Seeking an Agile Inbound Solution
With literally millions of users and millions of more potential customers online, Cloud Technology Solutions was aware that inbound marketing would be key to its continued growth. However, when Gary Bennion started in the role of Digital & Product Director eight months ago, he says that it was clear that some changes would first be necessary.
“As is the case with many fast-growing businesses, the structure of our marketing data wasn’t fantastic. We had lots of different contact lists, but we weren’t nurturing them in an effective way. There wasn’t an overarching strategy in place; it was all very week-to-week.”
At the time, CTS was using Pardot, but Gary decided to make the switch to the HubSpot software, which he had discovered when he was working as a director for a digital agency.
“Many of our clients had moved to HubSpot, so I knew first-hand what the software and methodology could do and how successful we could be with it. HubSpot was easy to use, and our marketing team would be able to self-administer it from day one, which was a key consideration for us. I was also a big fan of its analytics and reporting features, which would help us be more accountable and make data-driven marketing decisions. We signed up in 2017.”
Quick and Seamless Migration
CTS had only three weeks in which to migrate all its data, which included twenty thousand contacts and dozens of workflows and email templates, to the HubSpot software.
“It was a short timeframe, but the HubSpot team stepped up to give us the extra support we needed. Our HubSpot technical consultant had answers to every question that we had, and she was made sure that the HubSpot side of things was set up in a way that would work for us,” says Gary.
Once the migration process was complete, CTS concentrated on optimising its online presence. It now runs all its social media posts through the Social Inbox, and it has added an active blog and content such as product guides, case studies and events promotions. Visitors are encouraged to interact through Calls-to-Action and Forms, and they are then entered into Workflows and nurtured with email campaigns relevant to their interests.
“We’re big fans of Marketing Analytics and the reports we can generate. Before, we didn’t have a clear view on whether our actions were getting results, so we had a scattergun approach. Now, we can be more intelligent about where we focus our time and effort.”
CTS plans to be with HubSpot for the long term, and it is committed to getting the most out of the platform. Every member of the team is HubSpot certified, and they regularly use the HubSpot Academy to top up their knowledge.
“The certification courses are really in-depth. They are a great way to immerse our more junior staff in the inbound methodology, but even our most senior people find them to be a good refresher. We’re also working with a HubSpot Premier Services consultant, who is helping us with everything from granular personalisation to campaign tracking. They’ve been like an extension of our team.”
In the Fast Lane to Results
In just six months CTS has achieved outstanding results. Website traffic is up by 83%, while leads have increased by 33%, from 300 a month to 400.
“We’ve found that the quality of the leads we’re getting is much better as well, particularly on the ecommerce side of the business. For example, our most recent email campaign for the Google Jamboard was the most successful one we have ever run from a revenue perspective and that wouldn’t have happened without HubSpot,” explains Gary.
In fact, the company has had its most successful year to date from a revenue perspective.
“The HubSpot software has definitely contributed to that. We’re looking forward to seeing what more we can achieve with HubSpot and the team over the next 12 months because some of our products have long sales cycles."
Gary has already recommended HubSpot to his fellow digital marketers in other organisations. He has done so, he says, because of the quality of the software but also the support that comes with it.
“HubSpot talks our language, and that’s refreshing. It’s committed to continual product development – there have been three big feature releases since we started – and we know that it’s also committed to helping us succeed. We feel that this is a company that we have a real partnership with, and we want that to last long into the future.”
