Investing in marketing and sales software like HubSpot is a big decision.
You need to know what you're getting into, but especially if you're a B2B company, it's essential that your entire sales, marketing, and operations teams are on board with the platform and its capabilities. This begs the question: What makes a good B2B platform?
It can be a challenging task discerning the platforms apart from one another, and which one is superior to another. It all comes down to your business case for using it and the strategy and maintenance of the roll out!
Is HubSpot worth it? Is it the best platform for B2B?
To help you, we're going to tackle this question. In fact, on a recent episode of the B2B Better Podcast, our CEO Ali Schwanke actually sat down with Jason Bradwell to talk about this very subject, based on the question: Is HubSpot the best platform for B2B?
Whether you’ve just started to move away from spreadsheets, have Frankensteined together a host of software and solutions (and aren’t sure how much longer this house of cards can last), or you’re simply ready to see the efficiencies of automation, we know you're asking if HubSpot is worth it. So (spoiler alert - it is) we’ve got 9 reasons why HubSpot is the go-to platform for thousands of B2B companies worldwide.
1. It’s so much more than just marketing automation.
While HubSpot got their start in marketing automation, the platform has advanced to become so much more than that. With the introduction of their CRM (and associated Hubs), HubSpot transformed their offering from marketing-focused to business growth-oriented, streamlining visibility of the entire customer journey from lead to customer close to service.
2. It’s not just for marketers.
Speaking of their CRM, HubSpot’s functionality encompasses the entire spectrum of customer facing roles. Meaning this platform meets your needs as a marketer, a salesperson, and a customer service agent. And because the various Hubs all lead back to the same CRM, you can be assured that everyone is working off the same data source for every customer interaction.
3. It comes with freebies.
HubSpot offers a free version of their platform, meaning you can take it for a test drive before you commit to the purchase. But like any kind of software or automation tool, you get out of it what you put in. Which is not to say you need to upgrade past the free version, but rather that this tool will work best for an organization willing to put the time in and lay a good foundation.
A quick note: The free version of HubSpot has limited functionality. To get their full suite of services you will need to upgrade.
4. It’s made for anyone to use.
Sometimes it can feel like you need a degree in software engineering just to use the basic functionalities of a tool. HubSpot isn’t like that. It was made for everyone to use, with an intuitive user experience that lets you get back to focusing on what you do best.
5. It helps you understand the intent of potential buyers.
Do you know why a specific prospect or lead is engaging with you? Understanding the intent of your contacts and why they are engaging with you in this specific moment is the key to creating a contextualized conversation that drives them closer to purchase instead of driving them closer to your competition.
And HubSpot makes it easy. Their lifecycle stages (Subscriber, Lead, MQL, SQL, Opportunity, Customer Evangelist, Other) break down the entire journey so you know exactly where a contact is at any moment – and how best to communicate with them.
6. It helps you lead score – and avoid giving sales “junk leads.”
Lead scoring is an essential functionality of any successful marketing team. Just ask a salesperson how frustrating receiving a “junk lead” can be and you’ll begin to understand why lead scoring is such a necessity. HubSpot offers two methodologies for lead scoring: manual and predictive.
- Manual Lead Scoring: Based on a predetermined scoring system, leads are assigned points based on specific activities. Ex: An email might earn a lead 5 points whereas attending a webinar would earn them 40 points.
- Predictive Lead Scoring: Powered by machine learning and AI technology, HubSpot will indicate when a contact is most likely to make the leap between stages.
But no matter which methodology you move forward with, the best way to ensure your marketing team is actually passing off qualified leads to your sales team is to develop the score metrics cross-functionally. In this case, it’s the more the merrier.
7. It helps you understand your lead status.
In conjunction with lead score, lead status provides your marketing and sales team with a more holistic understanding of where exactly your lead stands in their journey with you. Providing key insight into the velocity of which you should be marketing to them and the relevancy of what you are marketing.
HubSpot breaks their lead status down into five categories: New, Attempted to Contact, Connected, Open deal, Unqualified. However, they offer the ability to customize your lead status’ to better reflect your needs and your lead funnel.
And the result? Your marketing team is better equipped to serve as a consultative partner in your sales enablement efforts.
8. It creates efficiency between sales and marketing.
Speaking of which, ever been in a conversation with a salesperson who doesn’t understand or even want the help of their marketing team? This kind of disconnect is a direct result of disjointed efforts from teams who should be perfectly in sync.
HubSpot is the glue your teams need. Aligning the conversation between sales and marketing by providing the data to show what efforts are resonating with contacts and customers alike. Giving marketing the right direction and sales the right material to succeed. Say goodbye to wasted efforts and wasted resources.
9. It creates a shared understanding from the top down.
Beyond just aligning marketing and sales, HubSpot offers organizations a universal view of the sales funnel – from the tippy top to the very bottom. So your executives have the crystal-clear insight they require to accurately forecast the upcoming year, your marketing team understands how to best support every functionality in the company, and everyone is able to more cohesively work towards your strategic goals.
If you'd like to take a deeper dive - listen to the entire episode here:
Don’t just take our word for it, test out HubSpot and see why so many organizations have joined the hub. Let us know if you think HubSpot is worth it in the comments below!
Not sure where to start? Check out our free HubSpot Buying Guide to find out everything you need to know.
