Interesting post on Marketing Automation, Mitch Joel.

Interesting post on Marketing Automation, Mitch Joel.

It seems like you love it (because it makes Mirum Agency more effective), but you hate it when you’re added to a list without permission / or without having had a prior relationship with the brand / person.

So how do you think Marketing Automation is used right? Is it simply determining only to add a person to ‘the list’ after you (the brand) have established some contact?

And if so — what do you think is an appropriate minimum degree of familiarity?

You clearly disagree with those who simply buy a list of emails (or scrape); how about those who get your emails from a subscription page (after you find it through search or advertising); or those whom you’ve had at least a single-sentence conversation with in any context? Other guidelines?

It’s an easy statement to make, Mitch Joel — because you’re influential; and you have a large ready audience (with which you can automate your engagement).

But what about the startups that start with zero audience; or the product manager in a big brand that starts with zero audience for his new product (not product feature).

Several prominent ‘growth-hackers’ have recommended the tactic you’re against (buy/scrape a list and scale your acquisition of initial users) — because it gives startups the one thing they need to get started — and that’s some form of traction.

Or — do you think that indiscriminately adding strangers to a list is ok; but the quality of the content must be good?