What is considered a marketing contact in HubSpot?

When it comes to using the CRM platform, most people are familiar with accounts and leads. But what about marketing contacts or simply known as "contacts?"

Contacts represent any person that might potentially become a customer of yours but isn't yet one (or has been inactive for some time). In order words, they're those folks who aren't currently active customers nor prospects, but could turn into either if given enough exposure.

Think of them like this: You've just received an invitation from someone new to join your company's mailing list. They didn't sign up themselves but were added automatically when their email address was detected at checkout by our system. This means these people will receive all future communications sent out by us directly to their inboxes.

So now let's take a closer look at what constitutes a marketing contact. Why does it matter? And more importantly, why do we even bother having them?

For starters, every single piece of content produced by us must go through approval by our Marketing team first. That includes blog posts, white papers, eBooks, case studies, etc. So before publishing anything, we ensure no sensitive information gets leaked out into public view without proper protection measures in place.

The same goes for external publications such as press releases or news articles. We want to make sure only authorized personnel see these pieces so it won't compromise our clients' privacy.

This also applies to the internal documents employees produce while working within your organization. Whenever there's sensitive data involved, whether personal or not, it needs to be protected accordingly. Otherwise, it could get exposed during accidents or misfortunes.

And lastly, we don't publish anything online unless it's absolutely necessary. It would be disastrous if our own internal resources got compromised because we accidentally published confidential client details via social media. Not cool!

Now that you know why we require marketing contacts, here are some guidelines regarding exactly what makes a contact fall under the category of marketing.

What are contacts in marketing?

A marketing contact is basically anyone you send emails to regularly based on specific criteria. These include prospective buyers, current customers, past customers, potential partners, affiliates, journalists, bloggers, influencers, investors, etc. Basically anyone whose interest lies outside of your usual target market.

You may already find yourself sending emails daily to hundreds of different people, which often results in overwhelming clutter. If you really think hard about it, though, it becomes apparent that some of these people actually share similar interests. By targeting certain individuals instead of everyone randomly, we reduce spam complaints and improve delivery rate.

In other words, we segment our audience according to what kind of response each individual is looking for. For example, if you sell office chairs, you'd likely send separate emails to college students, small business owners, corporate executives, freelancers, contractors, etc., depending on where your niche hangs out.

It's important to note that even though they may appear to be random strangers, these people still consider themselves part of your marketing group since they'll eventually end up becoming your customers one way or another.

As mentioned earlier, contacts come in various forms depending on which industry you belong to. Here are some examples:

Bloggers - People interested in your product/service who write reviews or opinionated comments on your site.

Affiliates - Individuals promoting products on behalf of companies and getting paid per lead generated.

Influencer - Anyone sharing opinions about your brand online regardless of position.

Journalists - Reporters writing stories about your company, events, etc.

Potential Partners - Businesspeople who plan to partner with you in exchange for commission.

Past Customers - Those who had bought your product(s) previously.

Free Contacts - Unsubscribes who decide against subscribing after receiving promotional materials.

How many contacts can you have on HubSpot?

There's no strict rule regarding how many marketing contacts you can have on HubSpot. The number depends entirely on your particular situation. However, keep in mind that too few contacts is worse than too many. Ideally speaking, you should aim to maintain a balance between both extremes.

Let me explain further. Having less than 10 contacts is risky. If something happens to one of your subscribers, then you lose precious sales revenue instantly. On the flip side, exceeding 50 contacts is pointless. Most marketers say keeping things simple is best, and sticking to around 25 contacts works perfectly fine.

If you run multiple businesses over several countries, however, you may occasionally encounter issues related to internationalization. When doing cross-border operations, you need to check local laws pertaining to direct mail advertising. Some countries prohibit unsolicited commercial messages, whereas others allow it for educational purposes.

How many non-marketing contacts can I have in HubSpot?

Having too many marketing contacts doesn't necessarily mean you're overwhelmed. As long as you manage them properly, it shouldn't pose much problem.

Here are some tips on how to handle excess contacts effectively. First off, never delete any subscriber manually. Instead, remove them from your database so they can no longer access your website. Next, ask someone else to perform this task if possible.

Also, try to keep track of your contacts personally if possible. Don't use auto responders to save yourself the hassle. Remember, unsupervised software systems leave room for errors.

Lastly, don't forget to unsubscribe existing contacts who weren't interested in hearing from you anymore. Delete them from your records once done.

How many free contacts can I have on HubSpot?

HubSpot offers free users 100 free contacts per month. There's no limit to the total amount of contacts allowed per account, except for storage space restrictions. Just remember that you can always create additional contacts later down the line if needed.

However, if you exceed your free quota, you may incur extra charges starting at $9 monthly depending on usage frequency. Also, if you ever opt to upgrade to premium services, you'll notice your monthly costs increase accordingly.

With that being said, HubSpot gives its free plans quite generous limits compared to competitors. Other providers typically charge anywhere from 2 cents to 5 cents per email, plus 15 cents to 30 cents for subscriptions.

On top of that, they sometimes impose heavy penalties if you exceed bandwidth consumption. With HubSpot, you pay nothing until you reach the maximum limit. Afterward, you'll start paying a flat fee per GB consumed.

HubSpot has become one of the most popular platforms for businesses looking to improve their online presence. With more than 10 million users and over 1 billion monthly pageviews, it's no wonder why! The platform offers tools that help business owners create websites, manage content updates, send emails, capture leads, etc., all while keeping an eye out for new trends. One such trend was moving away from traditional forms of communication like snail mail or telephones to digital channels. When this happened, HubSpot created a program called Contacts which allows companies to move towards digital communications by creating dedicated profiles for each individual user. This includes assigning a specific channel (email vs phone) as well as different types of messages (newsletter vs appointment setting). As a result, these contacts can receive personalized information via whichever method they prefer.

Contacts allow HubSpot customers to connect to other departments within their organization through customizable lead management software. It also provides them with easy access to real time data analytics so they always know where their team stands when it comes to overall sales conversion rates. In short, if you're using HubSpot, then there's a good chance you have at least one Contact Profile associated with your account. But what exactly does "contact" mean in terms of the company? How did HubSpot decide upon its definition? And how would someone go about changing the type of contact profile that they currently use? Read on to find out...

How do I get contacts for marketing?

If you've ever used any sort of CRM system, chances are that you were already familiar with the concept of getting contacts before coming across HubSpot. The difference here is that instead of simply having people enter into your database but not actually being able to communicate with them directly, HubSpot creates separate profiles based on their preferences. For example, some may only want to hear from you during certain hours, others might prefer receiving newsletters via email, and still others could appreciate hearing from you via text message. Therefore, whenever you add someone to your list, HubSpot will automatically assign which channel he/she prefers. So even though you technically added him/her to your database, his/her preference in communication methods means that s/he won't see anything else besides whatever you choose to deliver via those chosen methods.

So now that we understand how Contacts works, let's focus on another important question: What kind of person gets put under the category of Marketing Contact? While marketers often take pride in knowing everything about everyone, the truth is that many marketers don't really care too much about contacting every single member of their target group. Instead, they usually look for ways to reach out to individuals whom they believe would benefit from what they offer. These people include potential clients, current clients, referral partners, and prospective employees, among others. If you're looking to expand beyond just your own department, then learning how to properly segment your contacts is essential.

Just because you're a small business doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be dealing primarily with middle managers. You probably deal with entrepreneurs, CEOs, CFOs, founders, developers, designers, writers, project managers, engineers, product managers, customer support representatives, and maybe even a few members of upper management—the ones who make decisions. Your marketing efforts must reflect this diversity. Otherwise, your attempts to generate interest in your products or services will fall flat. By making sure you consistently update your marketing mix, you'll ensure that it resonates best with whoever it needs to resonate with.

As mentioned above, HubSpot uses the term "Contact" interchangeably with the word "Marketer." However, depending on the industry, you may encounter other terms like Account Manager, Sales Representative, Business Development Lead, Executive Director, Product Manager, etc. Regardless of what terminology you use, the following steps apply to both cases.

How do I change from non-marketing to market in HubSpot?

Let's say that you've been running your business without using Contacts since day one. Now that you've decided to start expanding, however, you realize that you'd rather work with Marketers who can give you better insight into how to grow your business faster. Luckily, switching from non-marketing to market isn't difficult either. All you need to do is log into your dashboard and click on My Settings located right next to Manage Email Preferences. From there, select Edit Email Templates & Set Up New Emails. Once you do, HubSpot will prompt you to fill out basic personal details including name, address, gender, age, and occupation—just like you normally would. Then, you can proceed onto selecting your preferred communication channels. Afterward, you can set up additional templates by clicking on Add Template. Here, you can customize what information is included on each template as well as determine whether or not you wish to display your logo on top of each newsletter item.

Once done, save your changes by hitting Save Changes. Next, switch back to the main screen and scroll down until you come across Contacts. Under General Info, you'll notice two options labeled Non-Market and Market. Click on Market to open up a pop-up window containing several checkboxes regarding which items you'd like to remove. Simply uncheck the ones you don't want to show up anymore. Make sure to hit OK once you finish editing. That way, after saving your changes, you can view only the newsletters you desire.

Another thing worth mentioning is that you can edit your existing emails at any point with ease. To do so, head on over to Dashboard " Content Management " Current Messages. On the left sidebar, click on More Menu. Then, hover over Mailings and click on Show / Hide Existing Masses. A box titled Change Will Appear will appear, prompting you to edit your existing emails. Just follow the onscreen instructions.

How do I Create a marketing email on HubSpot?

Now that you've switched over to Marketer profiles, you can begin sending customized emails to your contacts. First things first, make sure you have enough info stored inside your Contacts section. To do so, navigate to Dashboard " Customers " Customer Details. Select View Custom Fields. There, you can review all the pertinent information related to your contacts' purchase history, demographics, interests, and goals.

Next, head on over to Dashboard " Content Creation " Send Newsletters. Hit +Create Newsletter Item and then write something interesting for your subscribers. Depending on the nature of your business, try putting together articles relating to topics relevant to your niche. Also, feel free to insert pictures, videos, charts, graphs, and links wherever you think appropriate. Finally, pick your preferred frequency for delivery and continue building your newsletter.

After you're finished, go ahead and publish it. Once published, you can preview it and adjust accordingly until you're satisfied with the results. At last, hit Publish again and share it with your contacts. Since you changed your default settings earlier, you shouldn't run into any problems.

What are contacts in HubSpot?

Whether you consider yourself part of the technology world or not, it's likely that you've heard the phrase "one size fits all" somewhere along the line. While that statement definitely applies to many aspects in life, HubSpot's Contacts aren't exempt either. They serve as a tool designed specifically to cater to various kinds of organizations. Some might argue that Contacts are limiting, yet others claim that they're beneficial. Either way, the bottom line is that the decision ultimately falls on the shoulders of whoever manages the accounts. Hopefully, after reading our guide, you'll gain greater clarity concerning Contacts and how they impact your workflow.

Marketing contacts are the people that work directly with prospects and clients on a daily basis. These individuals can include salespeople, customer success managers, account executives, and more. The goal of these professionals is to ensure each person has everything they need to complete their job successfully, whether it's converting leads into paying customers or helping existing customers solve problems.

The key question becomes: Who makes up this team? How exactly would you go about putting together a dedicated group of experts within an organization? And what happens if there isn't enough room for everyone on that list? In order to help answer those questions we spoke with Ryan Stewart, Director of Customer Success at HubSpot.

HubSpot defines a marketing contact as "a single point of accountability for all lead-related activities." This means marketing contacts oversee marketing efforts, while also managing any other employees that support them. For example, if one marketing contact handles only email campaigns, another could focus exclusively on social media outreach. Marketing contacts typically report to either a VP or director level employee depending on the size of company.

According to HubSpot, they're responsible for ensuring every member of the team works effectively regardless of position. Additionally, they manage expectations so no one feels like they aren't getting credit for their hard work. If someone wants something done in house, it's likely because they want to avoid having to pay out-of-pocket for services. However, when working with outside vendors, they don't want to have to rely solely on multiple companies just to get things done.

In short, marketing contacts exist to take care of business needs. They keep track of leads coming through various channels (email, phone calls) and connect consumers with relevant products and services.

"There are many different roles that fall under'marketing' but our definition is fairly simple," says Stewart. "It includes anyone involved in generating qualified leads via digital or traditional methods."

So how does HubSpot define a marketing contact?

When defining a marketing contact, here's how HubSpot breaks down its responsibilities:

Lead generation - Marketing contacts drive both internal and external lead generation by using strategic plans to identify specific goals and action steps.

Sales management - Marketing Contacts are ultimately accountable for driving revenue growth by building strong relationships with partners, partners, and distributors. Marketing Contacts then use proven tactics to close deals.

Relationship management - A primary responsibility of marketing contacts is connecting potential buyers with high quality solutions from trusted providers. To accomplish this task, marketing teams must cultivate long term partnerships with product providers, channel partners, and end users.

Customer service/account management - As part of relationship management, marketing contacts monitor client satisfaction levels and provide feedback to improve process efficiency and effectiveness. They're also responsible for tracking performance metrics and reporting results back to senior leadership.

Stewart explains that his team doesn't differentiate between marketing tasks based on skill set. So even though some positions may require less technical expertise than others, marketing contacts still play a crucial role in making sure everyone gets equal opportunity to succeed.

Additionally, he adds that marketers shouldn't feel left behind if they don't have direct access to upper management. There are plenty of opportunities for marketing leaders to contribute value without needing a title above theirs.

For instance, marketing managers can create roadmaps for new initiatives or develop a strategy around how best to market certain products. Likewise, directors can share ideas with colleagues, encourage cross functional collaboration, and give guidance to emerging talents. All of which will assist in increasing overall productivity while streamlining processes.

How does HubSpot identify marketing contact?

While being able to recognize an individual's position is important, knowing whom to call first comes down to understanding where they fit within the organizational structure. According to Stewart, most companies are structured differently, meaning finding a marketing contact can vary significantly per company culture. Some organizations tend to put marketing resources in charge of developing strategies, while others place them in operational roles.

However, since marketing plays such a pivotal role, it's imperative to know where to look for answers. When asked why it was necessary to establish a separate category for marketing, Stewart responded, "we wanted to clearly distinguish our marketing functions from other areas of the org chart." He went onto say that if you were looking to hire a CEO, CFO, or head of IT, then identifying a marketing contact wasn't going to cut it.

At HubSpot, marketing contacts are identified by name, rather than function. That way, they don't feel ignored if they've been moved to a different department. Instead, they'll simply receive updates from whichever area they used to handle. It's important not to confuse marketing contacts with brand champions, however. Brand champions represent the face of the brand and often serve as spokespeople for different projects. Their main objective is to drive awareness and increase engagement among audiences.

As far as naming convention goes, the same rules apply as elsewhere in corporate America. First names are preferred, followed by last names. Of course, you never want to leave anything open ended, so always ask for consent before adding titles.

How do I make someone a marketing contact in HubSpot?

Once you've determined who might qualify as a marketing contact, the next step is actually setting them up. At HubSpot, it's easy to assign accounts to new hires. You can add contacts manually or automatically generate lists of recommended contacts based on previous interactions.

Alternatively, you can import data from LinkedIn. Once you log into HubSpot CRM, select People & Accounts, click New Contact, and choose Import Data. We recommend importing data over creating manual entries whenever possible.

After selecting the source, you can search for records matching basic criteria. Then review the information presented to determine if they meet specifications. From there, you can filter the records further if needed. Next, confirm the details and hit Create Selected.

If you haven't yet made a marketing contact, you can start off by assigning an existing user to an empty profile. By default, profiles come preloaded with standard contacts including Account Managers and Customer Service Representatives. But that doesn't mean they're necessarily right for your business.

You should consider carefully who you'd like to see become a marketing contact. Ideally, a candidate should possess several traits: excellent communication skills, good analytical abilities, experience handling complex situations, and familiarity with technology.

On top of that, they should also understand the importance of remaining unbiased during conversations. After all, it's unlikely that two parties involved in a sale will agree 100 percent on price, terms, etc., especially considering they won't personally interact until after the deal closes.

Another tip is to check references. Since marketing contacts are expected to wear numerous hats, it helps to find out what current coworkers think before bringing them onboard full time.

Finally, once you've settled on a candidate, it's wise to send them a welcome message letting them know they now have access to critical systems. With that said, remember that marketing contacts can easily change later on. Don't hesitate to reassign accounts if circumstances warrant.

How is a contact created in HubSpot?

Creating new contacts begins in the Sales module. Here, you can enter basic demographic info along with additional notes. While doing this, it's helpful to select the correct Industry and Job Function. Otherwise, you risk giving away too much personal information.

Next, navigate to Administer Panel " People & Accounts. On the following screen, you'll notice four distinct tabs labeled Customers, Partners, Distributors, and Leads. Each tab represents a unique type of contact record.

Let's break down what each section does:

Customers - This tab contains customizable templates designed to accommodate your typical buyer journey. Your options range from Simple Buying Searchers to Decision Makers.

Partners - Partnerships form a vital foundation for businesses, so it's essential to nurture them properly. Use this page to customize Partner Profiles and integrate partner history. Plus, edit fields related to pricing, billing cycles, and renewal dates.

Distributors - Just as Partnerships play an integral role in growing a business, so do Affiliates. Like Partnerships, this feature allows you to build trust and strengthen ties. On this page, you can insert affiliate links, view analytics, and modify general settings.

Leads - Leads contain all kinds of information pertaining to prospective customers. Start by entering basic details, such as Company Name and Phone Number. Then, move onto customizing Lead Templates and choosing a Campaign Type. Lastly, adjust other preferences like Email Preferences and Communication Method.

That wraps up our discussion on marketing contacts. Now that you know how to create them, let's talk about how they differ from regular users.

A marketing contact shares ownership of a prospect throughout the entire lifecycle of a particular interaction. Whereas, a normal user receives information, follows up, and sends documents at the conclusion of a transaction.