‘Intrusive’ vs. ‘inbound’ contact

Via my social newsfeed this morning, a declaration by Andy Mort that telephone calls are, quite possibly, the most intrusive form of contact.

As Mort emphasizes, “Phone-reluctant introverts, there is nothing wrong with you.”

Unless arranged in advance, phone calls demand an abrupt focus of attention with absolutely no pre-warning. “When we’re deep in thought, a ringing telephone is like a shrieking alarm clock in the morning.”

All of which should illustrate that communication preferences can vary — among phone, email or texting to name a few. In spite of this, some businesses still try to corral potential customers into a single modality.

Countless agencies set “telephone number” as a required field when eliciting contact information, and too few allow customers to specify their communication preferences.

As a consumer and recipient of professional messages, I have my own preferences.

I am especially attracted to the strategies of inbound and content marketing — of attracting potential customers through interesting content instead of forcibly intruding, and connecting people with helpful information independent of self-benefit.*

Mort’s blog entry does not display a date of composition, but oldest date-stamped comments place it during February 2013. From its appearance in my newsfeed, I’d say this issue continues to resonate.

Social-sharing credit goes to Autism Women’s Network.


* With a last-update of July 2016, an essay by Writtent CEO Helen Nesterenko offers an interesting perspective on Inbound versus Content Marketing.