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After having spent an incredible amount of time in the marketing industry and having worked with dozens of marketing platforms, tools and gadgets, when we founded our consulting firm, we certified our team as a HubSpot Solution Provider. This doesn't mean that we're not knowledgeable in other areas of the marketing tech stack world.
This simply means that we made a decision and chose the best, single, all-in-one solution for our clients. Now, does this mean that we're sticklers for "only" HubSpot? No, because at the very end of the day, it's always about what works best for our clients. It also means, however, that we have done the research and do tell our clients what works and what doesn't. We know what the marketing platform competition offers and we have yet to work within a single, unified marketing machine that can accommodate the requirements needed to increase lead generation, enhance user experience and amplify client messaging for every size organization - literally.
We've created unique solutions, some of which have contained the following platforms - all of which we have experience working within and creating successful solutions for our clients within:
If you've noticed, there's a theme here. And where there isn't (project management), there actually is. Out of all the listed essential marketing platform categories above, HubSpot is in almost every one - and it connects to almost all the above project management solutions. Crazy, right? But, isn't it better to not put all your marketing eggs into one basket?
Unlike other areas of life, such as investments, placing your marketing eggs into a single basket is actually ideal for several reasons, but mainly because HubSpot has all the robust capabilities you need to evaluate your marketing efforts from all angles. And, when building a marketing campaign, all angles matter. If you're not able to track the effort and assets that go into your KPIs, you'll never be able to understand the efficacy of your efforts.
The most common question that we're asked is about the pricing model for HubSpot. It's often the most common complaint as well. When you view HubSpot's pricing, it can be overwhelming as you don't always know what you need and what's worth it when considering your immediate needs. This typically leads to companies overspending on HubSpot tools that are premature when considering their present marketing status, or underspending and trying to find other solutions to plug-in to HubSpot that actually end up costing clients more than overspending in HubSpot (yes, this happens often).
So, from a high level, here's the best way to approach what you need for a HubSpot set up:
Many companies only use HubSpot's CRM - typically the sales teams. Now, HubSpot's CRM does have some significant features, including scheduling and automated communications. The one question we always present to CRM users is, "OK, you have your prospects, leads and customers set up and they're being nurtured by your sales team. But what happens after the sale?" Your relationship with that contact doesn't end after they've accepted or turned down your offer.
If they're an ideal existing or new customer, you want to make sure that you're retaining their business by maintaining your relationship with them and continuing to provide value. If you're dealing with a list of leads that didn't bite on your offer, the challenge has just begun. They need to continue to be communicated with and be convinced that you're the best solution. By utilizing both HubSpot's CRM and CMS, you can easily see the journey of your ideal customer from start to infinity.
In all transparency, as a HubSpot Solutions Provider, we do receive a small commission when suggesting their solutions to clients. If you've explored our Services, however, you'll see that as marketing consultants, we offer services that provide a full, holistic solution for growing businesses. And if our solutions don't benefit our clients, we're out of business.
So, we recommend HubSpot solutions to our clients because of two very simple and straightforward reasons: #1 - it's easy for our clients to maintain and manage after we're out of the picture, and #2 - it unifies their marketing needs into one, powerhouse platform that gets results.
As a client working with us, we'll always suggest HubSpot as a solution for you, but only if you need one. If your systems are beautifully set up and polished, there's no need to fix things that aren't broken. We'll work alongside your existing tech stack processes and work to educate your teams about how to best leverage what you have in order to yield the results you're looking for.
If you see yourself as a struggling or indecisive HubSpot user or are looking for a new solution, let us know - we'd be happy to set you up on the right path and will even throw in a free content planner template for you to help you make the most of your platform.
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