I had the chance to attend HubSpot’s INBOUND conference this week in Boston, MA. This was my very first time attending – and it literally blew my mind in so many ways. And I have been to a lot of conferences.
The conference was not just about the location and venue (it was HUGE!), but it was the fact I was able to learn, connect, and experience SO many different things. Plus, INBOUND was not JUST about HubSpot – but it was about bringing people together to share insights, ideas, and build connections.
You had many places to make these connections. From Club INBOUND – where you had a chance to meet some vendors and talk to the great HubSpot Academy team (SO good to see Isaac, Crystal, Mark, Eric, and Jordan!!), and hang out at the food trucks (yes – HubSpot brought FOOD TRUCKS exclusively for INBOUND – amazing!))
There were so many great sessions to choose from and take advantage of (had to flip a coin a few times because it was hard to choose which ones to go to!), but the three days I was at the conference was TRULY amazing.
Here are some of my lessons I was able to take away from INBOUND:
The change of the marketplace is here. We have all have to adopt, whether we are marketers, or even professors. It was interesting to see this theme come up several times at INBOUND and even in the keynotes. HubSpot introduced their new flywheel model for marketing to replace the traditional marketing funnel you see in most textbooks and presentations.
Here’s the video introducing the flywheel from HubSpot:
Being different is a necessity. Every one wants to stand out, but sometimes, we fall into the trap where we feel we need to be like everyone else. That was CLEARLY not the message here at INBOUND! In fact – the message from a few presentations was like – it’s absolutely crucial you need to be different. In fact, bringing in different perspectives, views, backgrounds, and experiences is what is making the big splashes in the industry. Embracing your uniqueness is what makes a brand, professional, and individual memorable!
Two presentations hit this home hard at INBOUND. First one was the keynote with Shonda Rhimes, who was the creator and writer of shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. It was really interesting to not hear about her story, but her perspective of how she got to where she is, and where she is going. Shonda certainly has disrupted the industry – and look at what she is doing now. I have been to many conferences, but never have I seen people actually RUN to get a good seat for a talk. That was a first for me to see, and it was for Shonda’s talk.
The other favorite focused so much on one of my favorite foods: ice cream. We had a chance to hear from Madeline from the Museum of Ice Cream in a breakout session.
This was by far one of my favorite content and social media presentations I have seen – and Madeline really did a great job in showing how by telling stories, integrating the museum not just as a museum, but movement within their respective cities, and creating a comprehensive universal brand language that resonates with everyone – it really catapulted their museum to the next level. I was beyond impressed.
Only thing missing from the presentation was some ice cream (don’t worry – I made sure to get some later!)
Personal branding and
Taking action is crucial on social media. We all have the tendency of asking ourselves – should I be doing this on social media? What if I want to post something that I have not done before? What would others say if I started using FB Live? Taking a step into exploring these options can be some of the hardest things we have to do on social media because we may think it is not perfect, branded, or it doesn’t look the same without a filter!
Yet, having the confidence to take these actions for yourself to build your personal brand and story was the emphasis highlighted in Brian Fanzo’s talk. Brian was also another professional who I had been connected with for years and friends like Chris Strub were like – WHEN ARE YOU TWO GOING TO MEET UP?! I was like – SOON! Finally, after several years being friends on many different platforms, I not only got a chance to hear Brian speak, but get a selfie.
It was also special to chat with Brian as well because I was able to tell him he was featured as someone to note and follow in my book (Chapter 3 in the personal branding chapter). It was a pleasure meeting Brian because he’s exactly who he is online. Excellent job, Brian! It was great meeting you!
Engage > Broadcast. I have sense this has been a theme a lot in many different places, but it was very clear here at INBOUND, especially in Dan Gingiss‘ presentation all about social care. I had the chance to finally meet Dan in person after years of engaging on Twitter and having multiple connections with friends and even former students.
Dan really hit his presentation home for me with great case studies to emphasize how brands (and pros!) need to be aware of how they can surprise and delight, while creating meaningful relationships through social media. Make sure to connect with Dan and get his book!
Putting the “human” side to a brand. One of the things I had the chance to do was get together with the HubSpot Academy team for a dinner while I was in Boston (thanks for arranging this, Isaac!). We had a great conversation and discussion about all things in education, where higher education is going, and what we can do together for the future. This was super inspiring because 1) most brands may not be as approachable to educators like this and 2) I felt I was being a part of the team community and empowered to tell my own stories and help other educators do the same.
I think that is one of many reasons I have loved collaborating and working with the HubSpot Academy team. They want to help educators, students, and everyone best be prepared to what is expected for them in the industry. We need more of this! What they are going to be working on for 2019 is going to be amazing, and I am truly honored to be part of the Educator Founders program.
I am grateful still for being part of the HubSpot community and being able to help out with their social media certification. It was actually fun having a few people stop me and talk about it because they recognized me from the lesson! That was pretty cool!
Summary
INBOUND was fantastic. I had a blast and I was able to take a lot of notes during the session so I can share these with my students and classes.
For my fellow educators, not only do I recommend you explore to see if you can come to INBOUND, but I do think it is a necessity for us to be there to advocate for what we are doing and make industry connections to help bridge the gap between industry and education.
I am not just saying this to help us bridge the gap between education and practice, but talking to many different professionals at the event – most of them did not know there are a ton of great social media professors out teaching and doing amazing things.
I took this opportunity to let them know there are a TON of professors who are doing some incredible things in their classes. . I invited them to be part of the #SMprofs community so they can see for themselves the professors who are really changing social media education, and how they can be a part of bridging the gap between education and practice in social media.
I would like to thank the HubSpot Academy team for allowing me to be a part of the INBOUND experience! I had a FABULOUS time!!
Special thanks to Isaac, Crystal, Mark, Eric and Jordan for your continued support and allowing me to be part of the HubSpot Academy team!
Keep up the amazing work – you all are truly making a difference for our students and fellow educators. It was a pleasure to see you all in Boston and can’t wait till next year!
Have a great day!
Best Wishes,
