5 Steps to Effective HubSpot Strategy in 2022

1. Conduct a HubSpot Audit
2. Define Your HubSpot Strategy Goals
3. Map Your Entire Marketing, Sales, & Service Processes Through HubSpot
4. Develop a HubSpot Strategy Implementation Plan
5. Revisit & Revise Your HubSpot Strategy & Implementation Plan Regularly

01. Conduct a HubSpot Audit

It's hard to know where you're going if you don't know what you've got. 

If your team already knows what HubSpot is and is actively using it, the best place to start with HubSpot Strategy is an audit. 

A HubSpot audit is designed to take complete stock of how your CRM is set up, what tools you're using, and what tools you're not. An audit will also help your team clean up messy contacts and all of the data that you don't need. 

Your team can complete an internal HubSpot Audit, or you can work with a HubSpot Solutions Partner to complete an audit for you. 

Either way, when your HubSpot audit is complete, you'll have a fresh start. An audit gives you a clear, defined map of what's working and what's not. The bonus — clearing up all of that messy and outdated data makes your CRM much less overwhelming!

Never heard of a HubSpot Audit? We've got the post for you. Check out What is a HubSpot Audit? for more info. 

02. Define Your HubSpot Strategy Goals

Once your HubSpot portal is lookin' clean and spiffy, you'll have the info you need to set some realistic goals.

Take a look at your audit — what tools are you using? What tools aren't working or haven't been touched by your team?

Then take a look at your growth goals and marketing plan for the year. What is your company trying to achieve this year?

• If you have plenty of leads, but your sales team is having trouble converting, maybe your HubSpot Strategy goals should be focused on sales enablement. 
• If your sales team is crushing closing, but your marketing team is having trouble delivering a higher volume of leads, maybe your HubSpot Strategy goals should be focused on getting more out of the Marketing Hub. 

Whatever your goals are, they should be big and overarching, but they should also be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.)

Don't say, "we want to get more out of the Marketing hub this year."

Do say, "by Q4 2022 we want all sales reps completing at least two activities a day in the HubSpot platform."

Your HubSpot strategy goals are your big wants. And, they should line up with your marketing, sales, and revenue goals for the year.

That's how you develop strategy that wins.

03. Map Your Entire Marketing, Sales & Service Processes in HubSpot

Okay, you know what tools you're using and you've got goals for your HubSpot Strategy.

Now it's time to take a look at how you could be using HubSpot Strategy.

We always recommend our clients map their entire marketing, sales, and service processes through the HubSpot portal.

One of our HubSpot team's most frequently asked questions is, "what's the best way to use HubSpot?"

Their answer?

However the platform best fits your process. 

So, now that you've audited and cleaned up your HubSpot portal, walk through your process, from the very first time a stranger lands on your site, all the way through the time they leave a review about your product or service. 

• Is your HubSpot platform set up to support that process from start to finish? 
• Are there parts of your process that might feel a little convoluted that your HubSpot tools can help to streamline?
• Is your sales pipeline set up to map deals the way that your sales reps work them?

This is kind of like a process audit, helping you and your team get a better idea of what your process is and whether your current HubSpot setup is supporting that process or hindering it.

If you find any places where your process stalls — like converting SQLs into true sales prospects — add it to your list for HubSpot strategy, and identify which HubSpot tools can help reduce that stall time.

And don't forget to write those key tools down, we're going to use them in the next step!

04. Develop a HubSpot Strategy Implementation Plan

At this point, the truly hard work is done. You've gathered all the information you need to develop a truly successful HubSpot strategy. Now, you just need an implementation plan.

Why?

Well, identifying problems isn't enough to constitute a HubSpot strategy. The point of a HubSpot strategy is to plan for and implement key tactics that will help your team make the most of your HubSpot CRM.

And that means you need an implementation plan.

Your HubSpot strategy implementation plan should work just like a marketing plan. Now that you've outlined the areas of your HubSpot CRM that could use work, your implementation plan will lay out exactly how you plan to address them, and which order.

If it includes nothing else, your implementation plan should include a list of top priorities for your HubSpot strategy in the year. 

Those priorities are wholly dependent on your company's goals, but here are a few as an example: 

• If you're tackling a lead conversion problem, your HubSpot strategy might prioritize developing lead nurturing workflows and sequences over optimizing chatbots.
• If your company is having trouble getting MQLs, you might prioritize your CTA, form, and chatbot tools over email marketing tools. 
• If your company is having trouble closing sales, you might choose to focus on optimizing and streamlining your HubSpot deal stages rather than setting up marketing workflows.

Beyond priorities, make sure your HubSpot strategy implementation plan identifies: 

• What your HubSpot goals are
• What tools you can use to achieve those goals
• When you plan to tackle each tool
• And whether your team will need additional training

Think of your implementation plan as a roadmap. You've identified the key areas you want to improve with your HubSpot strategy. Your implementation plan is how you make those improvements happen.

05. Revisit and Revise Your HubSpot Strategy & Implementation Plan Regularly 

As your team starts making improvements, your goals and tactics will necessarily change. It's important to remember that your HubSpot Strategy and implementation plan can and should change.

We recommend that companies look at their HubSpot strategy & goals at least quarterly, but some companies like to look at their implementation plan as often as every month to keep on track with tool development and training.

Whatever schedule works best for your team, it's just important that you decide on one, and review your HubSpot Strategy regularly. When your goals or processes change, you want to make sure your HubSpot platform is always supporting you as best possible. 

Have questions about HubSpot strategy? We're here to help! HubSpot strategy is a newer concept, and it can mean a lot of things. If you have questions, from what it is to how to develop one for your team, we're happy to help. Get in touch.