As experienced HubSpot partners, we've had the pleasure of working with clients from all over the world to help them elevate their social media strategies. Over the years, we've gained valuable insights into what works (and what doesn't) when it comes to social media marketing on HubSpot, and we want to share that knowledge with you.
In this article, we'll be sharing some of our confessions as a HubSpot partner and insights about social media marketing, so you can achieve your social media goals in 2023 and beyond.
Confession #1: There are some limitations to what HubSpot can do
This might come as a surprise, especially as we live and breathe HubSpot, but let us explain. If you find yourself juggling multiple social media platforms, individually posting on each platform natively, and struggling to keep up with the demands of social media marketing then HubSpot is the perfect centralised platform for you.
It’s a great solution for accessing and managing all your social media accounts in one convenient place so you can post, track and optimise.
HubSpot can do everything you could ever want with social media, well… nearly. You absolutely can access data and insights to help you improve your social media performance. But let us be completely transparent, you can’t:
- Edit your profile’s bio, header and image
- Post videos to personal LinkedIn profile accounts
- Connect to Tik Tok or Pinterest
- Post documents to create swipeable PDF posts
- Schedule ‘first comments’
Confession #2: You’ve got to commit some time too
Our next confession comes after a big change in the world of social media marketing, with community building taking centre stage. According to recent studies, a whopping nine out of ten marketers now believe that online community building is essential for success in 2023.
And here's our confession - it's not enough for us to just post on your behalf if you want to achieve this success. You need to commit some time and start conversations and get involved. You need to keep track of your followers and comments so you can build out that community.
That's where HubSpot's monitoring streams come in handy. With this tool, you can easily keep tabs on interactions such as likes and comments across different social media platforms. And, if you're curious about what your competitors are up to, HubSpot even lets you create customised monitoring streams just for them!
Want to know how to build a competitor monitoring stream in HubSpot? Take a look at this HubSpot Hack.
Confession #3: Not everything will go viral, and that’s okay
The pressure to go viral sits on every marketer's shoulders and the reality is it won’t happen to everyone (in fact, it probably won’t happen for most companies), especially in the B2B world. You can do everything right; you know your target audience, you’ve invested time into building a community and you’ve optimised for search but it still flops.
So what can you do?
- Repost it again using the HubSpot scheduling tool and try again at a different time
- Test different hashtags to make sure you’re using the best keywords, and keeping on top of the trends in your audience
- Share to a different platform using HubSpot’s cloning tool to see if it resonates with that audience better
- Turn it into a new format like video, carousel or an infographic
- Analyse what is working by using the revenue attribution reporting in HubSpot
- Try a different tone - for example, if you’re stuck in a rut with the usual kind of ‘Read this guide to find out x,y,z’ format, try a more conversational tone instead
- Rather than posting the link in the post, try adding it into the comments (LinkedIn generally prefers this and is more likely to show your post)
Confession #4: If you’re after ROI, you might not get it
Trying to prove ROI on social media can be a struggle for even the most seasoned marketing professional, and it’s the number one request we get when working with new clients.
Why is it traditionally so difficult to measure? For those using siloed marketing channels, you can’t track and attribute conversions to specific social media campaigns. That’s why using a centralised tool like HubSpot is essential. HubSpot will automatically change the link in your post to a trackable URL so you can see which campaigns are delivering the most value, and which ones may need to be tweaked or optimised for better results.
That’s why for those who insist on carrying on posting natively, we need to confess… you might not be able to prove ROI.
Confession #5: You need to work with a professional
To really get the most out of your social media platforms, you need experienced professionals who do this day in and day out. When choosing a partner to work with for your social media strategy, think about the following:
- Are they familiar with the tool you want to use?
- Are they taking the time to get to know your brand?
- Do they have proof of the success of their strategies?
- What platforms do they specialise in?
- How often will they communicate metrics and successes?
- How do they stay up to date with trends?
It goes without saying then that social media marketing can be a powerful tool to grow your business and reach your target audience, but it's not without its challenges. As a HubSpot partner, we've seen firsthand the limitations of the platform, the importance of community building, and the struggle to prove ROI. However, with commitment, creativity, and the help of experienced professionals, you can achieve your social media goals and drive real business results. So, take these confessions as lessons learned and apply them to your own social media strategy to make 2023 your best year yet.
If you want to take your social media marketing to the next level, don't hesitate to get in touch with us today. Let us help you unlock the full potential of HubSpot for social media.