Our team is back from Inbound 2017, HubSpot’s annual inbound marketing conference in Boston, where they joined 21,000 other marketers for a week of talks, lessons and networking.
The conference featured keynote speakers like Brene Brown, Michelle Obama, and John Cena, among others. The team learned quite a bit, had some fun and will be updating us on everything they learned.
Stay tuned for more insights from Inbound on our blog and social media channels.
In this week’s Marketing Monday Q&A, Christina May answers your questions and imparts some marketing knowledge:
Question 1: How do you balance quality vs. quantity when it comes to content?
CMay: Follow the 80% rule.
Some focus on publishing and posting as much content as possible, no matter the quality, and others focus more on the value of each piece to the audience. It’s important to have a mix of both.
There’s no such thing as perfect content, but you should aim for being as close to perfect as possible without letting it hold you back from publishing. Avoid analysis paralysis: Once you get to 80-90% there with a piece of content, go ahead and publish it.
It’s important for your followers to see you as a thought leader, and posting relevant content often can help you get there. Spamming your followers with weak content may lead to short term gains, but this won’t be the kind of engagement you’re looking for. The right balance between quality and quantity of posts will get you closer to that goal.
Question 2: What is your top business book right now, and what do you really enjoy about it?
CMay: Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull with Amy Wallace
Ed Catmull is co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios and president of Pixar Animation and Disney Animation. He was also a speaker at Inbound 2017.
The book talks about creativity in a business as well as the role of leadership in a creative organization. One of my biggest takeaways was to allow for a safe space for creativity to flourish within an organization, while also holding that creativity accountable. The role of the leader is to address problems that inhibit creativity, while also holding people accountable for solving those problems. This is how both leaders and teams grow.
Question 3: What is the single most important ingredient in any successful inbound marketing strategy?
CMay: Persona development.
Say you’re making a mixed drink for a friend. It’s important you know a little bit about who they are and what they like so you have an idea how to make them a drink they’ll actually enjoy.
An inbound marketing strategy is exactly the same way.
Knowing your audience comes first. If you don’t have any insight on who they are, you’re likely going to get the rest of your marketing strategy wrong. Starting with persona development will save you time and effort in the long run.
Be sure you’re making a cocktail that they actually enjoy, because unlike your friend, consumers won’t politely sip the marketing mixed drink you made them if it isn’t what they like.
Follow us on Facebook, subscribe to our Youtube channel, and comment with your questions for the next #MarketingMondayQ&A. Catch each episode on Mondays at 6pm live on Facebook.