Happy Tuesday, Reader!
A few weeks ago I received an unsolicited sales email.
They claimed they were reaching out because I had previously booked a call with them. The company name didnāt ring a bell, so I Googled them and clicked on their website from search results.
(As I suspected, I've never booked a call with them.)
Within minutes I receive this LinkedIn message:
Thank you for Visiting
Hey Bev
we see that you have visited our website!
Yes, this is an automation with a real human behind it seeing you visit.
I check out their website from Google, and then get an automated messaged on LinkedIn?
What the actual what? š®
Iām officially totally creeped out and want nothing to do with a company that's so brazenly following me around the internet.
Listen, I get that there's an absurd amount of data out there about most of us, tracking what we purchase, what we click on, and our socials.
But thereās a fine line between using automation as a tool to connect with people and and increase opportunities to make salesā¦and doing it in a way that gives off creeper vibes.
It's the same whether it's via LinkedIn or email.
Can email automation be used to...
...send someone a gentle nudge to book a call?
...share specific content thatās relevant to their identified challenges and/or interests?
....follow up after they click on the link to a sales page?
Heck yeah!
But as you think about your own email marketing automation strategy, first pause and ask yourself:
How would I feel if I were on the receiving end of this automated email?
If youād be super put off, annoyed, creeped out, or angered by it, itās likely not a values-aligned strategy that you want to use.
Maybe for that business owner who sent me the automated LinkedIn message they would've been totally cool getting something like that. But for me that's a hard pass.
How have you seen automation used in a way that's dripping with ickiness? Reply back and let me know.
Take it one step at a time,
Bev
P.S. Can you help me with something I posted about on LinkedIn? (I promise, no creepy automations will follow!)ā
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Bev Feldman (she/her),
Your Personal Tech Fairy š
Personalized ConvertKit Support & Email Marketing Automation Strategy that's rooted in consent, deliverability best practices, and human connection.
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As a solopreneur, I strive to incorporate my values of environmentalism and anti-racism and to build an inclusive and equitable business. I believe Black Lives Matter and I stand for LGBTQIA+ rights.
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