Just because you can, doesn't mean you should
Mark Schaefer
Top Voice in Personal Branding, keynote speaker, university educator, futurist, and bestselling author of "Marketing Rebellion," "Belonging to the Brand," and "Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI Marketing World."
One of the themes of my writing this year is how marketing is deteriorating into a glorified IT function. Instead of considering the wants and needs of customers, companies are over-automating marketing to the point of constant consumer annoyance.
I recently had this experience with Salesforce. I normally don’t name names in my posts (attack problems, not people). But I think in this case it is appropriate because I have no need to demean Salesforce — I have LOVED this awesome company for 20 years. But this case study shows that even the greatest companies are falling into this dangerous automation trap.
All I wanted was a pdf
I recently saw a promotion about an interesting study available for free on the Salesforce site. I immediately became suspicious when I was required to provide my title, email, and (gasp) phone number in exchange for the pdf. But I was willing to put my trust in one of my favorite companies.
In the next 24 hours I received:
- An unsolicited phone call from a sales rep
- An email from the sales rep
- An invitation to a webinar
- A blog-based newsletter
- An entirely different newsletter from Salesforce targeted at the Defense Industry. I have nothing to do with that industry.
I complained to my sales rep about this and, after a few weeks, I’ve received no reply.
Just for fun, I downloaded another document and yes, the cycle started again.
At this point I am unhappy with Salesforce and distrustful. What a weird turn of events. This premier company that I have long-admired has turned a raving fan into a suspicious and annoyed business professional writing a negative blog post to tens of thousands of readers.
This is not just about Salesforce, of course. It’s about every company abusing our personal rights and littering our lives with spam.
A friend told me the story of how his company intended to target 800 doctors with a highly-relevant email. But the email service was a flat-fee, so they decided to send it to 8,000 people instead. He was livid when he found out that his well-known company had spammed 7,200 people.
Just because I download a pdf, it does not mean I am a “lead,” it does not mean anybody has the right to interrupt my day with calls and emails and newsletters that I never subscribed to. If we had regulations like GDPR in the U.S., this marketing protocol would not even be legal.
Put the customer first
This marketing practice is commonly called “lead nurturing,” but it’s really just a gentle way of saying “we are going to annoy you until you buy something.”
I recognize that there is a place for automation in the world. Used wisely, it can serve customers and their needs well.
In this case, a company has become de-sensitized to the needs of its customers and prospects. Its marketing is not taking my time or my privacy into consideration … it is simply automating a process and creating communications that they KNOW are unwelcome and unwanted. They have abdicated marketing to an algorithm developed by the IT department or, more likely, an outside martech vendor.
The world is too competitive these days to embrace marketing tactics that result in negative reactions. If you’re in marketing, be a marketer. Put the customer first, always. How did we forget this?
I appreciate you and the time you took out of your day to read this! You can find more articles like this from me on the top-rated {grow} blog and while you're there, take a look around and see what else I do at Schaefer Marketing Solutions. For news and insights find me on Twitter at @markwschaefer and to see what I do when I'm not working, follow me on Instagram.
Illustration courtesy Unsplash.com
AI Explorer | Lead Generation | SEO | Paid Media | Performance Marketing | CRM | Digital
6 年Spot on and I can hear you very clearly Mark Schaefer. I always question myself very hard on how I can add value to the customers needs before automating anything. Marketing automations have their place in todays digital marketing ecosystem but need to be thought through carefully. Thanks you, Claude
LinkedIn Top Business Writing Voice | Career-building writing secrets backed by science | Founder, Emphasis
6 年What automation isn’t is a substitute for a carefully thought-through approach. It’s a tool that should help marketers *communicate* (not broadcast) and demonstrate value. But too many see it as a tool for scaling up spraying and praying, with predictable consequences – as your chosen example perfectly illustrates.
Muhammad Reefath Rahman
Nonfiction book coach | Author
6 年Yes, amen. I have taken to naming my business "Not a Prospect" whenever I download research reports and other collateral from various B2B companies - and still I get calls from sales people. "I see that you downloaded our paper - what do you do at Not A Prospect?" Sigh. I end up having a few chuckles with the sales person as I ask them to recategorize me in the CRM.
Creative Director | Brand & Marketing Strategist | Helping You Clarify, Package, and Monetize Your Genius
6 年“Put the customer first” mentality is key. Automation is valuable but only if used correctly. Even as someone in the marketing profession, I have been put off by many of my favorite brands due to an over saturation of too many touch points with irrelevant messaging and useless content. Just because brands can automate doesn’t mean they should execute. To go a step further, definitely do not put one in motion that has not been thoroughly planned and prepared to provide value to your customers. Nice article.