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5 Takeaways from HubSpot’s 2022 Inbound Conference

We’re a couple months out from Inbound 2022, and we have found it incredibly useful. We were glad to participate and enjoy the wide variety of sessions from experienced speakers, discussing the latest news and tips for inbound marketing.

This week on our blog, we’re discussing 5 of the biggest things we learned from Inbound 2022. We’ll be going into more detail on each of these points over the next few weeks, so check back in to learn more!

1. B2B Doesn’t Have to be Boring

Many marketers have the idea that B2B (business-to-business) marketing needs to be “professional”, to the point of being boring and dry. Let’s face it- the executives that B2B is trying to reach are still human, so make your content memorable and entertaining!

In the Inbound session “What Ryan Renolds Taught us About Advertising” hosted by Ali Haeri, MNTN described how they achieved a memorable B2B ad. The company had Steve-O from Jackass explain their platform after eating a carolina reaper pepper alongside Ryan Renolds. The result was a commercial that was memorable, funny, and effectively got the point across. Hubspot achieved something similar with an ad that showcased their CRM in the context of a pirate business.

2. Include the “Missing Link” in Your Storytelling

In “The Logic of Emotion: How to Make Inaction Impossible”, hosted by Tamsen Webster, she describes how many companies miss an important element in their advertising. They lack a “moment of truth”. Many markers pose a problem and then offer their product as the solution. But what’s missing is the silent assumption – why exactly your offering is the best way to get from the problem to the solution. In story terms, we often have a beginning and an end, but not a “middle”.

The moment of truth should be clear to your audience and make logical sense. As marketers, we sometimes assume that what is obvious to us is obvious to our audience. However, this is not always the case, and often needs to be directly spelled out.

3. Get Ready for AI Now

In “How AI Will Transform the Way Marketers Work”, hosted by Dale Bertrand, he explains how the changing landscape of AI will impact the world of marketing. Some worry that AI is “coming for their jobs”. But Bertrand explains that, much like electricity, internet, and fire, AI is an enabling technology. It will not replace marketers, but become an integral part of their work.

Understanding how to take advantage of these tools will make marketers more valuable. In other words, it’s not too soon to begin thinking about how you will utilize AI tools in your workflows.

4. Focus on “user generated content”

In “Do this, not that: Email Marketing Tips ”Jay Schwedelson explains that user-generated content is all about “social proof”. We tend to want to spend money on things that others have spent money on and have said positive things about.

Though his presentation was focused on how to use this idea in email, it can be applied to almost any area of marketing. UGC can take the form of user reviews, ratings, comments, or a newsletter compilation of “our 5 most popular blogs”- anything that shows other people have positive things to say about your company and offerings..

5. Know How to Spot Trends Early

In “How to Spot Business Trends That Matter”, hosted by Hubspot’s senior marketing manager Ethan Brooks discusses how to detect and capitalize on upcoming trends in your industry.

The most important thing to train yourself to do is to notice opportunity. Look for ideas that spark curiosity and make you say “hm.” The ideas should be surprising, data-backed, and tie directly into a business opportunity. Before they enter general awareness, ideas will often pop up in niche communities, such as Facebook groups and Discord servers.

Conclusion

Inbound 2022 provided a wealth of information and ideas for marketers. These overviews are just scratching the surface of what we learned. We’ll be diving into each idea in further detail in the coming weeks on our blog, so stay tuned for more!

Crystal Buessing

VP of Digital Strategy
Crystal uses her 12+ years of marketing experience to lead diverse teams and execute highly-personalized marketing strategies.

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