If you’ve been in marketing for any length of time, you’ve either used or heard about HubSpot’s marketing and sales software. What does HubSpot do? HubSpot is an automation platform that appeals to marketers because of its ability to do a lot of the heavy lifting for your inbound marketing, sales , and customer support efforts. As powerful as HubSpot’s software is, its many options and comprehensiveness can be overwhelming without some sort of guidance.
Working with a HubSpot marketing partner agency is a great way to dispel some of the confusion around using HubSpot’s software.
What Is a HubSpot Agency Partner?
In a nutshell, a HubSpot partner agency is one that has an agreement with HubSpot to resell HubSpot’s marketing software. A HubSpot marketing partner agency recommends HubSpot’s marketing automation software to its clients.
Clients can work with a HubSpot partner marketing agency before, during, and after they purchase HubSpot marketing automation software. In return, HubSpot will recommend companies to work with HubSpot partner marketing agencies. These agencies have proven expertise of the HubSpot inbound marketing platform and use it to generate leads and sales for their customers. Each HubSpot agency partner is required to pass multiple HubSpot certifications and implementation exercises.
HubSpot marketing agency partners are assigned a tier level based on how much business they bring to HubSpot and how happy their customers are with HubSpot software. The tier levels are:
- New Partner
- Silver
- Gold
- Platinum
- Diamond
The purpose behind HubSpot’s marketing partnership program is to help customers get the most out of the marketing automation software. With dedicated partner agencies, customers can maximize their own marketing strategies and get the help they need to fully utilize HubSpot’s marketing and sales services.
Why Work With a HubSpot Agency Partner?
You may be thinking that agencies who partner with HubSpot do so merely to grow their business. While getting more clients and making sales is a big incentive to be a HubSpot marketing partner, it mostly comes down to providing better marketing and sales automation services to clients.
HubSpot’s marketing automation software can do many different things that will make your business’ marketing and sales more efficient and effective. If you don’t take the time to fully understand HubSpot’s marketing software, you won’t be capitalizing on all that it offers nor will your marketing efforts be as great as they can be. However, a HubSpot agency partner, like us, can help you take full advantage of the software's capabilities. Here’s are some reasons why they can help you effectively utilize it:
Familiarity With HubSpot Software.
HubSpot Marketing partner agencies know HubSpot software inside and out which means they can get you up and running on an effective marketing strategy fast.
Provide Additional Services.
HubSpot marketing automation software encompasses a variety of inbound marketing services including social media marketing, blog post production, email marketing, and website design. A HubSpot marketing partner agency can offer businesses multiple marketing services to help their companies grow.
Get Additional Access to HubSpot Training and Software.
When your business collaborates with a HubSpot marketing agency, you’ll get access to additional HubSpot software as well as training to help you get familiar with all the marketing features HubSpot offers.
Get Dedicated HubSpot Guidance.
HubSpot marketing agencies provide your business with a dedicated account manager that can give you in-depth consulting on how to best utilize HubSpot software to generate revenue for your business.
Access to a Large Marketing Agency Database.
There are around 3,000 HubSpot marketing partner agencies. If you use HubSpot or you’re thinking of using its software for your business, there are numerous agencies to choose from.
What Are the Reasons You SHOULDN'T Work With One?
For some businesses, working with a HubSpot marketing partner agency may not be a good fit. Here are some reasons it may be in your company’s best interest not to work with a HubSpot marketing partner agency:
- HubSpot software isn’t right for your business. HubSpot partner agencies are HubSpot-focused and breathe only HubSpot. If you work with any other kind of marketing automation software, you won’t get the help and guidance you need to take your marketing to the next level.
- You need help outside of inbound marketing. HubSpot marketing automation software is tailored to inbound marketing. If your marketing needs are in the areas of advertising, direct mail, events, or public relations, a HubSpot partner agency won’t be of much help as those areas are outside of the software scope.
How to Vet Potential Agency Partners to Do Your Marketing
You’ve decided to go ahead and work with a HubSpot marketing partner agency. How do you choose which one to entrust your sales and marketing with? Extensive research into the background, history, values, references, websites, and case studies is the first step to take when vetting potential HubSpot agency partners.
Ask Questions
To find the right partner agency, start by compiling a list of questions for them. Think of it as if you’re interviewing each agency to handle the marketing for your organization. Look at their website, their portfolio, their reviews and awards. Some questions you may want to ask include:
- Do they use service level agreements? If so, how do they prioritize sales and marketing alignment?
- Do they employ best practices in their sales enablement and content?
- How do they incorporate search engine optimization (SEO) into their marketing?
- Do they offer and leverage video marketing?
- How often do they experiment with their inbound marketing strategies? How innovative are they?
Research the Agency’s Strengths and Experience
Your business’ marketing is too important to hand over to just any marketing agency. You need a HubSpot marketing partner that has a history of delivering marketing results for their clients. Reading through a potential agency’s case studies on their website is a good place to look for this information. Ask yourself if any of the businesses in the case studies resemble the marketing needs of your business.
Again, don’t be afraid to ask questions. To gauge whether or not an agency is a good fit for your business, ask questions that hone in on the agency’s strengths. Some questions to consider asking include:
- What is their specialty? Is it SEO, video marketing, content creation, etc.?
- Who is their ideal client? What does their ideal client look like?
- If they should work for your business, what would their vision for the company be?
- How many long-term clients do they have? How long do their clients typically stay with them?
- How would they define your business’ sales or marketing funnel? What would they employ in each step of the funnel?
- How much will they charge for your business’ specific marketing tactics? What is the payment schedule? How long are the contracts? Can the contracts be broken?
Talk to Previous Clients
Online reviews found on Google, LinkedIn, and Yelp can give you a much better, complete picture of a potential agency. You can do all the research you can and still not get a full picture of whether a potential marketing agency partner practices what they offer. To get an honest, unbiased and accurate take on the agency’s effectiveness is to talk to past clients. They will be able to give you a complete perspective of what it is like working with the agency and how effective they were in bringing in more sales and leads.
Besides these invaluable, unbiased reviews, you’ll also get a better idea of types of businesses, industries and niches a potential agency has expertise in.
Define Your Marketing Goals
The first thing you’ll need to do before searching for potential agencies to vet is to understand your business’ marketing needs and goals. When defining these, be as specific as possible. This will help the vetting process.
Here are some things to consider when looking for a HubSpot marketing agency to partner with:
- What is your marketing budget?
- What is your current marketing strategy? What is your niche? Who are your ideal customers?
- What are your expectations when it comes to return on investment?
Identify Potential Agencies
Once you know your business’ marketing goals and objectives, research HubSpot marketing agency partners near you and make a list of prospective agencies to work with. To find agencies near you, you can ask for referrals, use online and offline directories, and through Internet searches.
What You Want to Accomplish?
What do you want to accomplish through your marketing efforts? Do you want a new website? More leads? More sales? If you don’t know what you want to accomplish, prospective marketing agencies will likely sell you marketing services you don’t need.
Know the Services an Agency Provides
Looking back at your marketing goals and needs, do you need a HubSpot marketing agency partner that can provide a variety of marketing services or offer expertise in one or two marketing specialties? Do you need a one-stop-shop for your marketing or are you interested in one or two specific marketing services?
Knowing this beforehand will help you narrow down your marketing agency prospects and get you closer to finding the best agency to meet your marketing goals.
Set Expectations for Involvement and Availability
Will the perspective HubSpot agency handle a part of your marketing or will it oversee your entire marketing plan, strategy, and execution? You must determine in advance how hands off or hands on you will be. You’ll also need to determine how much availability you expect from the agency. When you’re up-front about your involvement and the availability you expect from the agency, you’ll better your chances of finding the best agency for your business.
Make Sure Your Teams Are Compatible
An agency can provide the exact services you need, with favorable terms and be marketing experts in your business’ niche. However, if their marketers aren’t on the same page as your employees or their personalities aren’t compatible with yours, the relationship can quickly dissolve. Daily, weekly, or monthly interaction with an agency that isn’t compatible can wipe away the benefits you’ll reap by hiring the agency in the first place, regardless of how great a job their marketing efforts are benefiting your company.
Review the Contract
Many agency contracts are legally binding, meaning that they can’t be changed or cancelled once signed. These contracts will have a timeframe, usually one year and fully disclose terms, conditions and scope of work to be performed. If you don’t agree with everything in the contract, don’t sign it. Express your concerns to the agency. If they are unwilling to compromise or make adjustments, they may not be a good fit.
Inbound marketing and marketing automation are more important than ever to business growth, success, and profitability. HubSpot marketing automation software is geared towards helping business with their inbound marketing strategies, but it can be overwhelming for marketers who try and use it on their own. A HubSpot-certified marketing partner agency can help your business with purchasing and implementing the appropriate HubSpot software capabilities. With their assistance, your business can take full advantage of HubSpot software.
There are thousands of HubSpot marketing partner agencies out there, so a specific and clear vetting process is needed to find the perfect agency to meet your company’s marketing goals and overcome your company’s marketing challenges.
Improve your inbound marketing game and take full advantage of HubSpot’s marketing software.
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