I got an email earlier this week from another entrepreneur whose email list I’m subscribed too. It was a welcome to my tribe, here’s a little about me email.
I’ve been on her list for months…..
Apparently I’ve been added to a nurture sequence intended for people who have just started following her.
This is obviously an automation Whoops!
Now I’m not picking on her. These things happen and while this particular Whoops! isn’t terrible in the grand scheme of things, it is certainly a great reminder that you need to be careful when you automate.
What if I was supposed to land in a launch sequence but here I am back at “great to meet you (again..)”?
That’s a big missed opportunity. It also begs the question:
Is automation costing you money?
We all know how AWESOME automation is. It saves us time, frees up mental energy and allows us to do more in less time. #allthewins
BUT, is it possible that your automation is HURTING your business? **gasp**
Automation PROPERLY executed provides massive benefits leading to more clients and more money. BUT automation that is NOT PROPERLY executed can actually be costing you money, confusing your clients and sending leads packing.
To see how your automation stacks up, here are 3 automation missteps and how to fix them.
No clear goal.
Don’t automate for the sake of automating. Know why you are creating the automation and what’s your end goal for it. Before you do the tech setup for your automation, map it out.
Where are the entry points?
What type of client or lead should enter this particular automation?
What’s your goal for the automation?
Does the automation end?
A great example of this is an automated email sequence. Knowing which types of leads will be in the sequence will help you create content that will resonate with them. Additionally, knowing your end goal is to sell product x then you can craft messages that will move them closer to becoming a paying client.
Answering these important questions will make sure your automation is working to grow your business NOT just taking to do’s off your plate.
The black hole.
A major automation misstep is the oh so frightening automation black hole. This is when someone in your automation sequence either gets led to content to that doesn’t make sense for them (like what happened to me) or (worse) gets left hanging when the automation ends.
Let’s look back on the example above about an email sequence. What happens when the email sequence ends? Will the subscribers be moved to a different list? Will that content make sense for them?
Will they “get to know you” again?
Loss of personal touch.
As already stated, automation is AWESOME but with some many ways to automate and so many options available, it can be easy to get a little carried away. You never want to automate your business so much so that you are losing touch with your community.
Know, like and trust goes out the window (and real quick like) when every interaction with your brand feels like it’s coming from a robot. Take moments to send an email MANUALLY, post in your Facebook groups OUTSIDE of your scheduler and send a personal message from time to time. A message that actually speaks directly to the recipient and asks about them personally.
This personal touch will go a long way to showing you care about your community and tribe.