they’re talking to a script, it’s time to rethink your approach.
• And your chatbot is frustrating more people than it’s helping, maybe let a human step in.

Do it the right way

• Automate the process, not the conversation: Use tools to gather insights, but let real people craft meaningful interactions.
• Segment, don’t spam: Personalized messaging should feel like it was written for your audience, not just at them.
• Make tech work for you, not against you: AI and automation should enhance personalization, not replace it.

At the end of the day, people buy from people. And in a world drowning in automated noise, the brands that get this right??

They stand out ??

Cheers,

The SparkForce Team