As you may know by now, Stratus Interactive had a blast at Hubspot’s 2014 INBOUND conference. We learned so much from this truly transformative convention, including information and processes that we’ll use for our own agency strategy moving forward—and we can’t wait to get started.
But before we do, let’s take a seat with Thinker Shetal and Creator Brett to find out more about their experiences at the show.
So, now that Inbound 2014 is behind you, what were your thoughts before heading to the show?
Shetal: Ummm… well first, I assumed it was going to be a normal conference—the kind where you go into sessions, take a couple walks around the floor, and come home for dinner. But I underestimated this one, as I wasn’t sure what to expect. But seeing all of the people involved, both vendors and attendees, made me realize how much Hubspot really has grown over the year and how important they are to such a wide-variety of businesses- it was insanely awesome.
Brett: I definitely went in thinking it would be an education experience. But I also thought it would be more relaxing. I couldn’t have been more wrong—but not in a negative way. It was hectic—so much was happening at once. You needed to be alert and on your toes at a moment’s notice.
Shetal: Yeah, very true. I went in thinking, “Yeah, I’ll learn all this stuff from sessions, sit down and chat with other Partners, etc.” But then you get there, and you’re running from the morning until night. It was overwhelming how much work was put into the conference. You’re in sessions, running back and forth between the booth, trying to find time to eat… it was crazy.
The atmosphere certainly sounded crazy. Is that a positive kind of crazy?
Shetal: It was certainly impressive.
Brett: I think the word that comes to mind is “friendly.” Everyone was so outgoing and open, and I didn’t run into a single person who wasn’t interested in speaking or connecting down the line. It was so easy to interact—as opposed to some of the more traditional expos which can be really stuffy.
Shetal: Yeah, it was hip and trendy. You could tell from afar that this was a fun environment. It was open, interactive, and everyone was excited to be there. And it was so well produced. The amount of people involved, the events, the speakers, the organization, the overall design—it was truly top notch. And it helped the ambiance and got others jazzed in the process.
Brett: There was also a lot of, “not vendors” (laughter), nonprofits and others that helped diversify the booths. There was so much stuff I never even got to see because something new happening every minute. They had one area devoted to Charity:water for the Sahel Water Walk fundraiser and on the other side was book signings, keynote speakers… it just went on and on. There was also an entire Hubspot Help Center that helped attendees who were unfamiliar with the platform. Food trucks lined the conference center, there were boot camp workout sessions in the mornings, happy hours every night—it was an event.
Regardless of the hullabaloo surrounding you during the event, which of the speakers caught your attention the most?
Shetal: Simon Sinek, hands down. I didn’t know much about him as a speaker or author prior, but I do now. I went in with no expectations, and he gave a talk on inspirational leadership that just really resonated with me. He broke down leadership based on different chemicals that are released in the mind (endorphins, dopamine, cortisol, etc.) and analyzed how they affected leadership—positively and negatively.
His creed: Give Kindness, Receive Kindness, See Kindness, Everyone Wins. And the way he visualized these techniques, from taking longer to shake a hand or hug an acquaintance, made a lot of sense.
Brett: For me, it was Rand Fishkin, hands down. He just has this electric personality, and his presentation was cool. He connected well with his audience through his approachable tone. I know I wasn’t alone in my excitement. I mean, he’s the authority on SEO for so many people through Moz’s blog. I reference his work all the time, so it was cool to hear him in person.
What was the strongest lesson you were able to take back from the conference?
Brett: Mine, again, was from the Rand Fishkin presentation. Before you publish anything, no matter what the topic or purpose is, ask yourself how you can amplify the content and how. It’s not just about getting published anymore, you need to work actively to keep the value of your content alive. But if it’s amplified via social media or a bigger media house, you’re able to maximize the content’s value. That’s the biggest lesson I took from him.
Shetal: I’d say my biggest lesson was learned through the partner track sessions where current Hubspot partners gave presentations on how they run their agencies. It was so vital seeing beneath the curtain—how so many different agencies have seen success in a short amount of time due to Hubspot’s inbound marketing processes. But it expanded beyond that to uplifting employee culture, recruiting processes, delivering client results, and more. It’s something you just don’t see from other companies. They were giving us their sauce for success? We call that “coopetition” for the betterment of everyone involved—and that’s really what Hubspot is all about. It’s something you don’t find in agency settings—or most businesses in general.
What about the strangest moment? Any behind-the-scenes details you can give us about the event?
Shetal: Well, I went there thinking I’d see Boston. But when your hotel is attached to the conference center, it’s hard to get outside. But one of the days before a keynote, Kym and I (Stratus CEO) were waiting around and saw OK Go’s famous treadmill music video playing on the big screen. Then the curtain opens and some band is playing music with all these treadmills. Turns out, Hubspot got Ok Go to perform live—at 8am. We didn’t even know what was happening as it was happening. I can definitely cross that off my bucket list.
Brett: Well for me, it was probably Martha Stewart’s keynote. She did this huge opening which was really cool where she started off like a cooking show. So she’s on stage with Dan Sally from Hubspot juicing fruit and vegetables, which they would later hand out to the audience. Awesome. But then the notecards came out for her speech, and… well, let’s just say she didn’t’ seem prepared. It got weird. But maybe she’s not a morning person?
Last but not least: How did the INBOUND conference change the way you think about inbound marketing and Hubspot going forward?
Shetal: I would say that, coming from a traditional advertising background before moving into more of a digital experience, I’ve always understood the value of inbound marketing, but I’ve never realized how huge the movement truly is. It’s just, awesome. Hubspot makes it so accessible for anyone to take control of their marketing—not just agencies. Any small mom and pop can go grab this software, learn to use it, and transform their business. It’s about following the trends and habits of real people, not about throwing a net out and hoping you catch anything.
Brett: Inbound marketing is still so young. It’s in its infancy and businesses and marketers need to jump now before the market gets saturated. It works, and there are plenty of numbers to back it up. And there were so many smaller companies at the event hoping to improve their sales. So you know, regardless of what they call it, larger companies are using these processes too. At least in smaller pieces.
Shetal: Yeah, I agree. They have the intelligence, so they know this is out here and working. And to be fair, a lot of the small companies at INBOUND bought the platform, but many didn’t know how to use it effectively.
Brett: There’s still a lot of learning yet, for sure. But the thing that’s great about Hubspot versus other platforms is they provide SO MUCH education behind it. Yeah, it’s in its infancy… but it’s a growing movement. 5,000 people attended the conference last year. And over 10,000 attended this year. The fact that INBOUND has grown so fast speaks volumes to Hubspot and the growth of inbound marketing.
