INBOUND24 often brings together some of the best marketing minds. This year was no different. It also had some star power with Serena Williams discussing the need to invest in women, David Spade performing a comedy set and Ryan Reynolds talking about his experiences getting into marketing.
Reynolds closed the conference with a marketing prediction, saying, “We’re going to see things moving faster.” At the other bookend of the conference, HubSpot proved this to be true. Innovation is accelerating at an unprecedented pace and it, along with the many exhibitors, are at the forefront.
Why Is Growth Down?
The opening presentation to all the attendees was about the latest trends in AI, marketing, sales and service. Yamini Rangan, CEO of HubSpot, said, “The real question is, how do I drive growth?” She explained headwinds are putting pressure on success. Traffic, conversions and retention are all down. That means growth is down.
Why is that? “Search has fundamentally changed," Rangan explained. "Now, with AI overviews, and soon SearchGPT, your customers are getting answers, without leaving search.”
The second issue is with social media, as social platforms are now holding customers much longer. “They want to create a sticky user experience,” said Rangan. It means fewer website visitors, and it only is going to continue.
She also displayed a scary statistic revealing that search volume is expected to drop by 25% by 2026. To make things worse, people do not trust brands.
Technology Needs To Solve Old Problems In New Ways
AI has the potential to overcome these issues. HubSpot’s customers are currently using AI for acceleration—they are speeding up what is possible and automating discrete tasks.
Marketers are now creating, personalizing and distributing content with AI. Rangan spoke about how AI is good at researching topics, delivering decent first drafts and iterating for different audiences. AI is good at personalizing content.
For example, HubSpot now offers Content Remix, which allows one simple piece of content, like a blog, to be converted into social posts, short-form videos and emails. This makes marketers more efficient.
Transformation is the next stage—it is taking what is impossible today and making it possible. Rangan declared, “It is all about agents.” They will work for you to create content, analyze social posts, and tell you how to amplify campaigns.
When it comes to sales, Rangan said, “The average salesperson spends just two hours a day selling.” Now AI is helping salespeople discover better by researching prospects. It helps with personal messages. AI is used to summarize the calls, making faster follow up possible. It eliminates some of the busy work.
Customer service is the art of delighting customers. An example of how AI can help is a support agent that can answer questions 24/7.
AI Is Leveling The Playing Field
Rangan closed her presentation with this message: AI will help businesses scale like never before.
HubSpot believes AI will help small businesses play big. Small to medium-sized businesses have the biggest opportunity to take advantage of AI to fuel their growth without having to add more staff, more technology and more capital.
Whether it is staying on the forefront of marketing technology or just being in your family’s lives, Serena Williams might have said it best: “Every day, try to be a champion!”
Mike Byrnes is a national speaker and owner of Byrnes Consulting LLC. His firm provides consulting services to help advisors become even more successful. Need help with business planning, marketing strategy, business development, client service and management effectiveness? Read more at ByrnesConsulting.com and follow @ByrnesConsultin.