Powering B2B demand generation with HubSpot Content Hub

When was the last time you had a nice HUG? A HubSpot User Group, that is – not the physical act of putting your arms around another person to show love or affection.

We recently hosted our very own HUG on how to power B2B demand generation with HubSpot CMS Hub (now HubSpot Content Hub). It was a great opportunity to engage with the HubSpot community and we were thrilled to see so many eager attendees.

If you didn't make it, don't worry. We’ve organised the key takeaways into this handy blog.

Read on to discover:

• Why your choice of CMS matters in B2B demand generation
• What makes HubSpot CMS the right solution
• How to maximise B2B demand generation using HubSpot
• Common routes to HubSpot CMS

But first, what is a HUG?

What is a HUG?

HubSpot User Groups are tailored learning sessions to help you expand your marketing knowledge and skills, connect with other HubSpot users, and get the most out of the platform.

“HUGs are free, valuable, and educational virtual meet ups for HubSpot customers to learn about the HubSpot platform and methodologies like inbound marketing and the Flywheel, network, and grow better.”

– HubSpot

HubSpot User Groups are hosted by either:

• An employee of an experienced HubSpot solutions partner agency.
• An active, Inbound and HubSpot software certified HubSpot customer.

With over 150 groups in over 35 countries worldwide, you never have to look far for a nice, warm HUG.

Why your choice of CMS matters in B2B demand generation

Pipeline growth is the key measure of success in B2B inbound demand generation.

Your inbound marketing strategy – alongside content, SEO, social, and paid ads – are all effective channels for creating awareness and generating leads. But in most B2B scenarios, your website will be your primary source of opportunities.

This raises an important question: what features does your B2B website need to turn visitors into opportunities in your pipeline effectively and consistently?

Ultimately, there are two key areas to focus on:

1. Platform performance
2. User experience

Platform performance

The characteristics of a high-performing website are the same for almost every business. As far as the backend infrastructure that underpins your site is concerned, at least. This means you won't get any competitive advantage by building a custom hosting solution.

It’s more time and cost-effective to use a pre-built CMS that's:

• Reliable: Your website infrastructure is robust, reliable, and resilient so it’s available when and where visitors need it.
• Secure: Built-in website security features protect visitors against third-party vulnerabilities and malicious activity. Any data you collect is stored in compliance with privacy regulations, like GDPR.
• Fast: Pages load quickly, and you score well in Google’s core web vitals. Research tells us that slow, poorly performing websites lose visitors.
• Easy to maintain: HubSpot monitors, maintains, and updates your website on your behalf, enabling you to keep pace with technical changes and emerging threats.

User experience

Unlike platform performance which is broadly the same for every site, you should strive to create a unique and intuitive user experience that’s tailored to your customer’s needs. This is vital if you want to set yourself apart from your competitors and turn visitors into opportunities.

An effective user experience has:

• A unique and engaging brand that makes your business stand out.
• Compelling positioning, messaging, and copy that instantly conveys how your products or services help customers.
• Effective and intuitive design so visitors can easily navigate your site and find what they’re looking for.
• Multiple contextual conversion points and offers, so buyers can engage with your site in the way that suits them.
• Well-optimised content that drives traffic and brings visitors to your website.
• A feedback mechanism that tells you how successful your efforts are and where you can improve.

Why HubSpot Content Hub?

HubSpot Content Hub is more than a basic CMS. It’s a powerful platform that combines a wide range of B2B-optimised features to help customers succeed in today’s competitive landscape.

This includes:

• Reliable, scalable, and resilient hosting
• A fast, globally distributed content delivery network
• SSL certification and web application firewall
• Code minification
• Image optimisation
• Continuous monitoring and maintenance
• One-to-one commercial support

And thanks to its robust infrastructure and user-friendly design principles, there’s none of the technical debt associated with a typical open-source CMS.

HubSpot also employs a flexible, modular design and intuitive editing tools which makes it easy to update your website. These include:

• Flexible templates and reusable modules
• Extendable platform functionality
• Personalised content
• Powerful forms
• A/B and multi-variant testing
• Rich visitor intelligence analytics

“HubSpot CMS is CMS + Infrastructure as a Service.”

– Phil Vallender

How to maximise B2B demand generation with HubSpot CMS

This is quite a broad question. There are several things you can do to maximise demand generation using HubSpot CMS. But for the best results, we recommend focusing your efforts on three key areas.

Invest in user experience

Hosting your website on the HubSpot CMS saves you the time and money you would otherwise spend researching, procuring, configuring, and maintaining custom website infrastructure.

You can then redirect those resources towards optimising the user experience for demand generation. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

• Keep your architecture simple and focused. Bigger isn’t necessarily better. On the contrary, large sites are often less effective at converting visitors into opportunities. Consider what your visitors really need and build your site around those requirements.
• Refine your navigation options. Choice paralysis is real. To quote HubSpot co-founder Dharmesh Shah “People love having the freedom of choice, but we hate the complexity of choosing”. Avoid large or complex website navigation. A clear and focused user journey is better than a mega menu with dozens of options.
• Provide multiple, relevant conversion points. No two buyers are the same. Give them the power to easily engage with your site in the way that works for them. This makes it easier for visitors to find the information they need to convert.
• Create a logical, intuitive customer journey. Buyers don’t want to jump through multiple hoops on their path to purchase. Remove disjointed or jarring experiences. For example, CTAs that say “try now” suggest immediate action. So, directing visitors to a generic contact form can cause friction.

Personalise with purpose

One of HubSpot’s unique features is the ability to personalise your content. If done correctly (and in the appropriate context), personalisation can boost your demand generation efforts and fuel your pipeline.

But how do you implement personalisation on your website for the best results?

1. Create targeted messages

Dropping someone’s first name on a page or subtly tweaking a headline will have little impact on demand generation. Instead, focus on delivering relevant content that adds value to each visit. A case study from the visitor’s industry, for instance.

This improves the user experience and helps you generate more qualified leads.

2. Progressively profile leads using queued questions

Some buyers don’t have the time or inclination to complete dozens of forms. And this has caused marketers to rethink their approach to user experience and how they gather visitor information.

One of the most effective alternatives is progressive profiling.

Progressive profiling allows you to gather relevant information about your visitors incrementally, rather than asking for all their details upfront. Instead of having a plethora of forms, focus on a select few and use these consistently across your website.

You can then queue questions within these forms to gather additional information on people that convert multiple times. This allows you to gather actionable, high-quality lead and contact data for your sales teams.

How do queued questions work?

In a nutshell, the visitor completes a basic form – to download an eBook, for example. The next time they complete the form (perhaps to access another piece of content) new questions are added automatically to gather additional information.

3. Use chatbots and live chat

Chatbots and live chat have several advantages over traditional communication channels.

They allow visitors to learn more about your offering, find relevant content, and access support services. But equally, they provide a fast and cost-effective way to field queries and gather visitor data.

That said, chatbots and live chat aren’t a silver bullet. Not every interaction will lead to a sales conversation or generate interest in your offering. Bear this in mind before investing in either tool.

Close the loops

HubSpot CMS collects a wealth of data about your visitors and leads. And locked within that data is a plethora of insights that, if harnessed properly, help you create a positive user experience that generates demand and powers growth.

For example, HubSpot CMS allows you to:

• Instantly notify the right people. B2B buyers appreciate quick responses. CMS instantly notifies your sales team when a visitor converts. This helps you generate and close more deals.
• Remove friction from the customer experience. Contact level insights offer a window into the journey that individual visitors experience: page visits, form submissions, email workflows etc. This helps you understand the user journey and spot opportunities to improve it.
• Focus on what works. When you combine contact level insights with HubSpot’s in-built analytics and reporting, you can optimise your website around what works. For instance, planning future content or campaigns to capitalise on high-volume pages and blogs to fuel your inbound strategy.

Common routes to the HubSpot CMS

If you’ve decided HubSpot is the right choice for your business, the next question is “how do I get started with the HubSpot CMS?”

There are three main paths you can follow:

• Template
• Migration
• Customer build

Choosing the right one for your business depends on your requirements. If you’re an emerging brand on a tight budget, a templated site might be the way to go. But if you want a unique design that supports your growth strategy, you can’t beat a custom build.

However you choose to implement HubSpot CMS, the powerful toolset and robust infrastructure make it the ideal choice for B2B demand generation.

Considering using HubSpot CMS for your website?

If you're considering using HubSpot CMS for your website but are unsure if the platform is right for you, book a demo with one of our experts.

Our CMS specialist will guide you through:

1. An overview of HubSpot CMS and Content Hub's key features
2. A live demonstration of the website editing experience
3. A showcase of the AI tools available in Content Hub

If you have any questions about the platform, we'll answer them for you, enabling you to make an informed decision.