In our new blog series, ‘On the Road with TNN,’ JSA’s Lauren Sauer and Lauren Lemoi hit the road to Boston, MA for Inbound 2012. Here is a look at what the conference had to offer.
What do Cyndi Lauper and inbound marketing have in common?
It might not seem like the two belong in the same sentence together, but on the first morning of Inbound 2012, Cyndi shared the stage with author David Scott during his keynote address for an early morning blues session. After her performance, Cyndi chatted with David Scott about how she has used social media and inbound marketing to change how she interacts with her fans.
With that noteworthy start to the day, it was safe to say Inbound 2012 would be unlike any conference Lauren and I have attended before. Little did we know this performance was just the beginning of the inbound marketing journey.
Lauren and I set out on the first full day of the conference with the goal to divide and conquer. After spending the evening before mapping out which conference tracks we would attend, we were excited to dive right into to the sessions.
From sales tips to LinkedIn tools, PR pitching to leveraging SEO, experts from a range of industries shared their experiences with inbound marketers from across the world. It was clear at the end of the first day that HubSpot’s annual conference is about education and utilizing the latest apps, but most importantly, it is about building relationships.
Inbound marketing may be a new concept for many of us as for decades, marketers used outbound communications, such as direct mails and advertising, to get the attention of their intended audience. But today, companies like JSA and HubSpot work together to understand the needs of customers and to craft content that caters to these needs, and offers opportunities for feedback, conversation and engagement. No matter how virtual our tools may be, the underlying purpose of inbound marketing is to develop relationships. By defining and developing these relationships, and creating products and services that cater to clients' needs and recommendations, companies can then increase bottom lines substantially, as they have increased their trust and customer commitment.
Where will JSA be next? Stayed tuned to our blog for the latest locations.
