What We Can Learn From SPAMMERS

I get the same phone call again... and again.  A mechanized voice blurts the message that my car warrantee is about to expire. Apparently everyone else in America has been getting these calls too. The perpetrator, recognizing the value of repetition and big numbers, has made millions simply by dialing for dollars, alienating millions of people in the process.  Though misguided, their tactics like those of other SPAMMERS are surprisingly effective.  

Behind the robo-calls and email SPAM messages lie the the understanding that online (or even offline) engagement is a process with each step leading toward a particular action.  High-pressure sales use repeated interruptions and intimidation to drive message recipients to distraction and ultimately to action.  More positive forms of engagement might use encouragement, listening, strategic information dissemination and so on.

To align communications with the goals of an organization, decision-makers should first determine the specific role it needs to play. Encouraging collaboration, delivering customer service, asking for help, trolling for ideas and more each have different process steps.   Our robo-callers, though annoying at a minimum, really understand their process for getting others to sign-up for their product.  Societally beneficial organizations must do the same.