In this comprehensive guide, discover everything you need to know about HubSpot CRM: its features, pricing, and benefits. Learn how this all-in-one tool can help grow your business relationships effectively.
What is HubSpot CRM?
HubSpot is a CRM (Customer Relationship Manager) that can help grow and maintain relationships between your business and its customers. To learn more about why CRMs are crucial for business growth, check out our guide on The Importance of CRM in Scaling Your Business.
HubSpot launched in 2006 and quickly built a reputation in marketing automation and social media campaign management before moving into customer relationship management (CRM) back in 2016.
Perhaps the standout feature of HubSpot is its flexible and modular pricing system. HubSpot provides users with access to the marketing, sales, and service hubs for free. Users can then upgrade each specific area of the CRM software, allowing them to focus on growing specific areas of their business without paying for features they won't use.
It should be noted that HubSpot CRM is a separate product from HubSpot, which focuses more on digital marketing and automation.
HubSpot Pricing Overview
HubSpot's free CRM gives users access to the marketing, sales, and service hubs; users can try each section of the platform before choosing which individual parts of the software they want to upgrade.
Overall, the pricing structure used by HubSpot is somewhat confusing. However, it gives users more flexibility, allowing them to only pay for the features they use.
If you’re interested in comparing HubSpot to other leading CRMs, read our article on Zoho CRM Overview: Features, Pricing & Why It’s Perfect for Your Business.
Why Choose HubSpot CRM?
- Flexible Pricing: Start for free and upgrade only the features you need.
- Scalability: A modular structure that grows with your business.
- User-Friendly Interface: A modern design that’s easy to navigate.
HubSpot CRM User Interface
HubSpot CRM has a friendly, modern user interface (UI), which works well with other HubSpot products.
The platform is split into the following sections:
- Marketing Hub
- Sales Hub
- Service Hub
The platform also features the CMS hub, but this is not included in the free version.
If you are looking for an affordable CRM without a steep learning curve, HubSpot CRM offers a very attractive package.
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Key Features of HubSpot CRM
HubSpot can be described as freemium software. The free version comes with the Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, and Service Hub products, all of which can be upgraded individually, allowing for a more customizable pricing plan.
HubSpot Marketing Hub: Attract and Convert Customers
HubSpot's marketing hub is made to help you attract and convert new customers.
The marketing hub acts as an all-in-one base for your marketing tools and data.
HubSpot Marketing Hub Key Features:
- Publish blog posts and improve search engine authority.
- Manage ads across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
- Create and track landing pages for campaigns.
- Social media management tools to streamline posting and engagement.
- Live chat for real-time communication.
HubSpot Marketing Hub Pricing Tiers:
- Free: Includes email marketing, forms, live chat, and ad management.
- Starter ($50/month): Adds retargeting ads, landing page reporting, and removes HubSpot branding.
- Professional ($890/month): Features include marketing automation, SEO, and custom reporting.
- Enterprise ($3,200/month): Advanced tools like predictive lead scoring and multi-touch revenue attribution.
For a deeper dive into how marketing automation can transform your campaigns, explore our guide on Understanding Marketing Automation with CRM Tools.
HubSpot Sales Hub: Streamline Your Sales Process
HubSpot's sales hub can be used to help you close more deals, maintain relationships with clients and manage pipelines.
HubSpot Sales Hub Key Features:
- Email tracking and templates.
- Call recording and scheduling tools.
- Contact and pipeline management.
- Automation for deal stages and lead rotation.
- Reporting dashboard for sales insights.
HubSpot Sales Hub Pricing Tiers:
- Free: Includes contact management, meeting scheduling, and a reporting dashboard.
- Starter ($45/month): Adds automation, multiple currencies, and goals tracking.
- Professional ($450/month): Offers advanced automation and phone support.
- Enterprise ($1,200/month): Includes predictive lead scoring, forecasting, and custom objects.
For a broader look at automation, check out our guide on Zapier Integration Platforms.
HubSpot Service Hub: Deliver Exceptional Customer Support
The Service Hub is designed to enhance your customer support experience and improve satisfaction.
HubSpot Service Hub Key Features:
- Help desk and ticketing system for managing customer issues.
- Knowledge base for self-service resources.
- Automation to streamline customer support workflows.
- Reporting tools to monitor ticket resolutions and team performance.
HubSpot Service Hub Pricing Tiers:
- Free: Features ticketing, live chat, and team email.
- Starter ($45/month): Adds ticket automation and multiple pipelines.
- Professional ($450/month): Includes feedback surveys and logged-in visitor identification.
- Enterprise ($1,200/month): Features conversation intelligence and advanced user management.
HubSpot CMS Hub: Simplify Website Content Management
The HubSpot CMS is where you can focus on your website content. HubSpot's CMS hub makes it straightforward to create and manage your website using an intuitive drag-and-drop editor. All pages produced with the CMS hub are fully responsive, meaning they will look great on all devices.
Overall the CMS hub provides a great way to create and manage content. However, it is not as flexible as some other tools, such as WordPress. If you are looking to keep all of your business tools in the same place, then the HubSpot CMS hub is worth considering; it also means you won't have to deal with a separate web host.
HubSpot CMS Hub Key Features:
- Drag-and-drop website builder.
- SEO recommendations and optimizations.
- Multi-language content creation for global audiences.
- A/B testing to optimize page performance.
- Built-in security and monitoring tools.
HubSpot CMS Hub Pricing Tiers:
- Professional ($300/month): Includes dynamic personalization and SEO optimization.
- Enterprise ($900/month): Adds advanced testing, custom objects, and serverless functions.
Pros and Cons of HubSpot CRM
Advantages of HubSpot
- Modular and scalable
- Flexible pricing system
- Great UI
- Wide range of features included for free
- Easy to create
- Customer support is great
Disadvantages of HubSpot
- The pricing tiers are confusing
- No customer support on Free Plan
Is HubSpot Suitable for My Business?
Overall, HubSpot CRM has a lot to offer. Its modern UI makes it accessible, even to non-technical users. Users may find the free version to be somewhat limited, and larger businesses may find the features lacking depth compared to other CRM software on the market, however you can always upgrade the modules that you find the most useful.
The freemium pricing structure makes it easy to test out the platform for free with the option of upgrading specific modules, meaning that users only pay for the features that they want to use. While the pricing structure is somewhat confusing, it makes the platform more accessible to smaller businesses on a budget.
Who Should Use HubSpot?
• Small to medium-sized businesses looking for cost-effective CRM solutions.
• Companies that need marketing, sales, and customer service tools in one place.
How to Maximize HubSpot CRM:
• Start with the free plan to explore its features.
• Upgrade individual hubs based on your business needs.
• Use analytics to track performance and optimize processes.
If you want to learn more about how HubSpot can help grow your business,
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