Make Interaction Personal, Not Automated

I’m all for marketing automation. I think it’s a fantastic way to engage with customers and make sure their questions are asked… once you have many customers.

I used to think it was a good idea to try and automate every interaction with a customer at the very start of your business, because that means you have time to do other stuff, right?

Well, yeah I guess. But the trouble is, you don’t get the chance to actually talk to your customers, and when you’re small that means you miss out on opportunities.

You miss out on making a customer’s experience go from OK to amazing. You miss out on understanding the gaps in your products and how to fill them. You might even miss out on hearing about the bugs they find.

Listening to your customers is something you need to do to win their loyalty, and it’s vitally important at the start of your business.

Being responsive, personable, and reacting to their needs will win you customers because it’s something your larger competitors are unable to do.

Someday, you’ll have no choice but to automate the process, but until you can spare no time at all, it’s sensible to keep a personal touch on your interactions.

So hold off on the automated messages, and instead wait for a message to come to you. It’ll mean a whole lot more to the person on the other end.