Marketing is an aspect of business that may seem logically simple on the surface, but approaching the subject with little knowledge and excessive confidence can lead to highly ineffective strategies. The goal of marketing is to build trust with your customers and clientele through engaging, professional content that highlights your services. In today’s digital word, understanding how to sufficiently achieve this is more important now than ever.
A common mistake many businesses tend to make today is taking the “human” out of their marketing strategies, which is much easier to do than one may think given how pivotal automation and high-tech solutions have become. While these newer tech-based strategies are often very beneficial, they can be used too much. Getting rid of human interaction entirely is one downside of this.
Connecting with one another is an innate need that nearly everyone possesses. It’s something that artificial intelligence is incapable of doing. Many individuals are much more likely to value human-to-human contact higher than that of automated solutions. That being said, you don’t have to do away with automation altogether. Rather, use it as a compliment to other strategies. For example, instead of having automated emails sent to your customers through a company newsletter, harness that automation as a reminder to send handwritten (or typed), personalized messages.
Similar to the value of human interaction, customers and clients want to feel as though you are being empathetic as well. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. How do you want to be spoken to and/or approached by a business? Research your audience through surveys or interviews via email or social media. The tools at our expense make obtaining this information on a large scale much easier.
In the same sense, respect your customers’ and clients’ boundaries. Too much outreach will often result in people unsubscribing or unfollowing your business. A flurry of emails or social media updates can get pretty annoying surprisingly fast. At the same time, you are undermining your business by oversharing. Instead of sending one highly important message to your customer base, you are sending 7 or 8 superfluous updates; at least, that may be how your customers will feel. Choose to only send what you consider the most important updates, and what can provide the most value to your clients.
The best way to avoid these common digital marketing mistakes is to first be totally aware of them. The key is to find a balance between engaging your audience and creating an attractive brand. Know how often to automate your strategies, how to incorporate empathy, and maintain a human aspect.
