A complete guide to the HubSpot Platform for the novice
The universal truth is that the present and the future is the era of digitalization. Businesses need to make their online presence to succeed and scale. Gone are the days when you ran behind customers.
Today, businesses need to adopt the Inbound Marketing Methodology.
What is Inbound Marketing?
The phrase “Inbound Marketing” is coined by the Inbound Marketing Software provider HubSpot. HubSpot says, “Inbound marketing is a business methodology that attracts customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them.” It is a way for businesses to connect with their customers and establish long–lasting relationships with them.
Inbound Marketing replaces the ‘funnel’ model with the ‘flywheel business model,’ focusing on customers rather than sales. The flywheel is a circular model with three phases – Attract, Engage, and Delight. When the right force is applied in all three phases, you can create superior customer experiences. In the ‘funnel model, ’ customers move from marketing to sales to service, creating unpleasant customer experiences. But in the ‘flywheel model,’ all the teams must coordinate their efforts around the inbound methodology leading to delightful customer experiences. Companies that use the flywheel model over other models have a massive advantage because they aren’t the only ones helping their business grow — their customers are also helping them succeed.
If you are ready to build or grow your business with this concept of the inbound methodology, then there is no better platform than HubSpot. HubSpot provides all the tools to set the flywheel in motion and reduce any setbacks that could reduce the momentum.
In this blog, let’s explore:
What is HubSpot?
HubSpot is a cloud-based CRM platform with everything you need, from software, tools, integrations, and resources to align marketing, sales, content management, and customer service. It was founded in 2006 by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
HubSpot's primary goal is to help businesses transform their marketing and sales processes by providing a single platform for operating all customer interactions. The platform provides tools for businesses to manage their online marketing campaigns, automate their sales processes, and organize their customer data. Some of the critical features include email marketing, social media management, blogging, landing pages, lead management, marketing automation, analytics, and more.
Today, it is one of the best platforms in the market only because of its automation and personalization efficiency. The company also provides many educational resources, training, consultation, and 24X7 support to help businesses optimize the platform and increase ROI.
How does HubSpot work?
Growth happens when everything is synergized. Teams need to align their activities to achieve the desired results. Gone are the days when marketing and sales departments worked standalone. Today they need to come together with the customer service teams to enable an extraordinary experience at the different touch points of the customer journey.
HubSpot does not offer a cobbled solution but rather a solution crafted to eliminate the silos between teams and a flexible tech stack that is easy to adopt and implement. And with the customer being the center of every business decision, team alignment becomes easier. HubSpot provides a single source of truth wherein teams can nurture their relationship with customers at every point of contact in their journey. It unites the marketing, sales, and service teams. All the records are easily accessible by the customer-facing teams, thus, enabling you to trail every contact from the first touch.
Here are the basic steps of how HubSpot works:
Create a HubSpot Account
To start with HubSpot, you must create an account. You can sign up for a free account or choose one of the paid plans depending on your business needs.
Set up HubSpot Portal
Once you have created your account. You must set up your HubSpot portal. This is where you can customize your dashboard, add team members, and manage your contacts.
Create Marketing Campaigns
HubSpot offers a range of marketing tools, including email marketing, social media management, and SEO optimization. You can create and manage your marketing campaigns from within the HubSpot platform.
Manage Sales Activities
HubSpot also offers sales tools, including lead tracking, pipeline management, and sales automation. You can manage your sales activities and track your progress toward your sales goals.
Provide Customer Support
Finally, HubSpot provides customer service tools, including a help desk, live chat, and a knowledge base. You can use these tools to provide excellent customer support and build stronger customer relationships.
Analyze performance
HubSpot's reporting and analytics tools help you track and analyze the performance of your marketing, sales, and customer service efforts, so you can make data-driven decisions and optimize your strategy.
But initially, the tools, features, and functionalities may seem overwhelming, and that’s wherein an agency like Inboundsys can help you get started with HubSpot and optimize the platform to the best.
HubSpot Onboarding – Why, How, and Who?
Why HubSpot?
HubSpot is a popular choice for businesses of all sizes looking for a comprehensive CRM platform to manage their marketing, sales, and customer service activities. With HubSpot, customers are the center of focus, customization is easy, and teams are aligned through a connected CRM. Here are some reasons why you might choose HubSpot for your business:
All-in-one Platform
HubSpot provides a comprehensive set of marketing, sales, and customer service tools all in one platform, making it easier to manage your entire customer relationship process in one place.
Easy to Use
HubSpot is designed to be user-friendly, with a simple interface and drag-and-drop functionality that makes creating and managing marketing campaigns, sales pipelines, and customer support tickets easy.
Scalability
HubSpot can be used by businesses of all sizes, from startups to large enterprises. You can start with a free account and upgrade as your business grows and your needs change.
Integrations
HubSpot offers integrations with a wide range of other tools and platforms, including Salesforce, WordPress, and Zapier, which makes it easy to connect your HubSpot account with other tools you might already be using.
Data-driven Insights
HubSpot provides powerful analytics tools that allow you to track the performance of your marketing campaigns, sales activities, and customer service efforts. This data can be used to make informed decisions about optimizing your processes and improving your results.
Overall, HubSpot provides a range of benefits that make it a popular choice for businesses looking for a CRM platform that is easy to use, scalable, and provides a comprehensive set of marketing, sales, and customer service tools.
The Six Pillars of HubSpot
HubSpot stands on its six supporting pillars called ‘Hubs,’ Each hub has its unique set of tools.
Let’s dive into each of the Hubs in brief.
1. HubSpot CRM
HubSpot CRM is a cloud-based software solution enabling businesses to manage customer interactions and data in one central location. It is popular among small and mid-sized businesses and sales and marketing teams due to its ease of use and flexibility.
HubSpot CRM is free to use, with the option to upgrade to a paid plan for additional features and functionality. It integrates well with other HubSpot products, such as marketing, sales, and service tools, to provide a comprehensive business solution.
The FREE CRM includes
- Contact Management,
- Deal Stages
- Task Management,
- Reporting & Analytics,
- Integration with other HubSpot tools
2. HubSpot CMS
HubSpot CMS (Content Management System) is a cloud-based platform that allows businesses and marketing agencies to create, manage and publish digital content for their websites. It is part of the HubSpot suite of marketing, sales, and customer service software products.
HubSpot CMS provides a user-friendly interface for building and editing website pages. It also has a range of pre-built templates and themes to choose from. Users can easily create custom website layouts with the drag-and-drop editor with zero coding skills.
HubSpot CMS is available in two editions: HubSpot CMS Hub and HubSpot CMS for Developers. The Hub edition is for marketers and non-technical users, while the Developers edition provides greater flexibility for custom development and integration with third-party tools.
Key Attributes:
- Website themes
- Multi-language content creation
- Adaptive testing
- Drag-and-drop editor
- SEO Recommendations
- Contact attribution reporting
- Security
Ten reasons why HubSpot CMS should be your first choice in 2023
3. Marketing Hub
HubSpot Marketing Hub is a suite of software tools designed to help businesses attract, engage, and convert potential customers. It is part of the HubSpot platform, including Sales Hub, Service Hub, and CMS Hub.
The Marketing Hub includes a range of features to support inbound marketing, which is a strategy that focuses on attracting potential customers to a business through content creation, social media engagement, search engine optimization, and other tactics.
Key Attributes:
- Marketing Automation
- Lead Generation
- Analytics & Reporting
- Personalization
- Social Media Management
4. Sales Hub
HubSpot Sales Hub is a suite of software tools designed to help sales teams manage their sales pipelines, close deals, and build strong customer relationships.
Sales Hub enables your entire team to shorten deal cycles and increase close rates. It lets your sales team focus on the most critical aspect of business — closing deals with qualified clients.
Key Attributes:
- Sales Automation
- Sales Analytics and Reporting
- Sales Pipeline Management
- Meeting Scheduling
5. Service Hub
HubSpot Service Hub is a suite of software tools designed to help businesses provide excellent customer service and support. If customers are happy, then businesses flourish, and Service Hub helps your service team keep customers happy, satisfied, and loyal.
Key Attributes:
- Customer Portal
- Ticketing & Case Management
- Knowledge Base
- Live Chat
- Customer Feedback Surveys
6. Operations Hub
HubSpot Operations Hub is a suite of software tools designed to help businesses automate and streamline their operations, connect their data, and gain deeper insights into their business processes.
Key attributes:
- Data Management
- Automation & Workflows
- Data Quality & Enrichment
- Custom Objects
HubSpot Free Features
Many of HubSpot’s tools and marketing services are completely free and fully functional but with limitations. However, businesses can extract some value from them in their daily operations without ever paying for their use. Some of these free technologies include the following:
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Final Thoughts
Today, the market is flooded with many CRMs, CMSs, and Marketing & Sales tools, but nothing provides a complete all-in-one platform like HubSpot. But you need not take our word for it as, after all, the right decision will significantly impact your business goals and needs. Explore the different options available as you need to make a wise investment to gain maximum results.
Well, if you decide to go with HubSpot, a smart decision would be to partner with a HubSpot agency like Inboundsys to get the most out of the platform. An agency like ours has experts using the platform for a decade now and can help you use HubSpot optimally and provide continuous support.
But to be honest, some companies do not hire a HubSpot partner agency, and their internal marketing and sales team learn the software though the learning curve can get steep. But, if you have the time and resources, then HubSpot provides a pool of training materials to master it. And if you lack the time and resources, partnering with a HubSpot agency like ours would be an effective solution.
I hope this blog helps you understand all the noise behind HubSpot and its popularity. If you still have specific questions, our team at Inboundsys would be happy to answer.
Inboundsys is one of the leading award-winning HubSpot Platinum Partner Agencies with over ten years of experience working with the HubSpot platform. We take time to understand our client’s goals and challenges and take them through the most fruitful solutions coherent with their business needs. We can curate a customized solution tailored to your specific business needs and provide ongoing support and training to maximize the value of your investment in HubSpot.
Connect with us today to get all your questions answered about HubSpot!