Can I Speak to a Real Person?

If you've been around my content on LinkedIn for a while, or anywhere else on the internet, you know I'm a huge fan of authenticity.

When you read something that I wrote, especially for my own brands and outlets, I want you to know that you are getting 100% me, 100% of the time.

I even had to reprimand a company that rewrote a quote of mine with AI because hey, that's not how I roll. I said it that way and I want it published that way!

If I reach out and tell you that I love your blog or your brand, I mean it. That's not some form email I'm sending out automatically. I took the time to craft a message with specific things I liked about you or anything else your brand or your company brings to the table, and I hit send MYSELF.

Now, I work with companies that want to implement some (or a lot of) automation into their processes. Maybe they're running into resource limits, want to try the latest tech, or struggle to craft emails on their own. I totally get it! My advice to clients is usually to focus on humanizing the content, responding authentically, and personalizing wherever possible. I also remind them that any time they automate a process, especially when it comes to messaging, they should expect a lower return on their efforts. When you take the time to craft a unique, thoughtful message, it stands out. That goes a long way. The problem is that there are only so many hours in the day, so doing that all the time can be unsustainable. I'm not unreasonable - I completely get it.

If you're going to automate, be smart about it

Automated emails are all the rage these days, especially ones that can sound like 1-on-1 communication. These emails can be a great way to follow up after a webinar, keep yourself top of mind, or check in to see if anything has changed. When done right, they can take the load off of some of the more tedious parts of your busienss. But where should you automate? A better question might be, where would automation HURT you and tarnish your brand?

A smart automation: Personal, on-brand messages with invitations or reminders

I'm still shopping around for the very perfect CRM for my business (groan, right?). In my search in 2023, I came across one CRM in particular that I really liked, but it didn't QUITE fit what I needed. That CRM is Nutshell. Give 'em a look if you are on the hunt like me!

When I met with someone at Nutshell and they showed me everything "under the hood," I didn't even realize that they were sending me automated messages. I mean, I should have known - they're a big company with a lot to do. But their messages were well-written and didn't feel overly salesy, so my guard wasn't up. I even converted on one inviting me to a 1-on-1 session. Perhaps a takeaway from this is that automations that include opportunities to connect with real people don't feel as scummy. I had a great time talking to the rep and might use Nutshell in the future. Their email strategy was THAT good! They include human touchpoints along the way so it doesn't feel so robotic.

A not-so-smart automation: Telling me you love my podcast but not telling me anything about my podcast

My best-kept secret might be my podcast with my friend, Steve. We've been podcasting about The Bachelor for about 5 years now. It's mostly a fun little side project, but I am hoping to get more serious about it in 2024. Who knows, if this post does numbers, maybe I'll promo it here more often!

We have some fans, and we get some listens, but it's not like we're huge or anything. Still, the number of episodes we put out, our consistency, and our promotions we've done for completely free up to this point (paired with our marketing experience) means that being approached for a sponsorship opportunity isn't completely out of the question.

For this example, I'll remove the identifiers to protect the innocent. I'm still waiting for a response back after I received this third email from the company. While 1 email did mention my podcast by name (Pop Culture Diner), it included no other identifying information. Nothing about the content of my podcast, anything like that. So when I received this email a couple days ago, it really bugged me. You manually selected me as a potential partner but didn't have time to manually pitch me with personal details? This was my response:

Really, my takeaway for the brand was that because there was no personally identifying information in the email, I'm pretty sure this is mass-marketed. I have no qualms with receiving a mass-marketed message. However, don't lie to me and say I was hand-selected. You can't have it both ways.

If you're going to automate (or shortcut in any way), be honest when you get caught.

Authenticity is important, especially to my generation and younger. I would think a self-proclaimed expert on Millennials and Gen Z would know that, but apparently not!

I was already planning on writing a LinkedIn article about this topic, but it pushed to the very top of my list when I received what appeared to be a copypasta (that's copy-paste for you older readers) on a blog that was like a year old!

My viral post about Crossover still gets engagement from time to time, so I'm not suprised to see an old post pop up with new engagement. But this one, this one was different.

Now, I wouldn't call my redactions in this case protecting the innocent, but who knows, maybe he'll own up to this activity before I publish this. If not, you can see who I'm talking about by checking out my recent activity on LinkedIn - something everyone is able to see, so authenticity matters here!

Let's start with Exhibit A:

Hot off the heels of receiving a (probably) inauthentic email, I see this comment on LinkedIn, and it just rubbed me the wrong way. Before I even looked at the previous activity of this user, I could tell it was copy-pasted content, so I gave the commenter the opportunity to own up to this shortcut (or potential automation) or continue to deny their activities. As you can see here, I'm asking, did you copy-paste this content? Is it AI-generated? Did you gain anything from commenting like this? I have a WEIRD feeling a lot of business coaches and marketing "experts" are suggesting that people apply different types of automated strategies to their LinkedIn engagement and beyond. Poor guy didn't know whose page he was on.

Here's how he responded:

Oh, and then of course he had to call me combative for good measure.

The interesting part of this whole thing is that most of my content on the post he was talking about wasn't about remote work. I mentioned remote work ONCE. My whole post was about the importance of being a purpose-driven company, content I wrote with (GASP) research! My content was EDUCATED! And instead of commenting on what I actually wrote and building in it, this supposed Millennial and Gen Z expert (or, should I say "epert"), decided to give me a copypasta response. On an article about how important authenticity is and how younger workers are looking for a "No-BS Zone!" I was floored.

Here are just a few other examples of the same content appearing on many different posts. At some point he clarifies that these were commented today AND yesterday, like that makes it more authentic somehow?

(You'll have to take me at my word that there are 10 posts total. I just didn't want to mess up the cute grid I had going!)

No point in reinventing the wheel to actually connect with people. I call this the "direct mail" LinkedIn engagement method. I've asked a few times about value, like return on investment, from this method. Please see my previous posts for more thoughts on how engagement doesn't equal revenue on this platform.

Am I saying that all automation is bad?

No!

But if you're going to do it, I would suggest you abide by the following rules:

• Use it in a way that feels like you'll get real benefit out of it (and your audience will, too!). Great examples are following up after a webinar, reaching out when you have something new to promote, checking in after some time of inactivity to try to reinvigorate an old relationship, etc.
• Use it as a supplement to connecting with a human, not an all-out replacement. In my Nutshell example, I received emails before, after, and during the customer journey that gave me the opportunity to talk to a few different humans! I understand that people are busy and they can't send one-on-one emails all the time. The least you can do is get me to a person when I need it. A lot of the automated messages my clients send out (if not all) have invitations to reply to the email with additional questions, schedule a call with someone, and so on. Our end-goal is to connect people with humans, not leave them stranded in automated bot hell.
• If you get caught, own up to it. I've had people email me back asking me a question about something I wrote in an automated message that didn't seem to quite fit their situation, and I'm quick to own up to it, saying something like, "You know what, I missed the mark, and I'm sorry. And I don't want you to feel like you aren't important. I'll make a note that this isn't relevant to you and hey, if you want to connect, human-to-human, I'm down for it. Let's do a virtual coffee!" With any and all automation, you run the risk of alienating your audience. You may be able to get some back. You may not be so lucky with others. Being transparent and authentic is the most important piece that many companies and marketers tend to ignore because it isn't flashy or efficient.
• If you're trying to connect with Gen Z and Millennials, read my content. Because...a lot of you do not understand what these generations actually value and it is very obvious.

Well, happy new year, friends! I got this one together in record time, but I guess that's what happens when inspiration strikes! For someone that may cry foul, this was written 100% with my brain, no AI or automation needed. Because over here, and at Needs More Fiber, we keep it all the way real, all the time. Content with substance! That's been my promise and will continue in 2024 and beyond.

Be good! Talk to humans! Build real relationships! I'll see you on the other side of my winter break!

- Sammi