"We started off strong, but now there's something wrong!"
Does the above statement describe your experience with HubSpot?
If so, you're not alone.
Most companies jump into HubSpot with the intention of quickly attracting more visitors, converting more leads, and closing more sales.
Unfortunately, many companies are left scratching their heads, wondering why they have fallen short of the marketing platform's promise to "Grow like a company twice your size while connecting like a real human being."
If you're feeling frustrated by a lack of results, it might be time for a HubSpot refresh. We say might because there are instances where HubSpot isn't the best way for a company to accomplish its goals.
In this article, we'll be outlining five phases to conducting an effective refresh to get your business back on track. But, before we get started, let's run through the primary reasons why a company might not be getting results with HubSpot.
HubSpot Refresh: How to Get Better Results From HubSpot
While there are a variety of reasons that HubSpot may not be working for your company, typically, there are five main reasons you could be failing to experience success with HubSpot:
1. You're overwhelmed by the software's capabilities and are trying to do too much too soon.
HubSpot offers a full stack of products for marketing, sales, and customer relationship management. Within each of those products, several different tools (social media management, SEO optimization, list segmentation, and so on) for accomplishing distinct goals.
2. You haven't been at it long enough.
Inbound marketing is not a quick fix; it's a long-term solution that grows with you. If you are creating content consistently, you will need to wait at least a few months before you see the results. Remember, the beauty of inbound is that its power compounds over time.
3. Your target audience doesn't actually search for solutions online.
As surprising as it may be, not every target audience is doing online research. If your industry lends itself to "old school" marketing methods, inbound marketing may not be an effective form of lead generation.
4. You have a short Buyer's Journey.
If you sell your products or services at a low cost, your customers probably don't do a ton of research before buying it. In such instances, extensive inbound marketing campaigns would probably be a waste of time.
5. You view HubSpot as a Pangaea, instead of a piece of software.
At the end of the day, HubSpot is nothing more than a tool. Much like a hammer can't build a house, HubSpot can't build a business. What you do with the tool is what ultimately generates results.
When It's Time For a HubSpot Refresh
From our experience, the most common reason for "failure to launch" with HubSpot is this: companies get overwhelmed by the platform's many capabilities and don't focus on what matters most.
The good news?
Problems associated with HubSpot overload — unfocused priorities, unorganized email lists, and unclear goals — can all be fixed by making a few small changes in what's often called a HubSpot refresh.
Here's our approach to a HubSpot Refresh:
How to Conduct a HubSpot Refresh
Phase 1: Strategy (Buyer Persona and Journey)
Every refresh should begin with a thorough inbound review session. As previously mentioned, HubSpot is simply a tool. The software's ultimate success or failure relies on you doing your homework to ensure you are answering the right questions within your content.
Thus, we recommend starting by revisiting both your Buyer Personas and Buyer Journey:
- Have we clearly defined our persona's struggles, challenges, and objections?
- Have we actually done customer research or are we just guessing?
- Are we too focused on unimportant demographics/psychographics?
Once you have fine-tuned these elements, it's time to look at your existing site.
Phase 2: Website Audit
During our almost twenty years in the industry, we've seen many beautiful websites. Surprisingly, we haven't seen nearly as many websites optimized for conversions. If your site isn't designed with conversion rate optimization in mind, you won't see great results with HubSpot.
Begin your website audit by asking yourself:
- What pages experience high bounce and exit rates?
- What steps must a lead complete to convert?
- Is our website navigation clear (do visitors always know where to go next)?
The good news? Chances are you won't have to do a complete overhaul. Most of the time, a few simple tweaks is all you need.
Phase 3: Content Analysis
Next, you'll want to look at your site's content. One of the biggest errors we see businesses making is writing about what they most care about, as opposed to what their customers most care about. Remember: Sell the sizzle, not the steak (lead with benefits over features).
Some of the questions to ask when reviewing content are:
- Can visitors determine what we do, and who we serve, within three seconds of landing on the homepage?
- Is our opportunity easy to understand, relevant, and enticing?
- Are we using language that is on point for our brand and the needs of our customers?
- Are we creating enough blog content (at least two articles per week to build organic SEO)?
Once you are finished reviewing all of your materials, it's time to evaluate the competition.
Phase 4: Competitor Analysis
While we would never suggest copying anyone's brand voice, style or positioning, there is one element that will absolutely overlap between yourself and the competition: SEO.
There's no way around it — If you are going after the same target market, you are most likely also going after the same keyword terms. Before committing to a content strategy, it's important to know what you actually have a chance to rank for.
Ask yourself the following questions when conducting a competitor analysis:
- What are competitors outranking us in that is an opportunity?
- What are we ranking for?
- What could we do to increase our rankings in both instances?
Phase 5: Platform Analysis
Once you have thoroughly reviewed your Buyer Personas, your website, your content, and the competition, you are finally ready to open HubSpot itself. This final phase is about ensuring the choices you make within the platform are supporting the information you just uncovered.
Here are some important questions to ask yourself:
- Does our Buyer's Journey align with our current lists, forms, landing pages, and offers?
- Are all of the above components working, organized, and easy to find?
- What email workflows do we have in place to support the Buyer's Journey? At the very least, you should have a workflow for when someone initially signs-up to receive more information.
- Are we tracking CTAs and Campaigns for effectiveness?
Besides staying organized, the most important aspect of your HubSpot analysis will undoubtedly be taking a critical look at the Buyer's Journey in relation to your website, offers, campaigns, emails, and forms/lists.
Ready For a HubSpot Refresh?
If you know you could benefit from a HubSpot refresh you have two options: Do it yourself or partner with a third-party to lead you through the process.
After utilizing HubSpot as the backbone for dozens of inbound driven websites (for ourselves and our clients), we've developed a streamlined process for maximizing its capabilities.
Sign-up for our 60-day HubSpot refresh, and you will walk away with:
- Cleaner messaging
- Cleaner lists
- Cleaner forms
- New conversion rate optimization tools for your website
You'll know exactly what to work on, and in what order, to improve traffic generation, prospect engagement, and lead nurturing. So, instead of spinning your wheels on tasks you hope will make a difference, you'll be working on the ones you know will generate results.
