by Kayle Simpson, on November 16, 2016
Yesterday our vizzers talked about their favorite moments from the Tableau Conference, but they aren't the only ones who get to have fun around here! Our marketing team headed to Boston for INBOUND last week, and I'd like to think we had just as much fun as our friends at the Tableau Conference (probably more!)
Since each of our attendees went to INBOUND for different reasons, we each wrote about a couple of our favorite experiences!
Name + Job Title: Kayle Simpson, Communication Designer, @KayleSimpson
Favorite Session(s):
Design is Not Art - Austin Knight, Sr. UX Designer at HubSpot
As a designer, it's so easy to get caught up with comparing yourself to others- thanks to social portfolio sites like Dribbble and Behance. Everyone's trying to out-design each other and make the prettiest, most aesthetically pleasing designs. Unfortunately, showing off is not at all what being a designer is about. This was a very necessary session for all designers as a sobering reminder that there's no place for ego in design!
Favorite Keynote(s):
Reshma Saujani, Girls Who Code
I tried so hard not to cry - until I saw that everyone around me was also crying. I really wish Girls Who Code had been around when I was younger- I would have loved it! Technology is changing at a very fast pace, and is shaping our world with it. Those who can create within tech will be the ones with a say in our how world changes. It's so important to have as many voices in tech as possible, and Girls Who Code is making that happen.
Number 1 Lesson Learned at INBOUND 16:
Marketing skills are becoming developer skills, and developer skills are becoming marketing skills. Watch out, world- the Unicorns are taking over!
"Humility is the most important quality a designer can have" AWESOME session with @ustinKnight about design vs. art and ego #INBOUND16
— Kayle @ #INBOUND16 (@kaylesimpson) November 11, 2016
Name + Job Title: Jess Dugas, Marketing Coordinator, @jdugas627
Favorite Session(s):
13 Things to Stop, Start, or Keep Doing (Only Better) with Your Email - Tom Monaghan - Postmaster & Director of Email Engineering, HubSpot
As an email marketing junkie, I totally ate this session up. Some of the tips in this session were really basic, like making sure you have a defined goal before writing an email. So simple yet, so many marketers, including myself forget this from time to time, because we are moving so quickly. One of the most shocking things I learned in this session was that Tuesday's are one of the worst days to send emails to prospects. I have always been told to send emails on Tuesday, but so is everyone else, therefore your email is add to the pile of other emails also sent on Tuesday.
Favorite Keynote(s):
Reshma Saujani, Girls Who Code
Reshma was insanely inspiring! This presentation really brought to my attention how we all subconsciously gender stereotype, and how it's effecting our youth. Reshma spoke specifically on stereotypes in technology with young girls, but as a society it's everywhere. Boys are expected to be tough and confident, while girls are coddled and expected to be concerned with vanity. It was a huge eye opener for me, and will hopeful cause me think twice about making assumptions or stereotyping young children.
Number 1 Lesson Learned at INBOUND 16:
You can't force marketing down people's throats; you must listen to your prospective buyer and provide them with valuable content THEY want/need.
That’s a wrap! Thank you to the 18K+ #INBOUND16 attendees who joined us this year — can’t wait to see you all at #INBOUND17! pic.twitter.com/NS0c3ba8Nz
— INBOUND (@INBOUND) November 11, 2016
Name + Job Title: Ryan Getchell, Chief Business Development Officer, @ArkaGetch
Favorite Session(s):
Build a Data Driven Customer Journey, How to Establish Rapport with Virtually Anybody, How to Convince Anyone of (Almost) Anything, Culturing a Culture
As a growing company, we are focused on standardizing the process of getting business. While our CEO has done an amazing job, he is only one person and his time is limited. By using HubSpot, the data it provides, and focusing on the customer rather than ourselves, we hope to position our company for rapid grow in the years to come.
Favorite Keynote(s):
Christopher O'Donnell, HubSpot Product Spotlight
The shear volume of updates was impressive with each one geared toward saving time and money on tasks that have historically been manual. Being a small company, we need a force multiplier. Seconds count an as heavy users of both the Marketing, Sales, and CRM platforms, we are excited to start using more of the available tools to streamline our business development pipeline.
Number 1 Lesson Learned at INBOUND 16:
Data MUST drive decision making. Consumers online personas only continue to grow and the mass amounts of data, while daunting, provides almost limitless understanding of the buyer's journey. Understanding the data and turning it into information to make decisions is and will continue to be the number one driver to a company's success.
