What would be your answer to the question above? You would be surprise how many people are actually relying on autopilot marketing to get customers or clients. Well, one thing that I’ve learned, especially this past couple of years, is that you can’t be relying on autopilot marketing to get online customers or clients. If you do, you might have to shut down business sooner or later. Autopilot may have its place on occasions (we will see that later in this article), but you can’t rely on automation to build your customer data base.
Cars, trains and planes do have an autopilot device, and it certainly has its purpose and it’s very useful to the driver or pilot when it’s appropriate to use it; but, what about if the driver or pilot decided to use the autopilot device when it’s not appropriate? Well, it’s fair to say that huge crashes would occur. Wouldn’t you think so?
Well, it’s the same things with your online marketing; if you use autopilot at all times you will not be able to succeed and in some cases you might even crash (fail with your online business). So, let see when it’s OK to promote your business on autopilot and when it’s not.
Should Beginners use Autopilot Devices?
When you learn how to drive a car or pilot a plane, using the autopilot is not the first thing that you are going to learn, is it? No, of course not.
Before you worry about the autopilot you need to worry about learning how to drive or pilot yourself. If you are learning how to drive, you need to practice driving, parking, and different maneuvers you need to know in order to do to be a good and safe driver. If you are learning how to drive with a manual car (stick shift) the learning process might even be a little longer.
If you are learning to pilot a plane you have to learn how to take off, how to stabilize your plane and how to land. Then you are going to learn how to handle different types of emergency.
In both cases, learning how to drive and learning how to fly, auto pilot won’t be your concern at all at this point.
The same goes for online marketing. I know you are getting those promotions and ads telling you that you can make things happen automatically at the push of a button (click of the mouse), but what they don’t tell you is that unless you have already built and established a name for yourself it’s not going to work.
It’s because so many new online marketers believe this lie that the failing rate is so high.
Why Autopilot Marketing doesn’t Work Unless you’ve Done your Work First?
Once you know how to drive a car or pilot a plane, you may find the autopilot useful at the appropriate time, however, when you are still learning how to drive and how to fly, the autopilot button could do you more harm than good. First, you need to learn how to drive or fly without the help of the autopilot, and second if you didn’t, the autopilot would actually prevent you from improving your skills.
In your online marketing business, first learn how to build relationships to build a list of followers of like-minded people who will in turn bring you more potential customers or clients your way. Learn how to connect with people through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Quora and more. Don’t’ expect such social media platforms to grow your list of followers while you’re doing nothing, or trying to use some type of automation. It just doesn’t work that way. At that point if you are relying on automatic marketing it will greatly prevent your progress in your business and by the time you realize the extent of the damages you will have lost months and months of potential growth, and you will have to start from square one all over again.
What Autopilot Marketing can’t do?
Autopilot marketing is unable to have any type of good judgment and can’t tell between what works and what doesn’t. For example, you may have an autopilot tool that befriend people on Facebook or follow people on Twitter that are actually not really people, but some brainless, heartless, pulse-less companies that are themselves there on autopilot, meaning not there at all. You are following on autopilot another autopilot that’s following you back (or befriend you back). There is no potential customer or client there. They will never be. Now, multiply this by a hundred or by a thousand or more! Do you see why you’re not getting anywhere with your autopilot marketing?
Another thing that autopilot marketing tools can’t do is chit chat with people and get to know them. If you think that chit chatting with people is not helpful to your business, you’re wrong. That’s called building relationships; and building relationships is a HUGE part of your business whether you are aware of it or not. I’m sure you’ve heard before that people buy from who they know and trust, well, that’s why building relationships in order to build your business is a MUST.
When is Autopilot Marketing OK?
Autopilot marketing is OK only when you use it as a helper for tasks that you can put on autopilot once you’ve built your own list of followers and potential buyers live. You could use some type of autopilot device as a helper in your marketing.
Just like a season driver or pilot will use the autopilot when there is a long stretch of distance to cover, and the autopilot is a helper that allows the pilot to relax and rest at bit to better cover the distance.
As an online entrepreneur you can use autopilot to send out your newsletters and promotional letters, your tweets, your Facebook messages and even your blog posts and more. As long as you remember to use those just as helpers and not as a replacement of what you are supposed to be doing personally you will be fine.
As long as you remember that it’s your personal touch that will actually bring you the type of customers and clients that you are looking for, then you should be on the right tract. Relying on autopilot marketing to get customers or clients is wrong if you think that it’s the best way to succeed… when it’s only a helper.
So, your turn now! What do you think about autopilot marketing and when are you using it?
Right on, Sylviane, if everyone just goes on autopilot then who will be left to listen and have a conversation?? I also like the way you broke this down. When you’re just starting out and learning, you really have to get in there and pay attention. You have to try different things and get to know people. After a while you can use some tools to help you be faster or smarter about things. But it can never be fully autopilot.
I use some tools to post updates to my accounts automatically because I can’t sit at my computer all day and do nothing but post updates, can I? But I still want to share stuff and make sure people know I’m around. But I also AM around. So if people talk to me I can answer. And I also make sure I spend some time each day seeing what other people have to say. Otherwise it’s just advertising and I think everyone is sick of that!
I think Twitter is the worst. People follow and unfollow without even bothering to pay attention. Here is how I know someone is not paying attention (and probably never will): they follow me. I wait a few days. If I don’t follow them back they unfollow me. It’s like clockwork every time. So if you only followed me for me to follow you back, why did you waste my time? The only people I bother following these days are the ones who stick around for a few days or more (or talk to me, too!)
This is a lesson that everyone should take to heart if they’re using social media especially.
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Hi Carol,
What you are saying about Twitter made me think of something that happened to me recently. I am not very active on Twitter (yet) but that one time I happened to follow back someone who had started following me, and as a thank you to follow I receive something to subscribe to. Since it wasn’t a big deal I did subscribed… but man, as soon as I did that person unfollowed me almost instantly, so I unfollowed back rapidly too with a note telling her how unprofessional she looked to me and to all those she’d probably done that too. All she wanted is me to subscribed and then throw me away on automation, it seemed.
That’s when automation is really going to not serve you well. I call this crapy marketing. I can’t see how this dude can be successful doing this. Thanks for bringing this up, Carol, so we could add to the discussion here 🙂
I think like many people Sylviane, we have to learn this the hard way a good bit of the time. So many people are teaching newbies today that you can come online and everything can be done on autopilot. You’re right though, it can be done but you have to build your business up first before it can ever get to that place.
Now I do some things on autopilot because we can’t be everywhere all the time but I have also learned which areas not to do this way. Most people want to know you are where they think you are at the time because it is all about those relationships. I wish we have twenty hands, five brains and maybe ten more of us to go around. Boy, that sure would make like a little easier don’t you think!
Great post and as always, great information you shared.
~Adrienne
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Hi Adrienne,
Yes, as you are saying and as I’ve mentioned on this post, automation has it’s place and it’s a great helper, but it can’t replace one hard work as you well know.
I can’t stand those people who make newbies think that they can start that way. This is just so untrue.
Thanks for your input on that, Adrienne.
Hi Sylviane,
I was very reassured to read this because what you say reinforces my own instinctive reaction to the pressure from some marketers to go in for push-button solutions right from the off.
I love your analogy of learning to drive or fly, I can really relate to that. I feel like I’m still very much in ‘learning’ mode and need to figure out how things work before I start playing with automated systems.
Another marketer’s mantra that has always stayed with me is ‘don’t play games you don’t understand’ – I definitely want to get my own pilot’s license before I let any robots take control of the plane.
I do think they can be very off-putting for customers, too – I hate those automatic responses you get from some people’s Twitter accounts when you ‘follow’ them, it makes me feel I’m being treated like a commodity rather than a fellow human being.
Great post – thanks!
Sue
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Hi Sue,
I like that “don’t play games you don’t understand” well said.
I’m glad you’re saying this about twitter automatic response when you follow some people. It makes me kind of laugh, as if we didn’t know it’s all automated and we are just one more number which just grew there long list. I am so not impressed by those. They sound so fake, and I don’t like fake.
Thanks for your great input.
Hi Sylviane,
I am so glad you brought this to people’s attention. As you made the analogy that you cannot autopilot your car unless you have driven it first, the same goes here. Yes, people buy people. That’s what I always say. The more we write in our own voice and respond to people on our blogs, the more we get to know them.
I believe this business is a passion. If you don’t have a passion for engaging with people, you really don’t belong here. Being on Autopilot is transparent. I can go to a blog and immediately tell if someone had the writing done for them. I can tell if they don’t care about their readers because of the comments.
On social sites, it is also easy to tell people that have autopiloted their messages. Yes, there are sites that we can use things for such as twitter, for instance. We can write our tweets ahead of time and have them go out on certain times. But we do have to engage on twitter also.
When it comes to an email list, putting things on autopilot is ok sometimes.
The best thing to do is work hard and then reap the rewards.
Donna
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Hi Donna,
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, and I’m with you 100% if you don’t have the passion the love of people but just the love of money, then this might not be for you, because money will come, but not at first.
All the people that I’ve trained and quit within just a few months wanted money now and relationships later or even never. It never worked out for them. They are so gone. No, this business is not for everyone.
Thanks for your excellent feedbacks, Donna 🙂
Great info Sylviane. I’ve always been hesitant about autopilot marketing. In particular, because I know I ignore half of the stuff that’s sent to me unless I know the person. So if I ignore it, I assume everyone else ignores it too so it can’t be that effective – of course all in my eyes! But you’re right in that it’s still a tool that can help you with your business as a tool and not just as the only way you do marketing. There is so much to do prior to that as you noted and your blog will help alot of people with this concept. Great read and great article.
Regards,
Barbara
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Hi Barbara,
You are right, I’m always wondering how much this automated stuff can work when we know that we personally don’t pay attention to them. That’s a bit of a mystery to me since some people swear if work for them. Or are they just plainly lying even to themselves? I think the later is true.
Thanks for bringing this point with us 🙂
Hi Sylviane
I agree with your post wholeheartedly. I buy from people I know like and trust so why would I expect to do it differently.
I do think you can build a list on autopilot but to keep people on it and to have them as customers that takes relationships.
When I was in the business where we were promoting speakers and running seminars much of the products and books we sold was automated but when it came to big ticket items that took a personal touch.
A great post Sylviane.
Sue
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Hi Sue,
Thank you for confirming my point here. Even though we can use automation at certain times, in the end you need to put yourself out there. There is no replacing that.
Thanks for you input, Sue 🙂
Sylvianne, auto-pilot marketing is not right for blogging because people already do not like machines.
If a person realizes it is not your voice in an article, they immediately distrust the information. There is no research done by humans, it seems cold, no feelings, etc.
As far as an airplane, they are about the only time I want to see auto-pilot because it cuts down on human error.
Hi Michael,
Well said. In the case of a machine, yes, the autopilot can cut on human errors and that’s great.
Creating autopilot content is a whole different story and it really sucks. Saying this I remember a system that I bought a while back which was a stupid useless, meaningless and valueless content machine. I don’t even know why I felt for it back then. I hated it! 🙂 Unfortunately, there are lots of products such as this one out there!
Thanks for your input, Michael.
Ahhh….to automate. I can see where bloggers use it if they have a busy schedule and have done it for a long time, but starting out as a new blogger you need to be on top of everything. No one knows you from atom and you have to get out there and make things happen. Meet new people, read, learn and add content yourself. How else will people learn how to manage their website, social media accounts and other aspects of running a blog? The only thing I have automated is just scheduling my posts via my blog and that is it. I want to see and respond to things as it happens live.
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Hi Sonia,
Yes, indeed, as you’re saying automation has it’s place, but it has to be very specific and when you already know what you’re doing, and as long as it’s not to try to replace what you should be doing.
Automation when it comes to schedule posts, for example, is a great thing, because that saves you time and the need to be there to post if you can’t. Also,it doesn’t affect your reader in a negative way at all.
Thanks for your feedbacks, Sonia 🙂
Hi Sylvianne,
Very good practical subject you’ve picked. There is a huge misconception out there that the internet is an EZ button operation.
Nothing could be further from the truth especially for my generation “BabyBoomer” who did not grow up with the internet. No zip zip here. Luckily I didn’t think it would be easy and it’s definitely proven me right!
I have tried a few automated software products but there’s always the learning curve of getting it set up and running smoothly just in time for the bugs and the kinks to set in and make it obsolete due to an interface change with the Media or what have you. You log on one day to find it not working properly with “No Customer Service” provided! Don’t get me started. ha!
Thanks for writing about this…it needs to be emphasized more. There is no replacement for good ole elbow grease, we all have to start in the trenches and work our way up.
Tonya
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Hi Tonya,
thank you so much for your great comment that tells it all.
I love the live examples that you are giving, because we sure can tell that you’ve been there and done that. You are so right and I hope that the ones who need it most will read not only my post but the great discussion going on in this comment area.
Thanks for coming 🙂
Hello Sylviane, I must confess – your headline definitely grabbed my attention. At first I thought I would have a negative reaction to reading the article: WRONG! I agree with Adrienne as well in that the first two years that I was using Twitter I was using a couple of autopilot programs to gain followers and I have to say that I have been truly lucky in that I didn\’t have large numbers of people \”unfriending\” me, but, I did learn some thing the hard way that if you have a large discrepancy between the number of followers your Twitter profile has and the number of Twitter users that you follow you will be suspended for a month.I did stop using a couple of the autopilot programs and began about a year ago to learn better personal engagement solutions. This has allowed me to continue to gain Twitter followers at a slower but ever increasing rate.Thank you for addressing this issue in the fashion that you did; well done.
Hi Michael,
Well, I’m glad to see you here and I’m glad my headline attracted your attention. I have to say that over the years I’ve got pretty good with headlines and even wrote about that subject as well 🙂
I think that the best way to get kicked out by Twitter is if they see that you are doing something not ethical, but if you are doing things legally, then you could have 10,0000 followers and follow 10 people and you’d be fine.
I’m happy for you that you’re not a fan of automation.
Thanks for coming 🙂
I too think that tools that deal with automation should not be used. There is no doubt that some of us can get carried away and use it every now and then but ideally there is no substitue to doing everything yourself.
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Hi Shalu,
You’re so right, there is no substitute to doing your own things. We can’t count on automations for everything, and shouldn’t.
thanks for coming and see you around soon 🙂