HubSpot, in our opinion, is the best marketing platform available today. We have clients who don’t use HubSpot, and we have clients that do – those who invest in HubSpot always get better results than those who don’t. One MIT research study showed HubSpot users see 3x more website visitors, convert almost 5x as many leads, and 72% of HubSpot customers saw an increase in sales revenue in their first year of using the platform.
However, you should know that HubSpot is not the magic pill that makes everything work. There’s a lot of people paying for HubSpot, that might as well not have the platform. Those who don’t fully take advantage of the tools HubSpot offers, are missing out on leads and customers. We don’t like to see that happen.
In this article, we’ll talk about the 11 most common mistakes we see companies make in implementing HubSpot.
Common Mistakes Companies Make With HubSpot
This list is not exhaustive. There are many fundamental strategies when implanting an marketing platform like HubSpot. It takes a while to learn, and there are always new twists being added in, new features, and new opportunities. But fixing these common mistakes will help you tame the beast and start seeing better results from your efforts on HubSpot.
They Don't Make Their Site Responsive
One thing that has truly baffled us is that most companies still do not even know what having a responsive site means. They think that responsive equates to the idea of direct response marketing, but the fact of the matter is this is so far from the truth.
In short, having a responsive site means your site is compatible to every mobile device. In other words, if your site doesn’t adjust to different mobile devices fast, then you do not have a responsive site.
Download our eBook: Why Responsive Design
They Don't Setup Calls to Action Correctly
HubSpot provides a very powerful tool, but because most newbie HubSpot users don’t know how to use it correctly, it doesn’t bring back positive results. CTA's are the most effective way to turn visitors into leads.
Case and point, most newbie HupSpot users don’t know how to use CTAs properly and therefore are missing out on 80% of their conversions.
Hint: In these cases, simple is usually the best way to go. In other words, be specific in what you want your site visitors/leads to do. Be benefit driven, and for goodness sake, don’t forget about location, location, location.
Read More: 8 Best Practices for Effective Use of HubSpot Calls to Action
They Don't Use Landing Pages Correctly vs. Site Pages
Did you know that some companies still don’t even know the difference between a landing page and a site page? Yeah, we couldn’t believe it either.
You see, in short, a site page could be an About page or a Home page, etc. However, a landing page is more of a funnel page. It is a page that you use to generate leads and get new prospects to join your list or to enter into a sales funnel to purchase a product.
Each type of page has its own goal and/or objective. The type of strategy you use for your Home page is not going to work for a landing page or squeeze page.
Read More: Landing Pages vs. Site Pages in HubSpot: How To Use Each
They Import Bought E-mail Lists
Another mistake that newbie HubSpot users make is they import bought email list without properly segmenting these particular leads or prospects, which ends up in marketing failure because they are not delivering the right marketing message to the appropriate prospect.
Read More: The Only Way to Safely Use Bought Email Lists With HubSpot
They Don't Create Personas Correctly
Speaking of segmenting marketing messages/content to the appropriate prospect, some companies don’t know how to utilize the persona tool correctly in HubSpot, and most don’t even know what a persona is or why they are important.
In short, you can’t market to a school teacher the same way you would to a car mechanic. They each have different likes, dislikes, and interest, as well as different demographics that need to be taken into account.
Read More: Step-by-Step Setup of Personas in the HubSpot CoS
They Don't Use Content Offers for Lead Generation
Here is another one that really left us speechless. We are living in an information age. In the past, information was in the hand of the sales representative. If someone wanted to ask a question about a product before they bought, they would go to the storefront and inquire with the sales clerk in order to guide them with their decision-making.
However, thanks to the rise of the Internet, information is no longer in the hands of the sales clerk, but in the hands of the consumer.
If you are not providing content offers/information for lead generation then you got a hole in your financial bucket that needs plugging in. If you don't know what content you need to create, this article will give you some ideas of what you should write.
Read More: Free Toolkit: How to Repurpose Content
They Have no Workflows That Moves Their Leads Down the Funnel
Some companies still don’t even know how to utilize the workflow tool and how to strategize with it so that it brings in the strongest return.
In short, if your lead is bouncing around down your funnel instead of flowing through a smooth system the chances of you converting that lead into a customer is zero. That is where HubSpot’s workflows tool comes in to assist you.
Read More: The Exhaustive Guide of Using HubSpot Workflows Correctly
They Don't Setup Smart Goals to Track Their Effectiveness
And believe it or not, some companies still have no idea what SMART goals are and how to track them. In fact, business schools are even starting to teach the SMART goals concept to their students, yet business owners still have no idea what they are or how to implement them.
In short, SMART goals simply mean goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. But it is one thing to know what SMART goals are, it is something completely different to know how to implement them and track them.
Learn More: Get Our Free Goal Setting Guide
They Don't Correctly use the Keywords Tool
Now, any website designer/developer and Internet marketer knows the importance of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and how to capitalize on it in order to get their sites ranked at the top of Google, but did you know that most small business owners are not as educated in these areas when it comes to their line of work?
Every small business owner wants to be at the top of Google because this means a greater percentage of Internet users will be directed to their site and possibly become a lead or customer for their business. However, the majority of small business owners do not know how to master SEO, and Google for that matter.
That is where HubSpot’s Keyword Tool feature comes into play, but still most newbie HubSpot users do not know how to master this tool. We have provided a thought-out article that can aid in this area.
Read More: 5 Creative Ways to Use the HubSpot Keyword Tool for SEO
They Don't Setup a Valuable Lead Scoring System
Lead scoring is a feature that makes HubSpot unique. In other words, not every software provider like HubSpot provides this particular type of feature. But because it is uniquely geared to HubSpot, most newbie users are unfamiliar with it and why it is effective.
The reason this tool is so powerful is because it allows you to score leads so that you can easily determine which leads are hot leads and which are cold leads. In other words, it allows you to see which leads you have on your list that are most interested in what you have to offer.
We have provided an article to show you how to use this tool effectively for your business.
Read More: How to Use HubSpot's Lead Scoring Tool to Qualify Leads
They Don't Add CTA's in Their Articles
And circling back around to CTAs, anyone involved in sales and marketing knows the importance of asking for the close, but most small business owners are not skilled or trained in these areas.
But the main thing to remember here is readers are not going to follow through with something if you do not ask them to, just like a salesman will miss every deal in which he/she fails to ask for the close.
Therefore, we have noticed that most newbie HubSpot users fail to add a call to action (or a "sales" close) at the end of their blog post, even if it is just to ask the reader to comment at the end, or to share the article with their friends on social media.
In short, every message you put out (email, blog post, sales letter, etc.) needs a call to action.
Read More: 6 Blogging Mistakes that are Costing You Leads
How to Use HubSpot
If you use HubSpot correctly, you'll see an increase in web traffic, an increase in leads from that traffic, and leads walking through the buyers' journey at the natural pace. Setting this up, and making it work, takes time. Most companies won't see positive results for a few months. However, those companies who stick with a solid strategy, and leverage the tools HubSpot provides for a least a year, see tremendous growth. Just remember, it takes work using the tools, not just buying the tools, to get results.
