3 Big Takeaways from the 2016 Inbound Conference

IMG_1840-700206-edited.jpgFour of our team members just returned from a fantastic experience at HubSpot’s annual Inbound Conference where 19,000 marketers from 92 countries gathered together to learn and be inspired from speakers in over 300 educational sessions. Of course we couldn’t personally attend all 300 sessions, but we were able to divide and conquer for learnings in a wide variety of digital marketing topics. We will be taking a deep dive into several topics in the coming weeks, but to start we thought we would share three big takeaways to whet your appetite and inspire your marketing planning for 2017.

  1. Five Brand Principles to Live By – In the modern world of constantly changing technology, rapid innovation, and immediate gratification, it can be easy to take our eye off the ball and let our brand goals and strategies become blurred as we grapple to seize the endless opportunities and battle evolving challenges. Here are five brand principles to keep us grounded and focused:
    • Don’t be greedy – You have to be something before you can be everything.
    • The story is the strategy. – “The mistake people make is thinking the story is just about marketing. No, the story is the strategy.  If you make your story better, you make the strategy better.” – Ben Horowitz, co-founder Andreessen Horowitz
    • Authenticity wins. – Think about your brand as a person – the kind of person people want to invite to a party, rather than one they try to avoid.
    • The brand is the product. – Make sure your products live up to the brand image you are convincing your audience to buy into.
    • The brand cannot achieve more than the vision of its leader. – Finding exceptional talent is key to building and supporting a successful brand, but the trajectory and ultimate reach of the brand is still defined by the vision of a leader. A good leader is willing to unleash that talent to reach high, dream big and look beyond the obvious restraints to what the brand could be.
  2. Three Truths That Should Define How Your Brand Communicates – Even if you are already a savvy digital marketer, it’s good to be reminded how the marketing and sales world has evolved just in the last 10 years. Are you considering this data in your marketing strategy?
    • In 2006, buyers had about 4-6 choices.
      • In 2016, they have 14-15 choices.
    • In 2006, buyers did their research by reading.
      • In 2016, they watch videos to learn.
    • In 2006, buyers searched the internet for answers.
      • In 2016, the Internet gives them the answer.
  1. Six Core Values of Innovation – While consistent, high-quality execution is an integral part of prolonged success, it can also be a catalyst for failure if we allow laziness to settle in. You still have to evolve or you will die. In fact, of the companies that made the Fortune 500 list in 2006, now only 298 remain in that elite group. Innovation is a fundamental requirement to keeping your brand alive.  Here are six core values to help your innovation stay on track:
    • Speed – “If you’re not first, you’re last.” With the pace at which new competitive ideas can emerge, it’s important that you roll your ideas out quickly. Then iterate, observe, and iterate!
    • Agility – Be flexible. Be ready for things to not go as planned. Deal with it, digest it, note it, and continue working!
    • Fearless – Look at every situation as a learning opportunity. Worst case scenario, you figure out what doesn’t work. “I have not failed. I just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison
    • Experimental – When you have a new idea, don’t be hindered by the fact that it’s never been done. Just do it, try it, experiment with it and learn. Test. Test. Test!
    • Streamlined – Have a well-structured system and assign team members to each phase of your innovation process. Time is wasted when employees don’t know what they’re role in the process is.
    • Empowered – Asking for permission should not be something your team wastes time on. Unless it’s going to cause risk to the company, trust your team to make the decision themselves.

Though we had the benefit of the palpable energy and excitement during this conference to fuel our ideas and motivate us to think differently for next year, we hope some of the highlights we have shared here inspire and motivate you as well.  Let’s make 2017 the best year yet for fresh produce marketing!