In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, staying ahead of the curve requires not just a keen eye for trends but a solid foundation.
Imagine navigating the ocean with a reliable compass that always points true North. For many, HubSpot is that reliable compass, guiding you through the crazy world of marketing, sales and customer service. But like any software or tool, its efficacy is directly tied to how well it's maintained.
As we set sail into 2024, let's embark on the essential journey that every HubSpot customer should complete — an audit of your HubSpot account to ensure it's primed for success.
Embarking on this HubSpot audit journey requires a map. So in this blog post, we outline critical steps to fine tune your HubSpot setup for optimal performance, complete with resources to dive deeper into each task.
1. Remove duplicates
What? Leverage HubSpot's deduplication tool to merge duplicate contacts, companies or deals, ensuring data integrity. Managing duplicate records in HubSpot is crazy easy and good!
Why? Accurate data leads to informed decisions and streamlined communication efforts.
Learn more: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/records/deduplication-of-records
2. Review unengaged contacts
What? Review and/or delete contacts who have unsubscribed from all marketing emails or have provided other signals that indicate a lack of engagement with your business (e.g. hard bounced).
Why? Focuses efforts on engaged contacts, enhancing campaign effectiveness and improve email deliverability (open rates, click rates, etc). Plus HubSpot's pricing is based on 'Marketing contacts,' so regularly auditing your contacts can save you $$$.
Learn more: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/ultimate-guide-to-contact-management
3. Audit workflows
What? Inspect each workflow for performance, relevance, and errors, making necessary adjustments.
Why? Ensures that automations are efficient and aligned with your marketing, sales and customer service processes. HubSpot's workflows are super powerful, so regularly checking them is important.
Learn more: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/workflows/create-workflows
4. Review contacts without a lifecycle stage or the wrong lifecycle stage
What? Review contacts and companies and check that they have accurate lifecycle stages.
Why? Helps to better target your marketing, improving conversion rates. And it provides more accurate reporting, especially funnel reporting from lead > MQL > SQL > opportunity > customer.
Learn more: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/object-settings/create-and-customize-lifecycle-stages
5. Review sequences, lists, snippets & templates
What? Purge outdated or unused sequences, lists, snippets, and email templates.
Why? Keeps your marketing tools lean and effective, ready to rock'n'roll.
Learn more:
[Email templates] https://knowledge.hubspot.com/templates/create-and-send-templates
[Sequences] https://knowledge.hubspot.com/sequences/create-and-edit-sequences
[Lists] https://knowledge.hubspot.com/lists/create-active-or-static-lists
[Snippets] https://knowledge.hubspot.com/conversations/use-snippets
6. Remove inactive users
What? Remove users who are no longer active, maintaining account security and relevance.
Why? Streamlines account access and reflects current team dynamics.
Learn more: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/user-management/edit-user-permissions
7. Delete overdue tasks
What? Address and clear any tasks that are overdue, ensuring a focused workflow.
Why? Promotes a productive environment by keeping tasks relevant and up-to-date.
Learn more: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/tasks/create-tasks
8. Review dashboards & reports
What? Evaluate and tidy up dashboards and reports, retaining only those that provide actionable insights.
Why? Enhances decision-making with clean, relevant data and reduces noise in your HubSpot portal.
Learn more: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/dashboards/manage-your-dashboards
9. Check security settings
What? Ensure all users are enrolled in two-factor authentication and review user permissions.
Why? Secures your account against unauthorised access, protecting sensitive data.
Learn more: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/account/set-up-and-manage-two-factor-authentication
10. Check email domain authentication
What? Google and Yahoo require you to authenticate your email sending domain with DMARC, DKIM, and SPF when sending bulk marketing email/.
Why? Boosts email deliverability (avoids the spam folder) and protects your brand's reputation.
Learn more: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/marketing-email/overview-of-email-authentication
11. Review properties, integrations, and ad accounts
What? Review and streamline standard and custom properties, integrations, and ad account connections.
Why? HubSpot properties can tend to grow over time as more users create custom properties. Same goes for integrations. And occasionally, your ad accounts can disconnect from HubSpot which can impact workflows and reporting.
Learn more: https://www.hubspot.com/integrations/content-library
12. Check Google Analytics 4 integration
What? Confirm the integration of Google Analytics 4 to ensure that GA4 is tracking any HubSpot website or landing pages.
Why? Provides a holistic view of your digital footprint, improving your marketing strategy and ensuring that you're not under-reporting website traffic from HubSpot pages.
Learn more: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/website-pages/integrate-google-analytics-with-hubspot-content
Conclusion
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, it's more important than ever to have your house in order and a solid foundation. By undertaking this comprehensive HubSpot audit, you're not just tidying up; you're setting the stage for a year of focused growth, streamlined operations, and enhanced marketing and sales outcomes.
Like a ship ready to embark on a grand voyage, your HubSpot account is now poised to navigate the challenges of 2024, armed with clean data, efficient processes, and a secure, optimised platform.
Remember, the true north of digital marketing success is not found in the software or tools themselves, but in how effectively we wield them.
