If you’re not familiar with HubSpot, you should be. HubSpot develops and markets software products for inbound marketing and sales. The company has several courses on its platform HubSpot Academy, and they are all free! Here are five key takeaways from the popular inbound course.
1. Helping your customers = helping yourself.
Today, people are focused on climbing corporate ladders and trying to be the best, often at the expense of their customers. Inbound changes that dynamic by taking care of the customer. When you take care of your customers, you’re taking care of your company.
The inbound approach uses the knowledge that your teams already possess and shares it with others. It builds a trusting relationship with your customers while empowering and educating them.
2. Attract. Engage. Delight. Rinse. Repeat.
Having all your teams follow the three stages of inbound will help create and foster relationships with the people who matter most: your prospects and clients. If you attract the right customers and consistently engage them, they’ll leave delighted and willing to come back in the future.
3. Helpful content is contextual content.
Customers are coming to you, the experts, for insight and information that they need. Instead of providing information that doesn’t apply to them, make sure the content relates directly to what they’re asking or the outcome they’re seeking.
4. Don’t lose sight of your purpose.
What is your company’s purpose? If you lose sight of your original purpose and begin focusing solely on profitability, it can send you down a slippery slope. On the other hand, if you keep your purpose at the forefront of everything you do, you’ll have dedicated employees serving a single purpose with customers that keep coming back. These delighted customers may also refer their friends to you!
5. Purchasing personas: Everyone should have them.
Not every customer is a good fit for your company, and that’s OK. Who’s your ideal customer? What does this person look like to your marketing team? Sales? How about legal? Or billing? Have your customer-facing and backend teams work together to develop this ideal customer. Once everyone commits to solving the problems of your ideal customer, you’ll have a better understanding of your market and how you can provide the best services.
While these were the five biggest lessons I learned from the inbound course, there were many other great tools to include in your company’s toolbox to foster future growth and focus on those who matter most: your prospects and clients. The course takes between two and three hours to complete, and the value it will provide you is priceless.
Emily Hileman is a spring intern at Axia Public Relations and a senior at Austin Peay State University. She’s interested in news and social media. Emily has worked for Axia since January 2020.
Topics: inbound marketing
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