My
short video blog mentioned how motivated, excited, and inspired I am feeling after attending
Element Three's GoInBoundMktg Conference.
What did the speakers say that inspired me?
SO many things...
Below are a few of my key takeaways. And whether you're in marketing or nursing or accounting or even a stay at home mom- hopefully you find inspiration in at least one of these key takeaways.
1. Inbound marketing is about creating marketing that people love. Inbound marketing is a culture, not a strategy.
2. If content is king, then context is God. Context is about personalization and having a more dynamic and smart online conversation with your buyers. Leverage what you learn about your prospects to customize your interactions. Bring context to your business!
3. The
Hubspot CEO is super inspiring and hilarious.
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| Yes- Marketers can learn from sumo wrestlers. |
4. Take risks!!!! Reward the try and if something goes wrong, fix it quickly and move on.
5. Know who you are - be true to your personality and voice as a brand (both a personal and corporate brand).
6. If you wouldn't read something because it's boring or dull, don't post it! You are writing and targeting people - not robots!
7. About 70% of the sale is over before a sales person gets involved. People want to be educated and learn about you before even having a single conversation with you! And about 90% of B2B (business to business) buyers say when they are ready to buy - they will find you!
8. When the event MC says lunch is ready, get you butt up and get in line. Don't be so nervous / scared about eating in front of people or looking like an eager beaver. Being second in line ensures you get the best food!
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| Delicious lunch!! |
9. Build new cultural habits = the secret to twitter success for businesses.
10. Grow your blog authors by assigning people (who want to participate) in blogging a specific date to post a blog. That's a lot easier to remember than saying "the third Tuesday of every month."
11. Come up with an editioral theme or topic for your blog calendar. For example, at the end of Q3 - make a big push for planning for 2014. Make all your blog posts, vidoes, webinars, and eGuides about this topic to capitalize on traffic and relevancy.
12. Share your impact and results with everyone in the organization! People will be more likely to participate if they know the value and impact they are bringing to the company.
13. The magic number of blog posts each month = 16.
14. Get comfortable with change and patience - you'll need them both when making a cultural shift to inbound marketing.
15. Be relevant at the right spot, at the right time! Participate in real-time marketing.
16. Actively participate in conversations to grow your followers and build trust in your brand.
17. Mobile is changing EVERYTHING! Create a responsive, mobile Website and consider developing an app (if it makes sense).
18. Take calculated risks. Fail fast and move on.
19. Build mostly TOFU content (top of the funnel).
20. The golden rule of marketing -if your clients / prospects ask a question, answer it openly and honestly!!!
21. Become a teacher in marketing. Stop trying to hide company's "secret sauce" - openly talk about who you are on your Website.
22. Don't worry about your competitors in your marketing. They aren't the ones paying your bills!
23. Content is the greatest sales and trust building tool in the world. Period.
24. Red tape is a killer online. Make it easy for your clients and prospects to answer their top questions.
25. Want to become an incredible marketer? Become the best teacher in the world.
26. The top questions Marketers should answer on their Website / Blog / Content:
How much does it cost?
Who is the best?
How does your product / service compare to others in the industry?
What could go wrong?
27. Create better content by capturing FAQs in emails and interviewing employees in the organization. You will become a better marketer if you can answer questions with your content.
28. Measure everything you do!!
29. Tweet often and actively at a conference if they are promoting you to do so - you can win prizes!
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| Kindergarten smile! |
30. Help others see their potential so clearly that they are inspired to achieve it.
31. If you will embrace truth and transparency, you will change your industry.
32. Seek first to understand more than to be understood.
33. Cast a clear and compelling vision - share it with your employees and the world! Tell everyone why you exist, where you want to go, and how!
34. Break down your walls! Be more transparent and open as a brand (especially on your Website).
35. Inbound marketing can change your life. You will be dealing with more educated partners and prospects. You will get more time and energy back in your life.
36. People want to
know that you CARE before they care what you KNOW.
37. If you attend all-day meetings for three days straight and then go to an all-day marketing conference, you will be exhausted.
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| No shame. |
But you can't put a value on inspiration.
Always be learning.
Always be looking for inspiration.
Always be thinking of how you can become more creative + more effective at whatever you do!
Much love,
Ashley
