How to build a great company in the attention economy era, without annoying your target customers?
Simply put, in short: I don't know.
We live in a noisy world. Competitiveness has only increased over time, as more and more companies come into existence, trying to get as much market share and customers as possible.
It feels like every company is desperate to get you. They don't matter about bothering you through all the channels they can possibly use to claim your attention: email, YouTube ads, Google Ads, Facebook ads, Twitter ads... they chase you anywhere and only want one thing from you, to pay for their service, to monetize your attention.
I get it, I'm also an entrepreneur and want my companies to survive. But, within these years creating startups, there's always a concern through my mind... Is it possible to build a great -profitable- company, based in mortality, caring of people's psicological stability while offering them a good service, without annoying their inboxes?
Lately, there's an Instagram ad following me anywhere, on any app showing ads, on every website. Instagram wants you to sign in and spend your time there, to show you other companies' ads. Paying ads, to get your attention, to show you more ads. It's the same business model as TV, but on a larger scale.
When you start studying marketing, you realize that there are common practices those companies are applying.
F.O.M.O.
The sense of urgent, the fear of missing out.
"Get this coupon, this discount, or you will lose it. Last chance, get your 10% off now."
Who told them I even want to buy their service?
Uncompleted cart
You start a cart, and abandone it. They send you an email, or even a WhatsApp message: "what happened? finish your order now".
Who told them I want to finish that order? Why not treating customers as adults, instead of remembering them? Is it possible, maybe, that the customer just left the cart with all intentions?
Where the line of serving a customer blends with harassment?
False metrics
"We're the number one app on the market"
"The leading platform to help you achieve ..."
Why does it seems like every product is leader, and Number One?
It feels like a lie. Even some of them could actually be, but lots of them are not. So, why lying to the users?
Other practices
You probably has seen how the companies chase you, applying deceptive behaviors in all shapes and forms. The sad part is: it works. If you're not conscious about what they are doing to you, you will fall in their hands, and buy their products, even tought you don't probably need it.
That is what annoys me, and what makes me feel like we live in a world full of crap.
Can we?
And my question is here again: can we, entrepreneurs, corporate people, businessmen, and women, achieve success without harming some people in the way?
This concern is present. I'm trying my best and will keep trying.
There should be a way, I guess.
Do we truly live in a jungle where you must "kill" to survive? Do we get killed if we show weakness? Can the attention economy be transformed into the collaboration economy?