A quick recap of the PhD from this week:
- Weathering the Worst Case
- What Marketers Can't Afford to Miss
- Phases of a Recession, and Why Movement Is Key
- PLG Controversy?!
- History-Backed Success
Recently published:
- NEW PartnerUp - 060 From Emergence to Dominance
- Allan Adler - Is Your SaaS Org an Ecosystem Business?
- Jessie Shipman - Sales Leadership and Partner Enablement - Part 2
- Sunday Stories - From 0 to 100 in the First Year
Using data to create personal connection vs using data in place of personal connection
I open an email. It reads:
Hey Isaac, how's the weather in Washington today?
If I live in Washington, that might work. It might feel personalized. (It also might feel too personalized and seem creepy).
But if I don't live in Washington, this automated attempt at personalization is worse than not trying to personalize at all. It's an example of data polluting the reputational waters.
That doesn't mean data and automation are bad. They have to be wielded properly.
If, for example, data is used to ensure I get connected to the AE who's already on my account instead of being shown a CTA that will put me in the marketing funnel and cause internal conflict, that's a good thing. The data is used to remove the impersonal elements and more quickly connect me to the right person.
But when data tries to replace personalization, it has a high risk of missing the mark and turning me off, or hitting the mark a little too well and creeping me out.
Nobody wants to feel like an input or a wad of data being crammed into a funnel and tagged with identifiers. They want to feel like a person and connect to people.
Use data in service of trust, not to undermine it.
