Ryan Reynolds 

Join the Hollywood star as he gives the audience an in-depth look into his ventures outside of acting. He’ll touch on his production company Maximum Effort, his advertising platform MNTN, as well as his many other ventures including his recent reinvention as the co-owner of Wrexham Football Club. Join this special closing session to gain a better insight into how Ryan decides where to invest his time and energy and how he brings a growth mindset to everything he does.

Serena Williams

Serena has spoken about the early mornings and late nights that come with her latest chapter as founder of Serena Ventures, the venture capital fund backed and founded by her in 2017, crediting this latest challenge as part of her love of “reinventing herself in different and authentic ways.” Serena will provide her insights and learnings on this new entrepreneurial phase of her life in a special conversation with celebrated media voice Kara Swisher.

Kara Swisher
Recognized as Silicon Valley's most feared but revered journalist, Kara Swisher's unparalleled access to industry leaders has positioned her as the oracle of the tech world since the mid-90s. Whether it’s a tech trend, a new innovative company that is making waves, or a groundbreaking interview, Swisher is always at the forefront. Join the award-winning journalist, podcast host, and founder of Recode as she shares her insights about where the technology industry has been and where it’s going over the next few years.

💥 Related HubSpot Resources:

• #INBOUND24: It's Time for Our First Preview Episode + Preparation Tips
• The Most Unhinged, Hilarious, Powerful #INBOUND23 Recap Ever

But wait ... there're more!

Josh D’Maro (Disney)
From Mickey Mouse to Marvel…princesses to Pixar…and galaxies near and far, far away...storytelling is the foundation of every Disney experience. So, what makes a great story? Hear from Disney Experiences Chairman, Josh D’Amaro, as he shares the fundamentals of Disney storytelling and how his teams use innovative technology to bring iconic characters to life.

Yamini Rangan
HubSpot leaders Yamini Rangan, CEO, Dharmesh Shah, co-founder and CTO, and Andy Pitre, EVP, product, will take the Main Stage on Wednesday, September 18 to open INBOUND; unpack the latest trends in AI, marketing, sales, and service; and announce innovations from across the HubSpot platform.

Dane Vahey (OpenAI Head of Strategic Marketing)
Join this presentation to learn the advantages of an AI-first marketing and sales strategy using a multi-modal approach. We'll look at how to embed AI through your GTM process to transform customer and business outcomes, covering real examples from customer service to marketing analytics. We’ll share ideas for integrating text, image, voice, and video into content creation and customer engagement.

Kat Cole (Athletic Greens)
Kat Cole has a track record of elevating beloved brands to the next level and leading through periods of radical transition. As President and COO at AG1 (formerly Athletic Greens), Kat is responsible for leading the business, scaling the company’s fully-remote team, accelerating growth, and driving innovation in a crowded category. Join Kat and Women’s Health Editor-in-Chief, Liz Plosser, as they discuss what it takes to overcome obstacles, how to take calculated risks to differentiate your brand, and why quality, simplicity, and consistency matter when inspiring health habits.

Matt Wolfe (Host of the Next Wave Podcast)
Explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the landscape for content creators, empowering them to reach and engage audiences with unprecedented precision. From AI-driven content recommendations to predictive analytics for audience insights, discover how these cutting-edge technologies can elevate your content strategy, expand your reach, and drive sustainable growth. Whether you're a seasoned content creator or an aspiring influencer, this session promises practical tips and actionable strategies to revolutionize your approach.

Michelle Peluso (EVP + Chief Customer and Experience Officer, CVS Health)
Today’s consumer craves simplicity, personalization and affordability. Consumer expectations are constantly evolving and organizations should evolve alongside of them. CVS Health's consumer-centric strategy has converted 45% of detractors into promoters. In this fireside chat discover how embracing a data-centered approach to feedback collection, closing the loop with all consumers, solving pervasive issues and cultivating a consumer-centric culture among colleagues drives loyalty and satisfaction among consumers — turning critics into advocates.

Today, we’re not only going to unpack our thoughts about these sessions, we’re also going to have an honest conversation about something I’m particularly passionate about, and I know George is, too – the importance of these high-level inspirational sessions to everyone attending INBOUND. 

💥 Go Deeper: How Have Inbound + HubSpot Changed?

Let’s be honest, making the “business case” for why going to INBOUND is important and worth the investment is one of the most common questions we get each year about HubSpot’s main event. And while these main stage speakers often draw excitement and attention, we can’t ignore the murmurs from certain pockets within the peanut gallery that these main stage speakers don’t add real value for attendees. 

In This Episode

This episode covers a diverse range of topics, including the #INBOUND24 main stage speaker lineup, the value of inspirational talks, and the diversity of stories being told. George, Devyn, and Liz and guest discuss the significance of the main stage speakers and the impact of celebrity emphasis on the event. Their conversation also emphasizes the importance of personal and professional growth, the power of inspiration, and the need for open-mindedness. The conversation delves into the themes of learning, expanding perspectives, and the transformative nature of Inbound.

Keywords

#INBOUND24, main stage speakers, diversity, celebrity emphasis, inspirational talks, value, storytelling, customer experience, growth mindset, marketing, business, conference, Inbound, main stage, personal growth, professional growth, diverse perspectives, inspiration, open-mindedness, learning, expanding perspectives, transformative.

Key Takeaways

• The value of inspirational talks and the diversity of stories being told at Inbound 25.
• The impact of celebrity emphasis on the event and the significance of the main stage speakers.
• The range of topics covered, including growth mindset, storytelling, and customer experience.
• The importance of calibrating main stage speakers to focus on solving problems rather than building topics around celebrities.
• The jaded cynicism and eye rolls surrounding the per...

💥 Related HubSpot Resources:

• Why Go HubSpot? Ultimate Business Growth Guide
• Why Go HubSpot Operations Hub?

Here’s where it gets interesting, though. It’s been a good long while since we discussed HubSpot Operations Hub. But this guide brought the topic back up in our conversations this week.

Specifically the fact that, while this Hub has been around since 2021, we still see confusion all across the Big Orange Sprocketverse about what the HubSpot Operations Hub is, what we mean when we say “operations,” and who is actually responsible for operations. 

In This Episode

This week, George, Liz, and Max discuss the HubSpot Operations Hub and the importance of operations in business. They highlight the confusion around the definition of operations and the misconceptions associated with it. They emphasize that the Operations Hub is a set of tools that improve data hygiene, automate processes, and streamline operations across multiple hubs. 

💥 Go Deeper: How Have Inbound + HubSpot Changed?

They talked about the significance of data quality and proper formatting in operations. The conversation explores the role of operations in supporting growth and the need for businesses to master operational processes. They also discussed the confusion around HubSpot Operations Hub and the importance of having a clear definition of business operations. This highlighted the need for someone to be responsible for operations and the role of Operations Hub in streamlining processes and automating operational needs. 

Keywords

HubSpot Operations Hub, operations, data hygiene, automation, data quality, formatting, growth, operational processes, HubSpot Operations Hub, business operations, confusion, responsibility, data hygiene, custom coded workflows.

Key Takeaways

• The HubSpot Operations Hub is a set of tools that improve data hygiene, automate processes, and streamline operations across multiple hubs.
• Data quality and proper formatting are crucial in operations to ensure accurate and effective use of data.
• Operations play a significant role in supporting growth and improving business processes.
• Businesses need to master operational processes to achieve efficiency and effectiveness in marketing, sales, and service.
• The definition of operations can vary, leading to confusion and misconceptions about its role in business. There is confusion around HubSpot Operations Hub and the need for a clear definition of business operations.
• Someone needs to be responsible for operations and Operations Hub can streamline processes and automate operational needs.
• Operations Hub is suitable for those who require data hygiene, custom coded workflows, and extended functionality for their teams.
• Data hygiene and clean data should be a priority for businesses.
• Custom coded workflows can provide powerful automation and extend the functionality of HubSpot.

And so much more ... 

Additional Resources

• Why Go HubSpot? Your Free Ultimate Business Growth Guide
• Why Go HubSpot Service Hub?
• What Is Customer Delight + Who Is Responsible?
• How Have Inbound + HubSpot Changed?

But if you remember, dear HubSpotters, attracting and engaging are only two thirds of the HubSpot Flywheel that make growth magic for everyone possible. The other critical component is DELIGHT, particularly with your current customers. That's why I want you to take off your inbound hat for a moment and remember that, when we’re off the clock, we’re all consumers ourselves.

💥 Related HubSpot Resources:

• Why Go HubSpot? Your Free Ultimate Business Growth Guide
• Why Go HubSpot Service Hub?
• What Is Customer Delight + Who Is Responsible?

And you know what I freakin’ hate? That moment when I can feel myself leaving the sales team, and all the people who were bending over backward to earn my trust and my money … and being handed off to service delivery, where I now feel like nothing more than a number. Because a brand only cared about me until they got me to agree to become a customer. Big ick. 

That’s why today’s conversation matters right?

We don’t want the humans we serve feeling that way. And since we first had conversations on this podcast about customer delight – what it is and who’s responsible for it (ep. 9) – and the HubSpot Service Hub (ep. 10), a lot has changed in terms of the tactics and tools we use to make DELIGHTION MAGIC.

Key Takeaways
Why is delight is so essential to the HubSpot Flywheel and the journey we take our customers on as they work with us?

• What do most inbound organizations (even the most well-meaning ones!) get wrong about what customer delight is and how to do it well?
• Spoiler alert! A lot of organizations think customer delight is keeping the customer from being angry. It goes beyond that. To quote one of my favorite movies, “The only difference between ordinary and extraordinary, is just that little bit extra.”
• What are the mindsets folks need to embrace and possess with HubSpot Service Hub?
• What are the new HubSpot Service Hub updates we're the most excited about?
• What are the HubSpot Service Hub BETAs we encourage others to check out?
• What are the best ways to stay on top of HubSpot Service Hub updates – or, quite frankly, any of the hubs? There are so many updates happening due to the expansive nature of HubSpot, that sometimes staying in the loop can feel impossible!

And so much more ... 

Additional Resources

• Why Go HubSpot? Your Free Ultimate Business Growth Guide
• Why Go HubSpot Service Hub?
• What Is Customer Delight + Who Is Responsible?
• How Have Inbound + HubSpot Changed?

🔎 Related: HubSpot email marketing strategy best practices we love (HubHeroes Podcast)

But the line between successful personalization that fosters meaningful connections and buyer engagement, and personalization that is off-putting and downright creepy is a very, very thin one. Of course, HubSpot itself provides a ton of personalization features and capabilities – some are obvious, like the naming tokens you can use in emails and smart content. Some are not so obvious and, quite frankly, criminally overlooked.

So, this week, the whole gang is here and we’re throwing ourselves down the personalization rabbit hole. We talk about what folks are getting right with personalization, what so many of us are getting wrong, what most inbounders are totally missing with personalization opportunities, and how to maximize your personalization capabilities in HubSpot.

But, you know, without being a total creeper. There's a fine line between helpful and Big Brother, folks.

What We Talked About

• How effective is personalization really, from our perspectives as both marketers and consumers?
• What are some of your favorite examples of personalization you’ve either created or experienced?
• Where do you draw the line between personalization that is CHEF’S KISS perfect and Big Brother Creepy?
• George loves to say, "Keep it human, not creepy," but what the heck does that mean?
• What's the difference between "declared" and "undeclared" consumer preferences, and why does it matter to the privacy and personalization conversation?
• What are some of the most common mistakes you see folks make with personalization, particularly when using HubSpot?
• What are your favorite ways to use HubSpot to create exceptional personalization experiences?
• In what ways do we encourage inbounders to think about personalization differently in 2024? Has anything changed about personalization in the past few years?

And so much more ... 

Additional Resources

• AI website agents and is Google in trouble?
• How to use AI for marketing (examples + best practices)
• AI, ChatGPT, and the future of inbound marketing (HubHeroes podcast)
• What Jorge Learned: Owner's mentality, content UX, and the truth about ChatGPT
• Your unforgettable, completely unhinged #INBOUND23 recap (HubHeroes podcast)
• A thought-provoking AI fireside chat with George B. Thomas (HubHeroes podcast)

What roles should SMS and text messaging play in your inbound strategies to attract, engage, and delight your customers? Or is SMS an invasive relic of the past that should be set aside by brands, because it does more harm than good to the relationships we want to establish?

The answers to these questions are not as black-and-white as you may think. So, strap in folks! In this passionate, hot take-filled episode, we are going deep down the SMS rabbit hole to help take your inbound strategies to new heights.

What We Talked About

• What do most inbound marketers get wrong about SMS marketing? What are the most common myths and misconceptions?
• How should inbound marketers and brands think about SMS marketing? What mindsets should they possess? How should they be looking to SMS as part of their broader strategies to attract, engage, and delight?
• What are great examples of SMS we've seen out in the wild from brands?
• How does social selling fit into the sales process?
• What are the most common mistakes folks make when implementing SMS as part of their inbound program?
• Let's talk technology — how easy is it to integrate SMS if you're using HubSpot for your business?
• How would you like to see brands challenge themselves in 2024 with SMS texting?
• How does Devyn really feel about being the recipient of SMS campaigns from brands? And what will happen if you send him anything?

And so much more ... 

Additional Resources

• What is the HubSpot Flywheel really? (HubHeroes podcast)
• Back to the HubSpot Flywheel: Unpacking inbound physics (HubHeroes podcast)
• Buying has changed, sales hasn't — now what? (HubHeroes podcast)
• Email marketing and HubSpot 101 (HubHeroes podcast)
• What is customer delight and who is responsible? (HubHeroes podcast)

Inbound physics! ⚛️

What the heck does inbound physics mean? I'm glad you asked, because that's exactly what we're digging into, in this very special episode of HubHeroes. 

🔎 Related: What is the HubSpot Flywheel, is the funnel dead? (HubHeroes podcast)

You see, each week, we typically devote our time to discussing explicit tactics and inbound strategy, or the nitty-gritty details of the HubSpot technology itself. In this episode, however, we're taking a step back and unpacking the mindset you need to possess overall when thinking about inbound for your organization.

Because "inbound physics" isn't a cutesy term we dreamed up to be clever. Rather, it's a powerful way of thinking about the inbound methodology and the HubSpot Flywheel that will radically change how you think about inbound ... and the results you see from it.

As a HubSpot user, you can never forget that one of the best ways to get most out of inbound is to understand the connective tissues that bind the methodology and the platform itself together. And inbound physics will help you do just that.

What we cover in this episode

• Why is it even important for us to be rethinking how we look at the inbound methodology overall? Isn't inbound ... well, just inbound?
• OK, what the heck is inbound physics? What does that even mean?
• Why did you come up with this? What problem does this really solve?
• We've had a few debates on HubHeroes about the Flywheel, but how does the motion of the Flywheel figures into inbound physics?
• What do most folks still get wrong about what inbound really is?
• What are examples of the laws of inbound physics?
• Why not inbound biology or inbound chemistry or inbound AP anatomy and physiology? Why inbound PHYSICS?
• What are the ways in which an inbound physics mindset can improve how you practice inbound as a team or an organization for better results?

Inbound physics! ⚛️

What the heck does inbound physics mean? I'm glad you asked, because that's exactly what we're digging into, in this very special episode of HubHeroes. 

🔎 Related: What is the HubSpot Flywheel, is the funnel dead? (HubHeroes podcast)

You see, each week, we typically devote our time to discussing explicit tactics and inbound strategy, or the nitty-gritty details of the HubSpot technology itself. In this episode, however, we're taking a step back and unpacking the mindset you need to possess overall when thinking about inbound for your organization.

Because "inbound physics" isn't a cutesy term we dreamed up to be clever. Rather, it's a powerful way of thinking about the inbound methodology and the HubSpot Flywheel that will radically change how you think about inbound ... and the results you see from it.

As a HubSpot user, you can never forget that one of the best ways to get most out of inbound is to understand the connective tissues that bind the methodology and the platform itself together. And inbound physics will help you do just that.

What we cover in this episode

• Why is it even important for us to be rethinking how we look at the inbound methodology overall? Isn't inbound ... well, just inbound?
• OK, what the heck is inbound physics? What does that even mean?
• Why did you come up with this? What problem does this really solve?
• We've had a few debates on HubHeroes about the Flywheel, but how does the motion of the Flywheel figures into inbound physics?
• What do most folks still get wrong about what inbound really is?
• What are examples of the laws of inbound physics?
• Why not inbound biology or inbound chemistry or inbound AP anatomy and physiology? Why inbound PHYSICS?
• What are the ways in which an inbound physics mindset can improve how you practice inbound as a team or an organization for better results?

I am so excited about this week's episode topic — the absolute mission-critical necessity of creating content like a human, because the days of being able to phone it in with sterilized, corporate robot speak are long gone, my friends.

That's right! You see, back in the day, when inbound was still a fairly fresh concept about 10 years ago, it was much easier to climb to the top of content ROI mountain ... mostly because if you were out there creating content, there was a good chance your industry competitors weren't. Or at least a meaningful number of them weren't, anyway.

Today, it's a totally different story – and thank freakin' goodness for that. I don't care if you're B2B or B2C or B2WHATEVER acronym you want to call it. It's time to start sounding like a human in your content.

Seriously, no excuses. By the end of this episode, you're realize that it doesn't matter what you do or what you sell, you can and MUST step it up and bring your A+ humanity game to content you create going forward. It's time to stop phoning it in with "anyone could have written this" blog articles.

It's time to realize you're actually human beings attempting to help other human beings solve their most pressing challenges or achieve their biggest goals — and they can't do it alone. They need you. And they need you at a time when consumers are demanding more authenticity from you than ever.

So, are you ready to step up?

Are you ready to learn about WHY creating authentically human content is so important to your business today, as well as HOW to do it? If so, you're in the right place, so let's dig in!

What we cover in this episode

• Why is being human in your content more important than ever right now?
• We love to talk about MINDSETS on this podcast, and I'd love to hear from y'all – what are the MINDSETS folks need to have going into a human-centric content strategy?
• What do you say to those folks who think it's not possible for their industry, either because the subject matter is too boring, subject to compliance, or other complicating factors?
• Will consumers actually accept us as whole-ass humans in our content? Doesn't that potentially undermine our legitimacy as experts? 
• What does really great human content look like?
• Is creating human actually a profitable move?

And of course, having real-life, intimately human conversations while sitting in front of a food truck with my man, Moby, who's joining as one of the guests today. It's all about the #memories.

🔎 Related: The most bomb-diggity #INBOUND23 playbook (HubHeroes podcast)

These moments were only made possible by the fact that, since the beginning, the HubSpot and INBOUND communities have been global. HubSpot itself has committed to creating an ecosystem where communication is facilitated on a global scale, because diversity of opinion is how true innovation is achieved.

And this is something we are committed to upholding as well in the HubHeroes universe. That we are a global community and we serve an audience that spans every corner of the world – except maybe Antarctica, we're still working on making our way in with the penguins.

That's why, today, we're bringing you something REALLY extra special. I've gathered together four of my favorite humans from DOWN UNDER – in case you didn't know, going to Australia is one of my bucket list places ... just sayin!

They include:

• Ian Jacob
• Craig Bailey
• Tasha Del Blanco
• Moby Siddique

I've known each of these incredible humans for years; I've watched them flourish, create, and innovate in their own unique ways in the HubSpot content space. And in this week's episode, we're going to unpack the INBOUND experience for those of you traveling from far and wide (and across international waters!), as HubHeroes GOES DOWN UNDAHHHH!

What we cover in this episode

• When was the first moment you realized, "Holy crap, INBOUND definitely has to be an annual investment"?
• Going to INBOUND as an international traveler is a huge investment - your travel expenses are higher, it's more disruptive to your schedule, and so on. Now, I get why you initially thought INBOUND was a yes, but what keeps you coming back year after year?
• What has attending INBOUND done for your business from an ROI perspective?
• What is the PERSONAL ROI of attending INBOUND for you?
• What's changed over the past few years in terms of the value you're getting?
• Let's take a little side journey here for our agency owners out there – what advice would you give out there to agency owners so they can see the most return on their investment for attending? How can they make the most impact?
  What tips should they share with their employees?
• How are you guaranteeing you're getting the most ROI for yourself as an individual at INBOUND?
• Where do you think most business owners go wrong in terms of trying to "get the most ROI" out of inbound – either for themselves or for their teams?

You see, one of the things that makes HubSpot so freakin' powerful extends far beyond the marketing, sales, and service automation tools it puts at your fingertips. Because it doesn't matter how many workflows, campaigns, blogs, email sequences, deals, or tickets you create within HubSpot.

🔎 Related content:

• HubSpot reporting mindsets, misconceptions, and disasters (HubHeroes podcast)
• George's totally dope insider's getting started guide to HubSpot reporting

If you're not tapping into HubSpot's beyond robust reporting capabilities (with the right mindset), what are you even doing?

Now, to be fair, for the vast majority of you HubSpotters out there listening right now to this podcast, we know you aren't ignoring HubSpot's reporting tools. However, because they can be somewhat overwhelming at first – seriously, the sheer scale of reporting power underneath the Big Orange Sprocket hood, so to speak, is staggering — it's all too easy to lose your way in terms of becoming a HubSpot reporting all-star.

But that changes today, right here. Right now. Along with Jorie, we're going to take you on a magical, content marketing ROI illuminating quest down the HubSpot reporting rabbit hole. That's right, folks – welcome to the HubSpot reporting deep-dive of your dreams.

What we cover in this episode

• What are the must-have mindsets for HubSpot reporting that can make or break a HubSpotter's ability to maximize the reporting tools HubSpot offers?
• Or heck, even just about the idea of reporting ROI in general, HubSpot aside?
• What do people get right about the custom report builder, and what do people get wrong about it?
• What are the coolest custom reports we've seen people create?
• What is a simple way to understand attribution reporting in HubSpot?
• What are the most common misconceptions out there about how to use attribution reporting in HubSpot?
• What are the ways in which you should look at attribution reporting really?
• What does storytelling have to do with nailing your reporting strategy?

For all of their might, however, Workflows may be the most singularly misunderstood tool within the Marketing Hub — or, at the very least, it's the tool that can cause the most anxiety.

Stop me if you've heard this one before ...

Your company is no slouch when it comes to HubSpot. In fact, you've been using it for years, and you've been using Workflows for years! Then, one day someone decides it might be a good idea to pop the hood on what you've got running in your portal, Workflows-wise.

🔎 Related: 6 must-know HubSpot workflows best practices (+ examples)

... and that's when things get spooky. There are hundreds of Workflows running! But they're all named counterintuitively, so you can't quite understand what most of them do, who built them, or why they heck they were even created in the first place!

On the one hand, you know you've undoubtedly got Workflows running that should be turned off, and who knows what conflicts may be happening between the Workflows that are live. And of the ones that are live, when you poke around in the data, you're not even sure if they're helping you are hurting you.

• On the other hand ... uh, what if you break something? 🤔
• What if you accidentally trigger something that sends a bunch of emails to a bunch of people on your list? 😳
• What if you turn something off that's mission critical that really messes things up internally with your teams? 😱

If this sounds familiar, this is the episode for you. Heck, if you're just getting started with Workflows, but this is the exact nightmare scenario that makes you scared to click anything within the tool, you're also in the right place.

🔎 Related: HubSpot social media strategy 101 (HubHeroes Podcast)

This week, we're pulling back the curtain on HubSpot Workflows! It's the HubHeroes Workflows-a-palooza if you will — with special guest Christina Kay! We're talking about the good best practices, the bad habits you need to avoid, and our tips for untangling the ugliest of Workflow messes, so you can restore order to the chaos!

Now, let's dig in!

What we cover in this episode

• What are the different types of Workflows folks need to be aware of?
• What does great organization look like within the Workflows tool?
• Is setting goals with Workflows actually important?
• Complex or simple with Workflows ... which is the right move?
• What are some of the coolest things we've seen folks do with the workflows tool?
• What are some of the most complex Workflow "disasters" we've seen, and how did you go about solving them?
• What do you do when you've inherited a mess of a portal when it comes to Workflows? How do you even begin to untangle a mess you didn't create and are struggling to understand?
• What are the most important best practices folks must remember, above all else, when it comes to HubSpot Workflows?

We've talked with Eric Brenner about why HubSpot Service Hub is so important, particularly for those of you who are on the fence about investing in the Hub. We've also talked to Christina Garrett about customer delight (the cornerstone of service), and why it's so freakin' important.

Now we're back again with another episode dedicated to customer delight and the HubSpot Service Hub because, even with two episodes, there is still so much more for us to uncover.

Related: Why go HubSpot Service Hub? (HubHeroes Podcast)

You see, service is what sets your business apart from others — today's buyers are more likely than ever before to abandon a brand for a bad customer service experience. And, like the old saying goes, it's easier to keep customers you've already gone from leaving out the back door than to try to get new customers in the front.

So in this episode, we've invited Adriti Gulati, inbound professor for HubSpot Academy to go even DEEPER with HubSpot's Service Hub. Strap yourselves in, folks, this one is spicy and action-packed!

What we cover in this episode

• Is HubSpot Service Hub only for service teams?
• What are the mindsets service pros should adopt before they even think about trying to use HubSpot Service Hub?
• What do most people get wrong or not understand about what tickets actually are or how they work?
• What's the 3-5 places should be inserting feedback surveys into their sales/marketing/service mix, and what kind of surveys?
• To SEO or not SEO with the HubSpot Service Hub knowledge base? What's the right approach?
• What in Dominic Toretto's name is the customer portal, and why is it important?

What really gets me going about campaigns is how powerful they are, but also how wildly misunderstood they are. 

For example, when I throw out the word "campaign" to you as marketers, where does your brain go? Ad campaigns? Email campaigns? Something else? In the world of HubSpot, we're talking about something a bit different ... although ad and email campaigns are super dope.

HubSpot campaigns allow you to tag a bunch of different related assets (emails, blogs, forms, social media posts, and more), so you can track their collective effectiveness. For example, if you've got an event, you can tag all of your HubSpot assets for that event in HubSpot. If you've got a content series about a particular topic, you can create a campaign around it. 

🔎 Related: HubSpot reporting mindsets, misconceptions, and marvelous disasters (HubHeroes #35)

Now, this all sounds great in theory, but I'll be the first to admit campaigns can seem a little overwhelming at first if you've never used them before. Or, even if you are a HubSpot pro, campaigns come with so many options ... where do you even start?

And that's why we've gathered around this week's virtual campfire to demystify the HubSpot campaigns ... because, if you care about HubSpot reporting or content marketing ROI (which, I'm sure you do!), campaigns are your untapped secret weapon.

What we cover in this episode

• What are HubSpot campaigns really, and how do they work?
• Are HubSpot campaigns really that important, or can you ignore them?
• What are the must-know best practices and tips for creating a new campaign?
• What do most HubSpot users get wrong about using campaigns?
• What are some of the more advanced tactics HubSpot users should be thinking about when building and managing campaigns?
• How does campaign reporting work?
• How can you integrate offline marketing activities (e.g., direct mail) with campaigns?
• What limitations exist with HubSpot campaigns
• What's the difference between HubSpot campaigns and Google Analytics campaign URL builder?

Now, you might be sitting there, scratching your head, thinking to yourself:

"Wait a second — last I checked, it's MAY, and INBOUND isn't until September. Do we really need to be talking about INBOUND this early?"

Yes. Yes, we freakin' do.

You see, right now, thousands of HubSpotters scattered around the world (including us and likely you!) are slowly, but surely, watching all of the exciting announcements roll out about #INBOUND23. For example, just a few days ago, HubSpot shared some really exciting main stage speakers we'll be seeing this year ...

... including Reese Witherspoon, Derek Jeter, Andrew Huberman, and Morgan Debaun.

As a result, we're hearing a lot of chatter and questions roll from the HubHeroes community ...

• How do I convince my boss to send me to INBOUND?
• Is INBOUND worth it to send my employees anymore?
• I don't want to just survive INBOUND, how do I actually make the most of it?
• What are the best places to get coffee or grab a bite to eat?
• Is it true when they say the magic happens in the hallways at INBOUND? What does that even mean?

And that's why we're here, IN MAY, on the mic telling you to throw out all of the INBOUND "Survival Guides" as you look ahead to September.

🔎 Related: Ultimate guide to HubSpot Academy certifications (all roles and levels)

Instead, let's talk about the MOST BOMB-DIGGITY.COM INBOUND23 SUCCESS FRAMEWORK FOR INDIVIDUALS AND TEAMS you need to start plotting today, because INBOUND will be here before you know it, and you definitely don't want to miss out!

That couldn't be more true in the inbound space, when you're using HubSpot. You see, as all of us are spinning around the HubSpot Flywheel — attracting, engaging, and delighting customers (new and old) along the way — we need to measure how effective our collective marketing, sales, and service efforts are. 

Now, we've talked a bit about measurement before in our content marketing ROI episode. But this week, we want to get more tactical and talk about the tools of reporting at your fingertips in HubSpot — no matter what you're measuring.

So, if you're a HubSpot user, and you are in any way responsible for surfacing reporting data — or you're expecting others in your organization to do that for you — for performance, grab your notebooks and listen up. 

This is the HubSpot reporting primer you've been waiting for! 

WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE

• What has our relationship with HubSpot's reporting been over the years?
• When we think about the HubSpot reporting ninjas out there in the world, what are the beliefs or mindsets they possess?
• What's the one thing you think most of the HubSpot reporting users may be missing when leveraging those tools?
• What are our favorite HubSpot reporting tools and features?
• What are the most common misconceptions you've seen about HubSpot reporting?
• What reporting actions should listeners take right now if they haven't already?

And that's only the beginning ... 

🔎 Related: 8 mind-blowing social media tools for brands (+ examples)

Social is your gateway to online conversations that can inform your marketing, sales, or service efforts. Social is how you can amplify the content you’re creating. Social is how you can foster and nurture important brand relationships … and that’s only the beginning.

What you also may not realize is how powerful HubSpot is when it comes to what it enables you to do socially — because if you think HubSpot is only limited social media scheduling tool, hoo boy, we are about to blow your freakin’ mind. 

This episode is all about how you need to think about social media strategy today, because a lot has changed, as well as how you can use HubSpot to supercharge your brand’s company presence and content distribution strategy.

WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE

• What do most folks get wrong when they think about social media’s role in their inbound strategy?
• What should HubSpotters and inbounders be thinking about today when it comes to social media?
• What are the most common misconceptions about the HubSpot social media tool?
• What are our favorite features of the HubSpot social media tool set?
• What are the most powerful ways a company can or should start using HubSpot social media tools?
•  What are our top wishlist items for HubSpot's social media tool suite?

And that's only the beginning ... 

However, while folks those at HubSpot can provide you with all of the resources you ever need to level-up your career and your life, it's up to you to grab those opportunities for learning with both hands. 

And one incredible opportunity is coming your way in just a few short weeks:

HubSpot's World Certification Week! 

For one week, HubSpot is encouraging inbounders of all roles and experience levels to dive into HubSpot Academy and earn their certifications — and for every certification you earn, they will donate $5 to an education-focused charity, which is just amazing. 

🔎 Related: 

• What is HubSpot Academy? (HubHeroes podcast)
• Ultimate guide to HubSpot Academy certifications (all roles/levels)

Is World Certification Week worth your time? Absolutely. Which is why we're dedicating an entire episode to what it is, what it isn't, and how you can get the most out of it.

WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE

• Is HubSpot just a corporate ploy to bring users to the platform? We keep hearing this question, so we're going to get candid about what we think is a pretty cynical take.
• What do folks really need to know and understand about World Certification Week, and what the goal of it is?
• What's different about World Certification Week this year? What are the new perks, benefits, and features of this global educational experience?
• How do you prepare for World Certification Week? What do good goals vs. unrealistic goals look like?
• What are our goals for World Certification Week? Will there be a bet? Maybe ... 

And that's only the beginning ... 

🔎 Related: How to use AI for marketing (exclusive Marketing Smarts conversation)

Are language learning models like ChatGPT and artificial intelligence the best thing ever, or is it going to rock our collective worlds in the worst way possible? It depends on who you ask. Here are some of the predictions and hot takes that have been flying off the presses recently:

• Predicting stocks and public opinion all potentially possible with ChatGPT-like models
• ChatGPT will lower the barrier to entry for cyber crime
• Can ChatGPT predict what will happen with banks?
• Will ChatGPT take all of our jobs? Goldman Sachs predicted 300 million jobs lost

But in this episode, Liz shared this pretty rockstar quote from the Atlantic about the crazy predictions we’re seeing come out — and, more importantly, how at least a meaningful number of them will likely end up being wrong:

“Imagine somebody showing you a picture of a tadpole-like embryo at 10 days, telling you the organism was growing exponentially, and asking you to predict the species. Is it a frog? Is it a dog? A woolly mammoth? A human being? Is it none of those things? Is it a species we’ve never classified before? Is it an alien? You have no way of knowing. All you know is that this thing is larval and it might become anything. To me, that’s generative AI. This thing is larval. And it might become anything.”

And that’s why we’re having this discussion today. 

Because while the future of AI and ChatGPT-like solutions may still be murky, at best, to discern, this is still a conversation we need to be having as business owners, marketers, sales pros or anyone involved in the success and growth of organizations.

Oh, and this week, we've got a very special guest joining us! Jorge Fuentes ... 

Here's what we cover in this episode ...

• What excites us about this conversation about AI, and what has us very concerned?
• What are the good things we've seen so far? (Spoiler alert, we love some of the early adoption and creativity!)
• What are the biggest concerns and potential inbound implications we need to think about? And why did Liz's concern cause her to literally stand up for the first time ever to deliver a rant?
• What are the ethical considerations we need to think about with AI and tools like ChatGPT? 
• What do you, our HubHeroes audience, need to start doing right now?

And that's only the beginning ... 

But we started this week's episode with the big news that, after seven incredible years, fellow HubHero Max Cohen has hung up his HubSpot blazer and has started a new adventure as the chief evangelist at Hapily, which helps organizations build native HubSpot apps, rather than being stuck with patch-worked integrations! 

We're so excited for Max, and don't worry! He's not hanging up his HubHeroes cape, podcast listeners.

His new role, however, provided some seriously beautiful context to our conversation of the day — what the heck is the HubSpot Apps Marketplace? We ask this question because, well ... let me ask you all something:

How many of you have ever looked at the HubSpot Apps Marketplace? How many of you are using natively integrated HubSpot apps right now within your portal? I'd wager, not too many of you! That's why we are dedicating a whole episode to the topic, so you can find smart, new ways to level-up your HubSpot investment.

Here's what we cover in this episode ...

• What led to Max's new adventure at Hapily, and what is he most excited about?
• What was the most impactful or surprising lesson Max learned about the industry during his time at HubSpot?
• What was the most impactful or surprising lesson Max learned about himself during his time at HubSpot?
• What is the HubSpot Apps Marketplace really?
• What do most folks completely misunderstand about HubSpot Apps Marketplace?
• What's the difference between a HubSpot app and a HubSpot integration?
• What is the best way to determine what apps you should or shouldn't consider for your organization's HubSpot portal?
• What are some of our favorite HubSpot apps?
• Who is the worst shopping offender? Men? Women? Liz? George? George's family? Liz's husband? 

And that's only the beginning ... 

However, in our rush to hit those numbers, I think we can miss what great selling actually looks like. Yes, you need the tools HubSpot Sales Hub affords you with pipeline management, playbooks, sequences, and more — plus video tools like Vidyard or Loom to bring video into your sales process. Then there are the documented tactics and strategies you can use to make your sales team (even if it’s a team of one) more effective throughout your sales process. I could go on!

But much like HubSpot Marketing Hub is only as effective and powerful as the human-centered strategy you build, the same holds true in a way for how you sell.

HubSpot, Vidyard, Loom … they’ve totally got your back when it comes to making your scalable, streamlined sales strategy sing. But it’s the selling soft skills — your ability to sell like a human, more specifically — that will make the difference for you in how well you crush those revenue goals for the year.

Sadly, Liz has abandoned us this week. But in her place, we’ve got my old pal and former Wild Boy Zach Basner, who is now a digital sales and marketing coach at IMPACT, a HubSpot Elite Partner Agency, joining us! Why? Because we’re going to dig deep and talk about why selling like a human is your pathway to profitability, and how to do it well.

Here's what we cover in this episode ...

• What tactics and strategies are no longer effective in selling today?
• What should you be doing more of, from a sales training perspective?
• Why is role-playing such a powerful practice for sales reps, and how are most getting the idea of role-playing wrong for training?
• Why is using video in the sales process so effective, and what can it look like for your sales process?
• What should you want your prospects to say about you after they go through the sales process with you?
• Why do prospects who are outstanding fits fall off the face of the planet when it comes time to make a decision?
• Why is getting feedback as a sales rep so important to your ability to crush your targets, and how can you make sure you're getting the right kind of feedback?

And a heck of a lot more! 

That's exactly what happened with this episode. 

Yes, we planned to talk about HubSpot Academy — where it came from, how to get the most out of it, and so on. And we did touch upon some of that, as well as how to navigate HubSpot Academy (because it can be a little overwhelming at first!). 

But our conversation ended up taking an unexpectedly sentimental and emotional turn. You see, folks, when we spend so much time thinking about our content and are strategies as purely transactional, we can sometimes forget what impact you can have as an individual or an organization, when you educate to serve.

Hopefully this episode reminds you of that.

And don't forget to mark your calendars for World Certification Week, May 15-19!

Here's what we cover in this episode ...

• What's the difference between HubSpot then and now?
• How did HubSpot Academy come to be?
• How did HubSpot Academy directly change the lives of Devyn and Liz?
• What is George's story with HubSpot Academy?
• How do you drop into HubSpot Academy and make the most out of it without getting confused with so many options?

And a heck of a lot more! 

🔎 Related: Email marketing strategy dos and don'ts (HubHeroes Podcast)

And there’s no signs of email slowing down – it’s estimated that email marketing efforts will generate $11 billion in revenue this year. I don't know about you all, but I'd certainly love a piece of that pie.

That's why we spent last episode digging deeply into how email has changed, and how business owners and marketing leaders need to be thinking about their strategy in 2023 and beyond. This week, we're talking about the tactics and technology. More specifically, how you make email magic using HubSpot. 

Even you most seasoned users out there need to huddle up for this one, because I guarantee you you’re going to learn a few very key HubSpot tricks that are going to seriously level-up your email game.

Here's what we cover in this episode ...

• What do even the most seasoned HubSpot users not realize is possible with the email tool in the HubSpot Marketing Hub?
• What are the most common mistakes people make with the HubSpot email tool?
• What do great review and preview processes look like for email?
• What are the most commonly underutilized parts of the HubSpot email tool?
• Templates vs. drag and drop in HubSpot ... are you missing out?
• How do you effectively measure the success of an email?
• Why does Devyn hurt Liz so deeply in this episode?
• Are you committing the greatest sending domain sin of all?

And a heck of a lot more! 

• 64% of small businesses use email marketing to connect with their customers
• Even more wild is that 81% of B2B marketers say email newsletters are their most used form of content marketing
• For every $1 spent, email marketing still delivers an average $36 ROI 
• It's estimated that revenue generated from email will reach $11 billion this year

However, just because email marketing is still alive and kicking — particularly for those of us devoted users of the HubSpot Marketing Hub and HubSpot Sales Hub — doesn't mean a lot hasn't changed. 

So, this week — in the first of TWO episodes about email marketing in the HubSpot and inbound universe — we're going to unpack how far we've come with email marketing, how you need to be looking at it differently in your business, and what real email marketing success looks like in 2023.

And yes, we hit some pretty big points about sales emails, too! There's something for everyone in this episode ... 

Here's what we cover in this episode ...

• The good, the bad, and the oh so very ugly cold outreach email strategies.
• How to actually delight prospects in emails when you don't even know them yet.
• How Gmail has actually positively impacted open and engagement rates with the introduction of Updates and Promotions folders.
• A brutally honest sidebar about folks who are frustrated because they're not trying to create genuine value through email, but rather are trying to game the system.
• How has HubSpot evolved in the email space over the past decade?
• Yes, we get into the nasty business of buying email lists.

And a heck of a lot more! 

We’ve also unpacked how much we love HubSpot for growth-focused companies and business leaders as much (if not more) than we did 10 years ago.

But here’s the thing about HubSpot today vs. 10 years ago — as evidenced by the depth and scope of conversations we’ve had about each individual hub (and the strategies you need to drive them), HubSpot is much more complex than it used to be.

Which begs the question for companies who are looking to grow better with fully aligned marketing, sales, and service teams — when is the right time (if ever) to hire in the in-house HubHero HubSpot super admin muscle you need?

Or, is it still OK for companies to have HubSpot knowledge delegated to an inbound marketing generalist or specialist who has other responsibilities?

Here's what we cover in this episode ...

• Is HubSpot actually more complex than it used to be?
• How do you know when it's time to hire a dedicated, in-house HubHero?
• How do you define the ROI of the in-house HubSpot Super Admin?
• When is it not the right time to hire a dedicated in-house HubSpot Super Admin?

... and much more! 

• Marketing Hub
• Sales Hub
• Service Hub
• Heck, even Ops Hub!

But we haven’t talked about one of the most powerful and increasingly popular hubs of all — the HubSpot CMS Hub. Until today, that is! 

Now, like all of our other hub episode deep dives, you don’t need to EITHER be someone considering the HubSpot CMS Hub (but doesn’t have it yet) OR someone who already has it! This episode is for everyone, because we’re unpacking topics around it that are relevant to everyone:

• What are its true superpowers?
• What do most people get wrong about the HubSpot CMS Hub?
• How are most current users still not maximizing its potential?

And that's only the beginning of our conversation. To help us out today, we are joined by the legendary, the one and only growth-driven design champion Luke Summerfield who is also the Director of Product, GTM of CMS Hub at HubSpot. 

Here's what we cover in this episode ...

• Why does the HubSpot CMS Hub exist? Is it really that beneficial to have your CRM and website existing on the same platform?
• What are the most powerful features within the HubSpot CMS Hub and why?
• What are the most common ways companies using the HubSpot CMS Hub are getting it wrong and why?
• How accessible and easy-to-use is the HubSpot CMS Hub really for those with no technical chops? And is that kind of accessibility a good thing?
• Who do we trust more with our taxes? HubSpot or WordPress?
• What do you need to know about smart content, why it's so amazing, how to use it, as well as how not to use it?
• What are some juicy secrets and tidbits about what's the come from HubSpot?
• Will Liz ever stop creating AI-generated haikus that no one asked for?

... and much more! 

YOUR ONE THING FROM THIS EPISODE

There's a lot to love about the HubSpot CMS Hub, but what makes it so special — especially for those who are already using other HubSpot Hubs as part of their MarTech stack — is that its accessibility is unmatched. No more waiting two weeks for a developer to implement a simple change on your site; HubSpot CMS Hub is built for agility.

Just remember, though, with great power comes great responsibility. Like we talked about last week in our HubSpot playbooks episode, processes will matter a great deal here if you want to see success with HubSpot CMS.

If you missed those two episodes, you can certainly listen to this one first. But if sales enablement is a pain point for your organization, you should definitely check them out:

• Why most sales enablement strategies fail (HubHeroes podcast)
• HubSpot sales enablement tactics, tips, and strategies (HubHeroes podcast)

For this week, we're going to stay on the HubSpot tools train because one of the hottest topics that came up during that part of our discussion was HUBSPOT PLAYBOOKS. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to dig into it properly, so we decided to dedicate an entire episode to one of the unsung HubHero tools in the HubSpot platform.

Especially since its applications extend far beyond sales enablement ... 

HubSpot playbooks are resource guides you can create within the platform for your teams and individual contributors (like someone in sales!) on specific topics, processes, or well pretty much anything you can think of. 

How powerful can a simple documentation tool be? Just you wait. You’re about to find out.

Because when Max asked last episode if we had enough to fill an entire episode about Playbooks, I gleefully replied:

“It’s about playbooks for sales. It’s about playbooks for service. It’s about playbooks for marketing. It’s about playbooks for the entire organization.”

Let’s dig in! 

Here's what we cover in this episode ...

• What do most folks get wrong about HubSpot playbooks?
• What are HubSpot playbooks really, and how should they be used?
• What is the importance of process in an organization?
• Where's the line between overly bureaucratic processes and agile processes that help you scale effectively?
• What are the ways you can use HubSpot playbooks for marketing?
• What are the ways you can use HubSpot playbooks for sales?
• What are the ways you can use HubSpot playbooks for service?

... and much more! 

YOUR ONE THING FROM THIS EPISODE

If you have access to HubSpot playbooks, the only mistake you can ever make is to not use them in some way. Seriously, that's it. Make a commitment to processes, and look to HubSpot to help you do that at scale.

• In last week's episode, we rolled up our sleeves and had a challenging (but powerful) discussion as we unpacked why most sales enablement strategies fail ... even with the best of intentions.
• This week, we're switching gears to talk about implementation; specifically, how you leverage HubSpot to execute and implement your sales enablement strategy.

We intentionally split up these topics because, much like you can't look to HubSpot Marketing Hub isn't your inbound marketing strategy — it's the platform by which you execute a strategy you develop — you also can't look at the Big Orange Sprocket as a replacement for doing the work to create your sales enablement strategy:

• It can't address any trust issues that exist between your sales and marketing teams.
• It can't tell you what sales enablement content you actually need. 
• It can't architect what your sales enablement content library should look like. 
• It can't tell you exactly what playbooks you need to create within the tool or how to use sequences.

However, once you have that baller sales enablement strategy baked out and ready to rock, the sky is the freakin' limit when it comes to leveraging HubSpot to make sales enablement a reality. Because if you think only HubSpot Sales Hub has you covered when it comes to serving up the sales enablement goods, hoo boy! You have so much to learn, my friends.

And that's exactly what this episode about. 

If you're a HubSpot user — or you're thinking about how HubSpot can help you with sales enablement — this is the episode for you.

Here's what we cover in this episode ...

• At a high level, what do companies need to be thinking about when they're evaluating how to leverage technology solutions (like HubSpot) for sales enablement?
• What are the ways in which companies can use HubSpot for their sales enablement means that go beyond what some might consider to be the "obvious" tools in the HubSpot Marketing Hub and Sales Hub?
• Why are documents one of the most powerful ways to maximize your sales enablement potential with HubSpot?
• What are the top sales enablement tools that you should be looking at in the HubSpot Sales and Marketing Hubs?
• What are the most common mistakes folks make when implementing a sales enablement strategy with HubSpot?

... and much more! 

YOUR ONE THING FROM THIS EPISODE

It doesn't matter if you're entirely new to the HubSpot ecosystem or if you've been using it for years. If sales enablement is a pain point or a focus area for your business, I guarantee you're barely scratching the surface of what the Big Sprocket can do for you. Of course, like we talked about extensively last week, HubSpot is not a replacement for your sales enablement strategy. But with the right one in place, you have countless tools and tactics at your fingertips within HubSpot to make it happen.

As much as many of us like to talk a big game about sales enablement strategy, that's pretty much all it is — talk. Don't get me wrong. I know most of you out there have good intentions with sales enablement, but the data shows we've still got a big problem:

• Sales and marketing alignment is getting worse, not better! In 2021, only 46% of sales and marketing teams said they didn't feel well aligned, but that jumped to 58% in 2022. 
• B2B sales team say that only 27% of leads passed from marketing are actually qualified — the vast majority of them are not.

Yikes. Is it any wonder, ladies and gentlemen, that our sales teams often struggle to trust anyone who says they're looking to truly enable them? Now, some of you out there might be saying, "George, we're using HubSpot Sales Hub and we're creating great content! It's not our fault that sales still isn't happy!"

If that's you, pull up a seat, because this episode is for you. Sales enablement strategy is a very complex topic. So, over the course of the next two episodes, we'll be unpacking sales enablement in two different ways:

• First (in this episode), we're going to dissect why most sales enablements strategies fail to get off the ground, as well as what healthy sales enablement strategies and ecosystems look like.
• Next week, it's all about tactics and how you leverage technology to execute and implement your sales enablement strategy.

If you're looking for ways to enable your team to close more deals faster in 2023, consider this episode must-listen material.

Here's what we cover in this episode ...

• Why is sales enablement such a big problem within organizations?
• Why is sales and marketing alignment getting worse?
• What is a sales enablement strategy supposed to look like?
• What are the most common ways companies undermine their sales enablement strategies and efforts?
• What does healthy communication look like between marketing and sales?
• How do you nurture trusting relationships with sales?
• What does sales enablement content actually look like?
• At a high level, how do tools and technology factor into enabling sales?
• Who is responsible for sales enablement?

... and much more! 

YOUR ONE THING FROM THIS EPISODE

There is no tool or platform out there that can repair broken trust and fix relationships within your organization. When it comes to sales enablement, you need to prioritize people first and genuinely give a damn about helping each other win.

🎧 Related episodes:

• Why go HubSpot Marketing Hub?
• Why go HubSpot Sales Hub?
• Why go HubSpot Service Hub?

As systems break, productivity plummets as teams are left scrambling and reacting, as they triage what's no longer working. Everyone is too busy chasing revenue and "crushing it" as they swing to smash their goals out of the sky to fix what's no longer working. So, while everyone is "doing the best they can" and "failing fast," the operational chaos continues to multiply. 

Sure, nothing is technically on fire, but what was once a (marginally) well-oiled machine now looks more like Frankenstein's monster. Basically, it's every company founder's worst nightmare, right?

"Congratulations, you're actually 'growing better!' Bad news, nothing works anymore!"

That's where the HubSpot Operations Hub comes in ... 

... at least in theory. 

In reality, when HubSpot unveiled this new hub, some were left scratching their heads. Not because the hub isn't valuable. Quite the opposite. The problem (if you can even call it that!) is the HubSpot Operations Hub a horse of a different color.🐎

Instead of driving qualified leads, closing deals faster, and improving customer delight (like the other hubs), the Operations Hub is all about data and processes — things that can feel a little less urgent and sexy at first glance, especially if your bottom line is barking at you for attention.

Still, sexy or not, if your operations are all out of whack, growing will always be a painful and costly experience. And that's precisely why we invited Nick Carbone of HubSpot to talk through what HubSpot Operations Hub actually is, and whether or not it's worth your investment.

Here's what we cover in this episode ...

• What does the HubSpot Operations Hub actually do ... and how is it like an HVAC system in your home?
• What do you need to know about the three Ps (platform, process, and perspective) — the driving philosophy behind HubSpot Operations Hub?
• Why does our gang consider HubSpot Operations Hub to be the most underrated part of the HubSpot stack?
• When should someone get the HubSpot Operations Hub? Do you dip your toe in the water now, or is it smarter to wait a few years down the road?
• Do you need a developer resource (in-house or outsourced) to have HubSpot Operations Hub work for you?
• Why does data quality matter so much to your organization? And how is it costing you big time if it's not something you're prioritizing?
• Why was discovering the business and data sync in HubSpot Operations Hub was a totally life-changing moment for me?
• Why should anyone be excited about the HubSpot Operations Hub?

And that's only the beginning! 

YOUR ONE THING FROM THIS EPISODE

Bottom line, if you're not prioritizing the health of the data your teams depend on, your business will suffer. Marketing will suffer, sales will suffer, service will suffer. Even if you don't take the leap with HubSpot Operations Hub, embrace this mindset shift. We're more dependent on technology and automation than ever; don't let a failure to adapt undermine all of the incredible work your people are doing. 

RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE

• Why go HubSpot Marketing Hub?
• Why go HubSpot Sales Hub?
• Why go HubSpot Service Hub?
• How HubSpot contacts mastery is your key to success with HubSpot
• What is HubSpot (really)? The definition most get wrong

... the HubSpot Flywheel, which is how HubSpot visualizes what's possible for an organization, in terms of their ability to "grow better," when everyone in your organization is aligned around delivering a fantastic customer experience.

It was quite a moment because, up until the great reveal, inbound marketers were (for the most part) worshipping at the altar of the inbound marketing funnel:

But HubSpot was now challenging us to set that funnel aside:

Images courtesy of HubSpot

Now, we've talked quite a bit about the HubSpot Flywheel before in previous HubHeroes episodes, as we conducted deep dives into different segments — attracting customers with great content, what engagement actually looks like, and breaking down who really owns customer delight.

But we've never gotten our hands dirty and talked about what the HubSpot Flywheel is because, truth be told, it's a messy topic once you start unpacking it.

For example, some folks thing the funnel is a nice idea, but what was actually wrong with the funnel? Did it really need to be replaced? Is the inbound marketing funnel dead like so many say? Others struggle with the funnel because they think it sounds great, but don't quite get how to unpack it for their organization. How do you align everyone so seamlessly? How do you track performance around the entire flywheel?

And that's exactly why we knew we had to talk about it this week. There's too much confusion, and it's time to end it once and for all. Does this episode get heated and passionate? Absolutely:

Do all of us agree with each other? No, we don't. 

However, I think this conversation is really going to help you and your teams understand what the HubSpot Flywheel really is and isn't, and what changes you need to make your mindset (and your team alignment) to see success in 2023. 

Here's what we cover in this episode ...

• Why did we need the Flywheel and what problems does it solve?
• Is the original inbound marketing funnel actually dead?
• Is the HubSpot Flywheel actually for everyone?
• Why do marketers continue to ruin absolutely everything we touch?
• What would it feel like to have the audacity of a tone deaf sales guy who can't read a room?
• Why is it so important to understand where you have force and friction within your organization?
• What happens when Devyn takes us to Inbound Marketing Church and preaches straight fire?

Buckle up, everybody! You have no idea what's in store for you in this episode.

YOUR ONE THING FROM THIS EPISODE

At the end of the day, whether you subscribe to the Flyweel or the funnel, you must accept that two things are true:

• Gone are the days when your teams (marketing, sales, service) can play around in their own little silos. The way you grow effectively as an organization is together; the more you're in silos, the harder that will be. 
• Your customers always matter, even and especially after they officially become a customer. Don't stop caring about the humans you serve just because you won the sale. The journey is only beginning for them ... and for you.

Or, put another way, in order to better attract, engage, and delight the humans you seek, you need to make sure the humans inside your own house are aligned first. You can't do one without the other.

You see, the last couple of months of the year are a bit strange. We start winding down as humans and in our professional lives. We make jokes like, "That sounds like a problem for January George!" as we kick projects and tasks to the new year. 

We hyper-focus on goal-setting and resolutions, and we look ahead to January with potential and excitement for a fresh start. There's just a few problems with this approach that seemingly crop up year after year:

• As soon as we are back at the office or at work, we already feel behind. We're setting goals for months that have already started.
• We also have to play catch up by taking care of all of the little tasks we left for the January versions of ourselves. 
• We set resolutions for the sake of it, knowing full well it won't take long for us to totally fall off the wagon ... but hey, we're going to try this year, right?
• Or, we're totally on board with goal-setting and resolutions, but we don't realize how we're mentally undercutting our ability to succeed with our goals — both in mindset and in the goals we choose to chase. 

And this annual rollercoaster of limitless motivation, complete overwhelm, and sinking disappointment is why we're taking a break to talk about how we humans — no matter what roles we play within our organizations or at home — 

Why? Because the technology and algorithms used by search engines to rank our content has radically changed. 

Enter stage left, topic clusters and pillar pagers. 

Topic clusters and pillar pages are the building blocks of the modern content strategy – I don’t care what industry you’re in, if you’re using content to drive traffic, leads, and sales, that statement applies to you. And yet, as essential as topic clusters and pillar pages are to your content strategy, so many marketers and business leaders don’t know how to effectively executive a topic cluster and pillar page based strategy.

🔎 Related HubSpot education:

• What is great content? (HubHeroes, Ep. 2)
• The last SEO content strategy guide you'll ever need
• What is a topic cluster? (definition + examples)

Or … you might think you do, but you’re making mistakes in your strategy and execution that are costing you big time when it comes to results. 

So, if you’re a content marketer, a marketing leader, or a business owner who is looking to topic clusters to drive big results in 2023, you absolutely must listen to this episode. Because, even if you think you’ve got topic clusters and pillar pillar pages down to a science, trust me when I say you’re going to learn something that will have direct, bottom-line impact in this episode.

Here's what we cover in this episode ...

• What isn't a content strategy? Because the amount of misinformation out there is astounding.
• How the answer to "what is a content strategy?" has changed in the past decade.
• What is the purpose of a content strategy? And what do most people get wrong about what content is supposed to do for their organizations?
• How Google and other search engines have radically changed how you should be developing your content strategies.
• Liz gets heated about "brand awareness" content.
• A brief primer on topic clusters and pillar pages, as well as why they exist.

And so, so, so much more. Seriously, this episode is straight fire, start to finish.

YOUR ONE THING FROM THIS EPISODE

If you're a growth-focused marketer or business leader who needs to get big results (and make big changes from a content strategy standpoint) in 2023, you need to sign up for the SEO Content Strategy Masterclass, which starts in January. Period.

Otherwise, get very clear on the purpose for your content strategy, as well as what goals you're looking to achieve with it. And if someone asks you for a content strategy document outside of what you provided, take a long hard look at your current documentation — and the process you used to get there — because you've got big gaps, my friend. 

RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE

• Content strategy scoping questions list (47-ish total)
• Pillar page strategy mistakes that are costing you (+ examples)
• What does great content actually look like? (HubHeroes, Ep. 2)

"Content strategy" is one of the most commonly used terms in the inbound world, and for good freakin' reason — much like America (and your pal, George!) runs on Dunkin', inbound runs on content. In fact, one might say there is no inbound without content at all. 

Content is how you attract, engage, and delight customers.

Content is how you establish your company as the leading authority in what you do or sell.

Content is how you enable your sales team to close deals faster.

Content is how you communicate your brand's story to the world.

Content is everything. 

And yet, the question "What is content strategy?" is one that strikes fear into the hearts of many a content marketer, business leader, and sales pro.

🚨 Register now: 2023 SEO Content Strategy Masterclass (limited seats)

Why? Because the answer you get to that question depends largely on who you ask, and there's a ton of disagreement in the inbound and HubSpot communities about what a content strategy looks like. 

For example, an experienced content marketer might think their robust editorial calendar is their content strategy ... until one day, after a few months of publishing what they thought was results-driving content, their boss leans into their office and says, "Hey, can you send over the content strategy for what we're publishing? Not the content calendar, we already have that."

🔎 Related HubSpot education:

• What is great content? (HubHeroes, Ep. 2)
• The last SEO content strategy guide you'll ever need
• What is a topic cluster? (definition + examples)

Some might even admit they're unclear on what a content strategy really is or what form it should take but, "I know it when I see it!" isn't an acceptable answer either.

And don't get us started on the confusion around topic clusters and pillar pages ...

Wait, actually DO get us started. That's the whole point of why we chose this week's episode topic. As we all look ahead to 2023, understand what a content strategy is today — as well as what it really takes to pull one together — Liz and I are here to set the record straight on what a content strategy is and isn't, and the most common mistakes you're making that are costing you big-time when it comes to content ROI.

Also, consider yourself warned ... Liz and I brought a lot of hot takes to the HubHeroes recording studio this week. 

HERE'S WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE ...

• What isn't a content strategy? Because the amount of misinformation out there is astounding.
• How the answer to "what is a content strategy?" has changed in the past decade.
• What is the purpose of a content strategy? And what do most people get wrong about what content is supposed to do for their organizations?
• How Google and other search engines have radically changed how you should be developing your content strategies.
• Liz gets heated about "brand awareness" content.
• A brief primer on topic clusters and pillar pages, as well as why they exist.

And so, so, so much more. Seriously, this episode is straight fire, start to finish.

YOUR ONE THING FROM THIS EPISODE

If you're a growth-focused marketer or business leader who needs to get big results (and make big changes from a content strategy standpoint) in 2023, you need to sign up for the SEO Content Strategy Masterclass, which starts in January. Period.

Otherwise, get very clear on the purpose for your content strategy, as well as what goals you're looking to achieve with it. And if someone asks you for a content strategy document outside of what you provided, take a long hard look at your current documentation — and the process you used to get there — because you've got big gaps, my friend. 

RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE

• Content strategy scoping questions list (47-ish total)
• Pillar page strategy mistakes that are costing you (+ examples)
• What does great content actually look like? (HubHeroes, Ep. 2)

However, you have to remember there’s another point at which business owners and marketing leaders might be thinking about their investment in HubSpot – when it’s not living up to its potential. In that case, they’re asking themselves, “Wait, why ARE we going with HubSpot Marketing Hub again?”
🔎 Related HubSpot education:

• What is HubSpot, really? (most get it wrong wrong)
• Why go HubSpot Service Hub? (HubHeroes, Ep. 10)
• Why go HubSpot Sales Hub? (HubHeroes, Ep. 12)

This is an important distinction because today’s episode isn’t a sales pitch, even if it does enable some of you in our HubHeroes audience to make a more informed buying decision that includes HubSpot Marketing Hub. 

Instead, today's conversation about helping you, our fellow HubHeores – whether you're thinking about buying into HubSpot , or you already have it but you've slipped out of the HubSpot honeymoon phase – understand what HubSpot Marketing Hub REALLY is. 

Because, for a lot of us who have been around the HubSpot world for the past five to 10 years and have been using HubSpot in that time may not realize that the HubSpot of yesterday is not the same as the HubSpot of today … 

So, why go HubSpot Marketing Hub? I’m so glad you asked! We even have a very special guest this episode joining us for this discussion — Deanna Schwarz of HubSpot! 

HERE'S WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE ...

• What was HubSpot Marketing Hub back and in the day, and how is it different from what HubSpot Marketing Hub is today?
• What problems does HubSpot Marketing Hub help organizations solve, and what problems doesn't HubSpot Marketing Hub solve?
• Whether someone is brand new to the platform or they’ve had it for awhile, where do most go wrong with HubSpot Marketing Hub that leads them to give up down the road?
• What are our favorite tools, features, and integrations of HubSpot Marketing Hub that many people overlook or miss entirely?
• What is a fiddle fart?

And that's only the beginning ... 

YOUR ONE THING FROM THIS EPISODE

It doesn't matter if you've been drinking the HubSpot Kool-aid for years or you're brand new to the HubSpot and inbound ecosystem — education is absolutely essential if you want to see the results you're looking for from HubSpot.

Without education of what the platform really is and isn't, what it's true capabilities are, as well as how and when it should be used, you'll always look to the platform to perform in ways it was never meant to. Is HubSpot Marketing Hub powerful? Of course it is. But with great power comes great responsibility ... and your responsibility in this case is to get educated. HubSpot Academy is a smart place to start.

RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE

• Why go HubSpot Service Hub? (HubHeroes, Ep. 10)
• Why go HubSpot Sales Hub? (HubHeroes, Ep. 12)
• What does great content actually look like? (HubHeroes, Ep. 2)
• Who are your buyer personas, anyway? (HubHeroes, Ep. 4)
• HubSpot Flywheel: Engage phase ... and is building trust crap? (HubHeroes, Ep. 7)

🔎 Related: What is HubSpot, really? (The definition most people get wrong)

Of course, that’s the key – “when done right.” Which is exactly what we’re going to dig into in this lead scoring in HubSpot guide for dummies. 

If your lead scoring model for your HubSpot contacts is being developed in a vacuum by only sales, only leadership, only marketing, or only two of those three teams I just mentioned, you’re gonna have a bad time. (That’s right, marketing teams – EVERYONE has to agree how a marketing qualified lead is defined.)

If your lead scoring model is something you developed a long, long time ago, in a mess of spreadsheets and Zoom calls far, far away, you’re gonna have a bad time. (Sorry, leadership and sales – you’ve got to look at your lead scoring strategy more than once a decade!)

🔎 Related: HubSpot contacts mastery is the key to maximizing HubSpot ROI

If you’ve been doing lead scoring for a while, and you’re using HubSpot … well, you’re not gonna have a bad time, but we’d strongly urge you to listen in. (We guarantee you’re leaving money on the table right now – and we’re going to help you fix that.)

Of course, there is a chance that if you're doing lead scoring now – or you're thinking about it – your biggest mistake was doing it at all! (That's right, lead scoring isn't for everyone.) The only way to find out is to listen in to this week's episode.

I had zero intent of recording anything for HubHeroes that even remotely resembled a Thanksgiving-themed episode. Let's be honest, while there are exceptions, most branded Thanksgiving content is more self-serving in nature rather than truly focused on expressing gratitude.

However, after a twist of fate, a Thanksgiving-themed episode is exactly what we created. 

In this week's atypical episode, it's just Liz Murphy, me, and our mics. (The rest of our crew will be back next week, don't worry!) Looking ahead to Thanksgiving and everything we're currently grateful for, we talked honestly about painful lessons learned, how uncomfortable moments shaped us as humans, the people who have brought us to where we are today, and how important it is to be open to pivots in life. 

I've gotta tell you, much of what I talk about in this episode I would have never dreamed of sharing before now. But as I tell anyone who is considering working with me, the humans always come before HubSpot in any client relationship. So, it was only a matter of time before I was willing to share my goals and my fears, as well as the experiences that created the man many of you know now. 

Next week, we'll return with our usual HubSpot-fueled shenanigans. For now, however, I'd ask each and every one of you to listen to this episode whenever you find it in your feed – as you're traveling to see family, as you're prepping your turkey, or maybe when you're trying to find a moment to center yourself and refocus as we look ahead to a new year. 

This isn't a fluffy episode. This episode both my way of opening up to you, as well as a challenge – every single one of you has a unique human experience that informs how you show up in your personal and professional lives. And guess what? So do your customers. 

For those of you who celebrate, Happy Thanksgiving. 🦃

On its surface, the answer to that question is easy:

You can effectively measure content marketing ROI when your marketing, sales, and leadership teams are aligned on what success looks like (and the KPIs by which you'll measure it), and you have the marketing and sales automation in place (e.g., HubSpot Marketing Hub and HubSpot Sales Hub) to produce the attribution reporting you need to prove the ROI of your content.

However, when you peel back the layers exhaustive inbound jargon in that, the key players in the content marketing ROI conversation also have other much deeper worries and concerns that I hear a lot from my clients:

The content marketer:

“I need my boss to see that the work I’m doing is actually making a difference. Whenever I share numbers, it’s not uncommon for people in leadership to not see the growth as having a real impact on the business. I can’t connect the dots between the wins we’re seeing on the marketing side to actual revenue - what if one day they decide the work I’m doing is an expense, and I get cut?”

The marketing leader:

“I’m under a lot of pressure from sales and leadership to deliver with our content marketing – I need to demonstrate that my team is delivering qualified leads to sales that should be converted into closed deals. But somehow I’m always swimming upstream proving the value of the work they’re doing. If I don’t start showing that value soon, I may be on the chopping block - or my people might be.

I also need better reporting because I need to know, in real-time, what is and isn’t working, so I can make pivots faster to optimize the results we’re getting.”

The sales stakeholder:

“We need leads that are actually qualified, not just marked as qualified by marketing. Plus, if we're investing all of these resources in creating content, it only makes sense that we're making sure we're doing more than just 'increasing brand awareness,' because 'awareness' alone doesn't close deals.”

The business owner:

“If I’m going to invest in inbound and HubSpot, I need to know what we’re doing is actually working. Every dollar and cent we’re spending on marketing right now needs to count, we can’t afford waste.”

If any of that sounds familiar, you're in the right place. In this completely wild episode – trust me, this is NOT your usual episode of the HubHeroes, friends (more on that later) – we dig deep into every nook and cranny of the content marketing ROI conversation. 

How do you get everyone – marketing, sales, leadership – on the same page about what success looks like? What should your technology stack look like to effectively measure the ROI of your content marketing? Those are just a few of the questions you'll get answers to ... 

HERE'S WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE ...

• Overcoming the misconception that marketing is an expense and not a profit center, as well as why this myth persists.
• Why content marketing ROI is such a pain point for most organizations and what to do about, depending on where you're starting from.
• The most common mistake folks make when they first start out with the content marketing ROI reporting conversation and how to avoid them.
• From a non-technology standpoint, what needs to be true within an organization for effective content marketing ROI reporting to be possible.
• ....and from a TECHNOLOGY standpoint, what needs to be true within an organization for effective content marketing ROI reporting to be possible.
• What a smart content marketing ROI reporting cadence looks like ... or should you even have a cadence? (There's some debate here!)

And then there was one other big surprise bombshell we dropped in this episode!  

THIS WEEK'S HUBHEROES BOMBSHELL

When you tune in this week, you'll notice something wildly different. While I'm 100% here, spitting HubSpot fire like usual, there's someone else who will now be permanently joining our ranks as a HubHero ... the one and only Liz Murphy:

Now, some of of y'all may be familiar with Liz, as she's been in the inbound and HubSpot world for years – most notably as the previous editor-in-chief at IMPACT. (She's also graciously contributed some great content nerd knowledge here before about blog outlining and developing a content strategy.) Today, Liz is out on her own as an independent content strategist and brand messaging therapist through her consultancy, Buona Volpe. 

And she's also agreed to be the permanent HubHeroes Podcast facilitator and ringmaster on each week's episode. Why did we make this change? Well, I'll be honest with you, it's a pretty vulnerable story on why I decided we needed to do this, and I talk about it at the start of this episode, so tune in to find out ... 

HubSpot Sales Hub is the powerful CRM and sales automation twin to the big orange's marketing platform – and we've brought the one and only Kyle Jepson of HubSpot Academy on the show this week to talk through everything you need to know about using HubSpot for your sales efforts.

Because if you think the HubSpot Sales Hub is just another ho-hum CRM kid on the block, you couldn't be more wrong.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN ...

• What is the HubSpot Sales Hub really? Is it more than just a CRM? (Spoiler alert, it's wayyyyy more than a CRM, although the CRM is pretty sweet!)
• How the HubSpot Sales Hub makes the dreaded – and all too common – sales team CRM adoption problem so much easier.
• How you can use the HubSpot Sales Hub to not only streamline, but also create powerful visualizations of your sales process in action.
• The top HubSpot Sales Hub features every business must know about – because even if you have it already, you likely haven't heard of a few of these! 
• Why Kyle's favorite HubSpot Sales Hub tool is playbooks, and how you need to start using them immediately if you aren't already ....
• Why if Max had to ask one HubSpot Sales Hub feature to prom, it would 100% be deals-based workflows.
• The most common HubSpot Sales Hub mistakes companies make.
• The ongoing content battle between our very own Max and Kyle!

And much, much more ... 

This week, we've brought in the one and only Kevin Dunn, a senior manager from HubSpot Academy, to have an illuminating conversation about something many of you have likely never heard of – HubSpot Solutions Architect. 

A solutions architect is the person responsible for deep technical discovery, customized solution design, and data and systems integration mapping on the HubSpot platform. Or, put another way, they are tasked with understanding whether what a business wants to do in HubSpot is feasible. And, if so, how?

Now, if you're sitting there thinking to yourself, "Thanks for that definition, George, but I now have more questions than answers, because I still don't totally get what architects have to do with HubSpot!" don't worry. This exciting episode is an invitation to follow us down the rabbit hole into new, exciting and uncharted territory. 

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN ...

• What the heck is a HubSpot Solutions Architect really, and what do they do?
• Why is a HubSpot Solutions Architect so important?
• What has changed in the inbound and HubSpot world where now HubSpot Solutions Architects are necessary?
• What's the difference between a HubSpot Admin and a HubSpot Solutions Architect? Where does the work of an architect end and an admin begin?
• How do you know if you need a HubSpot Solutions Architect?
• Where do developers fit into this whole conversation?

And much, much more ... 

NOW, LISTEN TO THIS WEEK'S EPISODE

YOUR ONE THING FROM THIS EPISODE

If you're a HubSpot partner agency, don't immediately jump to the conclusion that hiring a HubSpot Solutions Architect is a must for you. First, check in with your sales team to see how they're handling those more technical conversations around HubSpot, before assuming that's a pain point for them.

If you're not an agency, the message is also to not panic or make any big decisions without looking at your business and how you are, can, and should be using HubSpot. Yes, the world of HubSpot has become much more rich and complex, and this conversation is a clear example of that. And it's also a very exciting time in the HubSpot world. 

RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE

Some of these we talked about, others we're adding because they're only going to make the episode that much sweeter for you ... 

• 12 strange buildings from Architectural Digest
• HubSpot consulting is always available, if you want me to address your specific HubSpot customization challenges 1-on-1 with you
• Join The HubHeroes Podcast community!
• Wait, what the heck is The HubHeroes Podcast?!

Whew! Yeah, we covered a lot. 🔥

This week, we're now bringing the technology side of the customer delight conversation into the mix, because HubSpot Service Hub is the platform that can help you 10X your ability to delight your customers by making the service side of your business much more streamlined and effective. 

HubSpot Service Hub provides service teams with a powerful suite of tools that not only help them deliver better outcomes for your clients and customers, but also enables them to enjoy their job more – from ticketing, live chat, and playbooks, to the ever-popular knowledge base, customer feedback surveys, and full CRM integrations. (And that's barely scratching the surface of its full capabilities.) 

But what are the true capabilities of the HubSpot Service Hub? And, if you're serious about future-proofing your business by prioritizing customer delight, is it the right investment for you? To answer those questions (and many more), we're joined this week by HubSpot Product GTM Specialist Eric Brenner. 

WE ALSO TALK ABOUT ... 

• What HubSpot Service Hub really is, for those who have heard of it but maybe don't know a ton about the platform itself.
• How the HubSpot Service Hub "completes the suite" of HubSpot Hub products, and why that is so important. 
• The key features and benefits of HubSpot Service Hub you need to know about it – and we dig beyond the usual product descriptions. 
• If you're considering HubSpot Service Hub, we dig into who it's right for and what may make it not the right fit for you.
• The undeniable and almost under-appreciated power of the HubSpot Knowledge Base in Service Hub, and the different ways it can be used.
• If you're thinking about moving to HubSpot Service Hub from another service platform, Devyn gets honest about the dos and don'ts of migrating to HubSpot Service Hub.
• What you need to know about ticketing in the HubSpot Service Hub.

We also talk about our favorite features, what folks often get wrong about the platform, and so much more ... trust me, you've just gotta tune in to experience all of the HubSpot Service Hub goodness we cover.

For those of you who were in the HubSpot world at the time, you know what a shake up this was, as it was a radical departure from the traditional ATTRACT > CONVERT > CLOSE > DELIGHT FUNNEL model we had clung to as the cornerstone of the inbound marketing methodology for years.

However, to this day, this incredible innovation in the inbound space is still mystifying some. So, we're breaking it all down for you in this episode with a deep-dive into the Flywheel – specifically the engage stage – as well as what it really means to build trust as a business ... or is the idea of that crap?

WE ALSO TALK ABOUT ... 

• What inbound is today – no longer a marketing strategy, but an overall growth strategy for a business.
• What the engagement phase really is, and why it's the necessary pivot toward a more human approach in your business strategy.
• Unpacking the mythologized romanticism that's been built up around the concept of creating and earning trust as a business with prospects and customers.
• Devyn also lights it up with this gem: "Be prepared to nuke your whole system. That is usually my default (when giving advice) advice." BOOM!

Are you ready to dig in? Let's do this!

RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE

Some of these we talked about, others we're adding because they're only going to make the episode that much sweeter for you ... 

• What is growth strategy? with Troy Sandidge (HubHeroes, Ep. 6)
• INBOUND 2022 prep, a trip down memory lane, and a pop quiz (HubHeroes, Ep. 5)
• Attraction: What makes great content? (HubHeroes, Ep. 2)
• Join The HubHeroes Podcast community!
• Wait, what the heck is The HubHeroes Podcast?!

YOUR ONE THING FROM THIS EPISODE

I don't care if you write this down on a post-it note, print it out and make it a poster, or scrawl it across your mirror in lipstick. My man, Devyn, laid down an incredibly powerful truth in this episode, and if you remember nothing else, you can't forget it:

Being a helpful human, that's what this is all about.

That's why, in the HubSpot and inbound ecosystem, you hear so many folks talking about growth strategy and growth hacking – and everyone has an opinion on what it is, what actually works, as well as what does and doesn't work.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of confusing information out there on what a healthy, smart growth strategy actually looks like. One that truly empowers you to overcome your challenges as a business and achieve sustainable expansion actually is.

"You've gotta go slow, with measurable goals that make sense.

"Nah, man, you're doing it all wrong. You gotta get super lean and move fast."

"Growth strategy isn't about marketing, it's about sales."

"You've got it totally backward; it starts with marketing, not sales."

If you know me, I've made it my life's mission to simplify confusing and complex topics in ways that help you achieve your goals, no matter what role you're in – marketing, sales, or leadership. This episode is no different, because understanding growth strategy on the whole (and what it takes to get it right) can feel very confusing, but it doesn't have to be.

So, gather 'round the campfire everyone, because we've brought in Troy Sandidge, an award-winning growth strategist and Strategy Hacker™ and epic human as our very first HubHeroes guest to demystify everything you need to know about growth strategy.

WE ALSO TALK ABOUT ... 

• What growth strategy is (really), as well as what it isn't. Interestingly enough, what a growth strategy is does depend on your perspective and your role, but that doesn't mean you're not marching toward the same goals.
• What smart growth strategy goals look like, as well as what questions you need to ask to determine your true capacity to achieve your growth strategy goals.
• How sales should approach a growth strategy, and how that differs from (and complements) the marketing approach to growth strategy.
• The most common rookie mistakes you can make with a growth strategy, and how to avoid them. 
• The questions you should be asking yourself to make the smartest choices while developing and implementing your own growth strategy.
• Also Troy drops a MASSIVE surprise INBOUND 2022 announcement! 

Are you ready to dig in? Let's do this! 

RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE

Some of these we talked about, others we're adding because they're only going to make the episode that much sweeter for you ... 

• Connect with Troy Sandidge on LinkedIn or through his website
• Demystifying your customer buyer's journey (HubHeroes, Ep. 3)
• What makes great content? (HubHeroes, Ep. 2)
• Join The HubHeroes Podcast community!
• Wait, what the heck is The HubHeroes Podcast?!