Related Posts
Podcasts
You’ve heard the hype—HubSpot is the ultimate tool for lead generation. Marketers swear by it, sales teams love it, and businesses claim it transformed their revenue. So naturally, you’re wondering: “Will HubSpot generate leads for my business?”
Here’s the honest truth: HubSpot isn’t a magic fix for lead generation. Plenty of businesses invest in it, only to be disappointed when they don’t see the results they expected. They set up the software, launch a few campaigns, and then… nothing.
But the problem isn’t HubSpot itself. It’s how businesses use it.
Before you invest in HubSpot, it’s crucial to understand why so many companies fail at lead generation with it—and what you can do differently to avoid making the same mistakes.
In this article, you’ll learn:
- The biggest reasons businesses struggle with HubSpot
- How to set yourself up for success before you even sign up
- Whether HubSpot is truly the right tool for you
Mistake #1: Expecting HubSpot to Fix a Bad Strategy
Many businesses assume that purchasing HubSpot will instantly improve their lead generation. They see it as a plug-and-play solution that will attract leads automatically. But no software can compensate for a weak strategy.
HubSpot is a tool, not a strategy. It provides powerful features—CRM, email automation, landing pages, and analytics—but these features are only effective if they’re used within a well-defined marketing and sales strategy.
Signs You Might Be Making This Mistake
- You’re expecting HubSpot to generate leads without a clear ideal customer profile.
- You don’t have a structured content strategy to attract and nurture leads.
- You’re relying on HubSpot’s automation without first understanding your buyer’s journey.
How to Avoid This Mistake
- Define Your Strategy First. Before investing in HubSpot, clarify your target audience, messaging, and lead generation funnel.
- Develop a Content Plan. HubSpot works best when you have high-quality content that attracts leads, such as blogs, guides, and webinars.
- Align Sales and Marketing. Ensure both marketing and sales teams are working together with clear processes before layering in automation.
HubSpot can amplify a good strategy, but it won’t create one for you. Without a solid foundation, even the most advanced tools will fall short.
Mistake #2: Poorly Set Up Forms, Workflows, and Lead Scoring
Many businesses assume that just adding forms and automation in HubSpot will lead to a steady flow of high-quality leads. But if these elements aren’t set up correctly, they can actually create friction in the lead generation process instead of improving it.
Common Issues
- Forms ask for too much information too soon, causing visitors to abandon them.
- Workflows are too generic, sending the same emails to all leads instead of personalising based on behaviour.
- Lead scoring is either nonexistent or too basic, making it hard to prioritise high-quality prospects.
How to Avoid This Mistake
- Simplify your forms. Ask for only the essential information at each stage of the buyer’s journey.
- Personalise workflows. Use HubSpot’s automation to segment leads based on their interactions and send relevant follow-ups.
- Fine-tune lead scoring. Assign points to leads based on meaningful engagement, like downloading a whitepaper or visiting a pricing page, to help sales focus on the most promising leads.
HubSpot’s automation can be powerful, but only when it’s set up with a clear strategy that prioritises the user experience and nurtures leads effectively.
Mistake #3: Lack of a Clear Content and SEO Strategy
HubSpot’s tools are designed to attract, capture, and nurture leads, but they rely on one crucial ingredient—traffic.
Without a strong content and SEO strategy, your landing pages, email sequences, and automation workflows won’t have enough visitors to generate meaningful results.
Common Issues
- No consistent content strategy. Businesses publish a few blog posts or case studies but don’t have a long-term plan to create valuable, lead-generating content.
- Content isn’t targeted. Many companies write about broad topics without focusing on the specific problems and search queries their audience cares about.
- SEO is ignored. Landing pages and blog posts aren’t optimised for search engines, leading to low organic traffic. Titles, meta descriptions, and internal links are often overlooked.
- Over-reliance on paid ads. Instead of building an organic audience, some businesses depend on paid campaigns that stop delivering leads once the budget runs out.
- No lead nurturing content. Even if visitors come to the site, there’s nothing compelling to move them further down the funnel, such as eBooks, whitepapers, or webinars.
HubSpot can help you execute a great content strategy, but it won’t create one for you. To see real lead generation success, you need a steady flow of high-quality traffic driven by relevant, engaging content.
Mistake #4: Ignoring Data and Failing to Optimise
Many businesses set up HubSpot, launch their lead generation campaigns, and assume the work is done. They build landing pages, automate emails, and create workflows—but then never check whether any of it is actually working. The data sits there, unused, while low-performing campaigns continue to run without any adjustments.
The problem isn’t a lack of analytics—HubSpot provides a wealth of insights into website traffic, email engagement, conversion rates, and lead behaviour.
The problem is that businesses either don’t know how to interpret the data or don’t take the time to use it for optimisation.
Email open rates stay low, landing pages fail to convert, and sales teams chase unqualified leads because no one is tracking what’s actually driving results.
To fix this, businesses need to shift from a “set it and forget it” mindset to a process of continuous improvement.
Reviewing reports regularly helps identify weak spots—maybe a form asks for too much information upfront, causing prospects to abandon it, or maybe an email sequence loses engagement after the second message.
Running A/B tests on subject lines, call-to-action buttons, and landing page copy can lead to small but powerful improvements.
Even refining lead scoring based on real conversion data can make a huge difference in helping sales teams focus on high-value prospects.
HubSpot isn’t just a tool for executing marketing strategies—it’s a tool for refining them.
Businesses that actively monitor performance and make data-driven adjustments will always outperform those that assume their first attempt is their best one.
Mistake #5: Not Aligning Sales and Marketing
A common misconception about lead generation is that it’s purely a marketing function.
Businesses often invest in HubSpot with the expectation that their marketing team will bring in leads, and sales will simply convert them. But without strong alignment between sales and marketing, those leads can easily fall through the cracks.
When these teams operate in silos, several issues arise:
| Problem | Impact |
| Marketing generates leads that sales consider “low quality” | Sales ignores leads, reducing conversion rates |
| Sales doesn’t provide feedback on lead quality | Marketing keeps attracting the wrong audience |
| No clear process for handing off leads | Leads go cold before sales can follow up |
| Lack of shared goals and KPIs | Both teams work towards different priorities |
How to Fix It
- Define what a qualified lead looks like. Sales and marketing need to agree on the characteristics of a good lead so marketing can attract the right people, and sales can follow up effectively.
- Use HubSpot’s lead scoring system. Assign point values based on engagement levels, such as website visits, content downloads, or email interactions, so sales can prioritise high-intent leads.
- Set up automated lead handoffs. When a prospect reaches a certain lead score or completes a key action, HubSpot should automatically notify sales to step in.
- Hold regular sales and marketing meetings. Encourage open communication so marketing can adjust their strategy based on real sales feedback.
HubSpot provides the tools to align sales and marketing, but without a shared strategy, even the best automation won’t bridge the gap. Businesses that create a seamless transition between these teams will see higher lead conversion rates and better ROI from HubSpot.
Is HubSpot the Right Tool for You?
Right now, you’re on the fence about HubSpot. You’ve heard it’s powerful, that it can help automate your marketing and bring in more leads, but you also know that plenty of businesses struggle to make it work.
The last thing you want is to invest in another tool that doesn’t deliver.
Here’s the truth: HubSpot isn’t a magic bullet—but for the businesses that use it strategically, it’s a game-changer.
The companies that succeed with HubSpot don’t just rely on the software itself; they build strong strategies around it. They take the time to understand how to attract the right leads, set up automation that nurtures them effectively, and use data to continuously refine their approach.
So the real question isn’t “Does HubSpot work?”—it’s “Is my business ready to make HubSpot work for us?”
If you’re considering HubSpot, here’s what you need to do to set yourself up for success:
- Get clear on your lead generation strategy. Who are you trying to reach? What content will attract them? How will you move them toward a sale?
- Commit to using the platform fully. HubSpot is packed with features, but only businesses that take the time to implement them properly see results.
- Be prepared to test and optimise. The best results come from tracking your performance, running A/B tests, and fine-tuning your approach based on data.
- Ensure your sales and marketing teams are aligned. HubSpot works best when both teams are on the same page about what makes a lead qualified and how to nurture them.
If you’re looking for a set-it-and-forget-it solution, HubSpot probably isn’t for you. But if you’re ready to invest in a system that can help you generate predictable, scalable leads when used correctly, then HubSpot might be exactly what your business needs.
Find out if HubSpot is right for you in our free HubSpot Guide
