Using Hubspot CRM as database for consumer App

[LBedford]

Our D2C mobile app (AND & iOS) generates about 1000 new users per day. All signup, some pay (and go onto Pro version) and most use the app to some extent. 

At the moment we have our own backend DB, but it is not very good. We have various tools to show us how our users are interacting with the app.  We also use Mailchimp & Mandrill with various automations to manage transactional emails for marketing, or upsell, or special offer etc.  We also use Freshdesk for Customer Support. 

The question is :  could we use the Hubspot CRM to manage our users, and trigger custom email messages with Marketing Hub, and then use the service hub for customer success etc. Basically get rid of all our various tools, and replace them with Hubspot. 

I suspect in theory it is correct, but is Hubspot the right tool for a consumer app? Is it designed for this kind of work? We have a LOT of users / contacts (400k) but they have very low engagement compared to other businesses. It has not previously occurred to me that Hubspot might be the right tool. 

[Jnix284 · Accepted solution]

@LBedford this is certainly an interesting use case, and while the primary HubSpot customer is B2B, I got my start with HubSpot in B2C. All the tools you're looking to replace could easily be achieved with HubSpot.

The only one I don't know about or have familiarity with is the data you have for app interactions, how that is managed, how it would be integrated, etc.

The great thing about HubSpot's new tiers, you can define who is a "marketing contact" and those are the ones you are billed for. If you have non-active users and you aren't planning on marketing to them (not suggesting that) you could still have them in the CRM.

It might even be worth grouping your contacts into lists and phasing into when they become marketing contacts so you can start growing with the platform before you have to start paying for nurturing such a high number of contacts.

Just a few thoughts to get the conversation started, looking forward to hearing what others suggest!

[jolle · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the mention, @TiphaineCuisset, and great question, @LBedford!

I'm glad to hear that you're considering all the moving parts you have and how you could potentially streamline at least some of them in a single platform.

At a high level, HubSpot could potentially be used for your product depending in what specific functions you need. Given your current tech stack, the fact that you have a custom app that would need to be integrated, and a high volume of contacts, I'm thinking you'd probably need to enter HubSpot at the Enterprise level (Marketing and Service like you said with the potential for Sales and Operations depending on your use case).

I'll be upfront though and start with contacts — HubSpot will charge you based on contacts, so this is typically where it can get tough for B2C or D2C companies to justify the investment.

That said, there's a good chance that you don't actually need all 400k contacts in HubSpot at a single time. Like you said, you have some contacts who are engaged and others who are not as engaged. A database of that size also most likely has email turnover or invalid email addresses, so I bet you'd be able to pare it down a bit. From there, it could make sense to bring just the most engaged contacts and maybe the ones on the fringe into HubSpot. You could then roll out nurturing/upsells/customer support as needed from there. I've seen clients keep lower-cost email/CRM tools for their unengaged lists and only send those contacts into HubSpot once they've taken significant action.

If your contact volume doesn't disqualify HubSpot for you and your needs, here are some additional high-level thoughts on features:

• HubSpot Service Hub could potentially replace Freshdesk depending on how it's being used today. There is also a native Freshdesk-HubSpot integration, so that could get the job done
• HubSpot Marketing Enterprise gives you access to custom events that you can create to track specific activities, including those within your app. Those could work alongside or in place of the tools you're using currently
• In that vein, you may be able to build a custom integration between your app in HubSpot that will create/update contacts based on the actions they take. This could of course be a pretty heavy project, but it's worth considering all of your options at this point
• HubSpot workflows will let you automate the custom emails you mentioned to keep users engaged, give them reasons to return to the app/purchase the premium version of your app, and stay top-of mind
• You could potentially incorporate the Sales Hub to track app installs/upgrades and attribute them back to specific lead sources and engagement points
• If you're entering at the Enterprise level, you'll like gain access to additional features beyond what you listed above. These could help you further consolidate your tech stack or give you some funcitonality that you don't have now! To name a few:
  • Chatbot (Marketing)
  • Social tools (Marketing Pro+)
  • Lead Scoring (Marketing Pro+)
  • HubSpot Meetings links (Sales Starter+ for customizable links)
  • Customer feedback surveys (Service)
  • Knowledge base (Service) — this may not be a huge deal if you already have a knowledge base built on your website

This is a super exciting process, but it's also a big deal! You have a ton to consider as you evaluate a more simplified tech stack. Here's what I would recommend for you:

1. Create a list of functionalities that you absolutely need (like if a tool wasn't able to accomplish it, you wouldn't buy it)
   1. Confirm that these are truly "must-haves" and the data process is truly being used and is crucial to your day-to-day operations. Consolidating your tech stack is the perfect time to consoldiate your overall processes and eliminate unnecessary or unused steps 
2. Create a wish list of functionalities that are "nice-to-haves"
3. Determine which of your needs and "nice-to-haves" are currently being met and which tool is delivering them
4. Talk with your team to understand how they're currently using the tools, the timeline for change and user adoption, and your budget
5. If you're considering HubSpot, you can reach out to HubSpot's consultants or set up some time to chat with a HubSpot Solutions Partner (like me 😉) to lay out your needs and determine if HubSpot will fit the bill.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions or want to touch base on anything. And most importantly, best of luck in moving forward with this important change!

[Jnix284 · Accepted solution]

@LBedford this is certainly an interesting use case, and while the primary HubSpot customer is B2B, I got my start with HubSpot in B2C. All the tools you're looking to replace could easily be achieved with HubSpot.

The only one I don't know about or have familiarity with is the data you have for app interactions, how that is managed, how it would be integrated, etc.

The great thing about HubSpot's new tiers, you can define who is a "marketing contact" and those are the ones you are billed for. If you have non-active users and you aren't planning on marketing to them (not suggesting that) you could still have them in the CRM.

It might even be worth grouping your contacts into lists and phasing into when they become marketing contacts so you can start growing with the platform before you have to start paying for nurturing such a high number of contacts.

Just a few thoughts to get the conversation started, looking forward to hearing what others suggest!

[TiphaineCuisset]

Hi @LBedford 

Thank you for reaching out.

I want to tag some of our experts here - @Jnix284 @jolle @danmoyle would you mind giving your thoughts for @LBedford on this? 

Thank you!

Best

Tiphaine