Blog Post- Week 1 (Inbound Marketing Essentials)

In a matter of one week, I have started to learn a lot about content development and search engine optimization. To begin, I learned how to create a blog, which is something that I was previously unaware was available to the general public. I thought it was interesting that a blog could be setup in a matter of a few simple steps, which I found out relatively quickly during the first class period. Moreover, most of the time in class this week was devoted to introducing HubSpot, which is an inbound marketing and sales software company. The services the company offers are quite impressive, especially if someone is attempting to increase their inbound marketing efforts or overall knowledge.

Furthermore, after I learned more about HubSpot and watched the tutorial videos during class, I was able to register online for the service. I thought that the company's website had a very inviting interface. Additionally, it displayed inbound marketing at its finest with the ability to watch its videos without the interruption of unwanted advertisements. I would recommend anyone seeking additional  information regarding inbound marketing or blogs to visit the following link from HubSpot, as it explains common terms that are used in the marketing industry: http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/inbound-marketing-glossary-list.

I think that the some of the most important information that I learned this week came from the HubSpot videos related to Chapter 1, which discusses inbound marketing essentials. Thus, I learned that there is a major difference between inbound and traditional marketing. Inbound marketing consists of search engine optimization, blogging, attraction, and customer-centric relations. On the other hand, traditional marketing consists of cold calling, cold emails, interruptive advertisements, and marketer-centric relations. I thought that this was very interesting because I was unaware that inbound marketing even existed before starting this class. I also learned that inbound marketing needs to attract, convert, close, and delight customers in order to be successful. This can be accomplished by following a series of fundamental steps, which include using buyer personas, using the buyer journey, creating remarkable content, and leveraging content. Overall, I believe that one of the most important ideas to take away from the introduction to inbound marketing is that it is a fundamental shift in the way that people do business. I look forward to learning more about inbound marketing and the advantages it has to offer and continuing to update everyone in the process.

The following picture provides an example of what HubSpot's website looks like: