What is contact management in HubSpot?

With new businesses popping up every day, it’s no surprise that entrepreneurs need effective ways to keep track of their customer base. Contact management software helps you organize information about customers, partners, and vendors while making sure important details don't fall through the cracks.

It also allows users to create follow-up emails or letters as well as reminders so they can stay on top of deadlines. In this article we'll explain what contact management means, how it works, and why it's beneficial for a growing company.

Let's start with some background. What exactly does contact management mean? How did it become popular among companies? And most importantly, what does it do?

What is the difference between contact management and CRM?

Contact Management (CM) is a term used by salespeople when referring to a client database. It typically includes basic information such as name, address, phone number, email address, etc., along with pertinent information like date joined, current role, job title, tenure at employer, industry, gender, age group, relationship status, interests, birthday, likes/dislikes, and more.

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. This type of software focuses primarily on keeping tabs on existing clients and potential leads. A CRM program will contain detailed records including demographics, history, preferences, buying habits, and other relevant information.

The two tools have different purposes. The only thing common between them is that both help small businesses gain valuable insight into their target audience. If you're wondering which one should you choose, here are three things to consider before deciding.

1. Cost

Cost is probably the biggest factor. While CM systems tend to be much cheaper than CRMs, pricing varies depending on factors like whether the application offers custom branding, if there is any training required, and what features are included. You may find that certain applications cost less upfront but end up costing more over time because of ongoing maintenance fees.

2. Customization

Customizing a tool to fit your needs ensures its effectiveness. For example, many CRM platforms come preloaded with templates that make tasks easier. However, these programs often require extensive customization to ensure everything runs smoothly. On the other hand, customizable CM apps allow buyers to design customized fields based on their specific requirements.

3. Data Security

Data security is another key consideration. Since contact management involves sensitive personal information, using secure channels is critical. Whether you use a cloud storage service, online messaging platform, or desktop app, it's recommended that all communications take place via encrypted connections.

Now let's discuss what the main function of contact management actually entails.

What is the purpose of contact management?

A contact manager tracks who has bought from your company, where those people came from, how long ago they purchased something, and what products they purchased. With this knowledge, they can tailor services to better suit each person's unique needs.

For instance, if someone buys several pairs of shoes during a single visit to your store, he or she might receive an automatic newsletter reminding them about upcoming promotions. They could even get discounted prices on future purchases just by logging onto your site!

Another way contact managers help grow your brand is by offering incentives to loyal customers. Some encourage repeat orders, others give out discounts, and still others reward referrals.

Here are four additional reasons why having a good contact management strategy is essential for success.

1. Increases engagement

When you engage with prospective customers, you show them respect. That makes them feel appreciated and valued. When a company sends regular newsletters, updates, or special messages, people begin to anticipate hearing from them.

This increases loyalty and trust, especially since most consumers now expect personalized communication.

2. Build relationships

While building relationships is a fundamental aspect of marketing, it becomes even more crucial in today's digital world. Your ability to connect with fans, prospects, suppliers, and media outlets is paramount to boosting revenue.

Having a strong contact management plan lets you build authentic relationships with individuals instead of relying solely on automated processes.

As mentioned earlier, CRM tends to focus on gathering data about past clients. But contact managers can also collect information regarding prospective clients, such as demographics and preferred methods of communicating.

3. Boost conversions

If you want to increase conversion rates, then you must understand your audience better. By collecting demographic information, tracking purchasing patterns, and analyzing user behavior, you can improve the overall experience for everyone involved.

4. Improve SEO rankings

You can boost search engine optimization efforts by creating keywords within your content and incorporating tags and descriptions. These elements play huge roles in helping websites rank higher in searches.

Also, by adding links back to your website, you can direct traffic toward your page. Search engines prioritize sites with high authority scores. Therefore, maintaining positive reviews and increasing visibility can go a long way towards improving SEO capabilities.

What is the purpose of contact management system?

Most contact management systems include a built-in lead generation module. Using this feature, customers can easily sign up for promotional materials. Once enrolled, subscribers can opt into various mailing lists, allowing marketers to send periodic eNewsletters full of useful information.

These newsletters can cover topics ranging from seasonal deals to exclusive events. One benefit of doing this is that you won’t lose customers after sending a few texts—they’ll continue receiving emails until they unsubscribe.

In addition, customers can fill forms directly from your website, bypassing the hassle of typing lengthy responses on mobile devices. As soon as they submit their answers, you’ll instantly know what questions are trending among your followers.

This kind of feedback empowers you to provide exceptional service, which ultimately boosts your company's reputation.

Aside from generating leads, many contact management solutions offer analytics reports designed to measure performance. Users usually see statistics related to subscriber numbers, clickthrough rate, open rate, bounce rate, and more.

By monitoring trends, you’re able to identify areas for improvement and optimize campaigns accordingly. Additionally, you can compare metrics across multiple periods to spot discrepancies that occur due to changing circumstances.

There are plenty of options available when choosing a contact management solution. Many providers offer free trials, demos, tutorials, and consultations. To learn more about the advantages of working with HubSpot, check out our guide detailing how HubSpot can save your startup.

What are benefits of contact management?

Some people believe that contact management doesn't really add value to a business. Instead, they argue that it simply takes care of mundane administrative work.

But in reality, it goes far beyond managing simple transactions. Having a solid contact management process enables you to achieve goals quickly and efficiently. Also, by streamlining operations, you reduce overhead costs and waste.

Below are five major benefits of implementing a contact management system.

1. Reduce errors

Errors happen everywhere, not least in the workplace. Even though employees try hard to complete projects according to deadline, mistakes sometimes slip through the cracks.

However, thanks to automation, contact management eliminates human error. Through a sophisticated backend, a system automatically stores vital information without requiring manual input. Thus, workers aren't tempted to overlook tiny details.

2. Speed up workflow

Because contact management requires little effort from staff members, it frees them up to focus on more pressing matters. Employees don't spend hours writing down names and addresses, entering data manually. Rather, they can concentrate on bigger picture issues.

Additionally, since contact management relies heavily upon databases, processing requests happens faster. Without worrying about updating spreadsheets, administrators can devote more energy to running the business itself.

3. Increase productivity

Since many tasks rely on technology, you can maximize efficiency by leveraging smart machines. Automation plays a big part in reducing workload. Not only does it speed up response times, but it cuts down on unproductive minutes spent waiting around for paperwork to arrive.

4. Save money

Using a contact management system saves you time and resources. From setting up accounts to scheduling meetings, your team spends less time performing routine activities.

5. Eliminate paper clutter

Paperwork isn't always necessary. Email correspondence alone generates tons of unnecessary trash. After all, electronic documents never expire, whereas printed papers eventually run out.

Not to mention, printing thousands of pieces of mail causes environmental damage. So, by automating tasks, you avoid wasting precious ink, toner, and paper. And you prevent excess garbage from piling up in landfills.

Lastly, let's talk about why HubSpot became so popular amongst companies worldwide. Why was it chosen above competitors? Is it worth paying extra attention to?

HubSpot started off as a Massachusetts-based SaaS provider in 2002. Today, it serves millions of active users globally, including Fortune 500 enterprises and medium-sized businesses.

According to research published by Forbes Insights, 79% of decision makers said that "their organization already uses HubSpot." Meanwhile, 96% of respondents reported being satisfied with the product.

That same study revealed that 83% of executives would recommend HubSpot to colleagues interested in starting similar ventures. Almost half of them claimed that HubSpot increased their profits.

Is HubSpot right for your business? Only you can decide that. If you'd like to learn more about HubSpot, read our comprehensive review explaining what HubSpot is and how it works.

When you’re running a small or medium-sized business, it can be challenging to keep track of all your clients, customers, suppliers, etc., especially if you have several employees working under you. That's where contact management comes into play—it helps you stay connected with everyone who has something to do with your business.

In this article, we'll tell you what contact management is, how it works, and why it's so important when growing a business. We also give you some useful examples that will help you get started using it effectively right away! Let's dive right in...

What is meant by contact management?

Contact management refers to any strategy used to handle client relationships through email, phone calls, meetings, chats, etc. It involves gathering information about people as well as their needs, interests, preferences, and opinions. This way, you can better serve them.

It allows you to create a database containing all relevant info on each person, such as his name, profession, phone number, email address, birthday, gender, personal details, likes/dislikes, current projects, goals, etc. For more detailed records, you may want to use other apps like Google Contacts too.

The goal here is to make sure everything stays updated at all times. And doing so requires thorough record keeping. In order to take advantage of every opportunity, you should know exactly which market segment you're targeting. Therefore, determining the type of customer profile that would benefit most from your product or service becomes crucial.

If done correctly, contact management could result in increased sales revenue, higher conversion rates, faster response time, lower cost per acquisition (CPA), improved retention rate, etc. However, there are many ways to go wrong while managing contacts, which is one reason why companies fail to reach their full potential despite having great products and services.

Let's look at some common mistakes made during contact management:

Not knowing your target audience's demographics. If you don't understand what kind of customers they'd prefer to buy from, then no matter what marketing strategies you try out, you won't achieve success. You need to find out things like age range, income level, education background, occupation, marital status, family members' names, birthdays, etc.

Forgetting about new hires. Sometimes, when hiring someone new for a particular position, lots of questions pop up in our heads. What skills should he/she possess? How much experience does she/he have? Does s/he have references? These types of queries often leave us clueless until we meet our future employee personally. To avoid missing out on these opportunities, collect info about prospective candidates beforehand and keep them in mind.

Failing to follow-up on leads. When you receive inquiries from interested parties, always reply promptly to let them know that you received their message, thank them for expressing interest, and ask them whether anything else was needed. Then send them links to resources related to their query(s) and encourage them to watch said content.

Having multiple accounts. Having separate Gmail, Outlook, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, etc. profiles not only makes life easier but also increases security risks since hackers might gain access to sensitive account credentials via a compromised social media platform. Also, sharing login details across different platforms gives cybercriminals greater chances of breaking into those accounts. So, instead of creating numerous accounts, consolidate them into fewer ones.

Lack of proper planning. Without setting clear objectives and priorities, you won't be able to successfully execute your plans. Before launching any campaigns online or offline, first write down your main objective and set milestones to measure its progress.

These steps are just some basic guidelines to ensure you start off strong. But before you actually begin implementing any tactics, there are certain key factors you must consider. Keep reading to learn more about them...

What is the meaning of contact management?

With regards to making profits, getting new clients, increasing productivity, improving efficiency, boosting morale, reducing costs, etc., contact management plays a vital role. Its sole purpose is to connect businesses with their ideal targets.

However, sometimes, entrepreneurs forget that building long-term relations takes time and effort. They end up spending unnecessary money on ineffective marketing tools and methods and lose focus due to lack of control over their contacts.

To prevent this from happening, you should establish a systematic workflow to promote growth within your organization. By following the below mentioned points, you can easily organize and manage your contacts without putting forth extra efforts.

1. Use Contact Management Software.

There are various software solutions available that provide effective collaboration between team leaders and their subordinates. Such softwares allow users to view updates regarding upcoming events and tasks, as well as share files and documents among colleagues.

You can install Microsoft Teams or Slack to improve communication and streamline operations. With Microsoft 365 Business Essentials package, you can enjoy additional benefits including 1TB OneDrive storage space, 100GB Office Online subscription, 10 Skype Meeting Minutes included free, $25 credit for Office 365 Personal subscriptions, etc.

2. Define Your Target Audience & Customer Profiles.

Before starting any sort of campaign, determine your primary audience. Identify the specific group of people you wish to attract. Once you've got that figured out, you can proceed further with developing content specifically targeted towards them.

Also, define customer profiles based on their needs and requirements. Determine the type of individual that would appreciate your offering the most. Doing so will help you craft enticing subject lines, headlines, images, videos, copywriting, emails, ads, newsletters, landing pages, etc., according to their preferences.

3. Create Follow Up Automated Messages.

Once you complete a project, forward automated messages to remind buyers of the deadline for paying back their dues. Or after delivering a product to a happy customer, send him a note letting him know about the next step required.

4. Set Goals & Measure Progress Regularly.

While crafting promotional materials, aim to include keywords that show prospects how beneficial your offerings really are. Make sure you add value to every piece of content you publish. Write engaging titles, catchy headings, explainer paragraphs, compelling images, etc.

5. Build Relationship Through Social Media Marketing.

Social networks have become indispensable parts of everyday lives. Most consumers turn to them for seeking answers to problems and looking for recommendations. Henceforth, you shouldn't underestimate their power.

So, leverage social media channels as part of your overall plan to grow your company. Posting quality content regularly is the secret behind attracting followers, gaining loyal fans, and ultimately driving conversions.

6. Develop Relationships Outside Social Networks Too.

As discussed earlier, establishing professional connections outside social networking sites is equally important. Maintain regular interactions with your existing clients that are willing to recommend your brand to others.

7. Send Emails to New Subscribers After Opting In.

Whenever you sign up for an eNewsletter or website, verify your email ID by clicking on the link sent to your inbox. Next, check your spam folder to see if you accidentally opted-in to unwanted mail lists.

8. Track Customers Using Email Tracking Tools.

Make sure you monitor and analyze how recipients respond to your communications. There are tons of affordable email tracking tools currently available on the internet that offer advanced features like real-time reporting, mobile app integration, A/B split testing capabilities, automatic delivery sequencing, etc.

9. Get Feedback From Clients.

After completing a specific task, ask your clients to fill feedback forms or surveys. Requesting written comments enables you to assess performance gaps and fix challenges accordingly.

10. Learn About Prospective Buyers Offline Too.

Aside from conducting research online, you can talk to people face-to-face to discover more about your target audiences. Reach out to individuals you think might be valuable additions to your list. Offer them discounts or special deals whenever possible. The idea is to build trust and loyalty among shoppers.

11. Stay Updated On All Recent Changes.

Keep abreast of industry trends and news items that impact your business sector. Subscribe to relevant publications and websites and bookmark informative blogs, articles, and posts.

12. Be Courteous and Professional During Communication Sessions.

Greet callers politely and answer incoming texts quickly. Don't hesitate to return calls even late at night. Treat your subscribers with respect, and never lie or mislead anyone.

13. Update Contacts Whenever Necessary.

Your CRM system should automatically update changes occurring with your contacts' statuses, i.e., adding new addresses, changing phone numbers, updating email IDs, etc. Avoid forgetting to perform necessary actions because they might cause delays in reaching deadlines.

14. Monitor Reputation Of Your Brand.

Don't ignore negative reviews posted against your brand. Respond to complaints and concerns immediately. Address grievances to earn goodwill amongst customers and maintain a positive image.

15. Never Give Up on Any Lead.

Never assume that a prospect doesn't require your product or service anymore. Try to engage with them again later on and pitch ideas.

16. Share Content Generating Opportunities Among Employees.

Promote the good word of mouth around your office by encouraging coworkers to post interesting tweets, stories, memes, etc., about your brand. Moreover, encourage them to discuss trending topics on social media.

When it comes to running a business, there's no doubt that one of the most important things you need to master is how to effectively communicate with customers or clients. After all, if you can't keep them happy, they'll go elsewhere -- which means less money for you!

Fortunately, there are plenty of modern tools out there designed specifically to make this easier than ever before. One such tool is called Contact Management Software (CMS), which allows businesses to create multiple profiles of their existing customer base, including demographics, preferences, purchasing habits, etc. This makes it much faster and more efficient when trying to reach these individuals through different channels while also keeping track of what has been sent so far.

In addition, CMSs like HubSpot allow companies to develop personalized marketing campaigns based on information from its database, creating targeted messages for each individual user.

So let's take a look at exactly what "contact" management entails, as well as some examples of how this technology is being used today.

What is contact database management?

Before we get into specific details about a few popular software programs available today for managing your contacts, it's important to understand exactly why using a CMS will help improve your organization's overall performance. A good example would be the ability to quickly search your entire list of contacts via email address, name, phone number, social media handles, website URL, etc., making it easy to find someone who works within your company. In fact, many people use this feature daily without even knowing it!

But once you have access to a large amount of clientele, another useful aspect of having a proper CMS becomes apparent: You can easily see everything about a given person, their history, current status, and future plans.

A great way to illustrate this would be to imagine a sales manager looking over his team members' shoulders every day, checking up on where they're spending their time, what deals they've made recently, and any other pertinent info related to their job responsibilities. With a good CMS, this type of thing wouldn't be very difficult to achieve at all.

Another major advantage of implementing contact management software is the ease of sharing data between employees. For instance, instead of sending lengthy emails back-and-forth to update others on new leads or potential prospects, users could simply send updates straight to everyone else involved. Additionally, since the system keeps track of everything automatically, there won't be any confusion regarding whether or not a lead was closed successfully.

Essentially, with a CMS, your business doesn't just gain efficiency but speed and accuracy too. That said, let's explore three popular solutions currently offered by various providers.

1) Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft offers two separate options to choose from when it comes to choosing a contact management solution. The first option is referred to as Office 365 Contacts & Calendar. While both features work together in unison, only the calendar function includes additional functionality such as scheduling meetings or events directly from the app itself.

The second option is known as Office 365 Business Essentials. This version focuses primarily on providing basic CRM services rather than offering a full suite of advanced capabilities. However, thanks to the integration between this program and Outlook, you can still connect the two platforms seamlessly to streamline your workflow.

2) Salesforce

One of the largest names in the industry when it comes to enterprise software, Salesforce provides several ways to enhance productivity during those crucial times when closing deals. Its main product line revolves around Customer Relationship Management (CRM), allowing organizations to better organize and distribute its resources to generate higher profits. It helps provide insights and reports about the relationship progress over time, letting managers know how productive their teams really are.

As a bonus, Salesforce gives small businesses extra perks and discounts when signing up for longer contracts. These include free training sessions or educational material provided by experts, along with exclusive pricing packages that offer special rates for bulk purchases. Lastly, a lot of the company's offerings come with a 30-day free trial period, meaning that you don't have to pay until after you've had enough time to put the platform through its paces.

3) Zoho

Zoho refers to itself as a complete online office suite, giving users the chance to collaborate on projects with colleagues across various industries. Since Zoho is entirely web-based, you aren't required to download anything onto your computer. Instead, all communication happens through browser windows, eliminating the risk of losing sensitive documents due to technical glitches or malware infection.

Additionally, Zoho has partnered up with Google Docs to integrate project collaboration right inside of the CMS itself. When working on certain types of tasks, you can assign files to particular users depending on their skill set. By doing so, you avoid wasting valuable time shuffling paperwork back and forth between numerous workers. And because everything stays accessible through the same interface, coworkers never miss out on vital information again.

With its intuitive layout, simple UI design, and extensive library of templates, Zoho may seem like a bit of a gamble compared to some of the pricier competitors mentioned above. But considering how affordable it is per month ($19/mo), plus all the benefits listed here, it certainly seems worth exploring further. Plus, unlike most of the other apps covered so far, Zoho lets you try it out completely FREE for 90 days.

What do you mean by contact management?

Now that we've gone over some of the basics behind how contact management systems actually operate, let's delve deeper into exactly what it means to manage contacts in general. Simply put, it involves organizing your personal and professional relationships so that you spend more quality time focusing on growing your business. Aside from helping you stay informed, effective contact management can also increase revenue and save you time throughout the process.

For starters, remember that your contacts consist of prospective buyers, partners, suppliers, and anyone else who might want something from you. So, whenever possible, always prioritize reaching out to these folks directly to show interest and build rapport. They should feel valued and respected, especially when dealing with someone seeking to purchase products or services.

Also, consider asking yourself questions about the people you interact with regularly. Are they interested in learning about your latest offers? Do they prefer speaking to live human beings? Or perhaps they'd appreciate receiving a link to your website containing relevant information. Whatever the case, think ahead and give your audience what they desire.

How is contact management used?

Once you start building a strong network of professionals, clients, friends, family, and acquaintances, you'll probably end up collecting quite a hefty collection of numbers over time. Fortunately, with a contact management system, you can automate a lot of this tedious work.

For example, say that you own a retail shop and want to inform your loyal patrons about upcoming promotions, specials, or seasonal items. Instead of manually copying down everyone's email addresses, you could write a script to automatically send out regular newsletters to your subscribers, saving you hours of time that you'd otherwise waste on writing emails.

On top of that, you could also utilize a CMS to schedule reminders and follow ups automatically. Furthermore, if you already maintain a blog, you can embed links to articles you post on your site into automated notifications. Then, when visitors click on the link, they receive instant news alerts directly from your account.

Alternatively, maybe you run a restaurant and want to remind diners of past orders, reservations, menu changes, or last-minute cancellations. Again, a CMS would greatly simplify this task by allowing users to add custom fields to entries, which you could then filter according to keywords. From there, you could even tell the system to forward important emails straight to designated staff members.

Lastly, if you're a freelancer, you can implement automation in order to handle a wide variety of administrative duties. Maybe you want to notify clients with periodic statements, file expense claims, or request payments. Depending on your needs, you can either hire specialists to perform these actions for you or utilize smart scripts.

What is contact management in cloud computing explain?

While using traditional servers and computers to host your databases sounds pretty standard nowadays, the problem occurs when you face downtime issues caused by hardware failure or maintenance procedures. Thankfully, you can now avoid this scenario altogether by hosting your data remotely using the power of the cloud.

Cloud computing is basically taking your applications offsite and storing them in specialized server networks, usually operated by third parties. Because of this, your data isn't contained solely on your local machine anymore. Cloud computing essentially creates a virtual space wherein you can upload and share your content freely among authorized personnel.  This eliminates the hassle of worrying about lost or stolen devices, malfunctioning hard drives, viruses, or hackers stealing private information.

There are countless reasons why cloud computing is beneficial for business owners, but here are a couple notable ones: First, staying connected 24/7 is always convenient. Second, cloud computing allows you to scale up or down anytime you need to accommodate larger crowds. Finally, cloud-hosted software tends to cost substantially lower than the typical monthly fees associated with owning physical copies of programs.

And although cloud computing typically requires greater upfront costs, it often pays for itself later on with increased revenues and savings. As long as you pick reputable cloud service providers with reliable uptime records, you shouldn't encounter any problems whatsoever.

To learn more about what cloud computing entails, check out our article explaining why a hybrid IT environment is ideal for SMBs.