My experience with HubSpot’s inbound certification

Why inbound is the way to go

My summer internship at Axia Public Relations required me to complete HubSpot’s Inbound Certification Course. I am regretful to admit that even as a marketing major at Tulane University, I had never heard of “inbound marketing” before and I had no idea what it meant. However, after completing this training, I will never forget the strategy and will almost certainly leverage the skills I gained in my internship throughout my career.

HubSpot relieved my fears as a marketing major

When I decided to pursue a degree in marketing, my biggest fear was that when I entered the working world, I would be sitting in a cubicle all day harassing potential customers with burdensome phone calls and junk mail. The last thing I wanted to be was a professional annoyance – an aggravating solicitor who hassles people into buying products or services. Traditional marketers typically shove information in people’s faces whether they want it or not. I knew for certain that I did not want to solely practice traditional marketing in my career. That’s why I was thrilled when I discovered the inbound method.

Inbound marketing shifts business transactions

So what is inbound marketing and why is it so essential for companies to practice?

Inbound marketing is a non-invasive, non-interruptive method of marketing that focuses on the needs and desires of the customer rather than the marketer. While traditional marketing focuses on finding customers through cold-calling, junk mail and television ads, the goal of the inbound strategy is to be discovered by customers. Businesses that practice inbound marketing produce content that is interesting and valuable to business prospects through media channels that are easily accessible to them.

As HubSpot states, “Consumers want to be educated, not sold to.” By using an effective inbound strategy, companies earn attention and respect from potential customers. Optimizing your website, using social media, creating compelling blogs and informational videos and emailing clients in an appropriate manner are all effective inbound strategies that will draw business prospects in and keep current customers loyal to your brand. Inbound marketing is all about engaging with customers and producing information that entices and delights them. When customers search the Internet, they rarely want to buy something immediately. They’re usually looking for useful content that will spark their interests and help them address their various needs.

Every business can benefit from inbound marketing

HubSpot’s Inbound Certification Course is truly enlightening; all of the course videos clearly exemplify the inbound techniques the instructors promote. The content in the course is compelling and unique, delivered in a manner that viewers of all backgrounds can understand. Colleges and universities across America should require that business and communication students take this course and apply the lessons to their school assignments.

Inbound marketing is the marketing of the future. It is efficient, effective and completely customer-centric. Inbound marketers focus on the interests, goals and challenges of the customers and use techniques that earn their business, not demand it. I highly recommend HubSpot’s course to anyone who wants to be a part of the the inbound world: an innovative, global shift in marketing.

Pauline Blum is studying marketing at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. She plans to earn a Bachelor of Science in marketing from the A.B. Freeman School of Business in 2017. Connect with her on Instagram and Facebook @pollyblum.