Inspirational Marketing Takeaways from #SethGodin at #INBOUND15

“This is not a conference. It’s a movement. It’s the INBOUND MOVEMENT.”

4 days, 5 inspiring keynotes, 14,000 marketers, 170+ educational sessions later…and we are back from Inbound 2015, and more inspired then ever. For 4 days, the Veriday team attended Hubspot’s Inbound 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts.   Inbound has become one of the biggest marketing conferences in the industry, gathering thousands of marketing and sales professionals from around the globe.

The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center was packed with 14,000 marketing hungry professionals anxious to learn and discuss everything there is marketing from industry trends, to new technologies, to predictions for the future, to tips, hacks and tricks.

By the end of the week, I found myself more inspired by the Inbound movement then ever; my head filled with more marketing ideas and information then I thought possible. It would be difficult to recap my entire week; navigating through sessions, keynotes, bold talks, and trying to absorb all of the information that I could. So, here I am trying to bring you home some of my favourite talks, sessions, and miscellaneous good bits from Inbound 2015. I hope these takeaways inspire you, as they did me.

Seth Godin (Best selling Author, Entrepreneur, Marketing Guru and Public Speaker)

It seemed only appropriate that Seth Godin, marketing legend and best selling author, kicked off Inbound 2015 on Tuesday evening. I have to say, I was particularly moved and inspired by Seth’s talk; his messaging about aiming higher and doing great work. What spoke to me was Seth’s discussion about the best gift you can give yourself, “saying yes”. Yes, to helping someone. Yes, to the adventure that is your life. Perhaps the best way to recap Seth’s talk is by sharing with you some of my favourite quotes from his keynote:

“The way we make change happen is by being human, by being connected, and by doing things that might not work.  We spend so much time “getting our ducks in a row.” Once you get them, what are you going to do with the ducks?”

“It’s not about the product, it’s about turning outsiders to insiders for your brand.”

“Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers.”

“Our job is to change from, “it’s always been that way” to “sure, let’s try that!”

“I’m not sure what the question is but the answer is yes.”

“You have to make something that some people won’t wait in line for in order to make something that some people will wait in line for.”

“What have you done lately that “might not work”? It might work it might not work.”

“Why did it make it into the museum? It made it into the museum because some people didn’t like it.”

“We like to get off the hook – the hook that says we are responsible.”

“Writer’s block” isn’t real! This term wasn’t introduced until the 1940s when writing became a profession. The reason for writer’s block is because of the lizard brain.  The lizard brain doesn’t want you to be responsible.”

 “The stories you’re telling yourself about why you can’t do it, or why you’re not good enough are all invented.”

 “Scratching is your choice – taking your eye off the ball – taking yourself away from what you could’ve been doing all along.”

Godin so elegantly discussed how people need to stop seeking approval and adhering to authority, and need to start taking responsibility. He explains that many of us have the false assumption that if we were to have more authority, we could do more, and we could do something that actually matters. In reality, Godin explains, if we want to start doing work that matters, we need to start taking action and responsibility, and stop using excuses.

Godin challenges attendees to ask themselves: How do you choose to matter? It’s not about getting bigger or winning some race. It’s about figuring out how you matter. When we are doing work that matters, we are changing other people. Stand for something. Take responsibility.  Give credit.  Embrace risks.

Godin tells the crowd that the story you are telling yourself, what you think you can’t do, and what you think your weaknesses are, are all invented.  According to Seth, “You already have what you need to get to the next level.”

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Stayed tuned for the rest of my inspirational takeaways from Inbound 2015. Hopefully they will inspire your marketing (and life), as they did me.