I’m a winner! Or, I was. When Hansen Hunt called to tell me that I had won a free ticket to Inbound 2014, the “marketing geek” inside me did a little dance. After attending the conference in 2013, I knew that year two would be content-rich and a blast. I couldn’t wait to be on my way to Boston.
If I wrote about each and every takeaway I had from the conference this blog would be much longer than the HubSpot-recommended length, so I’ll keep it short and sweet with my top three.
#1: The Central Calendar Rocks My World!
You know you’re a marketing geek when you give a standing ovation for a marketing calendar. The general session room roared with applause when Darmesh Shah unveiled HubSpot’s new feature at Inbound. We all geeked out over a calendar – it must be important to us!
#2: Marketing-Initiated Revenue IS Measurable
Did I salivate over the new revenue reports? You bet your MQLs I did. As long as I’ve worked in marketing, the number one question my superiors ask me is “What’s the ROI?” Or, “Which marketing channels drive the most revenue?” Until now marketers were required to create complicated spreadsheets and cross-reference different metrics in order to produce a story that made sense. Although I haven’t been able to use this feature to the full extent just yet, I see the future value and am grateful to the HubSpot development team for working this into their pipeline.
#3: A Great Team Begins with Trust
Along with his book, Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek’s keynote on day one was truly inspirational. Delving into what makes a great team and why being a leader requires sacrifice really hit home for this aspiring business leader. Building a rich culture is crucial for growing a prosperous company, and harvesting trust among all employees is a must. When the going gets tough, companies need leaders who will have their back and provide support for their subordinates when push comes to shove. It’s about hiring great people, trusting them to make good business decisions and leading them in success. If you haven’t read Sinek’s book yet I highly recommend it!
If you attended Inbound which of my takeaways made your top three?
Thank you to Hansen Hunt, Nicole Pereira and Dan Tyre for making it possible for this marketing geek to attend Inbound. I’m counting down the days until Inbound 2015!
Heather is currently the Membership Lead Generation Marketing Specialist for the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA), the leading association focused on building and optimizing successful technology service businesses. She is an evangelist for marketing automation and persona-based marketing strategies, and loves fancy cheese.
Heather is an MBA Candidate at the University of California, Irvine, and obtained her Bachelors Degree in Public Relations from San Diego State University.
