INBOUND 24: Key Takeaways on the Topics of AI and Leadership

Discover insights from HubSpot's recent INBOUND conference and key takeaways that are set to revolutionise marketing and admissions strategies for education providers with cutting-edge AI tools.

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to head to Boston, USA to represent HubGem at HubSpot's annual INBOUND conference. As a Diamond HubSpot Partner, the event is an opportunity to learn updates on HubSpot's functionality, get strategic insights from the big tech players in the marketing, sales, and customer service spaces, meet with other Partners, and to raise our profile amongst senior HubSpotters.

It was a jam-packed week of learning and networking, here is a brief overview of my key takeaways!

Revolutionise the way your marketing team works using HubSpot's new AI features

Artificial Intelligence was the hot topic, with dozens of talks throughout the week. At their Spotlight talk kicking off the event on the main stage, HubSpot announced an array of groundbreaking AI features for their customers designed to elevate marketing and sales efforts.

Over 200 features were announced during the event week alone (there have been around 1000 new product updates in HubSpot in the last year alone!), amongst these are advanced content creation tools that promise to streamline the process of generating high-quality marketing materials. For education training providers, this means more engaging and targeted content with less effort, allowing marketing teams to focus on strategy and personalisation.

These AI-driven marketing tools can analyse vast amounts of data from across the CRM, including the option for you to input your brand voice, that will create carefully crafted on-brand content that will resonate most with your audience segments. This level of insight is invaluable for schools, colleges, and universities looking to attract and retain students in an increasingly competitive market.

Transforming sales teams with the Copilot tool

Another highlight of the event was the introduction of HubSpot's Copilot tool. This AI-powered assistant is set to revolutionise sales operations by automating routine tasks and providing real-time insights, thus enabling sales teams to work more efficiently.

One feature highlight (that our team at HubGem is already using frequently) is the simple-to-use 'Prepare for an upcoming meeting' prompt that will summarise the latest updates from a contact or company record, and explain what topics the upcoming meeting should cover. Here's an example from a call I had this week with a sales prospect:

For admissions teams, the Copilot tool can significantly reduce the time spent on administrative tasks, allowing them to focus more on engaging with prospective students and nurturing leads. This means a more personalised and responsive admissions process, which can lead to higher enrolment rates.

Our key takeaways on the topic of artificial intelligence:

• AI models are becoming increasingly multimodal - supporting text, images, audio, and video.
• AI may be faster than us. It may be smarter than us. But it cannot be more human than us.
• 76% of HubSpot Sales Hub Users say AI helps them spend more time selling [according to HubSpot's own research]
• In Marketing: AI creates, humans curate.
• In Sales: AI offers context, humans offer connection
• In Customer Service: AI handles simplicity, humans handle subtlety.

However, adopting artificial intelligence is not plain sailing for teams. There were discussions around how many individuals are struggling to derive value from AI due to uncertainties in where, when, and how to use it effectively. According to HubSpot, the potential of AI as it stands is still largely untapped and businesses will realise its full potential when it becomes easier to use.

Interested in HubSpot's new features? Check out the HubSpot Product Spotlights and Product Roadmaps here. 

Interested in learning more about AI? HubSpot Academy offers 29 courses on AI, with more coming soon. 

Leadership and Culture: Building a forward-thinking organisation

Aside from AI and the HubSpot product, another recurring theme at INBOUND was the importance of leadership and company culture in driving organisational success across sectors. Thought leaders emphasised the need for forward-thinking strategies and the cultivation of a culture that encourages innovation and adaptability. I thoroughly enjoyed these 'big picture' sessions, here are some of my top takeaways from a leadership, business growth and culture perspective:

• According to a talk from Teamwork CEO Peter Coppinger, 39% of leaders cited outdated tools and processes as the biggest internal challenge they face in their companies in 2024.
• Having inefficient processes in your business is the difference between thriving and growing, or slow growth and frustration as you ultimately become outclassed by competitors.
• Leadership is the practice of imperfect humans leading imperfect humans. 
• Storytelling is a crucial skill for leaders to be able to communicate their vision effectively and guide their teams to make sense of change. Good leaders should look to upskill in storytelling.
• Trust in leadership involves reinforcing the key pillars of logic, empathy, and authenticity. Without leaders showing strength in all 3 of these areas, businesses will struggle, friction will have more of an impact, and teams will fracture.
• As a leader, if you don't treat people well, they will either quit and leave or they will quit and stay - damaging teams from within the company. 
• Workplace connection is crucial for employee engagement, retention, and productivity. The key elements that determine workplace connection for employees:
  • Colleague connection and collaboration, support and task interdependence.
  • Leader connection and the crucial relationships between employees and leaders
  • Task autonomy and the degree of control that employees have over their work
  • Employee sense of pride, and their belief in their organisation's mission and values
  • Role connection, the clarity and alignment of an employee's role with their own personal motivation and career goals. 

Interested in workplace culture and leadership? So are we! Check out our culture blog series and if you are looking for a role in a like-minded company, keep an eye on our job vacancies!

Keep an eye out for more takeaways from INBOUND 2024 in future blogs coming soon, including actionable tips on getting the most out of your marketing emails, sales or admissions strategies and how to use LinkedIn effectively.