The HubHeroes Podcast

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"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)

At first glance, WHO this episode is for seems obvious, right? We’re talking to business owners or marketing leaders who are considering investing in HubSpot Marketing Hub for their company. Technically, you wouldn’t be wrong. We are absolutely going to be talking in this episode to folks who might be on the fence about HubSpot Marketing Hub.

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)

If you’re new to inbound, modern companies traditionally rely on solutions like HubSpot to put lead scoring models into practice. In fact, if you ask me, lead scoring (when done right!) can typify the why and how of leveraging technology to create scalable growth strategies that drive revenue for your business. 

🔎 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.

Ask anyone who knows me, one of my favorite nuggets of wisdom to share is, "Sometimes you don't have the day you want, but you have the day you need." In a way, the same holds true for this episode. Did we talk about what I wanted for this episode of HubHeroes? Nope. Not even close. But do I now see we recorded the episode we needed to record this week? Absolutely.
 

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. 🦃

“How do we measure the ROI of our content marketing?” It seems like a simple question at first but, hoo boy, it’s loaded like a baked potato.

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 ... 

Gather 'round the HubHeroes campfire, everybody! It doesn't matter you're already using the HubSpot Sales Hub or you're on the fence about whether or not it's the right fit for your company's revenue objectives, this episode is for you. 

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 ... 

Normally when you fire up an episode of the HubHeroes podcast, the title is a dead giveaway of what we're going to be talking about. In a split second, you immediately understand the what, the why, the how, and the when of what we're going to be covering. Not today, however. In fact, the topic for this week's episode is horse of a very different color.

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?!

In the last episode of HubHeroes, we unpacked what customer delight is, how wildly important it is to your business, and how everyone in your company – leadership, marketing, sales, and service – all have their parts to play in making it happen. 

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.