We just launched a major HubSpot COS redesign for a client here in the Pittsburgh area. They have been doing inbound marketing for a long time, but needed something fresh. They wanted their online image to meet the caliber of content they’ve been creating.
It was an awesome project. A week after launch, leads are already up 17% over the old site.
What made the process so smooth wasn’t the pixy dust in our CSS. The project was successful because it aligned their website design with their marketing funnel.
The key to planning a successful HubSpot COS website migration or full redesign is creating alignment with your inbound marketing strategy. This strategy should center everything around your Buyer Personas and their Buyer’s Journey. At GuavaBox, we call this strategy an Inbound Marketing GamePlan.
Step 1: Know the Questions Your Buyer Personas Are Asking
You’re a reference librarian. When a prospect asks a question, you answer it with your content.
Your inbound marketing strategy revolves around the questions that your Buyer Personas are asking. With these questions in mind, you can plan web page content and on-going blog campaigns.
Spend a lot of time in your HubSpot COS planning process with people who spend a lot of time with customers. You want to know their needs and pains as much as possible.
If you can make it happen, spend some time in the field with a customer. See what their day-to-day life is like. Gain an understanding of what they need to succeed so you can plan a website and marketing funnel that supports them.
Step 2: Understand the Buyer’s Journey
Leads are on a journey as they’re conducting their research and moving toward a purchase decision. It’s called the Buyer’s Journey.
At each phase, personas are asking different types of questions. Each type of question requires a different type of content to support them.
At the Awareness Stage, leads know they have a problem that needs a solution. They’re on the hunt to discover a remedy for their pain.
At the Consideration Stage, a lead understands that there are several possible strategies that could provide a remedy to their pain. They’re on the hunt to find the strategy with the highest likelihood of success for their situation.
At the Decision Stage, a lead has decided on a strategy that is right for them. Now they’re selecting vendors to service that strategy.
By understanding the questions your personas ask at each phase, you can craft a HubSpot COS redesign strategy that will deliver the right information at the right time.
Step 3: Create a Content Map
With a HubSpot COS website, you’re not creating one website. You’re creating more like 20 different websites.
Using Smart Content, you should be presenting different content to website viewers based on their Buyer Persona and their stage in the Buyer’s Journey.
For example, you want to show one piece of content to a Manufacturing HR Manager and another piece of content to a Healthcare HR Manager. These personas are similar, but they’re going to have different types of questions at the Consideration and Decision stages of the Buyer’s Journey.
Creating a content map allows you to assign content for each persona, at each stage in the Buyer’s Journey.
A content map is pretty simple. Just create a table like the one below and start placing your content where it best fits into the grid.
Awareness Stage | Consideration Stage | Decision Stage | |
Persona #1 | |||
Persona #2 | |||
Persona #3 |
As you work through the map you’ll likely discover that you need to create more content. Go ahead and add that to the list. It will keep things simple.
With this map you know what leads should see at each stage in their journey. You can use this content map to plan your Smart Content areas, your lead nurturing emails, and your Smart Calls-to-Action (CTA’s).
Bringing Everything Together
It is crazy to try to find the point where marketing stops and website planning starts. They’re so intermingled today. You need a sound plan that can help you combine the power of inbound marketing with the power of smart website design.
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