Last week I participated in an on-demand webinar from HubSpot titled, Death by Marketing. Mike Volpe from HubSpot outlined the disadvantages of using marketing automation and why companies should take other measures in order to enhance their marketing efforts. An automated message is acceptable from time to time, they may come in the form of mass emails notifying everyone of a sale, which can be annoying, but also useful. However, there is a point when automated marketing can be a bit too much. As it was said in the webinar, marketing automation was invented to help, it can also be deadly. Make sure you’re not overdoing it!
The most valuable tips I took from the webinar are summarized below.
How do You Know You’re Received a Marketing Automated Email?
If you’ve received in an email with a sales pitch, look at the first sentence. Does it ask if you are the right person to be speaking to? This is a giveaway that the company has not taken the time to research your company and match your potential needs with their services.
Why is Marketing Automation Bad for You
Marketing automation did not change the sales and marketing process but it did foster spam. Receiving an email whereby the sender does not directly address you (ex. Hi John) or mention your company in the email, is a red flag for spam and another indication that the company sending you the email has no invested interest in your company. This could kill the image of the company sending the email.
Buying a cold list and expecting it to last is the same as buying yogurt and expecting to keep the same container for a year. People move jobs and companies more so now than ever. According to Mike, 25% of a cold list expires every year.
Still Tempted to Try marketing Automated Emails?
Mike took a comical approach to emphasizing the need to avoid emailing a cold list. He said that every time you think of using a cold list, pretend that for every email sent out, a kitten dies.
Solution
Humanize your marketing. Help your customers first than expect to receive revenue second. This is done most effectively through inbound marketing. Companies are reaching out to their prospects with white papers, blog, webinars and educational resources on their website. By placing the customer first, instead of revenue (ex. Buying a list and emailing as many companies as humanly possible within the hour), you’re enhancing your company’s image – in a positive way – amongst the competition.
Example
Mike used a great example of how to keep up the interest of your customers even down to the second before they decide to leave you. The company Groupon, like many other ‘deal of the day’ companies, allows its subscribers to “unsubscribe” from their mailing list. After someone clicks the unsubscribe button on the Groupon website, they are brought to an interactive slideshow. The slideshow shows the customer what happens to the guy who is in charge of subscribers, after they leave Groupon. Needless to say, the slideshow is funny enough that most people – when prompted – re-subscribe to Groupon’s mailing list.
Our team at VA Partners ensures that before any prospect is contacted, the appropriate information – such as company name, company information and background and contact information – have been researched. We also ensure that what tailor the product to the company we are selling to. For more information about how you can enhance your sales prospecting, take a look at our Part-Time Sales offerings.
