Google, Shopify, IBM, Amazon, Meta…
Businesses at the forefront of digital enablement. Businesses that embrace the power of custom integrations.
From tailored Google ads, omnipresent on your search feed, to the technology that enables you to “like” someone's Facebook post, integrations power your online experience.
With almost every tech giant utilising them, you would assume custom integrations are out of reach for small, medium and even some enterprise-level businesses.
You’d be wrong.
With the right expertise, a diligent approach and careful consideration, custom integrations can empower every business when paired with HubSpot.
In this article we’ll introduce the core components of custom integrations, outlining their key advantages and revealing how you use them to unlock your business potential.
Table of contents
- Custom integrations explained
- Custom integrations: a (very) brief history
- The power of HubSpot custom integrations
- Getting started with HubSpot integrations
Custom integrations explained
Before we get into it, lets get some simple definitions down.
Integrations enable the seamless transfer of data between systems, even if they are bespoke.
They can be created using a variety of techniques, including APIs, Webhooks, and Middleware.
We’ll explain what those are in a little more detail later, but for now let’s stick with the basics.
Custom integrations power businesses by automating processes, enhancing functionality, improving data accuracy, and enabling adaptability.
This might be done through the simple creation of a custom card on your CRM, enhancing your sales process by making it more tailored to your business.
On the more complex end, it could involve the merging of your CRM with a bespoke application, allowing vital information to pass between the two. The possibilities are truly endless.
Custom integrations: a (very) brief history
Custom integrations are nothing new.
For almost as long as we’ve had the internet, we’ve had the ability to integrate information on a device with external software or data, under the right conditions.
We can trace commercial integrations right back to the dot-com boom, where open-API technology allowed for more sophisticated and bespoke systems to talk to one another.
Unsurprisingly, Amazon was an early proponent.
In 2002 Jeff Bezos issued a company wide memo, stating that all product teams were required to make their data and software “externable”, accessible to other teams globally.
This has been cited as a key factor in AWS' market dominance. Now Amazon’s most profitable venture, AWS relies heavily on open-source data and API technology to host businesses on their platform.
Unleashing the power of HubSpot with custom Integrations
HubSpot is a leading customer relationship management (CRM) software that provides a comprehensive platform for businesses to manage their sales, marketing, and customer service activities.
One of its core advantages is its ability to integrate with a wide range of external systems and applications.
Existing integrations found on the HubSpot marketplace with the likes of Linked-in, Outlook and Zoom allow businesses to link with major software without the need for technical expertise.
However, the real power of HubSpot is only realised through custom integrations. HubSpot’s open API allows external systems, however bespoke, to connect with your CRM at a relatively low cost.
With these integrations, businesses can automate their workflows, trigger actions based on specific events, and gain a more complete view of their customer interactions and behaviour.
Other benefits include;
Increased productivity and efficiency
Custom integrations with HubSpot can automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, freeing up your team to focus on higher-level work that requires creativity and problem-solving skills. This can lead to increased productivity and faster turnaround times for projects.
Improved accuracy and consistency
By integrating your systems and applications with HubSpot, you can eliminate the need for manual data entry, which can be prone to errors. This can lead to more accurate and consistent data across all of your systems, which can help you make better-informed decisions.
Better collaboration and communication
Custom integrations with HubSpot can help break down silos and improve communication between different teams and departments within your organisation. This can lead to better collaboration, more effective teamwork, and ultimately, better outcomes for your business.
Improved customer satisfaction and loyalty
By providing a seamless and frictionless experience for your customers, you can improve customer satisfaction and increase loyalty. Custom integrations can help you achieve this by streamlining processes and providing a more personalised experience for each customer.
Getting started with HubSpot custom integrations
As time has passed, the cost of implementing integration work has decreased, but prices still vary.
Projects can cost less than £1000, but range upwards of £4,000 for more complex work. The benefits are far more straight-forward, however.
Unlock your potential with custom integrations
Ready to tap into the power of integrations and not sure where to start?
That's ok. Embracing a new tool can be uncomfortable, but discomfort is the birthplace of growth.
First, businesses must learn where the opportunities lie. We like to start with an integration audit, where we can learn which of your systems are best suited to start talking to one another.
Learn more about our process here.
