When we build websites for clients, we are increasingly using the HubSpot Content Management System (CMS) Hub as our platform of choice. Although, historically, we have been a WordPress-centric agency, our developers now prefer designing and developing for the HubSpot CMS Hub and enjoy creating our clients’ sites this way. Our change from WordPress to HubSpot comes down to a few important aspects.
As with all HubSpot products, the biggest draw is their holistic approach to the system. The CMS Hub cleanly integrates website pages, landing pages, blog, email, analytics and customer database. In addition, the HubSpot marketplace has integrations for several external platforms that connect through APIs. Integrating these separate pieces under one system allows for the entire customer lifecycle to be brought together, seen, and managed from one place. As individuals move from visitor to customer along the flywheel, CMS Hub enables that journey to be both visible and seamless.
The holistic workings of CMS Hub also mean that all reporting is done directly through HubSpot without having to add in tracking codes from anywhere else. This data-driven approach enables marketers to view stats on the landing pages, emails, form conversions and pages that visitors have viewed on the way. HubSpot’s attribution mechanism brings this data into contact records, making it easy to access and utilise. This allows marketers to view the entire customer journey across their website and identify which triggers are moving visitors to convert to leads.
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One of the most beneficial aspects of the CMS Hub is its simplicity. When developed correctly, the CMS should be simple enough for marketers without development skills to use the drag-and-drop interface to make changes to content and layout, as well as being able to use templates to create new pages when the need arises. The email marketing services available also comes with a free Litmus account that allows marketers to test against all major email clients.
In addition to the interface itself being easy to use, there are several technical aspects of the CMS Hub that make the experience simpler and more effective for developers than other CMS systems. Firstly, HubSpot handles all plugin and system updates which frees up time that would otherwise be spent on regular maintenance. The HubSpot CMS also natively comes with SSL encryption to make it secure and world-class CDN-based hosting to make it especially fast.
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With the simplicity of the CMS Hub system also comes peace of mind in automatic back ups for everything (pages, posts, CSS, .js, etc.), which means you never have to worry about losing work. And, if anything should happen, HubSpot will always have a way of helping. They have a support team on hand at any time as well as offering support through their Academy, knowledge base and community forums.
In today’s way of working, data and personalisation is key. There is an expectation from buyers that their journey will be customised and tailored to their needs because of the availability of information. HubSpot CMS delivers this personalisation through the use of Smart CTAs (calls to action), Smart Content*, and Smart Forms*.
Because CMS Hub is integrated with the HubSpot CRM (customer relationship manager), the ability to gather and utilise user data is more streamlined and effective than ever before.
Smart CTAs create dynamic calls to action that change based on the information held about previous user activity. This covers downloads of content, page visits, and other actions that a visitor to your site may take. With Smart CTAs, for instance, you can avoid showing a call to download your latest eBook to someone who has already received it and instead share something that may prove more useful to them.
Smart Content refers to the overall copy for the pages of your website. By using Smart Content, your website can serve different information on pages based on the persona of the visitor. When the visitor is new or has an unknown persona, they will see your default content that is aimed at being useful for anyone within your target audience. However, after persona information is gathered and stored on the CRM, HubSpot can use that information to make sure you are providing the right message to the right person at the right time.
Smart Forms are a type of progressive form that change to enable you to gather additional information on repeat visits. If, in the first form that a visitor fills out, you ask for their first name, email address, and company name, the Smart Form will adapt to this information and ask for a different set of information on the next visit, eg. company size or sector. This not only prevents users from providing the same details repeatedly, but also allows your CRM to build richer contact records that provide more utility to your marketing team.
*Smart CTAs and Smart Forms are currently part of the Marketing Hub Pro subscription, but work so seamlessly with CMS Hub, that we had to mention them!
When it comes to Content Management Systems, the HubSpot CMS Hub is one of the strongest and most user-friendly available. With its connected, simple, personalised approach to website development and management, CMS Hub has become an incredibly streamlined system that can be used to make stunning functional websites for all businesses. This platform is robust enough for developers to be excited and straightforward enough for marketers to get value out of it.
If you are interested in developing your new website on CMS Hub or want to learn more, we love talking all things HubSpot, so please do get in touch!