So life is BUSY.

Tweet, update, upload to Insti, snapchat, check a myriad of email inboxes, backup, Spotify, Shazam, Pin, rewind TV. OMG I’m just tired thinking about it again.

Yes the great promise of our digital forefathers of a paperless office and a more efficient lifestyle has become a long lost myth.

Let’s face it, life has become extremely complex in a digital environment.

ESCAPE

So we recently bundled our 16, 14, & 11 yr old kids into the family car, left all digital devices at home, and headed into the Australian countryside.

The experiences were memorable.

Farmstays near Gunnedah, the Wean country picnic races, a country music festival near Tamworth, pubstays, riverside lunches, singalongs, charades, feeding animals, bonfires AND most of all, great conversation! Remember that?

NO DIGITAL GPS!

No Tom Toms or digital GPS systems talking at you. Just the old pull over to the servo and ask for directions. Or better still, following our noses, choosing our own adventures and getting a little lost 🙂

NO MOBILE PHONES!

No phones or need to update our diverse circle of friends, acquaintances and ‘don’t even knows’ at every turn. No grunts. No ‘just wait a minute Dad’. Simply in-the-moment experiences and family discussion about what we were experiencing.

NO MESSAGES!

No inboxes and messages to reply to that really don’t need replying to.

YES YOU NEED A DIGITAL DETOX TOO

It was awesome to have an 8-day digital detox. It made us realise that we really are beholdent to technology in the city and everyone needs a digital detox from time to time.

However it’s a very different story in the country. Life is slower, people listen and everyone is generally more caring.

So if you’re interested in maintaining a balanced human lifestyle then we urge you to switch off all your digital equipment for a weekend, long weekend or even a week. Could you do that?

IMPLICATIONS FOR MARKETERS?

Beyond the re-balance we received, there was also an important message that we learned from our digital detox.

Customers are being bombarded by marketers and advertisers who love digital solutions. Whether it be gamification, social media engagement, or mobile contextualisation. As marketers, we continue to migrate and evolve to deeper digital marketing solutions.

SIMPLIFY

Sometimes we just need to simplify our marketing and remind ourselves that customers need a break. A constant stream of digital bombardment and interaction will not produce long term customer satisfaction, engagement or return on investment.

So simplify your digital marketing. Scale back search and email programs that have become too complex. Break down silos that don’t talk to each other and send multiple mixed messages from the same organisation. And heaven forbid, start sending dimensional mail again.

YOU HEARD IT FIRST

Yes mark my words. Direct mail is about to be back in vogue. We’re reaching a saturation point and can already see digital solutions aggregating. Kids today only know digital mediums and many have never received a letter in the mailbox.

Remember humans love to hear, see, touch, feel, and taste. Remember to give your customers a sensory smorgasbord. Take a little digital detox and see how they respond. And most importantly send a dimensional mail pack to valuable prospects and customers. The novelty value will surprise you (and them!).

Good luck, and let us know how you go.