HubSpot INBOUND 2022: Growth's Takeaways

Every year at INBOUND—one of the largest marketing, sales, and software events in the world—HubSpot announces its upcoming processes, tools, and updates. Since Growth is a HubSpot Platinum Solutions Partner, we’ve been on the edge of our seats in anticipation of what INBOUND 2022 would teach us about what’s to come. 

And this year, we got a front-row seat through the eyes of Growth founder Chris Nault and Growth Operations Director Katrina Horne who were there in person in Boston. As well, our digital team passes gave us all access to some of the most up-to-the-minute business sessions on the planet. 

The Future of Business is Through Connection

This year’s theme (and main takeaway) was “connection.”

Everything from the kick-off speech by HubSpot CEO Yamini Rangan to individual break-out sessions centered around the theme of how to create more data connections, team connections, and customer connections to drive growth into the future.

What did we take away from that? Read on.  

Data Connection

When data is disconnected and disjoined, teams are having to spend more time entering, aligning, and accessing data and, as a result, the customer experience is suffering which stifles growth. 

According to a HubSpot survey of companies:  

• The biggest pain point was disconnected data
• Most companies use an average of 242 apps 

HubSpot has a tool for just about any operation a business might need and has integrations with everything else (and is building out even more on its easy-to-use platform), so this will continue to be the focus of HubSpot going forward. 

People Connection

We all need support for whatever it is that we’re trying to accomplish, yet since the pandemic, we have had less human interaction than ever before. 

• 45% of us have fewer interactions at work
• 57% of us have fewer social activities 

This kind of human disconnection is felt in every sector of our society, and we all need a community to thrive which is why HubSpot will continue to make it a focus of its platform and ecosystem.

Customer Connection

Even though businesses are reaching out to prospects at a fevered pitch through blogs and email, they're still having trouble connecting with them. One reason is that digital fatigue and distrust are through the roof.

A few statistics from Yamini Rangan’s presentation:

• 65% of Google searches end without a click
• 40% fewer responses to sales emails
• The average blog growth is at - 1.6%

Customer preferences are changing because we live in a privacy-first world, and the go-to-market processes we used before will not work now. 

Now is the time to connect:

• connect our systems
• connect with each other
• connect with our customers.

The words we use influence the way we think. By using words that center around connection, we can drive connection in our business processes: 

• Instead of data, we need "context."
• Instead of content, we need "connection."
• Instead of contacts, you need "community."

HubSpot's Connected Customer Growth Strategy

Consider some tips for each stage of your customer's journey to grease the flywheel. 

Attract Stage 

• In your advertising strategy, sync your first-party data (where you have real context with your customers) with Google for a 20% increase improvement in conversion rates. 
• Get creative with new tools and channels. Tap creators and influencers on TikTok and YouTube to drive engagement. 

Engagement Stage

• Make your sales and nurture email compelling with a video, a helpful statistic, and some expert information (what we like to call a “give without a get”).
• Bring context to the sales conversation by knowing exactly who the prospect is, what your reps have already shared with them, and what they need that you can provide. 

Delight Stage

• Take the friction out of the buying process by offering a variety of payment options.
• Give customers channel choice. Meet your customers where they are, not where you are. 

HubSpot’s Connected Customer Platform

Connected Applications

HubSpot’s connected marketing, sales, service, operations, and CMS hubs are built together for a reason: for connecting data with over 11K application integrations so your teams can work together to serve your prospects and customers together across the HubSpot ecosystem.

Connected Platform

HubSpot’s connected platform for data, reporting, automation, content, messaging, and payments ensure that your business has a connected, commerce-powered CRM tool. 

Connected Community

And HubSpot has built a connected community through its network, its marketplace, and its knowledge base and Academy to connect teams and customers. 

A Community of Thought Leaders 

INBOUND 2022 educational sessions centered around the topic of connection and the right this minute of marketing, sales, and customer experience as well as culture.

It brought to the stage noteworthy thought leaders like Dr. Jane Goodall, Viola Davis, and Barack Obama as well as change-makers and experts from digital marketing, business, and culture offered up their wise perspectives about change and the drive for human connection and how to thrive in an age in which our human connection feels more like a chasm than a tight stitch.  

What did we learn? Growth is on the right track, and we’re going to keep bringing the connections with our systems, our Growth team, and our clients. 

Our dedication to HubSpot, RevOps, and Account-Based Marketing offers a holistic approach to connection through data, people, and clients that’s been unwavering in its “give without a get” way of doing business since 2017.

Curious about how we do it and how we can do it for your business? Talk to us about how we can help.