HubSpot Marketing vs Non-Marketing Contacts | Differences Explained

HubSpot divides contacts into two main types: marketing contacts and non-marketing contacts, each serving distinct purposes in the realm of customer relationship management (CRM). This categorization is vital for creating tailored communication strategies and building robust customer connections.

HubSpot, being a leading CRM platform, takes a nuanced approach to contact management, recognizing the diversity within business ecosystems. Acknowledging that contacts play varied roles in alignment with different business functions and strategies, HubSpot classifies contacts into the two categories mentioned above.

Understanding HubSpot Contacts

HubSpot's core functionality lies in its contact management system, serving as the foundation for organizing and maintaining relationships with leads, prospects, and customers. This centralized platform enables seamless communication, facilitating proactive engagement throughout the customer lifecycle.

HubSpot Contacts form the backbone of the CRM, surpassing traditional systems by offering an innovative approach. This centralized platform allows businesses to organize, foster, and engage with contacts, cultivating interactions from leads to established customers.

With a wide range of individuals or entities, including future leads, prospects, and customers, HubSpot Contacts enables businesses to segregate contacts based on attributes, actions, and interactions. The user-friendly interface and automation tools empower businesses to understand and interact with their audience at every touchpoint, fostering sustained and powerful relationships.

HubSpot Marketing Contacts

a. Definition and Purpose

Marketing contacts are those individuals who have opted in to receive marketing communications and are actively engaged in marketing campaigns managed through HubSpot.

These contacts can receive newsletters, promotions, and other engaging marketing content, as they may eagerly anticipate them. The main target of marketing contacts is to generate a large and well-defined target audience for marketing campaigns to those genuinely interested in the offerings and ultimately making conversions.

b. Key Features and Capabilities

HubSpot Marketing Contacts has a wide range of tools and features. Those features consist of

• Lead Nurturing: This tool makes sure that contacts receive only relevant and on-time content, which increases the possibility of conversion.

• Email Marketing: HubSpot tools allow the creation and running of customized email campaigns.

• Personalized Content Delivery: HubSpot delivers personalized content based on a contact's preferences and interactions.

• Segmentation: Businesses can segment marketing contacts based on demographics, behavior, lifecycle stage, and engagement history using HubSpot’s tools.

This platform provides a tailored experience to businesses that increases engagement. Businesses must keep these in mind while managing marketing and non-marketing contacts.

c. Integration with Marketing Automation

Marketing Contacts seamlessly integrates with HubSpot's feature of marketing automation workflows. Through this integration, businesses can easily automate recurring tasks, streamline marketing processes, and provide targeted messages based on the contact's engagement history and interactions with the business. It's like having a virtual assistant at the service of each contact's personal needs, fostering a more meaningful connection.

By default, form submissions in HubSpot can enroll contacts as marketing contacts unless this automation is turned off.

d. Reporting and Analytics for Marketing Contacts

Reporting and analytics tools for marketing contacts are there to measure the efficiency of marketing campaigns directly directed at marketing contacts. This helps businesses to track and analyze campaign performance, gaining insights on the behavioral preferences of their audience and then return on investment (ROI).

Non-Marketing Contacts

Definition and Purpose

Non-marketing contacts are individuals stored in your CRM who are not intended to receive marketing emails or ads.

Probably, these contacts can be existing customers, partners, or stakeholders who are engaged in transactions beyond traditional marketing.

Key Features and Capabilities

Non-marketing contacts have multiple roles within HubSpot:

• Sales Processes Involvement: Non-marketing contacts may not have explicitly opted for marketing communications, but HubSpot can seamlessly integrate them into the sales pipeline.

• Customer Service Interactions: HubSpot's contact management system guarantees that CS teams have details of relevant information about non-marketing contacts, thus providing personalized support.

• General Contact Management: HubSpot helps in organizing and optimizing all contacts within itself, catering to their diverse needs.

• Collaboration Across Departments: Collaboration across departments ensures that all teams are coordinated and aligned to engage their non-marketing contacts.

Although these are not a part of targeted marketing campaigns, their inclusion in contacts reflects an understanding of customer interactions.

Integration with Sales and Service Tools

In HubSpot, non-marketing contacts flawlessly integrate with sales and service tools. This way, they can provide a detailed description of customer interactions and behaviors. This integration certifies that the whole organization is on the same page while understanding and serving the customer, certainly fostering synergy across departments.

Reporting and Analytics for Non-Marketing Contacts

Non-marketing contacts let the reporting and analytics focus shift toward sales performance and customer service. In this way, they help businesses judge the effectiveness of their sales strategies through the satisfaction of their customers. These data-derived insights lead to informed decision-making and the improvement of customer-oriented actions.

Key Differences Between HubSpot Marketing and Non-Marketing Contacts

Pricing

The first and foremost difference between marketing and non-marketing contacts is the pricing structure. HubSpot charges based on the number of marketing contacts in your account, as these contacts are eligible to receive marketing emails and advertising. Non-marketing contacts are exempt from charges because they are excluded from marketing communications. This difference affects the business's budget and allows the organization to allocate resources based on its contact classification.

A point to note is that converting a non-marketing contact into a marketing contact immediately increases your billable contact count. Converting a marketing contact to a non-marketing contact won’t affect your billing until the next renewal cycle.

Inability to Include Non-Marketing Contacts in Ads Remarketing Lists

A prominent distinction between marketing and non-marketing contacts is related to the ads' remarketing lists. Only marketing contacts can be used in ad audiences for remarketing. Non-marketing contacts are excluded from all marketing activities, including advertising. This limited marketing can leave an impact on targeted advertising efforts and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

On the other hand, marketing contacts can be seamlessly included in ad remarketing lists for personalized advertising efforts. Organizations should consider this aspect while working on advertising strategies and gauging the capacity of various contact segments.

Conclusion

While working with HubSpot's contact management system, organizations must keep these key differences under consideration. The pricing structure ensures thoughtful allocation of resources, and simultaneously, the difference in ads remarketing lists reflects the requirement of a holistic approach to advertising.

In conclusion, HubSpot's clear classification of marketing and non-marketing contacts builds a strong foundation for businesses to tailor their interactive strategies effectively.

Whether a business wants to cultivate leads through marketing campaigns or manage broader business relationships, HubSpot provides the features and tools for every meaningful interaction. Which fosters the sustained overall success of the organization.