Amanda Berger & Monica Caraway
Everyone (and us!) in the HubSpot Universe is still reeling from the annual INBOUND conference earlier this month. If you work with (or for) HubSpot, the onslaught of announcements and buzz in the lead-up to and during the conference is keeping us all busy with learning curves, a frenzy of subscription signups, and evangelizing about all the cool new toys HubSpot has!
BUT, where's the recap of all the industry advice shared in HubSpot's typical top-notch sessions? Here we dive into 5 of our favorite streamed sessions to share some of the latest in best practices you need to know (Spoiler: AI will be mentioned a few times)!
5 Key INBOUND Streamed Sessions
Session 1 - Content Is Not King: The New Approach to Content Marketing
Neil Patel, Co-Founder, NP Digital
Neil Patel’s session was a fresh take on content marketing, shattering the age-old idea that “content is king.” He made it clear that in 2024, it's not about churning out content—it’s about the value each piece brings. Neil emphasized that quality over quantity is key, and marketers should focus on refining and updating existing content rather than constantly creating new pieces. He used Wikipedia as a prime example, explaining that its traffic thrives because it’s constantly updated, leading to high rankings.
Neil also discussed the overwhelming volume of content—4.6 billion pieces are put out daily—and explained that Google and social platforms are raising the bar for what gets noticed. Content optimized for algorithms alone will no longer cut it; content needs to deliver real value to your audience.
His research shows that top-ranking sites spend 69% of their time updating content, which outperforms creating new posts. In fact, Neil highlighted that blogging still remains a powerful strategy for driving results, with websites that maintain a blog seeing impressive boosts in organic traffic, backlinks, and conversions, as shown in the chart below.
Neil also touched on the risks of relying too heavily on AI for content generation. While AI can help speed up the process, it often leads to generic, uninspiring content that struggles to connect with readers. Neil noted that his research shows that 61% of readers prefer human-written content, which tends to drive higher engagement.
Test Content on X
Neil's final tip? Consider testing your content on X (formerly Twitter) first. The platform doesn’t penalize low engagement like others do, making it a great place to experiment. Content that performs well can then be scaled to other platforms or repurposed for webinars.
Bottom line: Value doesn't require volume. Create meaningful, targeted content that resonates, and update existing work to keep it fresh. AI may assist, but human originality and insight will always stand out in today’s crowded content landscape.
Session 2 - Unleashing Your Marketing Team’s Potential with AI
Zeynep Inanoglu Ozdemir, CMO, Atlassian
Atlassian’s CMO Zeynep Inanoglu Ozdemir made one thing clear: AI is a powerful partner in the marketing world, but it shouldn’t be feared as a rival. She described AI as a “creative partner” that can suggest new ideas and concepts beyond the capabilities of any single team member. With 89% of marketers using AI regularly, it’s clear the industry is already embracing the potential.
Zeynep stressed that AI's greatest strength lies in streamlining tasks like content research, idea generation, and efficiency improvements, noting that:
- 51% of marketers report that AI improves the quality of their work
- And 49% said it speeds up processes.
The takeaway: AI is not a threat. It frees up marketers to focus on more strategic, high-level tasks, turning it into a secret weapon for creative breakthroughs.
Session 3 - Scaling From Millions to Billions While Boosting NPS
Adam Jones, Unipart Logistics
In this session, Adam Jones from Unipart Logistics shared insights on how companies can scale while improving their Net Promoter Scores (NPS). The secret? Leverage AI for growth. This session also looked at how AI tools like prompt engineering and content assistants can boost marketing effectiveness.
Adam mentioned that AI assistants should be treated like "enthusiastic interns" - it wants to do good, but you have to show it how. So while AI has the potential to create great drafts, it needs to be taught what “good” looks like. HubSpot’s approach includes tools like Breeze AI, which can help create podcast scripts, generate episode artwork, and even craft episode descriptions.
Critical Point: AI isn’t just for content—it’s for solving bigger business challenges, from attracting prospects to delighting customers.
Session 4 - Thriving in Discomfort: How Being Uncomfortable Fuels Growth
Jay Schwedelson, Guru Conference Speaker
Jay Schwedelson's (one of our fav marketing gurus!) held a session on the last that day that was all about pushing boundaries and embracing discomfort as a growth driver in marketing. He emphasized that to stand out, especially in today’s saturated market, marketers need to focus on authenticity and human connection.
One of his key takeaways was the rise of Lo-Fi content—unpolished, raw, and real. In fact, Lo-Fi content is currently seeing 74% more likes on LinkedIn and 64% more on Instagram compared to its highly polished counterparts.
Jay also shared an important update about Apple’s upcoming email filters. With these changes, emails that aren’t personal or human-centered will likely be filtered out. He stressed the importance of sending newsletters from a personal email address to land in the Primary or Updates tab—if not, marketers run the risk of their content ending up in the spam folder and never being seen (You can catch more about this on Jay's podcast episode here @ 3:48).
Finally, Jay emphasized that there is no longer such a thing as "off-brand" when trying to capture attention. He encouraged marketers to push the boundaries of traditional branding, adopt more personal and unique tones, and be willing to experiment with unconventional approaches to resonate with customers.
Conclusion: Embracing discomfort and pushing the boundaries of traditional marketing, especially through personal and authentic content, is key to standing out in today’s saturated market.
Session 5 - AI-First Marketing With OpenAI
Dane Vahey, Strategic Marketing at OpenAI
In this session, Dane Vahey highlighted the immense potential of AI in marketing but also pointed out that many marketers are still scratching the surface in terms of how they use these tools. According to Dane, while AI is being adopted "like crazy," it's primarily being used for content marketing.
In fact, most marketers are leveraging AI for tasks like writing social copy, content drafts, and competitive research. While these are great starting points, Dane emphasized that AI can do so much more, especially when it comes to research and data analysis.
One of the key concepts Dane introduced was the idea of AI primitives—the core skills marketers need to master in order to fully leverage AI in their workflows. These include:
- Research – AI tools can sift through mountains of data, find relevant information quickly, and provide actionable insights. Dane demonstrated how OpenAI's tools can help marketers do real-time research, from understanding new markets to identifying relevant industry events.
- Data Analysis – AI can act as a "thinking partner" for marketers, helping them spot trends, optimize strategies, and even identify blind spots they may have overlooked. With tools like ChatGPT, marketers can upload complex data sets and quickly generate insights, giving them a more informed view of their campaigns.
Dane also discussed how marketers can use AI for brainstorming, noting that AI is capable of helping with ideation, refining messaging, and even generating first drafts. While AI may not yet be capable of fully replacing human creativity, it serves as a powerful creative assistant that can help marketers iterate more quickly and effectively.
Key Insight: AI is not just a tool for content generation—it can help marketers research more efficiently, analyze data with greater accuracy, and generate creative ideas faster. The future of marketing will rely heavily on these AI primitives to tackle complex problems, allowing marketers to focus on higher-level strategy and execution.
AI and Human Creativity in Harmony
INBOUND 2024 made one thing clear: AI is a powerful tool for boosting efficiency, but human creativity remains essential. The future of marketing lies in leveraging AI to streamline processes while maintaining authentic, impactful storytelling.
At Orange Marketing, we know HubSpot is the key to achieving this balance. As a top-rated HubSpot partner, we specialize in helping B2B SMBs, SaaS, and tech companies get the most out of HubSpot—from implementations and audits to marketing and sales optimizations.
Let’s get your HubSpot running at full speed with all the latest tools! Contact us for a free consultation, and see how we can help fuel your growth.
