The holiday season is a crucial time for businesses, and agency marketers play an important role in ensuring their clients’ success. With the festive spirit in the air, it’s the perfect time to attract new customers, engage with existing ones, and boost sales. But with so many brands competing for consumers’ attention during this busy time of the year, it’s essential to have a well-planned holiday marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll explore some top holiday marketing strategies for agency marketers to help their clients stand out and sleigh the competition.

Pre-Holiday Planning

The first step in a successful holiday campaign is pre-holiday planning. During this stage, you will choose holiday campaign goals and holiday offers. It is crucial to include shipping deadline dates to promote orders before the holiday season begins. Good planning means that you’re keeping your audience in mind when choosing which holidays to feature. It is essential to select those holidays that resonate well with your target audience, taking into account cultural and religious diversity.

Staying Organized for Client Success

Staying organized during the holiday season is crucial for agency marketers. As hectic as this period can be, it’s essential to keep track of all campaign elements to ensure a smooth and successful outcome for your clients. One way to stay organized is by using a holiday marketing calendar. This tool can help you plan out your marketing activities efficiently, keeping track of key dates and deadlines. Include important dates such as when to launch specific campaigns, when to schedule promotional emails, and when to post on social media. Do yourself a favor and keep a separate one for each of your clients to avoid confusion.

Website and Social Media Strategy

Deck out your clients’ websites with holiday calls-to-action (CTAs) and holiday banners with changes in hours, even if they’re an e-commerce company. Plan a holiday social strategy, publish interactive holiday polls, and create engaging social media campaigns around the holidays. Update company profiles with holiday hours, optimize social media for shopping, and create social media posts about your holiday hours, shipping cutoffs, hashtags, discounts, contests, and any other holiday initiatives. Don’t forget the importance of scheduling content, using social media planning platforms like HubSpot and Hootsuite, and the benefits it comes with. Utilize the power of social media to reach a larger audience and get your holiday campaigns noticed.

Email Marketing

Segment email lists based on purchase behaviors and reward loyalty with early bird and special discounts. Consider sending holiday-themed newsletters and utilizing sign-up forms to grow your email lists. Use email automation to send promo offers and remind customers of sales. And remember to add a personal touch by sending holiday greetings and thank-you emails to show appreciation.

Keep in mind the importance of subject lines in your holiday email campaigns – after all, they are the first thing your subscribers see. Create catchy, holiday-themed subject lines that prompt users to open your emails. A/B testing can be a useful tool to determine the most effective subject lines, helping you optimize the open rates. Also, incorporating holiday-themed emojis in your email subject lines can add a dash of cheeriness and draw attention, potentially increasing your open rates during the festive season.

Furthermore, utilize the power of storytelling in holiday emails. Share heartfelt holiday stories or experiences tied to your clients’ brands, or highlight how their products can create memorable holiday moments. This approach can foster a stronger emotional connection with audiences, enhancing customer loyalty.

Paid Ads

Maximizing your clients’ brands’ visibility during the holiday season requires a well-rounded strategy, and paid ads play a pivotal role in that. An effective paid ad strategy allows you to reach a wider audience, increase brand exposure, and boost holiday sales.

Start with Google Ads, optimizing them for holiday keywords and phrases. Tailor your ad copy to the holiday season, highlighting special deals, discounts, and limited-time offers.
Don’t forget about retargeting ads either. These are particularly effective during the holiday season, as they allow brands to reconnect with people who have previously interacted with the client’s brand. Retargeting ads remind these potential customers of offers, potentially nudging them toward making a purchase.

Social media platforms offer powerful tools for reaching target audiences. Paid social ads can help drive brand awareness, engagement, and conversions during the holiday season.

On platforms like Facebook and Instagram, use carousel ads to showcase multiple products, or try dynamic ads to personalize content based on user behavior. LinkedIn-sponsored content can be effective for B2B companies, while promoted tweets on Twitter can help spread your holiday message.

Post-Holiday

The Holiday season has concluded, and it’s time to gear up for the post-holiday phase. You need to revert your clients’ hours to normal and remove banners that have already served their functions. Also, it’s time to fix Google Profiles to ensure that it shows accurate opening times that correspond with daily operation periods. Finally, create post-holiday ads for gift card shoppers, highlighting the best deals of the season. When it comes to analyzing your campaign performance, be sure to review it in detail, learning what worked and didn’t work and pivoting your future strategies accordingly.

Holiday Breaks and Mental Health

Finally, it’s important to discuss the importance of taking breaks during the holidays. The holiday season can be stressful for everyone, including agency marketers responsible for their client’s holiday campaigns. It’s essential to take time off and prioritize mental health. Take a break from your daily tasks and enjoy the festivities with your family and friends and do things that you genuinely enjoy. Disconnect from work to avoid burnout and recharge for the next phase of the agency marketing process.

At Raka, we understand that the holiday season can be a hectic time for businesses. Let’s make the most of this holiday season together and create memorable experiences for your customers. Contact us today to learn more about how we can support your holiday marketing efforts. And remember, the greatest gift you can give your business this holiday season is the gift of strategic, thoughtful marketing.

HubSpot continues to pioneer advancements in business technology, introducing a range of innovative features set to transform the way businesses operate. From refinements to their customer journey reporting capabilities to their new Leads object, HubSpot remains an industry leader, consistently raising the bar. Let’s explore some of their most recent product enhancements.

Sales Hub

Leads Object

HubSpot has introduced a new object: Leads. This addition is poised to revolutionize how sales teams manage their prospecting and qualification efforts, catering to both inbound and outbound demand generation within the HubSpot platform.

The leads will be managed from dedicated tabs within the prospecting workspace, offering an organized and efficient way to oversee potential customers. However, it’s crucial to understand that ‘Leads’ are not intended to replace ‘Contacts’. Instead, they serve as supplementary objects, similar to ‘Deals’ or ‘Tasks’, which can be associated with existing contact and/or company records. This association provides an enhanced layer of management, allowing sales teams to link leads with specific contacts or companies for more streamlined tracking of prospective business opportunities.

*This object is available to Sales Hub Pro+ customers with an assigned Sales Seat

To learn more about the Leads object, check out this Knowledge Base article.

Marketing Hub

Instagram First Comment

The new ‘First Comment Support’ feature enhances your Instagram posting strategy. Now, not only can you schedule your Instagram posts, but also the first comment that accompanies them.

A well-crafted Instagram post relies on a compelling caption and pertinent hashtags. However, with space being limited, it can be challenging to include everything you want to say. This is where the ‘First Comment’ feature comes in handy.

By scheduling the first comment, marketers can directly interact with their audience, fostering better engagement. It provides an additional space to include more hashtags, which can significantly expand your reach on Instagram.

*This feature is available to Marketing Hub Pro+ customers

Customer Journey Analytics Campaign Filtering

Customer journey Analytics has now been upgraded with the inclusion of a campaign filter. This new feature allows marketers to focus specifically on touchpoints originating from a selected campaign, making their analysis more precise and targeted.

For instance, if you wish to analyze only the page views, form submissions, and email clicks related to a specific campaign, you can do so by selecting that campaign in the event filter while creating your report.

This feature equips marketers with a more granular view of their campaign performance. It offers valuable insights into customer interactions, helping marketers understand which campaign strategies are working best and where there is room for improvement.

*This feature is available to Marketing Enterprise customers only

To learn more, check out this Knowledge Base article.

Sales + Service Hub

Lead Form Routing

HubSpot has released lead form routing to meetings, designed to simplify and enhance your meeting booking procedures. This latest update is set to revolutionize the way your teams manage appointments.

Gone are the days of generic redirects! With this feature, you can now utilize the data collected via your forms to personalize the visitor’s journey. It enables you to steer them towards the most suitable meeting link based on their specific needs.

This tool is particularly beneficial for sales and service teams as it allows for a more tailored approach to customer interactions. It ensures that potential leads are directed to the right team member or service representative, thereby increasing efficiency and improving customer satisfaction.

*This feature is available to Sales and Service Hub Enterprise customers

To learn more, check out this Knowledge Base article.

Revolutionizing Your Business Operations with HubSpot and Raka

These latest additions are a testament to HubSpot’s unwavering dedication to equipping businesses with the necessary tools for success. From refining marketing strategies to streamlining sales operations, HubSpot is ceaselessly innovating to cater to the evolving needs of contemporary businesses.

Ready to level up your business with HubSpot? Reach out to Raka now.

September 2023 was a month of excitement for HubSpot users. The company hosted its renowned annual conference, INBOUND, where attendees were updated on the latest happenings and product releases at HubSpot.

As usual, the event did not disappoint, and HubSpot shared some significant updates to its platform. This blog post will take you through a comprehensive recap of the most significant product release updates from HubSpot lately. Whether you’re an experienced user or just starting with HubSpot, these updates are bound to help streamline your workflows, boost productivity, and help you grow your business.

Marketing Hub

SMS Automation

HubSpot’s latest SMS Automation feature is a game-changer for businesses looking to streamline their communications and save time. This feature allows businesses to create automated SMS workflows that can be triggered based on user behavior, enabling them to send timely and relevant messages to their customers.

With the SMS Automation feature, HubSpot users can create custom workflows that send SMS messages to customers for various purposes, including appointment reminders, order confirmations, and shipping updates. This feature also enables businesses to use personalized messaging to connect with customers, further enhancing their overall experience.

One of the most significant benefits of this feature is the time-saving aspect. Businesses can automate their SMS workflows and schedule messages in advance, enabling them to focus on other important aspects of their operations. Additionally, this feature makes it easier to manage and track all SMS communication in one centralized location.

SMS Automation is currently in Public Beta and available to all U.S. Marketing Hub Pro+ customers. Learn more by visiting the HubSpot Knowledge Base.

SMS Reporting

The SMS Reporting feature provides businesses with detailed analytics on their SMS campaigns, including delivery rates, open rates, click-through rates, and more. This data helps businesses determine which messages are resonating with their audience and what changes they need to make to optimize their messaging strategies.

In addition to campaign metrics, this feature also provides businesses with insights into individual customer interactions. HubSpot users can view individual SMS conversations and track customer engagement, enabling them to provide personalized and timely responses to their customers.

By leveraging these insights, businesses can optimize their messaging strategies and create more effective SMS campaigns. With access to real-time performance data, businesses can make informed decisions that help drive engagement and conversions.

SMS Reporting is currently live and available to all Marketing Hub Pro+ customers.

AI Subject Line Generator

HubSpot’s latest AI-powered Subject Line Generator feature is a game-changing addition to their email marketing suite. Powered by email insights and best practices from HubSpot, this feature is designed to help businesses generate compelling subject lines quickly and efficiently.

In the past, generating effective subject lines for email campaigns could be a time-consuming process. However, with HubSpot’s AI-powered Subject Line Generator, businesses can now create subject lines with just the click of a button. This not only saves time but also enhances the overall effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns.

AI Subject Line Generator is currently in Private Beta and will be available to all Free+ customers.

Marketing Hub + CMS Hub

AI-Powered Blog Posts Generator with Semrush Data

HubSpot’s latest AI-powered Blog Post Generator, is powered by ChatGPT and leverages keyword data from SEMrush to make it easier than ever for businesses to generate high-quality blog post topics, suggested titles, descriptions, and outlines.

With this tool, businesses can input a topic or keyword related to their industry, and the AI-powered generator will produce a list of suggested blog post ideas based on SEMrush data. From there, businesses can select the most relevant ideas and generate suggested post titles, descriptions, and outlines with just a few clicks.

The AI technology behind this tool takes into account various factors, including search volume, competition, and relevance, to generate blog post ideas that are more likely to resonate with your audience. By leveraging these insights, businesses can optimize the effectiveness of their content marketing campaigns and drive higher engagement rates.

Service Hub

Conversation Summary

This feature allows users to create a conversation summary that allows any inbox user to quickly get the context of a conversation without having to read every message.

With the Conversation Summary feature, HubSpot users can see a summary of the conversation at the top of the thread, enabling them to quickly understand the context of the conversation and respond accordingly. This feature also saves time for inbox users who would otherwise have to read through the entire conversation to understand the context.

Additionally, the Conversation Summary feature provides businesses with valuable insights into customer interactions. By summarizing the conversation, businesses can identify common themes or issues that customers are experiencing, enabling them to proactively address these concerns and improve their overall customer experience.

Conversation Summary is currently in Public Beta and is available to all Free+ customers.

Sales Hub + Service Hub

A/B Testing in Sequences

A/B testing has long been a crucial component of effective marketing campaigns, enabling businesses to test different variations of content to determine which ones are more effective. With this highly requested new feature, businesses can now apply this same methodology to their sales outreach efforts.

To use A/B Testing in Sequences, businesses can create multiple versions of their sales emails and test them against each other. The feature will then track and analyze the results, letting businesses know which version is more effective at driving engagement and conversions.

This feature is especially valuable for businesses that rely heavily on sales outreach to drive revenue. By optimizing their outreach efforts, businesses can increase their success rates and generate more leads and sales.

A/B Testing in Sequences is currently in Public Beta and is available to all Sales and Service Hub Pro+ customers.

Grow Your Business with HubSpot

With these latest features, HubSpot is further cementing its position as a leading provider of innovative tools that help businesses thrive. By staying on the cutting edge of marketing and sales technology, HubSpot is ensuring that businesses have everything they need to succeed in today’s fast-paced digital landscape.

If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, now is the time to explore all that HubSpot has to offer. From enhancing your marketing campaigns to optimizing your sales processes, HubSpot has the solutions you need to stay ahead of the competition. Get in touch with us today and see how we can help drive success for your business!

In a world where likes, shares, and retweets hold incredible power, having a social media presence is no longer just an option—it’s a necessity. But here’s the truth: simply being present on social media won’t guarantee success. That’s where the magic of a social media strategy comes into play. Think of it as your secret weapon, your roadmap to digital victory! Whether you’re a quirky content creator, a small business owner, or an aspiring influencer, a well-crafted social media strategy is the key to grabbing attention, building a loyal following, and unleashing your true online potential.

1. Choose goals

When creating a social media strategy, one size does not fit all. Your social media aims directly correlate with your business’s overarching objectives, be it brand awareness, lead generation, customer engagement, or improving sales. Instead of chasing likes or follows, you must prioritize establishing meaningful connections with your audience. Setting specific objectives gives you a goalpost to run to. This way, you’re not shooting in the dark but have clear goals to track your progress, thus making your social media strategy more effective and result-oriented.

2. Know your audience/right platform

Before you dive into creating your social media strategy, it’s important to understand your target audience. All demographics might not spend equal time on every platform. For example, you wouldn’t focus your efforts on marketing on Facebook if your audience is Gen-Z. We all know they live on TikTok. If your audience is older, staying on simpler platforms like Facebook may be best. They definitely won’t be on SnapFace, right, Bill Belichick?

It’s also good to consider your industry when looking at social media platforms, as some will be better suited for you than others. For example, if you’re in the fashion and beauty industry, Instagram might be a great platform to leverage due to its visual nature. In contrast, LinkedIn may be more appropriate if your business is more B2B-focused.

3. Get to know your competition

Understanding what your competition is doing is part of creating an effective social media strategy. This will help you stay ahead of the curve and ensure your content stands out. Take time to monitor competitor activity on different platforms and see their techniques, including hashtags, captions, and visuals. Knowing what works for other businesses in your industry can help you develop ideas for your own content and give you a benchmark to measure yourself against. Moreover, monitoring interactions on a competitor’s posts is essential. It helps you comprehend what strikes a chord with your industry’s audience and identify areas that need enhancement.

Now that you have a good understanding of your competition and have been watching their social media activities, it’s time to uncover the hidden opportunities. Identify the gaps in their strategy and areas where they need to catch up. Do they need to post more frequently? Or does their content lack variety? Whatever the case, these are all potential opportunities to swoop in and do better.

4. Do a social media audit

Once you’ve looked at what’s out there, it’s time to audit your social media presence. This helps you identify what content has been performing well and where there are areas of improvement. If you notice that a particular post has generated more engagement than others, you can focus on crafting similar content that resonates with your followers. If a post has not been performing well, you can adjust your strategy accordingly. A detailed social media audit will help identify any issues or areas of improvement before they impact your overall performance.

5. Create a social media content calendar

With all the pieces in place, it’s time to assemble them and create a content calendar outlining your social media strategy. This calendar should include the type of content you will post, the frequency, and any other relevant information, such as hashtags or links. Additionally, ensure that each post has a clear call-to-action (CTA) so that followers know the expected response. A content calendar will act as a framework to help you stay organized and ensure your social media strategy is effective. Plus, it’s a great way to save time – all you need to do is follow the plan!

6. Create compelling content

Now that you have a content calendar, it’s time to create the content. For this step, it’s important to remember that quality is key – so ensure that each post is compelling and interesting. Try experimenting with different types of content, such as videos, photos, infographics, polls, and quizzes – this will help keep your followers engaged and make your profile stand out. Remember to include relevant hashtags to increase your posts’ visibility and attract more followers. Be consistent and post regularly to keep engagement high. This is one of the most critical aspects of effective social media.

Keeping an eagle eye on the latest social media trends can keep your brand relevant and relatable. Whether it’s the latest viral challenge on TikTok, an impactful hashtag campaign on Twitter, or an emerging Instagram filter, these trends offer a wealth of ideas for your content. Remember, the key lies in adapting these trends to align with your brand voice and objectives, seamlessly integrating them into your overall social media strategy.

7. Track performance and make adjustments

Finally, it’s essential to track the performance of your social media strategy in order to make informed decisions about adjustments. Every so often, take a step back and analyze the overall performance of your posts – this will help you identify any areas for improvement or problems that need addressing. Additionally, look at competitor accounts to see what content is resonating with their followers – this is a great way to get ideas for your own content. With these insights, you can make adjustments to the content calendar and ensure that your social media strategy is always effective.

Ultimately, creating an effective social media strategy requires time, effort and dedication – but it’s all worth it when you start seeing the positive results! Follow the steps above and you’ll be on your way to creating an engaging, successful presence on social media.
Still have some doubts? We happen to be experts! Get in touch with us and we’ll transform your social media strategy for stunning results.

HubSpot has unveiled a series of cutting-edge features destined to revolutionize business operations. With enhancements to their SMS tool and more comprehensive deal journey analytics, they remain at the forefront of innovation, constantly pushing the envelope. Follow along as we dive into some of the latest HubSpot product updates.

Marketing Hub and CMS Hub

SMS Association with Campaigns

First up is the new SMS Association with Campaigns feature. This new feature allows businesses to integrate their SMS marketing campaigns directly into HubSpot. With this integration, businesses can track and manage their SMS campaigns in the same place where they handle other marketing efforts. This means more efficient campaign management and a unified view of all marketing activities.

This feature is available to Marketing Hub Pro+ US-based customers

CRM Platform

Deal Lists

HubSpot has introduced a new feature called Deal Lists that is set to revolutionize the way you organize your sales prospects. With Deal Lists, you can create custom lists of deals based on specific criteria. This makes it easier to segment your deals and focus on those that matter most. Whether you want to prioritize deals based on deal stage, value, or any other criteria, Deal Lists gives you the flexibility to do so.

This feature is available to all Hubs and tiers

App Marketplace & Integrations

Sharing HubSpot Reports and Dashboards in Slack

In an effort to make collaboration smoother and more efficient, HubSpot has introduced a new way to share reports and dashboards directly in Slack. This eliminates the need for back-and-forth emails and allows teams to quickly share insights and make data-driven decisions.

With this new feature, you can share your HubSpot reports and dashboards in a Slack channel or direct message with just a few clicks. This ensures that the right people have access to the right data at the right time, fostering a culture of transparency and informed decision-making.

Sales Hub

Deal Journey Analytics

Finally, we have the Deal Journey Analytics, a new report available for Sales Hub Enterprise users. This report provides insightful data about your deals, tracking them from start to finish. You can see how long each deal stage takes, identify bottlenecks in your sales process, and uncover opportunities for improvement. The Deal Journey Analytics report is a powerful tool for sales teams that want to optimize their sales process and close deals faster.

*This feature is available to Sales Enterprise users only

Innovating the Way We Work

These new features are all part of HubSpot’s ongoing commitment to providing businesses with the tools they need to succeed. Whether it’s enhancing marketing campaigns, or optimizing sales processes, HubSpot is constantly innovating to meet the needs of modern businesses.

Ready to level-up your business with HubSpot? Contact Raka today.

As a Diamond HubSpot Partner and a part of the Certified HubSpot Onboarding Program, we’ve taken our fair share of HubSpot Academy courses at Raka. We love HubSpot’s courses because they offer a wide range of topics designed to empower marketers and help them excel in their roles. The best part is that all the classes are free, and you don’t have to be a current HubSpot customer to enroll. In this blog post, we will explore five of our favorite HubSpot Academy courses and explain why we highly recommend them.

Inbound Marketing Certification

Watch this video for a sneak peek of the Inbound Marketing Certification course:

Inbound marketing, the certification course that started it all. This OG HubSpot course is jam-packed with everything needed to dip your toes into the world of inbound. Students will learn essential concepts such as attracting, engaging, and delighting customers through inbound strategies and highlights and outlines how to connect with your ideal lead. By completing this course, marketers gain a deep understanding of the inbound methodology and learn how to create effective marketing campaigns that drive results.

Check out the course here.

Social Media Marketing Certification

Watch this video for a sneak peek of the Social Media Marketing Certification course:

As of 2023, an estimated 4.9 billion people use social media worldwide, and that number is expected to jump to 5.85 billion by 2027. Social media has become a powerful tool for marketers to connect with their communities and drive brand awareness. The HubSpot Social Media Certification provides marketers with the knowledge needed to develop successful social media strategies. This course covers topics like content creation, community management, and analytics. Marketers will learn how to leverage different social media platforms effectively and create engaging content that resonates with their target audience.

Check out the course here.

Content Marketing Certification

Watch this video for a sneak peek of the Content Marketing Certification course:

Content is the foundation of any successful digital marketing strategy. The Content Marketing Certification course empowers marketers to create compelling, SEO-friendly, and value-driven content that resonates with their target audience. From crafting engaging blog posts to developing effective video marketing campaigns, this course delves into the art of storytelling and teaches marketers how to create content that drives brand awareness, engagement, and conversions.

Check out the course here.

Email Marketing Certification

Watch this video for a sneak peek of the Email Marketing Certification course:

Despite the rise of new marketing channels, email marketing remains a highly effective tool for nurturing leads and driving conversions. The Email Marketing Certification course provides comprehensive training on building effective email strategies, optimizing campaigns for deliverability, and crafting engaging and personalized messages. From mastering segmentation to understanding automation, this course empowers marketers to leverage the full potential of email marketing to drive meaningful results.

Check out the course here.

HubSpot Sales Software Certification

Watch this video for a sneak peek of the HubSpot Sales Software Certification course:

The HubSpot Sales Software Certification course is a must for any marketer looking to increase their sales effectiveness. This course equips students with the skills to leverage the HubSpot Sales CRM and transform sales processes. You’ll learn how to manage contacts, automate tasks, track deals, and nurture leads effectively. The insights gained from this course will enable teams to align marketing and sales efforts seamlessly, resulting in increased conversions and revenue.

Check out the course here.

In conclusion, HubSpot Academy offers a treasure trove of valuable resources for anyone looking to learn more and advance their skills in digital marketing. By taking advantage of these certifications, marketers can stay ahead of the curve and achieve remarkable results in today’s competitive digital landscape.

Don’t have time to deep-dive into HubSpot Academy right now? That’s ok; we get it! Our team of HubSpot experts can assist with all things HubSpot. Schedule a chat with one of our Certified HubSpot Specialists today.

Welcome to our monthly roundup of the most exciting HubSpot product updates. As a leading provider of CRM, marketing, sales, and service software, HubSpot constantly strives to enhance its platform and empower businesses to achieve their goals.

In this blog post, we’ll dive into the recent updates that HubSpot has rolled out over the past month. From new campaign templates to enhanced scheduling capabilities, these features are designed to streamline your workflows, boost productivity, and drive better results.

Sales Hub

Book Meetings on Behalf of Others

In July, HubSpot released an update allowing users to schedule meetings on behalf of their colleagues. This highly requested update streamlines the booking process, enhances team collaboration, and eliminates the need for manual coordination.

With just a few clicks, you can now effortlessly schedule meetings for your peers, saving time and boosting productivity. Experience a smoother workflow and improved efficiency as you seamlessly manage and coordinate meetings within Service Hub. Happy scheduling!

*This feature is available to all Sales and Service Hub Pro+ customers

Marketing and CMS Hub

HubSpot has created 10 new campaign templates in the Campaign Template Library for Marketing Hub and CMS Hub. Now, it’s even easier to create successful multi-channel campaigns with just a few clicks.

The new templates include:

• Abandon Cart
• Email Drip Campaign
• In-person Event Promotion
• Internal Newsletter
• Loyalty Program
• Nurture
• Onboarding and Welcome
• Product Launch
• Product Sale
• Re-engagement

Start exploring these templates here and take your campaigns to the next level.

*This update is available to all Marketing Hub Pro+ customers.

Multi-Hub

Trigger Workflows with Events and Custom Behavioral Events

You can now trigger workflows based on specific events, opening up a world of possibilities for timely and personalized automation.

In the previous version, triggers were set using “filter criteria” triggers. For example, you could set up a workflow trigger to activate when a contact’s city is equal to “Portsmouth.” However, with the new event triggers, you can now set your trigger to activate when a contact’s city changes to “Portsmouth.” This change enables more granular control and precision in your automation processes.

HubSpot also introduced several other trigger updates, including:

• Form interaction and form viewed events
• Property value changed
• Custom Behavioral Event trigger
• Object creation events
• Sales document events
• Sequence engagement events
• Calling events (call started and call ended)
• Meeting events (contact booked meeting and contact changed meeting outcome)

To learn more about these new triggers, please visit the HubSpot Knowledge Base.

*This update is available to all Workflow customers with Pro+ plans

Unlock the Power of HubSpot with Raka

From the new campaign templates to improved scheduling capabilities, HubSpot continues to innovate and provide tools that can transform your marketing, sales, and service strategies.
But implementing these updates effectively requires expertise and a deep understanding of the platform. That’s where Raka comes in. As a trusted HubSpot partner, we specialize in helping businesses leverage the full potential of HubSpot’s features and achieve their growth objectives.

Our team of experienced professionals can assist you in implementing these updates seamlessly, providing strategic guidance, training, and ongoing support. Let us help you navigate the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing and maximize the impact of the latest HubSpot innovations.

Contact us today and unlock the power of HubSpot’s updates with Raka. Together, we’ll take your business to new heights of success.

As your business grows, measuring customer loyalty and satisfaction is essential to maintain a healthy relationship with your customers. One of the most effective ways to do this is through Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys. These surveys help you gauge how likely your customers are to recommend their products or services to others.

However, collecting NPS data can be challenging, especially if you don’t have the right tools and resources. This is where HubSpot’s interactive Feedback Surveys tool comes in handy. With this tool, you can gather valuable feedback and insight into customer sentiment easily.

In this blog post, we’ll delve into the importance of NPS surveys and how HubSpot’s Feedback Surveys tool can help you improve your products, services, and overall customer experience. We’ll also share our NPS setup for you to use with your customers.

What is a Net Promoter Score (NPS) Survey?

Net Promoter Score is a customer loyalty metric that measures how likely customers are to recommend a business’s products or services. The NPS survey asks customers a simple question: “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this product/service to a friend?” Based on the responses, customers are classified into three categories:

• Detractors (0-6): Customers who are not satisfied with the product/service and are unlikely to recommend it.
• Passives (7-8): Customers who are satisfied with the product/service but are not enthusiastic enough to recommend it.
• Promoters (9-10): Customers who are highly satisfied with the product/service and are likely to recommend it to others.

The NPS score is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. The score ranges between -100 (if all customers are detractors) and +100 (if all customers are promoters).

Why is it Important for Businesses to Conduct NPS Surveys?

Well, the answer is simple—customer loyalty drives business growth. Happy customers are more likely to become repeat customers and recommend your products or services to others. By measuring customer loyalty through NPS surveys, you can identify areas where you need to improve and take action to increase customer satisfaction. This, in turn, can lead to increased revenue and business growth.

Take This: HubSpot NPS Survey Setup

We’re sharing an NPS survey we’ve set up in HubSpot to collect feedback on our HubSpot Onboarding service. We’ll dive into creating and customizing the survey, targeting, and automated follow-ups. Feel free to use this blueprint as a jumping-off point and adjust as necessary for your business and goals—or copy it as is!

Please note: This feature is only available with Service Hub Professional or Enterprise subscriptions

Creating and Customizing a HubSpot NPS Survey

Creating your NPS survey in HubSpot is easy— follow these steps:

• Click “Service” from the main navigation and then “Feedback Surveys” in the dropdown
• Click the orange “Create survey” button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen
• Scroll to the bottom and select “Customer Loyalty”
• Select “Email” as the delivery method

Voila! Your NPS survey has been created.

HubSpot provides an out-of-the-box NPS survey, and you can certainly use it as is. We chose to add a personalization token to the subject line and the email body to customize the experience. We also adjusted the email body copy to better reflect our brand’s tone, and included an image of our logo.

Something to note: you will not be able to customize the survey question.

The Net Promoter Score is an industry-standard question used by businesses around the globe. The standardization of the question ensures that all businesses are measured in the same way, therefore providing a true benchmark for comparison.

The NPS survey question will always be:

How likely is it that you would recommend [Business Name] to a friend or colleague?

Feedback

While you’re unable to adjust the NPS survey question, you can create custom questions to get further feedback from your survey respondents. In the example below, we have uniquely tailored messaging for Detractors, Passives, and Promoters.

• Detractors: Sorry we missed the mark. Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
• Passives: Sorry your experience wasn’t the best. Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
• Promoters: Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

Thank You

Like the Feedback section, you can also customize the response Detractors, Passives, and Promoters see after providing additional feedback.

For Detractors and Passives, we’re setting the expectation that someone from our team will be in touch shortly to discuss their experience and how we can help make it right. For Promoters, we want to capitalize on their positive sentiment and ask them to leave us a review.

Recipients

The “Recipients” tab is where you select who will receive your survey, when they will receive it, and how often they’ll receive it.

It’s important to target your survey to the right people at the right time. For example, if you ask for feedback weeks after an engagement has ended, your customer won’t be as likely to be able to provide specific examples because it’s not fresh in their mind.

Here’s who we’re targeting for our HubSpot Onboarding Service NPS Survey:

HubSpot provides an out-of-the-box option of “Became a customer date is more than 30 days ago,” which will deploy the survey to someone a month after becoming a customer. This is a great option for targeting, but since we’re specifically sourcing feedback from clients who have received our onboarding services, we opted to set our own enrollment criteria to be:

• Pipeline is any of: PSO Engagement
  • This means they’re a HubSpot Onboarding Customer
• Deal stage is any of: Graduated (PSO Engagements)
  • This means they’ve completed the onboarding process

We added in a one-day delay, so recipients will receive this survey a day after their onboarding engagement has ended—while we’re still top of mind and our interactions are fresh.

As HubSpot Onboarding is a one-time engagement, we’ve set this survey to only trigger once instead of on a recurring basis.

Automation

We’ve set up the NPS survey, customized it, and selected who to send it to—but we’re not done yet! Now we want to automate administrative or internal follow-up processes so we don’t have to manually do them.

Two days after the survey has been sent, if it hasn’t been completed, we’ve elected to re-send it to hopefully increase responses.

We’ve also automated a few items to help streamline and standardize our back-end processes. If someone is identified as a Detractor or a Passive, we’re sending an internal email notification to our team, and automatically creating a task to follow up and assigning it to a team member. This way, we make sure to always reach out to our Detractors and Passives to not only thank them for their feedback, but learn how we can improve in the future.

Wondering what automation we have in place for our Promoters? Check them out here.

Source Customer Feedback with HubSpot

Leveraging NPS surveys for customer feedback is a powerful way to measure customer loyalty and satisfaction. By using HubSpot’s Feedback Surveys tool, you can collect valuable data on your customers’ needs, preferences, and overall satisfaction levels.

If you’re looking to improve your customer experience and drive business growth, contact Raka today to learn how we can help you leverage NPS surveys to gain valuable insights into your customers’ needs.

Moving a website to a new platform can often be a daunting task. Between trying to account for all of your existing content while analyzing the overall structure, there are a lot of considerations to account for that can often leave people asking, “Is migrating my website even worth it?”

HubSpot’s CMS is a great option to consider when migrating your website, as it offers the flexibility and scale of most Content Management Systems (CMS), while supercharging your businesses with a suite of nurturing tools to help grow your business. In this article, we’ll discuss best practices when migrating your website to HubSpot, as well as outline the necessary resources required for a successful migration.

What is HubSpot CMS, and why should you migrate your website?

HubSpot CMS is a powerful content management system that allows you to easily create, edit, and publish content for your website. With HubSpot CMS, you can quickly and easily customize design elements using their Drag & Drop content editor, add plugins or integrations from the HubSpot Marketplace, and optimize the performance of your website using HubSpot’s optimization tooling suite. It also provides comprehensive analytics tools to help you track user engagement with your website, and easily identify where a prospect is in your marketing and sales funnels. All of these features combined make HubSpot CMS the right choice for teams and organizations to quickly adopt and grow their businesses efficiently.

Preparing for your website migration

Before migrating your website to HubSpot CMS, it is important to prepare by having both a developer and content manager on hand. Website developers should start by looking at the current website structure and analyzing any technical requirements needed for a successful migration. They should create a project plan including:

• The number of pages and types of content on the existing website, and mapping the destination in HubSpot
• Pages that need to be modified, combined, or separated
• A list of new elements or design changes is required
• Identify any files (images, videos, etc.) that will need to be moved to the HubSpot CDN
• A strategy for how to optimize the content, design, and functionality of their new site on HubSpot, as well as individuals for each responsibility.
• Which 3rd party applications need to integrate with the site (think data storage, meetings, forms, maps, chatbots, or other applications that may need to integrate with the website)

Once you’ve prepared for your website migration, it’s time to check with your HubSpot account representative to make sure that your current HubSpot subscription supports your needs. Having an understanding as to whether you have the proper subscription will help avoid roadblocks in the future.

The next step is to create a project document that outlines each task in the project, the responsible individuals, and a timeline for each task, as well as the overall project timeline.

Steps to migrate your website

Once you’ve prepared for your website migration and have a project document created, it’s time to begin your website migration. Below are steps to take when migrating your website:

1. Back up your existing website. It’s important to have a backup of the original site in case something goes wrong during the migration process.
2. Transfer the media files that you identified when preparing for your migration to the HubSpot CDN.
3. If you are replacing your existing forms with HubSpot forms, you’ll need to recreate each form using HubSpot’s form builder, and add them to the required pages.
4. Once your theme is created, you can begin building pages. Use HubSpot’s drag-and-drop system to recreate your pages and blog posts.
   Note: HubSpot offers a blog importer for certain platforms such as WordPress.
5. If you’re planning on adding, removing, splitting, or consolidating pages, you’ll want to create redirects for existing URLs. you can use HubSpot’s Redirect Manager tool to set up any necessary permanent, temporary, or wildcard redirects between URLs.
6. Once all pages are created, you’ll want to test all links and forms on the new website to ensure they are working properly.
7. Once you’re satisfied with your website, you can begin preparing to take the website live.

Taking your website live

Taking your website live is a relatively straightforward task, but also has a high level of risk. Having a resource who is comfortable making DNS updates is helpful, as incorrect updates can result in your website, email, and other business assets being down for several days. Once prepared to update your DNS, you will need access to both HubSpot as well as your domain registrar (for example, GoDaddy). HubSpot offers an assisted DNS setup for customers using GoDaddy, but also has detailed instructions for most DNS providers.

Once the DNS updates have propagated, your HubSpot website will be available for the world to visit! We recommend auditing your site to ensure that it is performing optimally

In addition to HubSpot’s optimization tools, applications such as Google PageSpeed, Semrush, Screaming Frog, and Search Console are all great resources to leverage for website optimization.

Conclusion

Migrating your website to HubSpot CMS can be an exciting step for any business as it unlocks a suite of powerful tools to help promote your company and nurture leads. While this article lays out the foundational elements to successfully migrate your website to HubSpot CMS, we understand that there may be additional considerations and support required. We at Raka are always happy to help guide you through the process or handle the migration for you and your team. Feel free to drop us a line if you have questions or would like to learn more.

Like it or not, social media has become essential to every marketing manager’s job description. With over 4.2 billion people active on social media platforms, we can’t really expect anything else. After all, we have to be where our customers are.

A robust social media strategy can boost brand awareness, provide a platform for customer engagement, and assist in lead generation. But as with any tool, there’s a right and wrong way to use it.

Let’s talk about seven common social media mistakes marketers make—and don’t worry, we’ll tell you how to fix them.

Mistake #1: Not having a social media strategy

Creating a social media account without a plan is likely going to be a futile exercise. A social media strategy defines your goals, target audience, content plan, and the metrics to measure success. With a well-crafted strategy, you can ensure that your social media presence is aligned with your business objectives and can make progress toward achieving them.

That being said, social media strategy can vary drastically depending on your goals. Take Duolingo, for example. Duolingo is a language-learning platform, but its social media content—TikTok content, in particular—has little to do with promoting its products and services.

Their Facebook account heavily promotes their blog and products, while their Instagram account is a mix of pop culture and promotion. Their Twitter account is somewhere in between. But their TikTok? Well, it’s unhinged.

Whether you agree with their strategy or not, it’s definitely an intentional one. They’re curating content for the audience on each platform, and it’s working. Your job as a marketing manager is to determine what works best for your company on each platform and make changes accordingly so you can reach your goals.

Mistake #2: Ignoring or deleting negative comments

No one likes negative comments on their social media posts, but ignoring or deleting them can backfire. Acknowledging negative comments shows you care about the customer’s experience and are proactive in correcting any mistakes. You can address negative comments by being empathetic and respectful, then offering a solution to the problem.

The caveat here is that some comments may get out of hand. If someone uses your comments section to bully another customer, use inappropriate speech, or leave personal information where anyone can see it, you should consider hiding or deleting it. These cases will each be unique—and hopefully, not happen at all—but you should have a policy prepared for how your brand will react in these cases.

Mistake #3: Posting inconsistent content

Consistency is key when it comes to social media. Not only do the algorithms favor accounts that post more frequently, but posting an inconsistent stream of content can do you a disservice. Inconsistent posting may confuse your audience and diminish your brand’s credibility.

To correct this mistake, create an editorial calendar. Having a schedule can help streamline the content creation process and allow you to post regular and consistent content on social media. This could mean two-to-three posts per week that are scheduled, and then you can add in posts as it makes sense (and if you want to).

Of course, remember your content should be relevant, engaging, informative, and in line with your audience’s interests.

Mistake #4: Not understanding each platform’s algorithm

Each social media platform has its unique algorithm determining what content users see in their feeds. Not understanding these algorithms can result in low reach/impression and engagement rates.

While no social media platform will tell you exactly what they’re looking for, you can conduct due diligence by reading the latest news from each platform and adjusting accordingly. For example, TikTok used to be geared exclusively toward short-form content, capping videos at one minute.

But over time, they shifted to a more long-form content model to compete with YouTube. First, they extended videos to a maximum of three minutes and now, they’re at ten minutes.

By understanding the algorithms, you can optimize your content to perform better. Remember to use relevant hashtags, tag other accounts as it makes sense, and post at optimum times.

Mistake #5: Ignoring analytics

Social media analytics provide valuable insights into how your campaigns are performing, enabling you to make data-driven decisions. Ignoring analytics can hinder growth and progress.

You should regularly monitor your campaigns’ performance, track engagement, impressions, reach and conversions metrics, and adjust your strategy if needed. If you’re using a marketing platform like HubSpot, Sprout Social, or Hootsuite, you should be able to gather data more easily there.

Mistake #6: Not engaging with your audience

Social media is all about engagement; if you’re not engaging with your audience, you’re missing out on valuable interactions. This will require someone to monitor social media notifications on a daily basis.

You can respond to comments, start conversations, or even ask for feedback. Even something as simple as liking users’ comments can go a long way. Engaging with your audience humanizes your brand and can help build a loyal fan base.

Mistake #7: Failing to leverage user-generated content

User-generated content (UGC) refers to the content created by your audience related to your brand or products. Failure to leverage UGC is a missed opportunity to showcase the authenticity of your brand. You can share your followers’ posts, ask for reviews and testimonials, or run contests encouraging UGC. UGC adds depth to your content and gives your followers a chance to feel connected with your brand.

Need some social media help?

Social media is a powerful tool that can help businesses grow and succeed—but it can also be time-consuming. If you could use some assistance with your social media strategy, execution, or design, Raka can help! Don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to discuss your pain points.

In the meantime, feel free to check out our thoughts on social media marketing and ROI and how to find social media influencers that fit in with your company. We hope to hear from you soon!