What is HubSpot? A complete guide to the CRM system

What is HubSpot?

Overall, HubSpot is one of the largest and leading CRM systems for companies ranging from 10 employees to 250. To get a little more specific and dive into‘What is HubSpot‘, it’s a powerful CRM system that helps companies organize contacts, companies, deals and other relevant data in one system. Basically, HubSpot CRM helps companies digitize their business processes so you have everything stored in one system. HubSpot does this by focusing on being an all-in-one system for your marketing, sales, service, operations and CMS activities. Likewise, you can integrate all your systems from LinkedIn to Outlook.

With HubSpot’s CRM, you can easily manage your contacts, track interactions and create targeted campaigns to increase your revenue. The CRM platform also offers a wide range of features and options such as email marketing, social media management and analytics reports. Since there are many possibilities in HubSpot, to make it easy for the user, it is built up of several hubs such as:

Each of these hubs should be understood as a ‘silo’ in HubSpot where you have the necessary resources, depending on which package you have chosen to succeed with marketing, sales, service, etc. By using HubSpot as your CRM system, you can benefit from synergy effects across the entire organization, precisely because all your processes are gathered in one place.

What HubSpots consists of

Overall, HubSpot consists of five core functions, including activities such as marketing, sales, service, CMS and operations. These are also the five hubs that make up HubSpot:

1. HubSpot Marketing Hub, which allows you to automate marketing activities and follow up on customer inquiries.
2. HubSpot Sales Hub, which can be used to manage the sales process from lead to closing a deal.
3. HubSpot Service Hub, enabling businesses to deliver excellent customer service through efficient support request management.
4. HubSpot CMS Hub, which is used to manage content.
5. HubSpot Operations Hub, which is used to optimize internal processes.

With HubSpot, all these functions are gathered in one system instead of having one system for marketing, one for sales, etc. this way your business can sit in one unified system Below we will go through each core function separately.

For more information about HubSpot’s five hubs, you can read about them on HubSpot’s own website

Why should I choose HubSpot?

With HubSpot, you get a comprehensive and easy-to-use platform that can help you increase sales, improve marketing and strengthen relationships with your customers. HubSpot allows you to automate processes, optimize your marketing efforts and follow up on leads efficiently. This makes it the preferred choice for sales and marketing decision makers.

HubSpot has already proven to be the preferred solution for many successful businesses. Through our case studies, you can see examples of companies that have experienced impressive results after implementing HubSpot. These cases will give you inspiration and concrete examples of how HubSpot can contribute to your growth.

From silo-based solutions to one unified HubSpot

Can my systems integrate with HubSpot?

The answer to this question is yes, HubSpot CRM is designed to integrate with most systems (as you can see below). HubSpot is a versatile CRM system that is designed to meet most needs and can be integrated with a wide range of systems. Whether you use e-commerce platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce, or email marketing services like MailChimp, Leadfeeder, WordPress, ActiveCampaign or LinkedIn, HubSpot can be customized and integrated to meet your specific needs.

For the more tech-savvy, HubSpot’s open API allows you to develop custom integrations and automations to optimize your business processes and increase the efficiency of your sales and marketing efforts. Below is a selection of HubSpot integrations, or you can read about them on our‘HubSpot integrations‘ page:

HubSpot open API

As mentioned earlier, HubSpot has an open API that gives you the ability to create custom integration solutions, which means they can customize and extend the capabilities of the HubSpot platform.

With access to data and functionality via the API, you can collaborate between HubSpot and third-party applications. This opens up a world of opportunities in automation, reporting and streamlining processes.

Who is suitable for HubSpot?

HubSpot is a comprehensive platform tailored to meet your specific needs. It is therefore suitable for almost any size of business. According to HubSpot’s own case studies , both large companies like Tumblr and Rakuten Advertising with over 200 FTEs and small businesses with 1-25 employees use HubSpot. It is particularly suitable for companies that want to leverage data and streamline sales, marketing, customer success and operations, each of which has its own HubSpot module. Here are 6 reasons why HubSpot is a must-have for most businesses:

So, back to our question, who is suitable for HubSpot? The answer is any company that doesn’t want their CRM & tech stack to prevent their colleagues from performing at their best. HubSpot can meet all your needs whether you’re just a few people or 250 FTEs

Two examples of how HubSpot is suitable for specific industries

As mentioned, one of the strengths of HubSpot is its versatility. HubSpot is designed to solve tasks for everything from SaaS companies to manufacturing companies. See two concrete examples here:

Customized reports for manufacturing companies:

HubSpot can generate detailed reports showing sales data, inventory and customer behavior. These reports help manufacturing companies make informed decisions and optimize their business strategy.

Automated marketing campaigns for software companies:

With HubSpot, software companies can create automated marketing campaigns based on user behavior and preferences. This saves time and resources while increasing conversions.

Why use a HubSpot partner?

By using a HubSpot partner, you get access to their expertise and specialization in implementing HubSpot. Their skilled consultants have extensive knowledge of the platform’s features and best practices, ensuring an efficient and seamless implementation process.

A HubSpot partner can provide tailor-made solutions that fit your business needs exactly. They will integrate your existing system with HubSpot in a seamless way, so you can maximize the value of your CRM system effortlessly.

By working with an experienced HubSpot partner, you not only get training on how to use the platform, but also continuous support after implementation. Certified consultants are ready to guide you through the entire process and help with any questions or challenges along the way.

How much does HubSpot cost?

If you’re considering using HubSpot, you need to be aware of the price. The price of using HubSpot varies depending on your size, needs and choice of subscription plan. Luckily, HubSpot offers different packages, including a free version, as well as paid plans with more features and functionalities. Within HubSpot’s pricing universe there are starter, professional and enterprise. These packages differ in the level of features, marketing contacts, how many users can access HubSpot, etc.

Also, as mentioned earlier, HubSpot is an all-in-one system that eliminates your need for many other systems. A concrete example of this is that HubSpot offers its own marketing system, so you don’t need another one. This naturally lowers the price of your HubSpot and makes it a more attractive system in terms of cost if you have many systems.

With this in mind, if you are considering purchasing HubSpot, you should contact a HubSpot partner for a tailored price and an assessment of which package best suits your business needs. This is some good advice to get the best start with your new CRM system, so you don’t get off on the wrong foot and have to ‘implement’ a new part of HubSpot afterwards because you actually had different needs. There are also several reasons to talk to a HubSpot partner:

• HubSpot partners have the ability to negotiate the best prices for you
• They have also negotiated many solutions on behalf of other companies before
• They have insight into how far down you can get HubSpot in price

Get ready to get a new CRM system

Changing your CRM system is not a straightforward process, you need to consider a number of things: you need to involve many people from the company, keep track of what data you want to transfer to the new system, does the new CRM system meet your needs, and when do you make the change? These are just some examples of the considerations to keep in mind when switching CRM systems.

What are your needs?

First of all, find out what your needs are. Are you in dire need of a full-featured marketing, service, sales platform? This is where you need to dive into what your needs are. You also need to find out how mature you are in your use of IT systems, do you need training, how customized should the system be and do you value user-friendliness? Are you on a growth journey or have you found your ‘level’ are some of the questions you need to ask yourself.

Research the market

Once you’ve identified your needs, you need to research which systems meet your needs. It can be beneficial to write down your needs and contact CRM systems or partners. This will give you a precise answer on whether the CRM system meets your needs and any other input that could be helpful.

Read our article on“The 10 best CRM systems“.

Compare the options

Once you’ve identified the options, compare them. It’s a good idea to go back to ‘What are your needs’ and see which needs are most important to you and compare them. You can read our comparison of CRM systems.

Completion

All in all, a CRM switch is a big investment that requires time, money and really helps define your future success. Therefore, the above steps are very important to spend time on, as a CRM system is crucial to the success of many businesses today. So our advice to you is to identify your needs, research the market and ask for advice because this one decision will affect you until you (possibly) switch to a new CRM system.

Get more out of HubSpot with Radiant

As Radiant has implemented more than 100 HubSpot for companies in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, we see a big problem for companies in maintaining and optimizing their HubSpot.

You probably know the feeling: You’ve invested in marketing, sales, customer service and an optimized website – but nothing to tie it all together and create synergy across the different solutions. Radiant solves this problem with HubSpot as a Service.

Through HubSpot as a Service, we implement best practices based on over 100 HubSpot implementations, optimized sales processes and sales strategies we have experienced through Sales as a Service.

With Radiant and HubSpot, you get a strategic and executional partner that can assist you from marketing automation to sales strategies based on best practices and deep HubSpot experience.

Understand how HubSpot is built – on a deeper level.

This is for those who want to learn more about what HubSpot is and how it works. In the coming sections, we will take a deeper look at how HubSpot is structured. The above is just a small tip of the iceberg, but let’s dive into how HubSpot is built. So we’re really trying to understand “what is HubSpot” and “why is it so popular”. To do this, we’ll look at the different parts of HubSpot and how it has layer by layer become one of the most popular CRM systems.

HubSpots Marketing Hub

HubSpot marketing hub is the first module in the entire HubSpot universe. This is where HubSpot started to grow its roots and has since taken off. This module unifies all marketing activities in one place, which may help explain its popularity. What makes Marketing Hub unique is its collection of different features that together create a synergistic effect and make it easy for you to take advantage of the many possibilities. Let’s get started by understanding how HubSpot and the HubSpot marketing hub are built.

Inbound Marketing in HubSpot

Inbound marketing is where HubSpot really took off and became popular. Inbound marketing is an integral part of HubSpot’s Marketing Hub, allowing you to attract customers by creating relevant and engaging content in a data-driven way. Get a better understanding of what inbound marketing is.

Marketing Automation with HubSpot

Marketing automation is one of the areas where HubSpot is particularly strong in 2024. With a unified system like HubSpot, you can benefit from automating everything from follow-up emails, newsletters and scheduling organic social media posts. Get a better and broader understanding of what is marketing automation

Email marketing through HubSpot

Email marketing is the old boy in the class when it comes to marketing – but it’s still very popular, especially with increasing social media privacy. It is therefore, quite naturally, an integral part of the HubSpot marketing hub. Get a better overview of the benefits of what is email marketing and why use HubSpot?

Marketing Funnel made directly in HubSpot

A marketing funnel is an important element for serious marketing departments. It helps you structure how to break down the customer journey and outline a funnel. Learn more about what a marketing funnel is

Marketing analytics in HubSpot

Marketing analytics will only become more important as data, budgets and competition increase. That’s why it’s essential for your growth to be in control of your marketing and what next steps to take. Learn more about what marketing analytics is and how to use it.

HubSpots Sales Hub

The HubSpot Sales Hub is an integral part of HubSpot and a natural extension of the HubSpot Marketing Hub, as sales and marketing must work together to maximize their potential. The Sales hub brings all sales activities together in one place and therefore caters to companies with a sales department of any size due to its flexible pricing. Sales Hub stands out by combining a number of features that together create a strong synergy, making it easier to take advantage of the many sales opportunities. See which features HubSpot Sales Hub includes below.

Sales pipeline created in your HubSpot

A sales pipeline is a visualization of the different steps of the sales process that aims to create an overview, identify pitfalls and streamline sales for companies. You can read more about“What is a sales pipeline” .

Sales automation

Building sales automation is obviously a streamlining of your sales team if done the right way, learn more about what sales automation is.

Lead scoring in HubSpot

Being able to use your data to find the right leads is exactly what lead scoring does. Lead scoring is a method of assessing a lead’s potential and readiness to buy by using a scoring system based on criteria such as behavior and interaction with a brand. Learn more about“what is lead scoring“

Prospecting in HubSpot

Prospecting is becoming more and more important, it’s the discipline of finding the right customers. With increased competition and more ads than ever before, qualifying and ensuring you hit the right ICP will be vital to your marketing strategy. Read more about prospecting.