MODERN MARKETING
Technological Warfare : Why You Should Stop Stalking , Automating and Transacting Your Customers
By Heath Shackleford
• Are you personalizing your marketing , or are you stalking your prospects ?
• Are you creating convenience for your customers , or are you simply putting your marketing on autopilot ?
• Are you placing emphasis on transactions at the expense of your customer relationships ?
I continue to be mystified by the popularity of some things . Cat videos on YouTube for instance . I ’ m also at a loss when trying to comprehend some of the trends I see in marketing these days . Because of the endless possibilities technology provides , a lot of companies have completely removed the consumer from their consideration . Instead , they are caught up in the technology craze , hurling spam , invading privacy and automating everything , just because they can . habits and serve up recommendations for books and music based on my stated and demonstrated interests . It ’ s also cool that when I search for a Starbucks on my phone , it provides me with locations that are close to me . I love it when personalization is done right .
Unfortunately , many of us can ’ t be trusted with the power of personalization . Instead , we use it to stalk our prospects ; to pounce on them once they ’ ve visited our website , and wear them out with calls and emails . We can get creepy really quickly . We can also come off a bit cheesy and / or desperate and / or disingenuous . Can ’ t tell you how many times I ’ ve received communications that say “ Hey Arthur , hope you ’ ve been well .” Not for one day of my life have I used my first name .
I equate it to dating . It ’ s one thing if you like a girl , do some research , discover she really likes daisies and then send her a thoughtful bouquet . It ’ s quite another thing if you follow her around all day , track her to her house , wait for her to go inside , knock on her door to present them , and then hide in the bushes to watch what she does with them once she ’ s inside .
Convenience vs . Automation Technology absolutely makes things easier for you and your customers . And while I ’ m typically happy about things such as online banking and self-check
Even if your organization isn ’ t guilty of the observations that follow , it ’ s important to understand that many others are - which means people deal with this on a daily basis . We are creating a generation of skeptical , confused , jaded and short-fused consumers at a time when we have access to unprecedented tools and channels to effectively engage them , understand them and serve them well .
Personalization vs . Stalking It ’ s great that companies like Amazon and iTunes can learn from my buying
16 ModernBusiness May 2016