by Frontier Business on
No matter the industry, everyone benefits from spending time with other professionals. As a marketer or business owner it’s even more crucial for you to remain current on the latest trends, strategies, and out-of-the-box thinking. One of the best ways to stay in the thick of things is by connecting with other marketers in online forums and chat groups.
Because the online world is so vast, it can be difficult to identify the most helpful groups to join. There are networking groups on social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Reddit, as well as specialized blogs and forums dedicated to the ins and outs of mastering the art of marketing.
To make it easier for marketers and small-business owners to navigate the labyrinth of online resources, we’re scouring cyberspace to find out which online hangouts are the most valuable. When we find a resource that blows us away, we’re going to highlight it and share all the details with you here. To kick things off, here’s the first online hangout for marketers that we think is worth your time.
Inbound.org
Inbound.org is a marketing community dedicated to helping marketers take their careers — and campaigns — from good to great. This is a premier spot to connect with other professionals, start or join a conversation about the latest buzz in the industry, and learn something new.
Inbound.org was founded in 2012 after two passionate entrepreneurs decided to create the kind of communal space they’d each been looking for online. Rand Fishkin, co-founder of Moz, and Dharmesh Shah, co-founder of HubSpot, had been tossing around the idea of a place online just for marketers where inspiration could be shared, magnified, and propelled forward.
Both Shah and Fishkin loved using Hacker News and Reddit, but didn’t feel that either of those forums really felt like “home” if you were a marketer.
“The power of Inbound.org was not just building a community,” Fishkin explains in an introductory video, “but also having a space where I, personally, felt like I could go and discover new content and find new, great things to share, and explore the world of what other people in the marketing world were reading and interested in and getting the pulse for the ecosystem and the community.”
They hope that the community will evolve into more than a place for great marketing content and become a source for professionals to find mentors and peers to collaborate with. The genius behind the concept is that it opens up the marketing world in a way that local, physical events just can’t accommodate.
Shah sees Inbound.org as a place where you can “find your marketing twin” — another professional who is dealing with the same challenges and opportunities as you but is somewhere else in the world. If you were tied to physical events alone, you might never find that person. He sees Inbound.org as the mixer where you can meet that kindred spirit without ever having to leave the office.
This online hub brings marketers together to learn, share, and get better. To join the community, all a marketer needs to do is set up a profile. Once connected, users can share links, blogs, and ideas, ask questions, and connect with influencers from every niche of the vast marketing world.
Inbound.org currently has over 138,000 active members worldwide and is shooting to reach 500,000 by the Inbound 2016 Conference in Boston next November. In addition to a forum where marketers share ideas and problem-solve, the community offers a tool to post and apply for jobs in the industry. They consider it a professional matchmaking service for marketers and the companies that need their expertise.
Marketers looking for a group of like-minded pros who are passionate about their work and striving to improve should definitely check out Inbound.org. From branding tips to maximizing marketing impact on a limited budget, Inbound.org might be the place for marketers big and small to finally call home.
