Do you ever get told that something is going to be awesome and your first instinct is to readjust your expectations so that you aren’t disappointed? For example, a friend says “I just saw the best movie ever. You HAVE to go see it!” Then, when you do, you walk in thinking, “Hey, even if it’s not the best movie ever, it should still be a fun night.”
That’s how I felt about going to Inbound 2014, HubSpot’s marketing conference. The hype was there, without question: I received regular emails from the company promoting the event, and all of the user groups and social channels related to Inbound Marketing were abuzz with how great the event was going to be. But as a first time attendee, I felt a bit guarded. Was I excited? Sure. Was I thrilled to be able to see Simon Sinek and Malcolm Gladwell speak? Absoultely. Did I anticipate great news about change in Hubspot’s product? Yes. Did I expect to have one of the best professional experiences of my life? No. But guess what? I did! And here’s a taste of what I took away from the experience:
The Inbound Community is changing Marketing
Over 10,000 people attended Inbound 2014. Inbound Marketing is no longer a buzz word. People across industries attended to learn how to be better at their jobs, more relevant in their company, and better at having authentic conversations with their prospects and customers. Inbound Marketing is helping your business be relevant to people rather than interrupting them with messages that have no value. The people at Inbound exemplified that mission. They were open and honest and more than willing to share ideas. Inbound 2014 reminded me that marketing is a great field to be in!
Put your phone away
Simon Sinek inspired in so many ways in his keynote address. I have no problems plugging his new book Leaders Eat Last. It will change how you think about yourself. To be genuine and truly connect, we all need to put our phones away. If you have ever gone to a meeting and flipped your phone over as a sign that “I’m listening,” think again. If you check email while “watching” your child play sports and don’t think they notice, think again. If you check your phone before you even get out of bed and don’t think you are addicted to your device, think again. We are not more connected because of our devices, we are less connected. It’s time to change that.
Inbound.org
If you weren’t able to attend Inbound 2014, you should join this new online community spearheaded by Dharmesh Shah, CTO and Co-founder of HubSpot and Rand Fishkin, CEO and Co-founder of Moz. Most of the slide decks from the 170 sessions are available there along with interesting discussions and 37,000+ people who are passionate about Inbound Marketing.
This is only the tip of the iceberg of what I learned and was inspired by at Inbound 2014, and I’m excited to put these insights into use in my daily work. And I can’t wait for Inbound 2015!
Image credit: Sober Senorita
