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Our business depends upon delivering client results, so we choose to use HubSpot
Updated April 08, 2015

Our business depends upon delivering client results, so we choose to use HubSpot

Janalee Silvey | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Reseller

Software Version

Professional

Modules Used

  • eMail, Lists, Forms, Landing Pages, Workflows, Reports, Social, Call-to-action, Blog, Campaigns, COS website Design, Prospects, Integrations

Overall Satisfaction with HubSpot

We use HubSpot for our own site, as well as implement and manage HubSpot on our client's sites, (those for whom it makes sense and is a good fit in terms of price, value, and functionality that meets the level of their needs). Most of our clients are business owners who involve their Marketing and Sales teams in HubSpot activities. We have used it to eliminate different databases between CRM and Marketing Automation systems, and streamline activities so they don't need to use separate email, CRM, and website platforms.
  • Smart Lists: It's incredibly easy to create a dynamic list based upon segmented list information, then use it to kick off an automated workflow.
  • Workflows: This is where things get fun - setting up a workflow by selecting specific criteria or actions that apply to a contact (such as completing a form or visiting a web page) and using them to kick off an action, like sending a notification to the lead owner, sending the lead an email, or adding them to a new list to further segment these leads.
  • Prospects: We enjoy showing clients (at the Professional level) what the Prospects list they will be receiving looks like. That's when they get excited, being able to get a list delivered to their inbox daily showing them companies who have visited their website the previous day (or you can get into the Prospect Tool and dig back further in time). They can see if someone from the IP address of a lead they contacted the previous day visited their site, or viewed the landing page they directed them to. It takes a bit of deduction since Prospects haven't identified themselves specifically, but it gives the sales person an incredible amount of info for them to use as they have further discussions with the lead (like what web pages they viewed, and therefore their area of interest).
  • COS System Design: Designing on the COS platform is simple and straightforward, with a higher level of design flexibility than other systems, at a lower cost due to less time involved.
  • Blog post creation: It's exceptionally easy to create a new blog post, and the system walks you through all the SEO elements, including use of keywords and best practices for meta data character limits, etc.
  • Help and Support: This is possibly their biggest strength, one that we certainly hope they maintain now that the company has completed their initial IPO. The Help & Support line is well staffed, resulting in little to no wait time, with knowledgeable and friendly HubSpotters eager to help out. They make you feel they're glad you called, and genuinely are concerned that you understand the answer or that they have done every thing possible to assist. They're not apparently evaluated on the number of calls they take per hour, so are relaxed and able to focus on finding the best answer to your problem.
  • They are constantly adding new features, updating existing tools, and bringing out new products, which can all be a bit difficult to keep up with for users. Especially for those who aren't in the system on a daily basis. Even as a Partner, we can find it difficult to keep up sometimes. Still, they offer an incredible depth of training (including annual required Partner Certification training), which helps get everyone onto the same footing. But learning about new features and moving navigation and "get ready for the new look" can be a bit daunting.
  • The system can get hung up, requiring you to refresh or revisit to try again. They've recently added notifications at the top of the screen to tell you what they are aware of that may be buggy at the moment and what they're doing to fix it, which at least makes you feel like you're not the only one experiencing the issue.
  • The search feature doesn't always pull up pages that include the keyword you're searching for, which can be frustrating if you're looking for a particular page and you know exactly what it's called, but they say doesn't exist. Instead, you'll find it by reading down the list - not easy, if you have hundreds of landing pages.
  • We need to do monthly reporting for multiple clients, but the system only really allows you to take screen shots to grab the info you're looking for. They have gotten around this somewhat by sending a canned monthly powerpoint that includes standard slides of info that many might find useful, but they are so broad that they won't work for our clients who require more in-depth analysis. So we copy and paste pages into a powerpoint, or create our own tables and charts.
  • We're able to nurture leads that otherwise we wouldn't have had time to contact.
  • It's like having a knowledgeable 24/7 sales person working tirelessly in the background, sending leads, providing prospects with info they're looking for, and saying Thank You.
  • The Sales Team gets very excited to have fresh leads coming to them daily, with insight into background info that can make the initial call go so much easier.
HubSpot is easier to use than Marketo or Pardot - many clients are unhappy with these applications, and want something easier to use. With HubSpot, it's easier to get these clients involved in the process, because the software doesn't get in the way.
Compared to stand alone email platforms, HubSpot is exceptionally valuable since the info and lists don't need to be exported out into another system or manually compared in order to get a full picture of what is really going on with a lead or prospect. Now that they've added the Social suite of tools, we've also been able to eliminate HootSuite on HubSpot accounts.
It is best suited for mid-sized companies, not so much for extremely small enterprises where the business owner either has little time to devote to blogging and email, or had too small of a budget to be able to hire someone to do it for the business. It's also not good for clients who are looking for a quick result, since it takes time to set up, add content, and then get a consistent level of publishing going on. If a client asks us for a 3 month or 6 month trial, we tell them it isn't a good fit, particularly if we don't feel they are suited to longer term marketing initiatives. Also not good for companies who have too many levels of approval for OK'ing content for publication, or have a stranglehold on allowing employees to use social media on their behalf.

Using HubSpot

3 - Analytical, detail oriented
Organized
Self-starter to resolve problems
Good at writing content
It's easy to use, and addictive to see how your emails and campaigns are doing. Although you can certainly export your data and import it into another application, I would prefer to stay with HubSpot since the Help provided by other services falls so far short of what we require. We're happy, and it's easy to stay.

Using HubSpot