HubSpot's annual INBOUND 22 event was held September 7-9, 2022, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and online in a virtual venue for the first time as a hybrid event. One of the most popular sessions was the first day's "HubSpot Spotlight," in which issues of current interest to HubSpot and solutions were proposed, and new HubSpot features were announced.

This year's theme is "Crisis of Disconnection" and the solution is "Connect dots = Community". The spotlight will be divided into three parts, beginning with a keynote speech by HubSpot CEO Yamini Rangan on "The Crisis of Disconnection and the Era of Connecting with Customers," followed by CPO Stephanie Cuthbertson announcing new features, and CTO Dharmesh Shah on the launch of "Connect.com. The launch of the new community: Connect.com was announced by CTO Dharmesh Shah.

After the keynote, I looked around the venue and wondered if the round things were foreshadowing the dots (!)
Many of the sessions this year had a "community" theme!

We reported on the new features in our "INBOUND 2022 HubSpot Update Bulletin" blog, so here we tell you about Crisis of Disconnection and Connect Dots.

Three disconnects that prevent companies from growing: systems, people, and customers

Three Disconnects Hindering Corporate Growth: Systems, People, and CustomersYamini Langan interviewed customers and employees over a six-week period and concluded that three disconnects are hindering corporate growth.
The Corona disaster has changed the way we work, with the rapid digitization of companies and the increase in remote workers. Because of this, some people felt that the flywheel was coming to a halt, or that the pace of growth was slowing down. There are three disconnects that impede growth.


1. Disconnection between company and system
Companies now use a very large number of SaaS applications in their operations, as many as 242 on average. The problem is not that the number of applications is too many, but that the systems become disconnected. When data cannot be linked, work stalls, tasks become inefficient, and frustration ensues.

2. Disconnection between people
The Corona Disaster has reduced work-related relationships and social activities, creating a disconnect between people. People need a supportive environment for each other, whether it is a community of mothers with the same problems, a study group to improve their skills, or a business community to solve work-related problems.

職場での交流は45％減少し、社会的活動は57％減少しました

3. Disconnection between the company and its customers

These days, blogs, emails, and advertisements don't reach people. The newsletters from your favorite brands that you used to look forward to are now immediately sent to spam. Everyone is in a state of digital fatigue, which Langan described as the "Digital Overload Mode. Also, privacy attitudes are changing, and people feel that entering their email address to get free content is not worth it.

The old GTM strategy (go-to-market strategy) doesn't work anymore, and although HubSpot deals with CRM (Customer Relationship Management), the customer is not something to be managed (Customer Management), but to be connected (Customer Connection). The mindset of "Customer Connection" will lead the company to growth.

Translated with DeepL

They need to understand context more deeply than collecting customer data, connect with customers more than creating content, and engage with the community more than getting in touch. Specifically, he gave advice on what to do in the Attract, Engage, and Delight stages, following the idea of HubSpot's Flywheel. (See video for more details.)

Brian Halligan, co-founder and current chairman of HubSpot, spoke in a meeting with us during the inbound period, saying, "We need to practice the fundamentals of inbound marketing, Content x Context, at a higher and deeper level!" Inbound marketing is a very important part of our business. We felt that it is no longer easy to deliver content to customers these days, and that customers want more personalized information.

As a solution to the three disconnections, three powerful connections were mentioned.

• Connected Applications
• Connected Platform
• Connected Community

It is not sufficient to simply connect the various applications used by the company, but the business should be conducted using a coordinated platform. Also, marketing, sales, and service departments should not be independent. If each department is using a different CRM, then the gap between the customer and the business will widen and operations will not proceed smoothly. This story is the very concept of revenue operation that was covered a lot in INBOUND22.

Connecting the Disconnected Dots: "Communities" Foster Corporate Growth

In his keynote, Dharmesh Shah presented his vision of the ideal community and the new community, Connect.com, while sharing his own experience in community management.Mr.Shah shared with the audience his experiences in managing his community and the birth and separation of his family. Representing each individual as a dot, he explained that "a community is about connecting the dots. A community does not necessarily need to be large in order for members to feel worthy of belonging, but it is important that the dots (members) are connected to each other.

Mr.Shah and Mr.Brian are "BDF (Best Ditto Forever)" 

Communities can also help with the "crisis of disconnection.

Belonging to a community is not about who you are, where you are, or how many numbers you have. Everyone has value, can provide value, and can enjoy value. This is true for both personal and professional communities.

The Evolution Value Led Growth

The evolution of the "INBOUND" value that has led HubSpot to growth was described as follows

1. Sales Led Growth
A good salesperson does not just sell products, but is valuable in being a sounding board for customers, understanding their challenges, and providing solutions.

2. Marketing Led Growth
Content" like blogs, white papers and videos have added value. Marketing does not replace sales, it fuels it.

3. Product Led Growth
Great products lead to growth. The value here is the "code" - in HubSpot's case, free CRM and application integration.

4. Community Led Growth
And then there is community. The added value here is "connections. Instead of being alone when a problem arises, you can tap someone online or offline and ask them for help. Sharing ideas and experiences adds value.

What is the ideal professional community?

Ideas about the ideal (IDEAL) community image to maximize the potential value of the community were shared.

1. Identity
It is not merely knowing the company or school you belong to, but also recognizing what you want, what you are looking for, and what you care about more deeply.

2. diversity
Communities bring together people with common interests and different backgrounds and experiences. Interacting with people in different roles, cultures, industries, and geographies from your own will create greater value.

3. Engagement
Community members are looking for a place to engage with each other.

4. Action
The community needs action. There should be a marketplace where people can buy and sell products and content within the community.

5. Learning
The community should also be a place for learning, where people can connect the dots between what they want to learn and the products and content they want to buy.

Launch of HubSpot Connect (Connect.com)

HubSpot provides great software to solve customer problems. That's not enough; we also publish a lot of content over time. But that's not enough; another necessary ingredient is community.

That's why HubSpot has released a new community, HubSpot Connect.com. It is a network, academy, and marketplace all in one community. It is a completely open community with free registration. What you can't achieve alone, you can achieve by connecting with many others.

I'm feeling the Dermesh dot t-shirt obsession! Dotted socks too!

HubSpot has always been growing with its customers at the center, and after listening to the HubSpot Spotlight keynote, I strongly felt that the voices of HubSpot users and partners are reflected in the product development and service offerings, just as they say. I look forward to future updates and events, folks!