By Patti Myers
Whether you are new to HubSpot or an evangelist like me, chances are you are constantly seeking ways to optimize and extract more value from your HubSpot investment.
Managing your tech stack can feel like a full-time job. Whether you are wary to add yet another integration, or you are looking for inspiration for more ways to connect disparate systems, we’re walking through 21 HubSpot integrations that deliver the highest value in the context of three critical departments of any organization: marketing, sales, and service.
Let’s dive in.
How Can a HubSpot Integration Improve Results?
To accurately answer this question, you need to know what “results” means to you and what your biggest needs and gaps as an organization are.
For example, you can add several integrations to unite your sales processes, but your marketing team is collecting marketing data in three different tools that aren’t speaking to one another. Those sales integrations might improve your sales team’s day-to-day experience, but your organization won’t likely see the same acceleration that you would if you solved your marketing team’s data issues.
So before you hop into the HubSpot marketplace, it’s important to know what “results” means in your business universe. Need some inspiration? Here are some common ways that HubSpot integrations show their value.
Improved Business Operations
Software integrations are a critical piece of ensuring that your business is running smoothly. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
- Are your customer relationship management systems (CRMs) syncing appropriately?
- Is your leadership or revenue operations teams able to see the full customer journey from subscriber to evangelist?
- Are deals and opportunities accurately represented so that you can understand the financial health of your business?
- Are your data and reporting reliable and accurate across multiple systems?
If your tech is siloed and not speaking back and forth to each other, it’s difficult to understand the full picture of what’s going on in your organization.
Improved Customer Experiences
In 2022, the difference between a good customer experience and a great one is often data. And consumers know it, too. In fact, 66 percent of consumers say they will share personal data about themselves if they think it will elevate their customer experience.
Here’s an example: You have a problem with your cat’s latest food shipment from an online retailer. The customer representative has access to the information in your ticket, and they also know you’ve been a loyal customer for years, your cat’s name, and that you recently added another cat to your household—all thanks to the data connection between your CRM and service software. The service team is set up to deliver a personalized customer experience, make helpful product recommendations, and ultimately meet your needs better.
More Accurate Data
If you’ve dealt with disparate data, you need no explanation of how much of a headache it can cause. Utilizing integrations is an essential component of ensuring that your business data is aligned across all systems so you are confident in your data and reporting, and ultimately you can make better decisions.
What Is the Optimal Number of Integrations?
There are over 1,000 apps on the HubSpot App Marketplace, but I’d urge caution before downloading every integration that sounds like it might be beneficial. Some integrations are absolutely essential, but it’s important to be aware that too few apps can be a missed opportunity and too many apps could mean you have unnecessary bloat in your tech stack. This can ultimately cause data management hurdles.
As they say, too many cooks in the kitchen, too many ... apps in the HubSpot portal? Something like that.
So, what is the right number? The average HubSpot customer installs seven apps. Although there is no hard-and-fast rule when it comes to the number of apps you have installed in your HubSpot instance, be sure to take a close look at the entirety of your tech stack so you’re confident the apps you choose are providing value to your organization.
Need help figuring out if your tech stack is serving you? Access our free Martech Stack Audit template for help consolidating your tech stack.
21 Top HubSpot Integrations for Better Results
Business-Essential Integrations
There are integrations that make your life easier, and then there are those that are absolutely essential to your business success. Below are the integrations that connect your primary business systems:
- Gmail and Outlook: Connecting either your Gmail account or your Outlook account via HubSpot enables you to send emails, log email replies, and track email conversations all through your CRM. This is useful for both sales and service teams.
- WordPress, Shopify, or other content management systems (CMS): If you don’t use HubSpot as your CMS, integrations make contact management, forms, pop-ups, live chat and chat bots, and analytics aligned across both your CMS and CRM systems.
- Slack or Microsoft Teams: However your team communicates, connecting your HubSpot with your team’s communication platform enables notifications and other important data to be communicated quickly and efficiently.
Sales Integrations
Your sales team likely uses multiple systems and channels during their sales processes. Below are a few integrations that are useful if these systems are already a part of your tech stack:
- Salesforce: If your team uses Salesforce, this HubSpot integration is mission-critical. This is a robust integration that will be best optimized by engaging with a certified Salesforce agency or professional.
- Google or Outlook Calendar: Connect your calendar with HubSpot to create meetings, allow others to book time directly on your calendar, and log it all in your CRM system.
- CallRail: If your sales team relies on calls and inbound leads, CallRail is for you. It provides the insight you need to determine what drives your leads to pick up the phone so you can make smarter decisions about your efforts.
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator: If you use LinkedIn for prospecting, this is a one-stop shop for sending InMails, viewing shared connections, asking for introductions, and finding related leads—all from your HubSpot contact records.
Marketing Integrations
As a Marketing Strategist, it won’t surprise you that this is my favorite category. Below are the integrations that will empower your marketing team:
- Zoom or GoToWebinar: If you host webinars regularly, integrating your webinar platform into HubSpot can allow you to seamlessly send registrants and attendees reminders, confirmations, and follow-up communications. Plus, you will easily capture all of the sign-up information you collect directly into HubSpot.
- Google, LinkedIn, and Facebook Ads: If you’re running paid ads, integrating those systems into your HubSpot will give you visibility into your full ROI and cross-network reporting.
- Google Search Console: This is one of my favorite integrations. When you connect Google Search Console to your HubSpot portal, you’ll unlock more SEO tools, including being able to see the exact keywords and keyword positions individual pieces of content rank for right in HubSpot.
- Databox: Databox is a fantastic tool to dial in on core metrics pulled in from HubSpot, Google Analytics, Salesforce, and more to centralize your reporting. Better data equals better decisions.
Service Integrations
Once you’ve made the initial sale, your service teams will need access to your CRM and the data you’ve been collecting on your new customer to date to set them up for delivering a delightful customer experience.
- Zendesk or other desk or ticketing system: If you aren’t using Service Hub, you should connect HubSpot with your ticketing system to ensure the data your service team needs is readily available.
- SurveyMonkey or Typeform: Your customers have some of the most powerful data—and oftentimes, they’re willing to share it! Send customer feedback surveys through SurveyMonkey or Typeform and then store that data directly in your CRM.
- LiveChat or another live chat app: If live chat is a channel for your service communications, be sure that if you’re not using HubSpot’s live chat tool, your system of choice is connected and funneling data appropriately into your CRM.
Optimize Your Tech Stack, Optimize Your Marketing
If you’re anything like me, experimenting with different tech and aligning your systems is more than just good business—it’s fun! But having the right tech isn’t the only ingredient in your marketing recipe book, and that’s why we compiled our Favorite Recipes for Inbound Marketers. Enjoy this free resource, and get cooking!
About the author
Patti Myers Patti is a Senior Account Strategist based in Florida. She's passionate about solving problems, reducing friction, and delighting clients. Drawing on her background in psychology, design, and copywriting and her passion for data and analysis, she takes a holistic approach to create effective campaigns and tell compelling data stories. Outside of work, Patti enjoys spending time outdoors, reading with her cat, and dancing classical ballet. Read more articles by Patti Myers.