AKA: The Brain
Known Associates:
Profile: One of the most well-known online media and marketing software companies, with a blog that is as ubiquitous as Facebook in the social networking sphere was co-founded by Brian Halligan. HubSpot, who has since raised tens of millions in funding, starting out as a humble marketing service company serving up websites, hosting, and other marketing tools for the early stages of online marketing. However, HubSpot was named one of the fastest growing technology companies to date, with the statistics to back it up. Halligan was part of that extreme growth, eventually becoming CEO of a highly profitable--and well known--company, earning him to be on the list of best inbound marketers.
In the same vein as Seth Godin or Brian Clark, Halligan has published works which ranked #17 in the Amazon Bestseller List. His most famous published title, Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs, has already sold more than 50,000 copies and has been translated into nine languages. It is considered a "bible" for inbound marketers, with valuable information on all of the most important pieces of inbound marketing online: content, blogging, Search Engine Optimization, and providing a quality service to customers. Halligan has also wrote occasionally for Inc. Magazine on the power of inbound marketing and segmented customers.
Unlike his fellow best inbound marketers accomplices, Halligan went with the route of university education to share his knowledge and teaches the class "Entrepreneurial Product Development and Marketing" as a Senior Lecturer and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at his alumni campus MIT Sloan. On top of teaching at MIT Sloan, HubSpot also powers Inbound Marketing University, an online training guide to help marketers discover the best inbound marketing tactics and skills.
Before becoming CEO of HubSpot, Halligan was a venture partner with Longworth Ventures, making sure businesses were able to have strong sales plans with robust marketing strategies. Halligan also previously worked for Microsoft and Groove Networks. In 2011, Halligan was awarded Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year. Current whereabouts have him located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Last Seen:
- Microsoft -- While working for Groove Networks, Halligan was poached by Microsoft to work for them.
- Longworth Ventures -- Venture company where Halligan was in charge of small business clients.
- HubSpot -- Halligan's own project turned profitable marketing software company.
- MIT Sloan -- Entrepreneur-in-Residence, teaching students about the "science" of inbound marketing.
Special Skills: Halligan is attributed to coining the term "inbound marketing," although the idea was more than likely a collective movement. Regardless, HubSpot helped bring the idea of better online marketing to the mainstream audience. However, Halligan attributes were more business based than blogging and content marketing, as he started on the venture side of things and eventually started to create his own SaaS company through many years of experience.
However, this doesn't mean that HubSpot has a weaker role in the blogging community for inbound marketing. In fact, HubSpot's content marketing strategy is perhaps the most well-known and successful simply for its generous publishing of free eBooks sent out to HubSpot followers as well as constantly highly viewed articles on the power of online marketing.
When seeking to become one of the best inbound marketers and want to be inspired by Halligan's tactics, it is good to have an analytical but traditional approach to online marketing. In a recent interview, Halligan mentioned how CEOs and marketers alike should act more like the savvy Don Draper of Mad Men, and less like Mr. Burns from The Simpsons.
Ethical, analytical marketing will always help in having that extra edge against the competition. A deeply-rooted knowledge in product management and entrepreneurial experience is highly wanted. Having this knowledge especially helped Halligan build up HubSpot quickly as well as amass millions in sales for companies he previously worked for. Hence, to be one of the best inbound marketers, is it always good to be a "Brain."
Notes: Halligan previously lived and worked in Hong Kong during the early 90s.
This post is part-one of the 11-part blog series "The Inbound 11," a collection of today's best inbound marketers as seen through the eyes of Magnetic MarCom. You can learn more about upcoming "Inbound 11" profiles by visiting our introductory post.
