Sarah Bedrick Answers Key Questions About Inbound Marketing

This October at Converge 2015, our focus is to bring the best and brightest together to revolutionize higher education. In this series of blog posts, Content Marketing Intern, Mikayla Wilson, asks our speakers key questions. Read on to find out more about our passionate speakers and the importance of their topics. 

Name: Sarah Bedrick

Organization: HubSpot

Session: Inbound Marketing for Higher Education

 Date & Time: Wednesday, October 21 | 8:30-9:30AM

Summary: Learn why higher education institutions are turning to inbound marketing to improve their student acquisition. See how institutions can implement inbound marketing, along with a few examples of those who are successfully implementing it.

MW: Tell us more about yourself.

SB: For the past 6 years, I’ve been immersed in the world of inbound marketing, and in the last four of those six years, I have been doing inbound marketing at HubSpot. During my career, I’ve been a marketer – I have consulted on marketing for different types of companies and worked with others to develop sustainable inbound marketing programs. My passion inside and outside of the office is creating training and curriculum to help inspire and educate the world about inbound. I currently focus on delivering free inbound marketing education by leading the charge on HubSpot’s Certifications program.

MW: What is new and next in inbound marketing?

SB: For the past few years, we’ve been talking about contextual marketing being the “next new thing.” However, it hasn’t been adopted by most marketing teams just yet, even though the potential upside is so large. I see the next “new” thing being marketers going beyond the conversation of context in marketing to successfully implementing it.

Also, our HubSpot Academy customer training team is beginning to put more focus on process. After working with hundreds of customers, we’ve realized that unless inbound marketing has a process, it’s difficult to learn, adopt and see results.

MW: What challenges have you seen in higher education in inbound marketing?

SB: My fellow team member, Leigh Fitzgerald, speaks to many higher education institutions, and she explains the obstacles and challenges best. She says there are two main buckets schools fall into: smaller schools that lack brand awareness and larger institutions with great brand awareness that lack the ability to convert prospects into students. Thus, the challenges higher education institutions face is dependent.

MW: What are you most excited about for Converge 2015?

SB: Easy – the people and the learning. I know Converge has put a lot of TLC into making this conference the number one experience for marketers in the higher education space. Converge is going to bring it! 

MW: Attend Converge 2015 to hear Sarah and many other great speakers. We hope to see you there!