Remington Begg
Team Impulse is back from Boston and ready to share our tips on the latest-and-greatest in the marketing industry! But INBOUND wasn’t all inbound marketing talk; there were also comedians (and comediennes!), motivational speakers, best-selling authors, journalists and business leaders. So with that in mind, here are a few major takeaways that will be encouraging and motivating our team for a long time to come:
#1: In the war between quantity vs. quality, as the quantity goes up, the quality goes down. It doesn’t have to be this way if you get the basics right.
This quote is from Ann Handley’s session on Good vs. Good Enough Content. Many writers, bloggers, marketers, and even business owners accept that fact as an unfortunate truth that can not be avoided. But here at Impulse Creative, we don’t think remarkable content has to lose quality, ever. Playing it safe when it comes to website and blog content is a missed opportunity to communicate differently and be seen as creative. That’s why we strive to be bigger, bolder, and braver.
#2: It is more about brains than budget!
This is a fundamental aspect of inbound marketing that can’t be stressed enough. With inbound marketing, you don’t need a large budget to attract new customers, you only need the right tools and methods. Sticking to the aggressive and impersonal advertising tactics of the past will only serve to drive potential customers away, and cost a lot of money while you’re doing it. That’s why the inbound methodology is so perfect for small, locally-owned businesses.
#3: Have audacious goals that seem unrealistic.
This quote, from Todd Rowe, is perfect for anyone, whether you’re in the marketing industry or not. If you are a small business owner, set these audacious goals for yourself and your brand, but also give your employees an environment of freedom so they feel comfortable setting risky goals for themselves as well. Todd Rowe certainly didn’t become Global Managing Director of Google, Global Channel Sales without setting some pretty lofty goals for him, so take his advice to heart.
#4: Social media for businesses isn't "what are we?" it is "what does our brand allow people to say about themselves?”
Too many brands, even large ones, use social media to talk solely about themselves. But that’s not what today’s consumers want. Shama Hyder, who has spent the majority of her career involved in marketing specifically to Millennials, considers social media an “identity-based ecosystem.” In other words, people interact with your brand to show their identity to other followers. What does “liking” or “tweeting” your brand say about who they are?
#5: Be honest about what failure feels like.
This quote comes courtesy from Brene Brown’s keynote speech. In it, she further discusses the specifics of the real shame and vulnerability that comes from failing. While typical failure messages tell you to get up after you fall and never quit, “no one talks about what failure feels like,” says Brown. “It hurts and it will take your breath away.” Pretending it doesn’t matter is not the way to rise after failure. In order to overcome and grow from failure, we need to start being honest about what it feels like- as a business owner, employee, friend, parent, spouse, and citizen.
#6: We are all capable of setting the tone.
Be contagious! Whether you are the owner of the company or the most recent hire, your presence has an impact, so make sure that you are giving off the right kind of energy. Ensure that negative people aren’t bringing you down, but you are impacting them instead. This fantastic session, a Team Impulse favorite, was delivered by Anese Cavanaugh. Her message on the importance of your presence at your agency made us all feel like leaders, and we’re working better together already.
We spent last week navigating through the maze of sessions, keynotes, bold talks, and food trucks, trying to soak up every bit of knowledge we could. Through all of it, there is always one consistent theme at INBOUND: inspiration. We were lucky enough to get this inspiration first-hand, and now we can share it with you. To get started implementing the inbound methodology in your own small business, download our free eBook The Beginner’s Guide to Inbound Marketing.
