The explosion of marketing technology has created amazing possibilities for all of us. We can reach prospective customers like never before; we’re much closer to fulfilling the promise of the Internet. But there’s a problem with all this tech. As cool as it is, as powerful as it is, we need to remember that people are the creators and people are the consumers.

Last week at Philly Tech Week I had the pleasure of being involved in a couple of panel discussions, one on how content drives across technology, and the other on building brand strategy. While in the midst of a lot of talk about the marketing possibilities brought about by some of the awesome new technologies available to us, I found myself talking about and thinking about the human piece of the marketing equation.

Helpful hint – your customers are humans.

So, as Ty Webb once said to Lacey Underalls, “I’ve got a good idea – let’s pretend we’re real human beings.”

An anecdote: A couple months ago I downloaded an eBook from a major marketing automation company because the topic was of interest. I filled out a form with basic personal information in order to get the download, and the company subsequently emailed me to see if I’d like a demo of their product. I told them no, I have a lot of respect for them but I just wanted the content. A week later, I got another email from the same sales rep. wondering if I’d like a demo. I replied again that, as I’d said previously, I was all set, but that I love their content. Three days, later, I got another email asking if I’d be interested in a demo.  Really? You’re not even trying to act like a human? And you’re the marketing automation experts? I responded by telling them that their marketing automation was doing them more harm than good, and that, no, I still did not want a demo.

This is what happens when we over-rely on technology to create breakthrough marketing; without human beings thinking and doing across these platforms, the platforms will fail us. Please don’t construe this as some anti-tech society-is-going-to-hell diatribe. Rapidly emerging technology is creating amazing opportunities for businesses today, but we simply won’t hit the grand slams that are possible if humans aren’t pulling the levers and typing the words.

At Scribewise, we’re very focused on the human piece of the marketing equation, and trying to utilize new tech platforms to help our clients leap forward. Whether it’s content creation or other creative marketing endeavors, people need to do the work. No matter how cool the latest marketing automation platform is, your marketing will fall flat if the content is lousy. When everybody has marketing automation software, guess who wins? The company with the smartest, most talented and creative team. Just like always.