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    Here I am, a month and a half into my journey with Soumya and Connect Labs! I can't say it was easy but it was worth it. It's hard to believe I've ended up in this role; I never would've imagined becoming an inbound marketing apprentice. In January this year I didn't even know what inbound marketing was! But I guess that's sometimes just how things work out. 

     

    The beginning - at the base of that mountain

    I come from a non-marketing background, I did a Bachelor of Arts at University of Melbourne (history major, for all those history major jobs that were waiting for me upon graduation. Idiot.). I was offered an honours year, but the thought of writing a really big essay frightened me. So I panicked at the end of my degree. It hadn't occurred to me to apply for graduate roles a whole year in advance! So I applied for every masters program I was eligible for at the University of Melbourne.

    I ended up starting a Master in Publishing and Communications 2011. And I loved it. I really did. I'd never considered myself an especially good writer. Competent, yes, but I had no flair, no drama, and certainly no gift. But editing. Oh, editing! There's nothing like picking apart another person's work. Making sure it all works. Making it flawless, absent of any annoying grammatical errors, incomprehensible spelling or frightening sentence syntaxes. I was in my element, guys. I could copy-edit the pants off anyone, I was actually excelling! I made real friends in this course, people I still admire and like very much. I was even working in a bookshop. I saw my life laid out before me like a movie: I would work in the bookshop until I graduated, whereupon I would be offered a fiction editing role at Penguin. As a young but passionate editor, I would uncover the next J.K Rowling. I would fiercely advocate for great works. A hot guy would be inexplicably be really into me and we'd have a complicated but touching romance which ended in true love. 

    Things got difficult - I needed more than a rope

    But alas, as I approached graduation, I felt unsure. I wasn't sure I wanted to be in publishing. It was a scary industry. It was changing, and no-one knew for sure what would happen. Instead, I applied for graduate programs as a communications masters graduate. I got through to a final interview at Telstra. Crossing the lights on the corner of Exhibition and Lonsdale, I rolled my ankle (high heels are a threat to the entire female workforce) and fell face-first into the pavement. Click here to see the exact location of my ruinous tumble. My glasses were bent and twisted. I was humiliated. My ankle was throbbing. My stockings were ripped. I hobbled into the Telstra building and tried not to cry while the kind lady at the optometrist in the lobby fixed my glasses. I was shaken and my confidence was shot. The interview did not go well. Four months wasted. Job hunting sucked. But I was hopeful. I didn't have to be a publisher, I could be a corporate communications minion! New career direction!

    So the job hunt continued, but I was still making pretty good money at the bookshop. I'd never travelled, so that became a little glowing ember within me. I saved up and went travelling, taking advantage of my joblessness. New York for a White Christmas with a best friend. Thailand for the luxury resort and cocktails with the girls. Spain, Italy and France with a childhood friend so I could finally see that damn Florentine Duomo I'd spent a semester reading about (it was great, I almost cried). And more job application disappointments. More close calls. Hopes risen and hopes dashed. A lot of crying. A lot of fantasising about what awesome but practical car I would buy when I finally had a 'real job' (Honda Civic if you want to help out). It was difficult watching all of my friends succeed, move out, begin their lives as their wonderful selves. I was left behind, cursed by bad luck (not because I suck, I'm sure I've been unlucky). 

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    Then there was hope - Connect Labs and Soumya

    In 2015 a friend (bless your heart, Tara) sent me a link to a volunteer position with TEDxStKilda. I applied, happy to help out in any capacity. I met up with the event director, Helen, who recruited me as the wordsmith. I wrote blogs, press releases, emails. It was good experience and the TED brand looked excellent on the resume. The event went really well, we sold out our tickets in 2 minutes! I was proud to be a part of it and it felt productive and worthwhile. This year I signed on again, as communications manager (Mum, I got a promotion!), so my duties have been a little broader. I needed a little professional help setting up a communications strategy. I needed someone with experience, with brains, with marketing kudos and with incredible good looks. Do you see where this is going? Soumya! 

    When Soumya mentioned the possibility of some work with her at Connect Labs, I was doubtful. I didn't have a marketing degree. I knew nothing about marketing. Especially digital and inbound. But Soumya, bless her, she believed in me. She said I was smart and that I would learn. Now, not to wallow in my own self-pity, but there's nothing like a few job rejections to make you feel like maybe you're not smart enough, or good enough, that you're not capable of a remarkable career. But eventually she got through to me. Now I have no doubt of how fabulous I am. I tell everyone on a regular basis.

    Especially Mum and strangers on the street, 'Excuse me, I work in marketing and I'm like, pretty good at it. Just so you know'. Soumya is good for my ego AND my career. Good combo.

    Success looks a lot like HubSpot + Inbound Marketing

    I've learned so much in this role already. I think there's been two big revelations. One has been inbound marketing as a concept. Having not known anything about it previously, it was a bit of a learning curve! But the thing about inbound strategy is that it just makes sense, even to me, as an arts grad! So what exactly is it?

    orange-quotation-marks-hi.png Inbound marketing is about using marketing to bring potential customers to you, rather than having your marketing efforts fight for their attention. Sharing is caring and inbound marketing is about creating and sharing content with the world. By creating content specifically designed to appeal to your dream customers, inbound attracts qualified prospects to your business and keeps them coming back for more.

    - HubSpot

    That makes sense, right? Give people what they want, earn their trust, don't harass them! Simple, but effective. The best way to get an introduction to inbound is through the HubSpot Inbound Certification. I have found this invaluable to my success at Connect Labs. 

    Consequently, the second revelation has been HubSpot itself, which I previously knew nothing about! If you don't know about HubSpot, allow me to explain. Basically HubSpot is inbound marketing software - it streamlines and centralises the inbound marketing process! You can make landing pages, host websites, monitor and publish your social media, create blogs (like I am right now), send emails and manage your contacts database. Among other things. HubSpot has many other functions and intergrations with other programs. They even have an Academy to educate you about inbound and the use of their software! It's neat. I approve. 

    HubSpot is an awesome tool. It's made my life as an inbound marketing newbie much, much easier than it should be. It is a treasure trove of useful information, guides, ideas, best practices and education. It's simple to use, it has a great interface and is exceptionally user-friendly. The thing I like about it is that its not entrenched in jargon. You don't have to be a marketer to take advantage of it. 

    So Soumya and I have been having a great time. We bounce off each other really well. We're hard at work in cafes, at desks, in offices, on couches. Sometimes on the floor. I'm not afraid to ask for help. We buy each other lunch, we go for walkie talkies (Got a Meeting? Take a Walk is an excellent TED talk) and celebrate our successes.

    And its working, you guys! We're on a roll. At Connect Labs, we've recently signed an exciting new client (we excel at inbound education marketing, in case you're interested) and as a result we've reached Gold Status. Now, I don't mean to brag, but this is kind of a big deal. This makes us one of the top performing inbound marketing Hubspot agencies in the Asia-Pacific region!

    Um, I didn't mean to tell you my whole life story. It just worked out that way. I'm sorry. I hope it was mildly interesting. But I just wanted you, dear reader, to understand where I'm at, where I'm from and where I'm going:

    I'm an inbound marketing apprentice at Connect Labs. Soumya is my wizard. We're Connect Labs and we're here for the love of inbound. 

     

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    Alex McLean
    Post by Alex McLean
    April 2, 2016
    Content Manager at Connect Labs. From a communications background but I'm a information sponge - inform me please! Lover of cats and the Saints. I'll quote the Simpsons at you all day. Let there be good content for all.