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Connecting the Dots With the Inbound Methodology
Established in 2008, digital marketing agency ICT Sviluppo had long sought to convince clients to move away from their reliance on traditional outbound marketing methods. However, the collection of disparate online tools that it was using weren’t helping its cause. According to Giovanni Fracasso, inbound marketing and sales strategist with the agency:
“Up until 2016, we used an array of point solutions, including MailChimp, Hootsuite, Social Report, WordPress and Google Analytics. It was difficult to connect up the data we were gathering, and we weren’t able to prove the ROI of our activities in a clear way.”
ICT Sviluppo needed to find a way to put the pieces of the marketing puzzle together, and it decided that the inbound methodology was the answer.
“Our employees quickly got on board with the inbound movement; it was a collective decision. We all reached the same conclusion: digital marketing strategies that don’t focus on results and ROI are already out of date.”
The next step was to find the right online platform.
“For us, HubSpot was the only choice,” explains Giovanni. “The software had everything we needed in one platform and the Partner program ensured we had the support to succeed and grow.”
The decision was made, and the agency joined the HubSpot Partner Program in 2016.
Getting Personal With Targeted Content
ICT Sviluppo immediately got started by putting its own website on the HubSpot COS. It added Landing Pages for its ebooks and user guides, complete with the Smart Calls to Action and Smart Forms that allow it to gather information on its visitors. According to Giovanni, the Blog App has been a revelation for the agency.
"We update it all the time. It's helping to improve our SEO ranking, and we find that blog visitors explore other pages on our website and continue their journey with us. We also use the Social Inbox to share our posts across social media, especially on LinkedIn. We're acquiring more and more sales qualified leads through that channel; it has boosted our reach and levels of engagement.”
The agency also set up Smart Lists to segment its contacts and uses a series of Workflows to nurture each group through the funnel. Then, with the Marketing Analytics Dashboard, it can evaluate the performance of every marketing move it makes.
ICT Sviluppo uses the HubSpot growth stack – a combination of the Marketing, CRM and Sales software.
“With the CRM, we have a clear view of each buyer’s journey, as every interaction we have with them is accessible on a timeline. We’re able to see valuable information about leads before engaging them; we know the web pages they have visited and which topics they are most interested in. Then, with HubSpot Sales, we can automate and accelerate follow-ups and close more deals.”
By creating a perfect shopfront for the inbound methodology, ICT Sviluppo found that it quickly began to convert its clients.
“There is some education involved” explains Giovanni. “Most of our customers are small B2B companies, and at the beginning they assume inbound is just blogging and email marketing. We are able to show them that it is so much more than that – in fact, we even run classes on the inbound marketing methodology”.
Real Results That Convince Clients
As the agency convinced more clients to try inbound, it found that its retention rates improved as well. It can now prove the ROI of its actions, which makes it easier to sell more services and increase the revenue it receives from each client.
“Once our customers see that they are getting more visitors, leads and sales, they are keen to do more with us. All of our inbound clients are now on retainer contracts, and having that predictable revenue stream is very important for us,” explains Giovanni.
ICT Sviluppo has also been reaping rewards for itself. Since joining the HubSpot Partner Program, it has increased its organic web traffic by 80% and garnered 800 new leads. The agency’s turnover has been boosted by 80%, and it has become a Silver Tier Partner.
Looking to the future, Giovanni says that the plan is to generate all the agency’s revenue from selling the HubSpot software and its inbound services.
"I would recommend the HubSpot Partner Program to any other agency that wants to embrace the inbound marketing methodology. We now have all our marketing activities working in harmony, and we’re also able to prove their ROI.”
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