Set It & Forget It Promises…Beware.
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You’ve seen em. With apologies to the legendary Ron Popeil I’m going to have to throw a bit of a typhoon on this parade.
Marketing gurus love to play with the analogy and for the most part suck eggs at it. In my own twisted sense, I tend to tear into bad analogies like a freshly shucked ear of corn. Can you relate? Sure you can, because I’m good at this stuff.
What does the term “autopilot” mean to you? I picture a 757 from the front end in frame one with two goofy pilots holding their arms over their heads shouting “look mom, no hands.” Frame Grab 2 sees smoke in the cockpit and those same hands working feverishly to fix the problem. You can fill in the third frame anyway you would like. If you remember the psychology test I wanted you to take way back at the beginning of this adventure, you’ll have an idea how you’d probably end this story. In any event, draw your own conclusions as for me, the story is always more entertaining than the ending.
I like to give the devil his due, so here goes. For very established businesses replete with huge customer or subscriber bases, certain aspects of business are better handled through the likes of autoresponders. Do autoresponders increase your business by 400% as I saw somewhere? Probably not. I wrote recently about embracing technology as it related to an RSS discussion. To be sure, technological advances have made internet business (and business in general) much more powerful and manageable. The simplicity and power of loading up an autoresponder with 10, 12 or 25 messages and setting it to deliver to a subscriber base is a powerful thing. Personally, I’ve tried some different systems and would highly recommend AWeber if you’re ready to try this approach. With the Devil crunching joyously on that kibble, let’s discuss why I don’t personally use these devices…shh….don’t look at him directly…just let him crunch away…and come with me.
What’s the biggest voting block of people in the US today? What’s the biggest purchasing power group in the US today? They are one and the same and no, it’s not teens or yesterday’s X, Y or whatever letter we’re up to generation. Give up? Odds are, you’re one of em.
If you think Baby Boomers aren’t ruling the world yet, you need to crawl right back to whatever rock you have been living under and take another RIP snooze. Some argue that this trend has peaked, but to be sure there is still a whole lot of Flower Power out there! So what exactly does this have to do with automating my business you may ask? Well, plenty.
How many Baby Boomers do you know? I’m not sure I typically think of this generation in the Websters Definition Sense of being born exactly between 1946 and 1964, but definitions aside, let’s roll with it. I tend to think of them as the generation that is just a tich older than myself. Whatever.
Think of your own Boomer contacts. What are their general perceptions of the “computer age?” Yes, as in every group, you find exceptions to the rule and tons of Bill Gates arguments galore. Is not this guy the veritable poster child for the computer age? Is he not also a Boomer? Yeah, yeah, yeah….Whatever.
The majority of folks I know in this bracket are computer savvy (to a point), have raised 2.3 kids, a dog and a significant other (or two), are financially secure having for the most part managed this as a result of working for someone else, and are looking forward to the golden years of retirement. They view the computer as a necessary evil embracing it largely for gleaning information and entertainment. They view the utility of the computer and everything associated with it from the perspective of how it can make certain aspects of their lives run a little easier. However, by and large they do not pay their bills on-line, bank on-line, and don’t much trust any on-line monetary transaction whatsoever. Sure, there are exceptions, but when you compare Boomers to say today’s College grads or even the 30 something crowd, they are very different in their attitudes and approach to computer culture.
The point I’m making is that depending on your niche audience or market penetration demographic, you may want to think hard about your “marketing” approach. There are those people and companies out there more than willing to spend hundreds, thousands or more at (for example) 4o whatever cents a pop is up to vs. handling these things more cheaply and efficiently on-line, and many of these type are slow to warm to autopilots and responders.
Think I’m wrong? I’ve had any number of conversations with folks about the myth of the 3,000 mile oil change and yet, there are people in my very own family who simply won’t come around to a different way of thinking. The power of the computer is awesome, but the power of a lifetime’s upbringing can also be equally strong if not stronger. When marketing exclusively on-line, realize you’re already at a huge disadvantage in many eyes in the all important “trust” category. Give options and be accessible as a real person. I promise a response within 48 hours and do not use an autoresponder system at all anymore. I generally respond much quicker, but I live and promote a simple business philosophy, “Under promise and Over deliver,” which in essence is the antithesis of most of what we see on-line these days. Until next time, remember:
Don’t Be a Dipstick!
