“Hello. My name is Christine and I’m calling you from Advent marketing. Would you be interested in buying…” Slam! I would hang up the phone before she could tell me what she was selling. There was a time most of us were tired of these endless phone marketers. Now the tide has changed. It’s all about the Internet and social media marketing, email offers, tweeting. I can’t recall the last time I heard from a company employee calling me to find out whether I was satisfied with the product I purchased. I am sure I filled in numerous Internet surveys about my level of satisfaction.

I read a very interesting blog written by John Jantsch – Duct Tape Marketing under the title How to Set Your Business Up So You Never Have To Actually Talk to Anyone. As he points out “technology has indeed brought us to the point where we can actually run a business, sell a product and serve a customer without the need for human interaction”. He makes a good case that “while this is a positive thing for some, it’s also created an opposing opportunity for smart marketers to seize.”  He believes that companies would do well by re-introducing the human contact in these automated routines. And maybe instead of dreaming up the next social media blitz on a weary customer maybe reaching out to the customer will help us discover what the he really needs.

In this digital age, some human interaction is welcome. I’m sure there are customers who would like to chat with someone before buying a computer instead of just reading and comparing offers on a portal. Clearly there is a place for digital media marketing but reintroducing the human element smartly in part of the marketing process could well be the differentiator for your company.