The best part of any new toy is getting to play with it. But the more advanced the tool, the longer the learning curve and the more frustrating it can be when you're just ready to play now.
When you're trying to learn HubSpot, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. One of the first places you'll be pointed to is the HubSpot Academy - and while the HubSpot Academy is a great resource, it too can be overwhelming. There are so many courses and certifications, it's hard to know where to even begin. This is one of the most common complaints I hear from new HubSpot users. Especially when you first start with HubSpot, you'll be flooded with information - but not all of it is what you need right now just to get started with marketing, sales and/or service tasks.
I've put together a guide of recommended HubSpot Academy courses, organized by HubSpot Hub and specific questions I hear from clients new to HubSpot. These will help you get started with some of the most common basic tasks in HubSpot, before you're ready to move on to more advanced options.
Note: I've excluded Commerce Hub and Operations Hub from this round-up of tutorials. In order to effectively use both of those hubs, you first need at least one other Hub fully set up. Consider those two Hubs the advanced steps you progress to after you've mastered the basics.
What is HubSpot Academy?
HubSpot Academy is a learning library of video tutorials on how to use HubSpot. It's free to use for all HubSpot products and plans, but it's not accessible if you don't currently have a HubSpot subscription. In the academy, you'll find two types of videos:
Courses: These are short, focused videos that are designed to show you one specific feature of HubSpot and/or how to do a specific task in HubSpot.
Certifications: These are groupings of courses designed for advanced HubSpot users to certify their expertise.
As a new user, you'll want to start with specific courses. To access the Academy:
- Log into HubSpot.
- In your HubSpot account, click your account name in the top right corner, then click HubSpot Academy.
- At the top of the Academy dashboard, click the My learning tab.
- To browse the different course categories, click the Catalog dropdown menu and select a category or software type.
- To search for a specific course, enter the name in the search bar.
How Do I See What Hub(s) I Have?
Before browsing the Academy, you'll want to check and see what HubSpot products you have purchased and at what level, as this will help you know when watching a tutorial if it applies to your portal.
- Log into HubSpot.
- In your HubSpot account, click your account name in the top right corner, then click Account & Billing.
- You will see all Hub(s) in your portal, and at what levels.
- Write these down or save them in a note on your computer.
CRM Tutorials
1. How does the HubSpot database work? How do I use the CRM?
Course Title: The Anatomy of Your CRM
Course Length: 1 Hour
Course Description: Throughout this session, you will delve into the intricacies of objects, properties, event data, and beyond. By the conclusion, you will have the knowledge to decipher the flow of data within your account and initiate the process of transforming this data into valuable insights.
2. How do I import contacts from my old CRM into HubSpot?
Course Title: How to Import Your CRM Data
Course Length: 3:35 Minutes
Course Description: Get started with HubSpot by importing your CRM data. This tutorial will show you how to add new contacts to HubSpot using a CSV, XLS or XLSX file. You may have already had an import done during your onboarding, but this is useful to bookmark if you need to do new imports in the future.
3. What are marketing contacts and how do they work?
Course Title: Exploring HubSpot Marketing Contacts
Course Length: 26 Minutes
Course Description: By utilizing HubSpot marketing contacts, you can strategically allocate your budget towards engaging with specific contacts while benefiting from free storage for others. This tutorial will guide you on effectively managing this feature to invest in the leads that hold the greatest significance.
4. I'm going to be the main admin of our HubSpot account...what do I need to know?
Managing your HubSpot Account as an Admin
Course Length: 3 Hours and 6 Minutes
Course Description: Introduction to Managing your HubSpot Account as an Admin. This course is perfect for anyone who will be the "wrangler" of your HubSpot - keeping data clean, doing internal training, setting up reports, etc.
Marketing Hub Tutorials
1. What's included with/what can I do with Marketing Hub?
Course Title: Introduction to Marketing Hub
Course Length: 27 Minutes
Course Description: This session will delve into integrating Marketing Hub into your business strategy, offering guidance on navigating the software, and providing valuable insights on how to maximize its comprehensive toolkit to achieve your marketing goals.
2. How can I see everything a contact interacts with?
Course Title: Using HubSpot's Free Marketing Tools
Course Length: 1 Hour and 22 Minutes
Course Description: Discover how to nurture prospects, create personalized customer experiences, and capture website leads using HubSpot’s powerful CRM. This course will show you how to see the specific marketing assets like blogs, ads, social posts, etc. that contacts interact with, for better attribution reporting.
3. How can I create marketing reports for sales and other teams?
Course Title: Understanding Reporting in Marketing Hub
Course Length: 19 Minutes
Course Description: Uncover the secrets of leveraging the Marketing Hub reporting tools to track success and enhance your marketing strategies.
4. How do I make and send marketing emails like newsletters?
Course Title: Start Email Marketing
Course Length: 14 Minutes
Course Description: Learn how to get started with email marketing in HubSpot.
5. How do I post to social media out of HubSpot?
Course Title: Understanding Social Media in HubSpot
Course Length: 27 Minutes
Course Description: Implement a social media strategy using the HubSpot social media tools.
6. How do I connect my Google Ads, Facebook Ads, etc. to HubSpot?
Course Title: Attract Leads Using Ads in HubSpot
Course Length: 18 Minutes
Course Description: Learn how to connect your ads to HubSpot for improved tracking and hands-on management.
7. How do I organize marketing efforts into groups based on initiative, ad, service, etc.?
Course Title: Creating a Campaign in HubSpot
Course Length: 25 Minutes
Course Description: Campaigns in HubSpot allow you to group like items together, so you can be intentional about your goals and focus your time and marketing efforts effectively.
8. How can I send sales a list of qualified leads for them to follow up with?
Course Title: Segmenting and Qualifying Your Leads With HubSpot
Course Length: 35 Minutes
Course Description: Learn effective lead qualification and lead segmentation in HubSpot with this HubSpot Academy lesson.
9. How do I get started with automation?
Course Title: Understanding Workflows in HubSpot
Course Length: 27 Minutes
Course Description: Optimize your marketing by delivering automated but personalized content to engage your audience. Simplify your tasks and save valuable time by diving into the world of HubSpot workflow automation!
Sales Hub Tutorials
1. What's included with/what can I do with Sales Hub?
Course Title: Using Sales Hub's Sales Content Tools
Course Length: 52 Minutes
Course Description: Discover the features included in Sales Hub, and how they can match your sales process.
2. I'm a salesperson or sales manager - what do I have to do so I can start actually using HubSpot?
Course Title: Introduction to Sales Hub Professional Tools for Sales Reps
Course Length: 38 Minutes
Course Description: Learn how to set up and use your Sales Hub Professional Tools. Note: If you have Sales Hub Starter, some of the tools in this tutorial may not be available in your portal. However, I still recommend taking this course to see how to use the tools included with Starter as well.
3. How do I get rid of junk leads so I can focus on better-quality leads?
Course Title: Creating a Useful Lead Score
Course Length: 1 Hour
Course Description: In this lesson, you will learn how to decide on the best lead score model for your team and how to build that model.
4. How can I just see what I need to do each day in one place?
Course Title: How To Prospect in Sales Hubs
Course Length: 3:41 Minutes
Course Description: Discover the power of HubSpot's prospecting tools to effectively identify and engage with potential leads within Sales Hub.
5. How do I make custom sales reports for new leads, revenue, etc.?
Course Title: Sales Reporting in HubSpot
Course Length: 15 Minutes
Course Description: Review the types of sales reports available in HubSpot that you can use for both forecasting and performance reports.
6. How do I send quotes and contracts out of HubSpot?
Course Title: Creating a Quoting Process in Sales Hub
Course Length: 26 Minutes
Course Description: Learn how to use the HubSpot sales tools to create a product library, deliver personalized quotes and create a quote approval process.
7. How do I track deal progress?
Course Title: Closing Sales With HubSpot
Course Length: 14 Minutes
Course Description: Learn how to use HubSpot tools to manage your sales pipeline and close more deals. This tutorial includes details on how to set up HubSpot so that it accurately tracks all deals.
8. How do I use automation for follow-ups and tasks?
Course Title: Using Workflows in Your Sales Process
Course Length: 54 Minutes
Course Description: This lesson explores various workflow examples designed to streamline your sales team's tasks and provide more accurate and insightful customer data.
Content Hub Tutorials
Note - Since HubSpot recently relaunched their existing website tool with all-new features, they are in the process of updating training materials. This means that as of the time of writing, there aren't as many Content Hub tutorials available. If you have any questions on using Content Hub, please contact our team and we can assist.
1. I just finished a web project and now my site is in HubSpot. How do I use it?
Course Title: Fundamentals of the HubSpot Content Hub
Course Length: 24 Minutes
Course Description: Learn the fundamentals of Content Hub. Explore how to update your site, as well as all of the additional content tools available in Content Hub.
2. How do I create a new website page or landing page?
Course Title: How to Create Web Pages in Content Hub Starter
Course Length: 18 Minutes
Course Description: This lesson will guide you through the process of crafting both website and landing pages. Even though it's designed for Starter, this tutorial applies to Pro and Enterprise tiers as well.
3. How do I create and publish a blog post?
Course Title: How to Set Up a Blog in Content Hub Starter
Course Length: 28 Minutes
Course Description: This lesson will show you how to create a new blog structure if that hasn't already been set up. Next, you'll learn how to create and edit blog posts. Even though it's designed for Starter, this tutorial applies to Pro and Enterprise tiers as well.
4. How do I do SEO in HubSpot? How can I improve my ranking on Google?
Course Title: Optimizing Your Website For Search Engines in HubSpot
Course Length: 40 Minutes
Course Description: SEO is vital for getting found online. In this tutorial, you'll see how to use both the on-page and technical SEO tools in HubSpot.
Service Hub Tutorials
1. What's included with/what can I do with Service Hub?
Course Title: Service Hub Software
Course Length: 2 hours and 9 minutes
Course Description: This lesson will help you understand and set up Service Hub's tools in a way that empowers your reps to put the customer first. Note- this is a certification course, but I recommend it as an intro to what Service Hub can do and how to set up the basics. Just watch the videos and skip the exam at the end - unless you want the cert to brag about your knowledge/expertise of course.
2. How do I customize our support ticketing system? And how do tickets work in Hubspot?
Course Title: Using Tickets in HubSpot
Course Length: 33 Minutes
Course Description: In this lesson, you'll learn how to organize and prioritize your customer service efforts through the use of tickets in HubSpot.
3. How do we create auto-responses and a shared inbox?
Course Title: Setting up Conversations in HubSpot
Course Length: 41 Minutes
Course Description: HubSpot's conversations allows you to streamline your intake process so that all of your messages are in one shared inbox. This lesson also covers how to create auto-responses for a support inbox.
4. How do I set up a help desk so we can track support tickets and customer service conversations?
Course Title: Setting Up Help Desk
Course Length: 25 Minutes
Course Description: The help desk is an omnichannel shared inbox that pulls conversations from customers no matter where they come from - chatbot, social media DMs, emails, etc. This lesson includes connecting channels, setting SLAs and creating automation.
5. How do I create service team reports to review team performance?
Course Title: Setting up Service Reports and Analytics
Course Length: 13 Minutes
Course Description: Discover the power of HubSpot's service analytics and reporting tools to uncover key insights into your customers.
6. How do I start publishing articles to our knowledge base/self-serve platform?
Course Title: Setting Up Your Knowledge Base
Course Length: 33 Minutes
Course Description: Explore how a knowledge bases empower customers to find solutions independently. Utilize HubSpot's robust CRM to craft essential documentation that facilitates customer self-service, ultimately optimizing time and resources.
7. How do I create a chatbot?
Course Title: Creating Chatbots in HubSpot
Course Length: 27 Minutes
Course Description: In this lesson, you'll learn how to create a chatbot strategy and chatbots in HubSpot
These courses will get you started on your HubSpot journey. If you're still feeling overwhelmed, consider our HubSpot admin programs. This gives you a dedicated HubSpot expert who will continuously optimize your account, create reports and automations to your specifications and answer all of your HubSpot questions.
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