Driving B2B Leads for a Subscription based Service

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what i did
I managed the full marketing lifecycle workflow, from data hygiene, list segmentation, and email design, to lead nurturing, MQL scoring, and performance reporting.
GOAL

Launch a new product to the marketplace.

Martech

reporting

Board members and operations manager

scope

Marketing Automation

Case study

Driving B2B Leads for a SaaS Provider using Hubspot

Overview

This case study details the implementation and management of a comprehensive HubSpot Marketing Automation strategy for a B2B SaaS system provider, focusing on migrating prospects through the funnel—from initial interest (top of funnel) to a qualified sales opportunity (bottom of funnel). The initiative prioritized clean data, precise segmentation, and automated nurturing to achieve scalable, predictable lead growth.

Objectives
  • Increase Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs): Raise the monthly volume of MQLs passed to the Sales team by 30%.
  • Improve Lead Qualification Speed: Decrease the average time it takes for a raw lead to reach MQL status by 15 days.
  • Boost Database Health: Reduce the number of unengaged contacts (no activity in 6+ months) by 25% through cleanup and re-engagement campaigns.

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    Campaign Details

    Data Cleanup & CRM Segment Build: Ensured data quality was the bedrock of all campaigns, preventing wasted communication budget and skewing reporting.

    Lead Scoring Model: Built and tested the official HubSpot Lead Scoring model. Assigned positive points for high-value actions (e.g., Pricing Page views, Demo Request form fills) and negative points for inactivity. Automated the qualification process. When a contact reached a score of 75, a HubSpot Workflow automatically changed the Lifecycle Stage to MQL and notified the appropriate Sales Development Rep (SDR).

    Design & Execution: Developed 5 key automated nurturing workflows (high intent blog article, demo request and conference). Each workflow contained a 5-email sequence, triggered by specific content downloads or page views, to educate the prospect on the SaaS solution. Ensured personalized, context-aware content delivery. Used A/B testing on email subject lines and CTA buttons to optimize open and click rates.

    List Creation & Maintenance: Built and maintained over 30 Active Lists (dynamic segments) based on CRM data, lead score, and behavioral data. Segments included "High-Intent Retail," "Unqualified but Engaged," and "Sales Hold-Off." These lists fed the campaigns and ensured every email sequence was targeted and relevant to the user's specific vertical (e.g., education vs restaurant).

    Performance Highlights
    Challenges and Opportunities

    Challenges:

    • Data Migration Issues: Initially, integrating data from legacy systems caused formatting inconsistencies in properties like "Phone Number" and "Industry," requiring extensive use of HubSpot workflows and custom code actions for standardization.
    • Sales/Marketing Alignment: Ensuring the Sales team was consistently using the Lead Score and MQL definition proved challenging until a dedicated internal training session was implemented.

    Opportunities:

    • The success of the "Hardware Interested" workflow showed a clear opportunity for deeper segmentation based on specific POS hardware needs (e.g., handheld terminals vs. counter-based systems).
    • Leveraging HubSpot's Sequences tool for the SDR team to automate 1:1 sales follow-up emails, directly bridging the MQL handoff process.

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    Future Recommendations
  • Integrate AI Copy Testing: Implement AI features within HubSpot's email editor for A/B testing subject lines and core body copy to continually optimize email engagement.
  • Develop Customer Onboarding Workflows: Extend the automation strategy into the customer lifecycle (using Service Hub workflows) to automatically check in with new clients, trigger training modules, and measure customer satisfaction after implementation.
  • Advanced Segmentation via Operations Hub: Implement a cleaner, more robust segmentation model using calculated properties to aggregate complex behavioral data, further refining the "fit" and "intent" of leads before they reach MQL status.

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    Conclusion

    The implementation of a data-driven marketing automation strategy within HubSpot delivered significant and measurable results for the B2B SaaS company. By focusing on fundamental tasks—specifically, prioritizing CRM data hygiene and meticulously mapping the customer journey through automated workflows—we not only exceeded lead volume goals but also dramatically improved the efficiency and quality of the sales pipeline. The resulting clean, segmented database now serves as the proven operational standard and scalable blueprint for all subsequent releases.

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    approach
    Targeted Organic Outreach: To reach the desired audience, social media platforms were leveraged for targeted organic outreach. Strategic content and engagement techniques were employed to generate interest and drive traffic to the event.

    Collaboration with Sales Department: Close collaboration with the sales department was established to define a compelling value proposition for the event. By aligning marketing and sales efforts, the messaging was refined to effectively communicate the unique benefits of attending the event.

    Enhancing User Experience: Insights gathered from previous events were shared with the operations department to improve the user experience. This step aimed to address any pain points and enhance attendee satisfaction, ultimately contributing to higher sales and positive word-of-mouth referrals.

    Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Search engine optimization techniques were implemented to improve the event's visibility in search engine rankings. This involved optimizing relevant keywords, meta tags, and content structure to increase organic traffic and attract interested prospects.

    Personalized Email Campaigns: To engage potential attendees and nurture leads, personalized email campaigns were deployed. Tailored messaging, relevant content, and personalized offers were utilized to create a sense of exclusivity and encourage registrations.
    Results
    Shortened Sales Cycles: Through the integrated marketing efforts, sales cycles were reduced by an impressive 35%. This optimization allowed for quicker conversions, enabling a more efficient use of resources and generating faster ticket sales.

    Increased Sales: The implemented marketing strategies resulted in a significant increase in sales, with a growth rate of 110%.
    The combination of targeted outreach, refined value proposition, and personalized email campaigns successfully captured the interest and trust of the target audience.
    Steady and Efficient Sales Cadence: The integrated marketing approach fostered a more steady and efficient sales cadence. By aligning marketing and sales efforts, prospects were consistently engaged, resulting in improved conversion rates and a more predictable sales stream.

    Since then, the landing page traffic experienced remarkable growth, achieving a 110% increase in sales and an 85% rise in program attendance within two weeks. This case study demonstrates the power of a well-executed integrated marketing approach in achieving business objectives.
    Takeaways
    To fellow entrepreneurs or product professionals: consider cultivating a culture of experimentation - it is never too soon to test and validate your assumptions. Feel free to see my comprehensive hypothesis testing and validation study.

    Consider adopting a vertical growth model - I focused too much on what else we could do in the first years instead of amplifying what we did best.
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    Lastly, beware of "technical/management debt" - short-term decisions are normal but often come with long-term impacts. So consider setting aside a day to tighten up loose ends.
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