You can't beat HubSpot
Updated June 16, 2015
You can't beat HubSpot
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Software Version
Professional
Modules Used
- Full suite + CRM
Overall Satisfaction with HubSpot
HubSpot is being used by the distance education center as a means to market, generate leads, and recruit students into our online degree programs. Our unit has always had trouble putting together all the pieces of the puzzle for generating new enrollments. We have been farming much or all of the work and had mixed results.
We spent quite a bit of time researching how we could approach this ourselves. We came up with some ways we wanted to market the online programs and set out to find the solutions. We originally were looking at some other products. I came across the HubSpot brand while participating in some forums and decided to check it out.
As it turns out, everything we wanted to do and more was contained within HubSpot. After a single product demonstration, I was sold and within a couple weeks my administrators were too. HubSpot is helping us address our problems with recruiting and doing it in single platform. They also have and excellent training program for customers that has allowed us to dig into the Inbound philosophy and understand the product as a whole.
We spent quite a bit of time researching how we could approach this ourselves. We came up with some ways we wanted to market the online programs and set out to find the solutions. We originally were looking at some other products. I came across the HubSpot brand while participating in some forums and decided to check it out.
As it turns out, everything we wanted to do and more was contained within HubSpot. After a single product demonstration, I was sold and within a couple weeks my administrators were too. HubSpot is helping us address our problems with recruiting and doing it in single platform. They also have and excellent training program for customers that has allowed us to dig into the Inbound philosophy and understand the product as a whole.
- My experience is that HubSpot does many things very well. The first thing we fell in love with is the COS, content optimization system. They have built HubSpot so that it optimizes your content for you which makes everything we do more efficient and more effective.
- HubSpot does a tremendous job with product improvement as well. Not a single week has gone by, since we began using HubSpot, that they haven't rolled updates or new features. They also believe in a value added approach with the product and have never asked us to pay more or upgrade our account to have access to these features.
- HubSpot has provided us with all the training we have needed to work with their product. This is another reflection of their value added approach. They have training on the overall philosophy, the technical workings of the product and individual pieces that make the whole. This has been available to us from day one and we have never been asked to pay for it. We have another software company we use for our student data. We are severely under-trained in using it, because the only trainings they ever have available are thousands of dollars. I would replace that software in a heartbeat if I could, but I would fight tooth and nail to keep HubSpot.
- The one thing we came across that might be a weakness, was the initial setup. We filled out a survey that was thorough, but a couple designs decisions were made based on the survey that we would have liked to change. That being said, there was nothing wrong with the design. It may be something we need to change later however.
- HubSpot has allowed to do a lot more, with a lot less. We don't have a significant number of employees in our office. The thought of taking on marketing has always seemed daunting, but HubSpot gives us the tools and know how to do it.
- We have also seen improved lead conversion. Just in the first few months of use, we have converted enough leads to pay for the HubSpot for a few years. We expect that grow exponentially.
There really isn't another product that compares to HubSpot. It would take several products, working together, to recreate what HubSpot does from a single platform. Before I ever tried HubSpot myself, the integrated features had me very interested. There are products that can do part of what HubSpot does. WordPress is a SEO friendly website platform, HootSuite can help you deliver content to your social media platforms. Salesforce and Sugar are good CRM options. We never really tried any marketing automation platforms. Marketo is well regarded in that domain, but the cost was prohibitive for us. Based on my conversations with other users, it would have cost more than HubSpot to use and then we still would need additional products to perform other functions.
Using HubSpot
The two people in our company that use HubSpot are the Director of Distance Education and the Operations/ Enrollment/ Advising employee. This essentially covers all areas of our operations. Our unit markets, generates leads, converts leads, admits students, advises students, performs all operational tasks, and leads the university's distance education initiatives, training, policy decisions.
HubSpot doesn't necessarily require a marketing position or sales position. It also doesn't require a technology position. Both of us like technology and we also work with internet based software. The training and support provided to us by HubSpot has been all we have needed to adapt the software to our needs.
HubSpot Implementation
- Implemented in-house
Change management was a small part of the implementation and was well-handled