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AI and automation tools have taken the marketing world by storm.
Businesses are taking advantage of the many features of automation, saving their teams time and effort.
These tools can be especially useful for large companies with complex workflows, as it’s much easier to automate multiple tasks than complete them by hand. Automation has opened doors and paved the pathway for future innovation that will no doubt complement existing business structures and systems. Businesses like Engage 2 Engage are leading the way in terms of marketing automation, providing solutions and strategies to enhance digital marketing.
However, despite the large gains in automation over the past several years, more and more companies are realizing the importance of maintaining the human touch.
Customers generally appreciate feeling seen, having their needs met in a personal way, which is why it’s important to retain at least some “human” aspects in automation. This is particularly true of marketing. After all, one of the best ways to reach target audiences is by speaking to them on an individual level, something automation often fails to do on its own.
As such, it’s imperative that businesses look for ways to incorporate elements of the human touch into their automated marketing processes. By combining the best of both worlds, marketing teams can efficiently serve customers while maintaining a degree of personal connection.
Here are a few ways you can incorporate the human touch in marketing automation:
On first glance, chatbots may not seem humanlike at all. It can be difficult to see how a digitized chat system, even one that goes by a human name or responds to inquiries in a seemingly human manner, can offer anything personal to customers. 79% of Americans prefer communicating directly with a customer service representative in relation to a product or service, so it’s clear that the majority of consumers still favor human interaction when seeking support.
But—perhaps surprisingly—chatbots can be customized in a number of different ways to retain the human touch. For example, your chatbot might be programmed to reflect your unique brand voice. This sets you apart from other companies that may use the same tone or terminology and helps give the impression that there’s a real person behind the screen.
You could also train your bot to actually speak with customers, teaching it to pick up on things like tone of voice and repeated keywords or phrases. Most importantly, your bot should make it clear that customers will be directed to a live agent should they require further assistance to resolve their issue.
If you’re a company responsible for onboarding many clients over a short period of time, you likely leverage automated emails. Understandably, having to write up a new email every time you onboard a new client can be time-consuming and tedious, so it’s easier to just have one template that goes out to everybody.
The problem with this strategy is that it can leave clients feeling like just another number. It’s important to incorporate the human touch into your automated emails so that clients know you understand and care about them individually. Adding photos is a great way to do this. You can create segmented photo sets based on the client type and incorporate these into automated email lists. You should also set up an automation that adds the client’s first name as well.
Engage 2 Engage offers programs for marketing automation, strategy, content, and tech and design. These programs can help you get a better sense of how to incorporate personalized, targeted elements into your marketing emails.
These days many marketing companies are choosing to automate part or all of their social media presence. This can serve a number of purposes, including keeping posts to a regular schedule. However, followers start to notice those that take a completely hands-off approach; they may start to feel a lack of enthusiasm from the company and wonder whether or not it’s run by actual humans.
Marketers can avoid this pitfall by personalizing their posts from time to time. You can automate and schedule posts ahead of time, but it’s important to still interact with customers by responding to comments and DMS in a timely manner to demonstrate there’s a live human listening to their concerns. It can also be useful to incorporate interactive content—such as polls and games—into your social media schedule to give your account a more personalized, intimate feel.
Finding the right balance between automation and the human touch can be tricky. In the marketing world today, there are so many different options for automation, and these can be incredibly effective, but the continued importance of human interaction cannot be overlooked. While automation can speed things along for customers, they still like to feel that there’s a human on the other end of the line.
Engage 2 Engage is focused on building long-term relationships with small business entrepreneurs, helping them incorporate automated marketing strategies with the good, old-fashioned human touch. Reach out today to learn more about our programs and how we can help you achieve your marketing goals!
while marketing your brand and message…
when you don’t have the time, energy, or expertise!