Often when I talk to people about automating their online marketing with HubSpot, I hear the same two things: “I already use another program to do that” and “I can use a free service to do that.” Indeed, you can track traffic in Google analytics. You can track leads in your CRM. You can build landing pages with WordPress and send emails from MailChimp. You can post on social media using HootSuite. You can track campaign metrics with RavenTools. Or, you could let HubSpot do all of that for you (and a whole lot more), so you could spend your time getting better results with less effort.
Yes, there are alternatives to HubSpot. But here’s why I think there is no true replacement.
HubSpot integrates your efforts
It takes time and people to integrate multiple platforms. With HubSpot, all of the data and tools plug in to each other on the back end. That means is takes less time to launch a new idea. With HubSpot, you can get a new landing page or content piece up and running in minutes – not days.
When we work with customers, we need to know how our efforts have monetized for them so they can properly interpret the return they’re getting. We’re going to do everything in our power to get them that data. My options here are using HootSuite for social, Google Analytics, MailChimp reporting, RavenTools to track campaigns and exporting spreadsheets across each tool before compiling the data into a meaningful story. Wow, what a drain on time! Or we can use a tool (just one tool!) that has already integrated all of these reports automatically. It’s simple math: We prefer to spend time and money creating results for clients rather than compiling reports.
HubSpot is transparent
Speaking of reporting, you don’t need to wait for a weekly or monthly report from HubSpot. You can log in anytime to see the work going on, as well as progress and results.
In addition, HubSpot pulls together the numbers in a meaningful way. With Google Analytics, you can see how many people are coming to your site. But all the traffic is in one big, anonymous bucket. With MailChimp, you can see when people clicked. But you can’t see where they came from and which keywords they used to find you. With HubSpot, you can see who is coming to your website (the name tied to the URL) and how they found you. That’s real transparency.
HubSpot enables a “test and learn” model
With HubSpot, it’s easy to track performance and fine-tune your marketing for better results. You can set up different campaigns and track program-specific goals separately.
For example, say you have a new tool on your website like a cost benefit calculator. With HubSpot you can create two different call-to-action (CTA) buttons that highlight different features of the tool. Then you can use HubSpot to place the CTA buttons in different locations or to alternate the buttons randomly. You’ll quickly see which language and overall approach promotes more click-throughs. That can help you optimize not just your online marketing, but your overall message strategy.
HubSpot takes segmentation to a whole new level
Lots of platforms allow you to personalize communications based on demographics or some other data point in your database. With HubSpot, you can personalize communications using behavior-based workflows. For example, you can send a specific message to a person who’s downloaded a particular piece or gone to a particular page. (It sounds complicated, but it’s not. Just set it up once and you’re good to go.)
These workflows make your messages more relevant – and more relevant messages cut through the clutter.
HubSpot includes exclusive tools
In addition to all the insights I described above, HubSpot provides exclusive tools that give you insights on how competitive your site is. Similar services can cost a lot of money if purchased separately, but they are built in to your HubSpot subscription. For example, HubSpot’s tools deliver clear, action-oriented information about:
- Keyword opportunities to consider
- How you rank with your current keywords
- How your site ranks against competitors
In summary, HubSpot eliminates a lot of the time you currently spend analyzing and building things (which costs money), so you can jump right to doing things (which makes money). When you look at the math that way, the alternatives can be pretty costly.
-Andy
