A delivery - wow I don't often get parcels arriving at my office. I’m excited to see what's in the box.  But before I get a chance to open the well taped box,  my mobile rings - the box will have to wait.

The caller ID says "blocked" - I often don't answer these calls but today, regrettably, I did. The person on the other end had such a strong accent I had trouble understanding who she was, and which company she represented. As she continued on with her script I figured out she represented a software company selling marketing automation. As an inbound marketing consultant, loyal to Hubspot, I have no interest in any other software that offers marketing automation.  This call interrupted my work, and was a waste of time for both the person making the call and myself. And I might add, this is not the first call I've had from another company selling marketing automation software.

The digital age has helped marketers automate their engagement with leads, giving them the opportunity to maintain regular touch points with their  leads with limited personal interaction. Marketing automation typically means automating marketing tactics like sending emails, to people who have indicated interest in a company. Doesn't seem too wrong, does it? After all these people have been to your website and have indicated, in some way, an interest in your company. Maybe they downloaded an ebook, or signed up for a webinar.

But does this really give marketers permission to clog their inbox with emails? Just because they were interested in an ebook - doesn't mean they want to receive a daily email from you - promoting your latest offer. This could be viewed as spam…Wikipedia describes email spam as : Email spam, also known as junk email or unsolicited bulk email (UBE), is a subset of electronic spam involving nearly identical messages sent to numerous recipients by email.

Whether emailing your leads is spam or not, is based on the content of the email.  Is it helpful and of value to the recipient? Marketers need to be committed to publishing marketing content that their audience will love. Interesting, helpful and relevant. This means customizing your email messages based on consumer interest and interaction with your company - using workflows, HubSpot calls this 'lovable marketing'.

Anyway, back to that box that arrived, I’m excited to see what's inside, I cut the tape and open the box…

Its' my HubSpot Make Love No Spam T-shirt - how timely given my recent phone call. I can't wait to wear it.  I’m thinking at the next Chamber meeting - maybe - it's sure to raise some questions and give me an opportunity to share, and educate others, on the value of lovable marketing.

Thank you HubSpot for leading the marketing industry down the road of trust and credibility, and for my t-shirt.

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