Have you heard me talk about how service-based businesses, such as coaches, speakers, authors, and thought leaders, can use automation to draw people to their businesses and keep them engaged?
Some unfortunate truths
Unfortunately, some myths and misconceptions about automation for coaches and talking about ethical ways to use it still persist. While automation can be a powerful tool for coaches, it cannot replace the need for meaningful, one-on-one conversations with your clients. It is important to recognize that automation should not be used to replace human interaction, but instead to supplement and enhance it. There are ethical considerations to be made when it comes to marketing automation, and I want to discuss them with you. Automation can be a powerful tool for coaches, but it should be used with careful consideration of how it can best serve your clients and your practice.
Automation should not replace the human element of your work, but should instead be used to complement it by freeing up time for more meaningful conversations and interactions with your clients.
I understand that automated responses can sometimes be a bit impersonal and make it seem like there’s no human on the other side. That’s why I like to keep things human-centered. I’m right here with you and I want to talk about how to use marketing automation in an ethical way that still feels good and comfortable.
Some Grey Areas in Marketing Automation
It’s understandable that you want to stay away from techniques in your coaching business that seem to deceive your audience, or at least make you feel that way.
For example, some webinar software programs will display an automated message that says “the webinar is starting in 15 minutes” regardless of when the viewer is signing up. This can give the viewer a false impression that they need to wait before consuming the information, when in reality the webinar is ready for them to view as soon as they enter.
Even though this message can be useful for providing viewers with an idea of when the webinar is scheduled to start, it may mislead them and give them a false sense of urgency, prompting them to wait and delay consumption.
Here’s another example!
For example, when someone signs up for a freebie – be it a trial period, a giveaway, or whatever – but then there’s a countdown clock with a false promise of scarcity, like “you have five minutes to buy this ebook while supplies last”, that can be quite worrying for the consumer. It’s not a great way to do business and could be seen as misleading, as it puts pressure on the customer to make a purchasing decision on the spot, when they may not have all the information they need to make an informed decision. To me, this kind of practice needs to be addressed and taken seriously, so that consumers know that their rights and values are being respected.
In Summary …
Automation can be a great tool to help craft a story or provide helpful resources over time, without being dishonest or creating artificial scarcity. It’s all about using automation the right way!
Automation can be a great way to save time and energy in your coaching business. When setting up reminders or other automated messages, it is important to stay honest and never deceive people. You should always make sure the message is clear and upfront about its intent, such as being a reminder to do something. As long as you are not targeting vulnerable people with artificial scarcity or false sense of urgency, your automation will be perfectly fine.
