HubSpot Onboarding: Should You Hire an Agency?

So you’ve decided to purchase HubSpot for your business — congratulations! As exciting as it is, there is still some work involved in the HubSpot onboarding process, such as setting up your portal, connecting and integrating your existing systems, training yourself and your team, and so on — it's kind of ALOT. 

But don’t worry. There is plenty of assistance available. In this article, I’m going to explore the differences between working with HubSpot Direct Support and a HubSpot Partner Agency to take you through this initial HubSpot onboarding phase.

Why go with an agency for HubSpot onboarding?

In my years of helping clients onboard, I can tell you first hand having an expert set up your preferences, dashboards, and integrations from the beginning is a lifesaver.

It’s important to establish all the baseline features alongside your technology stack with an agency upfront. Every company is different, so rather than bringing high-level recommendations from a HubSpot onboarder, you can have real-time access to an expert who can audit your programs and recommend a customized roadmap for what will be the most strategic setup. Their sole duty will be to help you get the most value from your tools.

HubSpot Partner Agencies undergo hours of training and certifications to stay updated on HubSpot’s latest and greatest functionalities. Plus, HubSpot onboarding with an agency is specialized since, as partners, they’re dedicated solely to leveraging their knowledge of the tool to generate revenue for you. Some offer a full suite of marketing and sales services, while some do only web design or content strategy.

A HubSpot Partner will typically perform the following tasks when setting up your new portal:

• Technical domain setup, including any subdomains, tracking codes, team permissions, access, social media integrations, software integrations, and IP exclusions (especially important now that there are more remote workers than ever before so you don’t skew analytics!)
• Contact importing and uploading from another CRM (if applicable)
• Landing page, email, CTA, and website page templates
• Blog setup and training for best practices
• Sales enablement services 
• Customized dashboards and reporting
• Ongoing HubSpot team training and strategy meetings

Tip: To browse different HubSpot agencies for budget ranges, vertical specialization, and more, you must access the solutions directory. 

What HubSpot Onboarding Support Gets You

HubSpot’s support team is also well-versed in the onboarding process and provides insightful feedback and technical troubleshooting for you. But, eventually, you’ll be mostly on your own. And frustrations around something not working can mount, especially when tight deadlines happen (which, let’s face it, always occur even to the most stringent of planners). 

HubSpot Direct Support curates support based on what software you’re purchasing — either the marketing hub, sales hub, service hub, or content management system (CMS) onboarding. 

A sales rep with HubSpot will identify some of your top goals that turn into self-directed projects. These written guides are what drive you during your onboarding. You’re also assigned a Customer Onboarding Specialist, who functions as a strategic advisor and project manager. However, they’re only available every 7-10 days for update meetings and are also a short-term partner — you’re then reassigned to another long-term point of contact after that. You can see how there are some cons to this route, as you won’t have real-time access to them for significant questions or issues that may pop up.

With that in mind, be sure to compare budgets to see what works best for your long-term strategic goals. The upside to an agency is sometimes; the onboarding fee will be waived if you go on a monthly retainer. Put that at the top of your list of questions when you’re speaking to different agencies.

HubSpot Agency vs. Direct Support

Having an agency do HubSpot onboarding has its benefits — on top of the opportunity to build rapport and grow a long-term relationship, it ensures you’ve got a partner at-the-ready to help you grow your business in the most strategic way possible. It’s important to compare your priorities and goals against budget and what makes the most sense with your business’s vertical, specialization, revenue, technology stack, and more. 

WEBITMD is a platinum-level HubSpot Partner Agency. We have helped numerous businesses set up their portals and scale their marketing campaigns. Download your free HubSpot Onboarding Checklist to learn more about what we can do for you.