Takeaways & Tiny Lobster Rolls: How INBOUND 2019 Will Shape Our 2020

It’s hard to believe that just a week ago we were getting off of our final plane from Boston at almost 11PM at night, back into the dry, dusty heat of our home state. Buzzing with leftover INBOUND Conference energy, our heads full of tips, statistics, and inspirational speeches, we were ready to take on the world, but desperately needing to tumble into our own beds.

This year, the majority of Team Radiant, small but mighty, traveled from Phoenix, Arizona to Boston, Massachusetts to experience INBOUND 2019, a marketing conference hosted by Hubspot, our favorite digital marketing platform.

While we could take pages and pages to divulge every marketing tip we picked up in just four short days, we’ve picked our top takeaways based on the questions we typically receive from clients after this event – and wrapped it all into this INBOUND 2019 Recap.

Let’s get to it!

INBOUND 2019: Strategies, Tactics + Tools Discovered

Q: What was our favorite part about INBOUND?

“Dividing and conquering! This event is so significant in the inbound world, covering numerous topics in-depth, introducing new technologies and tools, and having the whole Radiant team there to soak in this info for the benefit of Radiant and our clients was awesome.”
– KAREN CUMMINGS, FOUNDER & CEO

“I did not expect the emphasis on the human elements at INBOUND. While there were plenty of comprehensive presentations around important digital marketing strategies, there were also spotlight presenters who surprised me with the depth of emotion they tied into their career stories. It was very impactful and reminded me how everything we do in this business is tied irrefutably to real people on the other end.”
– MELISSA LITTLE, CONTENT STRATEGIST

Q: What’s the most applicable thing we learned that we feel other entrepreneurs and marketers would find useful?

“There are so many studies out there to support what we’re suggesting and the extra 2 minutes it takes to snag a fact or statistics that backs up our strategic suggestion makes our recommendations that much more powerful and adds value to client communication.”
– HAYLIE CALL, CLIENT COMMUNICATIONS & PROJECT MANAGER

“Oh man, so many things… A few key takeaways I’d highlight include:

Neuroscientists confirmed that research proves that the human brain really does respond differently to beautiful design, so it’s important to create aesthetically pleasing websites, collateral, graphics, etc. It’s our instinct to identify if something is ‘disgusting’ or not – and whether we should move towards it or away. Beautiful design also creates an immediate sense of value. For example, here’s a crazy fact: when someone was viewing a well-designed asset, the same areas of their brain were triggered as when consuming chocolate.

If you want people to make the decisions you want them to make you MUST be priming the brain in the right way.

Don’t miss this critical step in content marketing:
1. Present problem / challenge;
2. Demonstrate ideal outcome / scenario;
3. Identify how your solution gets them there. Many business skip #2, leaving the sad little human brain to connect problem and challenge directly with YOUR solution!

Trying to compete for competitive search terms? Write for the search engines – in other words, you may be driving a number of different audiences to your content through search but only one that is really applicable or likely to buy. Although this may be the case, it’s VERY important that the content you’re providing is still addressing the needs of all of the visitors, creating a positive experience for all – and as a result a better time on site, higher engagement, etc which ultimately has a positive impact on your search results.”
– KAREN CUMMINGS

“My number one takeaway was that while writing engaging & effective blog content does depend on style, word choice, and tone, it ALSO heavily depends on real analytics and the organic activity around your topic choice. Growing your brand requires you to put in some extensive keyword research and get creative with the results. Also, mini lobster rolls (thanks Hubspot!) are delicious.”
– MELISSA LITTLE

Q: If we could summarize INBOUND in one word, what would it be?

KAREN CUMMINGS: Comprehensive

MELISSA LITTLE: Energizing

CHRISTINA ELFRING, SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIST: Incredible!

Q: How do we think Team Radiant grew from this experience?

“We got time together as a team which was great (working remote we don’t have this super often). I think we all were exposed to some awesome new tools and knowledge. We also received valuable confirmation that many of the concepts, strategies and campaigns we’re proposing/managing are aligned with what some of the most successful companies in the nation are doing too.”
– KAREN CUMMINGS

“It was amazing to experience INBOUND all together as a team. I also loved the fact that there were different presentations that applied to each of our skill sets and contributions to clients.”
– MELISSA LITTLE

Q: Would we recommend the INBOUND experience to other marketers?

“Yes! Especially if you’re near the Boston area. Tons of great content, networking, tools, and of course the amazing keynotes like Jennifer Garner, Alexis Ohanian and Chip & Joanna Gaines.”
– KAREN CUMMINGS

“Definitely! There’s something for everyone there, plus so many interesting people to meet and listen to during presentations.”
– MELISSA LITTLE

Q: The most moving presenter was…

Bryan Stevenson. In his spotlight presentation, he shared some truly eye-opening information about our justice system for youth, his experiences as a Harvard-educated African American lawyer in Alabama, and how to create change in our communities. Talk about an impressive individual making a difference in the lives of so many!

What we geeked out over

“My favorite breakout session presenter (this year and last) was Carmen Simon – Cognitive Neuroscientist. The brain is fascinating! The more we know about how it works, the better we can be as marketers to create the right messages in the right way and really bring value to our audiences.

Plus, the show stopping setups – loved the ‘create space’ and the chat I had with the local artist who was running the large scale team artwork that attendees were contributing to. Also gotta love the walk through light show!”
– KAREN CUMMINGS

“New ways to create spreadsheets for keyword planning! It was fascinating to see how some of the most highly trafficked blogs manage to continue to stay relevant and increase organic traffic despite changes to Google algorithms year after year.”
– MELISSA LITTLE

Q: Most impressive vendor?

Path Factory (hands down) has some of the coolest technology in content delivery, tracking and engagement.

And lastly, a few other INBOUND 2019 takeaways we’d like to share…

Powerful questions to consider when evaluating your marketing or business:

• Are you being an ‘experience disruptor’ in any way?
• Are your customers selling for you? If not, WHY?
• As a brand, what absolutes are you willing to maintain (even in the face of haters)

Quotes to ponder:

“Dollars flow where the friction is low.”

“In what ways can you simplify things for your prospects and customers? Are you overcomplicating processes or messages that are preventing people from converting?”

In conclusion…

INBOUND 2019 was more than just another “business conference”. It was an immersive experience that combined the whimsy of social media influencers with the genius of technology and the heart needed to connect with and engage our audiences in the most successful way we can.

We learned so much from this trip and we can’t wait to apply every bit of it to help our clients (and Radiant) continue to grow and thrive in the digital marketplace. We look forward to INBOUND 2020!