MARKETING
How to Use Meta Business Suite in 2022
You’ve likely heard of Meta Business Manager, formerly known as Facebook Business Manager. Meta describes this as their tool to “manage ad accounts, Pages, and the people who work on them — all in one place.”
If you haven’t heard of it, or if you don’t know much about it, Meta Business Manager is a valuable tool if you have more than one ad account, if you need to track separate clients’ ads or pages and create reports for them, or if your company uses Facebook for different services related to your business.
In this post, you’ll learn everything you need to know about Meta (Facebook) Business Manager and how to use it to generate brand awareness on Meta’s social platforms.
What is Meta Business Manager?
Meta Business Manager, formerly known as Facebook Business Manager, is a tool to help you create, publish, monitor, and report on various business-related assets, including your business’ Facebook Pages or your Facebook advertisements. Business Manager allows you to grant partial or full access to different employees and assign them different roles within the platform.
Essentially, Facebook Business Manager helps your team stay organized and focused while monitoring, creating, and publishing ads, pages, and other business assets on Facebook.
Here, we’ll delve into how to create a Meta Business Manager account; how to add your business pages, ads, and people; how to use the analytics tools in your account; and how to extract the most value from the ads manager tool.
For the purpose of keeping this article easy to follow, we’re going to assume your business is interested in using Business Manager for your own pages and ads rather than for your client’s pages and ads. We’ll also use the names “Meta Business Manager” and “Facebook Business Manager” interchangeably.
Is Meta Business Manager different from your Facebook account?
While Meta Business Manager isn’t tied to your personal account, you do need a personal Facebook account to use Facebook Business Manager.
Don’t worry. Your personal Facebook account won’t be visible. Facebook Business Manager only shows you your business assets, including ad accounts, pages related to your business, and advertising or social media analytics. It doesn’t have a newsfeed and won’t send you notifications from your personal account.
How to Set Up Facebook Business Manager
- Go to business.facebook.com and click the ‘Create Account’ button next to the button that reads ‘Log in.’
- Fill in your business name and email in the pop-up screen, and click ‘Submit.’
- The pop-up screen will direct you to check your email for confirmation of your account.
- Click the link in your email to confirm your account.
Setting up your Facebook Business Manager account is simple. The Facebook Business Manager account is a different set-up process than a personal Facebook account. The Business Manager set-up simply requires your business name and email to begin. It’s an easy four-step process that took me approximately two minutes.
Here’s what you do:
1. First, go to business.facebook.com and click the blue “Create Account” button.
To create a new Business Manager account, click the “Create Account” button next to or below the “Log In” button. If you have not already logged in to your Facebook account, you’ll be prompted to log in. You’ll also need your business information ready to enter in the next pop-up screen.
2. Next, fill in your business name and email in the pop-up, and click “Submit.”
You’ll be asked to enter your business name and email on this pop-up screen. Since you are logged in to Facebook already, your name will already be populated in the box.
You’ll want to make sure you are using a business email that your employees recognize, as this is the email you’ll use to invite and assign roles to your employees. Meta does not allow the use of special characters in the business name field, so you’ll want to leave those out.
3. The pop-up screen will then ask you to confirm your email. Go to your inbox and open the email with the subject line, “Confirm your business email.”
After entering your information and submitting it, Meta will ask you to confirm your business email. The pop-up screen will direct you to check your email.
You will see an email that reads, “Confirm your business account.” If you don’t immediately see this email in your inbox, be sure to check your junk, spam, or social folders.
4. Open the email from Facebook and click “Confirm now.”
When you click the “Confirm now” button, a new Meta Business Manager window will open. This window will give you access to your Business Manager account. If it looks intimidating at first glance, don’t worry, Facebook Business Manager is actually pretty intuitive.
Let’s delve into how to add pages and ad accounts to your Business Manager account.
How to Add Facebook Business Pages to Your Meta Business Manager Account
On your Meta Business Manager homepage, you’ll immediately see an Ad Account Performance module. You may need to scroll down to see the Pages module in your Business Account.
1. First, scroll to the Pages module and click “Go to business settings.”
Since your Meta Business Manager is new, you will have to connect your Facebook Pages to your account. To connect a Facebook page to your Meta Business Manager, scroll down to the Pages Module. Then, click the “Go to business settings” button.
2. Click the “Add” button in the new window. In the menu, choose “Add a Page.”
When you click “Go to business settings,” a new window will open. In this window, you will be able to connect your Facebook pages to your Business Manager account. Click the “Add” button to connect a page.
3. In the pop-up screen, type the name of your Facebook Page or enter your URL. Then click the “Add Page” button.
This pop-up screen will prompt you to type your Facebook Page in the bar or paste your Page’s URL. If you type your Page name in the bar, your Page should be the first available option. If not, paste the URL. Once you have selected your Page, click the “Add Page” button.
4. If you see this pop-up with a green checkmark, you’re all set! Your page is successfully added.
That’s it! Now that you’ve successfully added your Page, you’ll be able to see it in your Meta Business Suite portal.
How to Add Your Facebook Ad Accounts
Adding your Facebook ad account is an almost identical process to adding a page, but I’ll walk you through the steps here so you can see them in action.
It’s important to note you can only add one ad account at first, and then you’ll be able to add additional ad accounts once you start spending money in your first ad account.
However, you can’t host more than five ad accounts at any one time.
1. Click the “Ad accounts” link on the side panel of your homepage.
Underneath Business settings, you’ll see the side panel. Click on the “Ad accounts” link to connect your Ad account to your Meta Business Suite.
2. Click the “Add” button. In the pop-up menu, choose “Add an ad account.”
After you click “Add an ad account,” you’ll notice three options. You can add your own account, add someone else’s account, or create a new account. For the purpose of this post, we’ll assume you already have your own ad account for your Facebook Page. To add the ad account, click “Add an ad account.”
3. Enter your “Ad account ID” into the box. When you’re finished, click “Add Ad Account.”
To connect your ad account to your Meta Business Manager, you need your account ID. If you do not know your ID, log into your existing Ads Manager. You should see your ID in the dropdown menu of the search bar. This is the ID you’ll use to connect your account to the Business Manager.
Once you have your ad account ID, enter it into the ad account ID box. Double-check that your ad account ID is the correct account and number sequence. Once you enter your ID and connect it to your Business Manager, you cannot delete it.
How to Add People to Your Business Manager Account
For this example, we’ll focus on adding internal employees to your Business Manager Account, not clients or external advisors.
Adding people to your account is easy, and you can limit the amount of access each employee gets.
Limiting access to “employee only” is helpful if, for instance, you want to assign one employee to handle your Instagram account and monitor those analytics, but then you want another employee on the team to manage your ad accounts and those analytics.
1. First, go to the side panel under Business settings and choose “Users.” In the dropdown menu, select “People.”
To add an employee to your Business Manager, locate the “Users” tab on the side panel of the main screen. Then, select “People.” This will open a new screen.
2. Next, click the blue “Add” button highlighted below.
Adding a user is simple. Click the blue “Add” button to start the process. You’ll need to know the email of the employee you are adding to your Business Manager.
3. Type in an employee’s email address (so Facebook can send them an email with access permissions), and then select “on” for either “Employee access” or “Admin access.” Then, click “Next.”
To add an employee, you’ll need to enter their email address. Before clicking “Next,” decide if you will assign the user to “Employee access” or “Admin access.” Setting a user to “Admin access” will give them complete control of your Business Manager account. To assign additional roles, such as Finance Analyst, Finance Editor, or Developer, click the “Show Advanced Options” button.
4. Assign your employee to any of the assets on the right of the pop-up screen. Click on each asset to assign roles and tasks. Once you are finished, click “Invite.”
Here, you have a couple of different options. You can assign your employee to any of the assets on the right of the pop-up screen (Pages, Ad Accounts, Catalogs, Apps, Pixels, and Instagram Account). If you click on each asset tab, you can assign different tasks and roles for the employee within the asset. For example, under the Pages asset, you may task your employee with content creation or task them with moderating comments.
Once you have assigned roles and tasks for your employee, click “Invite.”
5. Now, your employee has been sent an invitation. Click “Done” or “Add more people.”
Great! You’ve added an employee to your Meta Business Manager account. Make sure your employee knows to check their email and follow the instructions in their email to finish confirming their account. If you are finished adding people to your Business Manager, click “Done.” If you have more employees to add to your account, click “Add more people.”
How to Delete Facebook Business Manager
- Go to ‘Settings’ in Facebook Business Manager.
- Select ‘Business Info.’
- Click ‘Permanently Delete Business’ on the upper right-hand corner of the page.
Ads Manager Tools
Now that we’re all set up, you might be curious about some of the additional benefits of creating an ad inside Business Manager.
When creating an ad in Ads Manager, one of the best advantages (as you’ll soon see) is the ability to create a highly-targeted core demographic group with the “create new audience” feature.
You can choose a gender, age, region, and language to reach and dive into the specific interests you want your audience to share.
Then you’re given estimates based on your audience and budget, like how many people you’re expected to reach daily and how many people will click your link. Those performance metrics are critical when deciding whether to increase or decrease audience size or whether your budget is big enough.
Here’s how to create an ad in Ad Manager:
1. On the side panel of the homepage, click “Ads Manager.”
Under the Meta Business Suite logo, you’ll see the side panel. To access the Ads Manager, click the “Ads Manager” button.
2. To create an ad, click “Create Ad” in the right corner of the screen. Or, click on “Get started.”
If you have not previously created Facebook ads, Facebook will prompt you to start. Click the “Get started” button at the bottom of the screen. Or click “Create Ad” in the right-hand corner of the screen. Both buttons will open the ad creation page.
3. Select your goal.
When creating a Facebook ad, you need to choose a goal for your ad. You can create an automated advertisement, drive traffic to your website, promote your Facebook Page, generate more leads, or create an ad to generate inbound messages. For the purpose of this example, we will choose the goal “Promote your Page.”
4. Next, fill in the details to design your Facebook ad.
To promote your Page with a Facebook ad, you need first to write a description for your ad. Next, click “Edit options” to choose a photo for your ad. You can upload an image or select a photo that you already have linked to your pages. The Ad box will give you an idea of what your ad will look like to your audience.
5. Then, scroll down to create your audience. Click the pencil icon to edit the audience description.
In the pop-up window, scroll down to the “Audience” module. Click the pencil icon in the corner of the module to edit the audience description. Fill out the information according to the audience that you wish to reach. You don’t need to fill out all of the information, but the more information you include, the more likely you’ll reach your target demographic.
6. Once you are finished designing your Facebook ad, enter your payment information and click “Promote now.”
Before clicking “Promote now,” review your ad. If you are happy with your ad, you’ve selected your target audience, and you’ve decided on the timeframe to run your ad, enter your payment information in the Payment Method module. Click “Promote now” to finalize your ad.
7. Congratulations! You have created your first Facebook Ad. To review your ad, click on the Ads Manager tab and click on “All ads.”
The Ads Manager tab is the easiest way to review your ads. Click on “All ads” to see a list of your ads. This tab will provide relevant information and analytics such as reach, impressions, cost per result, and relevance score.
Meta Business Manager Insights
Lastly, here’s a general overview of your “Insights” tab and what the Insights page looks like:
We won’t go too in-depth with analytics, or insights, since it’ll vary drastically depending on your business’s advertising goals, budget, and audience.
However, it’s important to note a few significant components of the Business Manager’s insights to ensure you understand the tool’s most impressive functions.
Hot tip: Check out Meta Business’s advertising information page to learn more about Facebook ad functions, read success stories for industry-specific businesses, and get inspiration and ideas to improve your own ads.
Business Manager Insights Functions You’ll Want to Know About
- Facebook Pixel: If you install Facebook Pixel, your website can reach people with ads on Facebook after they’ve visited your site.
- Split testing: Use A/B testing to figure out which ads lead to the highest conversion rate.
- Conversion lift: Use this tool to ensure your ads are actually generating conversions and sales.
- Mobile SDK: If your business has an app, use Mobile SDK to see what actions people are taking within your app and use that information to improve ad campaigns across devices.
- Brand lift: Find out how your ads are impacting your brand image to optimize ads for better brand awareness.
Use Meta Business Manager to Improve Your Reach on Facebook
Meta Business Manager will help you manage your Facebook presence down to the team members who can access your account. Take advantage of this tool to launch effective ads on Facebook, examine your Facebook strategy, and boost your KPIs across Meta’s social platforms.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in May 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
MARKETING
Ecommerce evolution: Blurring the lines between B2B and B2C
Understanding convergence
B2B and B2C ecommerce are two distinct models of online selling. B2B ecommerce is between businesses, such as wholesalers, distributors, and manufacturers. B2C ecommerce refers to transactions between businesses like retailers and consumer brands, directly to individual shoppers.
However, in recent years, the boundaries between these two models have started to fade. This is known as the convergence between B2B and B2C ecommerce and how they are becoming more similar and integrated.
Source: White Paper: The evolution of the B2B Consumer Buyer (ClientPoint, Jan 2024)
What’s driving this change?
Ever increasing customer expectations
Customers today expect the same level of convenience, speed, and personalization in their B2B transactions as they do in their B2C interactions. B2B buyers are increasingly influenced by their B2C experiences. They want research, compare, and purchase products online, seamlessly transitioning between devices and channels. They also prefer to research and purchase online, using multiple devices and channels.
Forrester, 68% of buyers prefer to research on their own, online . Customers today expect the same level of convenience, speed, and personalization in their B2B transactions as they do in their B2C interactions. B2B buyers are increasingly influenced by their B2C experiences. They want research, compare, and purchase products online, seamlessly transitioning between devices and channels. They also prefer to research and purchase online, using multiple devices and channels
Technology and omnichannel strategies
Technology enables B2B and B2C ecommerce platforms to offer more features and functionalities, such as mobile optimization, chatbots, AI, and augmented reality. Omnichannel strategies allow B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses to provide a seamless and consistent customer experience across different touchpoints, such as websites, social media, email, and physical stores.
However, with every great leap forward comes its own set of challenges. The convergence of B2B and B2C markets means increased competition. Businesses now not only have to compete with their traditional rivals, but also with new entrants and disruptors from different sectors. For example, Amazon Business, a B2B ecommerce platform, has become a major threat to many B2B ecommerce businesses, as it offers a wide range of products, low prices, and fast delivery
“Amazon Business has proven that B2B ecommerce can leverage popular B2C-like functionality” argues Joe Albrecht, CEO / Managing Partner, Xngage. . With features like Subscribe-and-Save (auto-replenishment), one-click buying, and curated assortments by job role or work location, they make it easy for B2B buyers to go to their website and never leave. Plus, with exceptional customer service and promotional incentives like Amazon Business Prime Days, they have created a reinforcing loyalty loop.
And yet, according to Barron’s, Amazon Business is only expected to capture 1.5% of the $5.7 Trillion addressable business market by 2025. If other B2B companies can truly become digital-first organizations, they can compete and win in this fragmented space, too.”
If other B2B companies can truly become digital-first organizations, they can also compete and win in this fragmented space
Joe AlbrechtCEO/Managing Partner, XNGAGE
Increasing complexity
Another challenge is the increased complexity and cost of managing a converging ecommerce business. Businesses have to deal with different customer segments, requirements, and expectations, which may require different strategies, processes, and systems. For instance, B2B ecommerce businesses may have to handle more complex transactions, such as bulk orders, contract negotiations, and invoicing, while B2C ecommerce businesses may have to handle more customer service, returns, and loyalty programs. Moreover, B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses must invest in technology and infrastructure to support their convergence efforts, which may increase their operational and maintenance costs.
How to win
Here are a few ways companies can get ahead of the game:
Adopt B2C-like features in B2B platforms
User-friendly design, easy navigation, product reviews, personalization, recommendations, and ratings can help B2B ecommerce businesses to attract and retain more customers, as well as to increase their conversion and retention rates.
According to McKinsey, ecommerce businesses that offer B2C-like features like personalization can increase their revenues by 15% and reduce their costs by 20%. You can do this through personalization of your website with tools like Product Recommendations that help suggest related products to increase sales.
Focus on personalization and customer experience
B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses need to understand their customers’ needs, preferences, and behaviors, and tailor their offerings and interactions accordingly. Personalization and customer experience can help B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses to increase customer satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy, as well as to improve their brand reputation and competitive advantage. According to a Salesforce report, 88% of customers say that the experience a company provides is as important as its products or services.
Market based on customer insights
Data and analytics can help B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses to gain insights into their customers, markets, competitors, and performance, and to optimize their strategies and operations accordingly. Data and analytics can also help B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses to identify new opportunities, trends, and innovations, and to anticipate and respond to customer needs and expectations. According to McKinsey, data-driven organizations are 23 times more likely to acquire customers, six times more likely to retain customers, and 19 times more likely to be profitable.
What’s next?
The convergence of B2B and B2C ecommerce is not a temporary phenomenon, but a long-term trend that will continue to shape the future of ecommerce. According to Statista, the global B2B ecommerce market is expected to reach $20.9 trillion by 2027, surpassing the B2C ecommerce market, which is expected to reach $10.5 trillion by 2027. Moreover, the report predicts that the convergence of B2B and B2C ecommerce will create new business models, such as B2B2C, B2A (business to anyone), and C2B (consumer to business).
Therefore, B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses need to prepare for the converging ecommerce landscape and take advantage of the opportunities and challenges it presents. Here are some recommendations for B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses to navigate the converging landscape:
- Conduct a thorough analysis of your customers, competitors, and market, and identify the gaps and opportunities for convergence.
- Develop a clear vision and strategy for convergence, and align your goals, objectives, and metrics with it.
- Invest in technology and infrastructure that can support your convergence efforts, such as cloud, mobile, AI, and omnichannel platforms.
- Implement B2C-like features in your B2B platforms, and vice versa, to enhance your customer experience and satisfaction.
- Personalize your offerings and interactions with your customers, and provide them with relevant and valuable content and solutions.
- Leverage data and analytics to optimize your performance and decision making, and to innovate and differentiate your business.
- Collaborate and partner with other B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses, as well as with other stakeholders, such as suppliers, distributors, and customers, to create value and synergy.
- Monitor and evaluate your convergence efforts, and adapt and improve them as needed.
By following these recommendations, B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses can bridge the gap between their models and create a more integrated and seamless ecommerce experience for their customers and themselves.
MARKETING
Streamlining Processes for Increased Efficiency and Results
How can businesses succeed nowadays when technology rules? With competition getting tougher and customers changing their preferences often, it’s a challenge. But using marketing automation can help make things easier and get better results. And in the future, it’s going to be even more important for all kinds of businesses.
So, let’s discuss how businesses can leverage marketing automation to stay ahead and thrive.
Benefits of automation marketing automation to boost your efforts
First, let’s explore the benefits of marketing automation to supercharge your efforts:
Marketing automation simplifies repetitive tasks, saving time and effort.
With automated workflows, processes become more efficient, leading to better productivity. For instance, automation not only streamlines tasks like email campaigns but also optimizes website speed, ensuring a seamless user experience. A faster website not only enhances customer satisfaction but also positively impacts search engine rankings, driving more organic traffic and ultimately boosting conversions.
Automation allows for precise targeting, reaching the right audience with personalized messages.
With automated workflows, processes become more efficient, leading to better productivity. A great example of automated workflow is Pipedrive & WhatsApp Integration in which an automated welcome message pops up on their WhatsApp
within seconds once a potential customer expresses interest in your business.
Increases ROI
By optimizing campaigns and reducing manual labor, automation can significantly improve return on investment.
Leveraging automation enables businesses to scale their marketing efforts effectively, driving growth and success. Additionally, incorporating lead scoring into automated marketing processes can streamline the identification of high-potential prospects, further optimizing resource allocation and maximizing conversion rates.
Harnessing the power of marketing automation can revolutionize your marketing strategy, leading to increased efficiency, higher returns, and sustainable growth in today’s competitive market. So, why wait? Start automating your marketing efforts today and propel your business to new heights, moreover if you have just learned ways on how to create an online business
How marketing automation can simplify operations and increase efficiency
Understanding the Change
Marketing automation has evolved significantly over time, from basic email marketing campaigns to sophisticated platforms that can manage entire marketing strategies. This progress has been fueled by advances in technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, making automation smarter and more adaptable.
One of the main reasons for this shift is the vast amount of data available to marketers today. From understanding customer demographics to analyzing behavior, the sheer volume of data is staggering. Marketing automation platforms use this data to create highly personalized and targeted campaigns, allowing businesses to connect with their audience on a deeper level.
The Emergence of AI-Powered Automation
In the future, AI-powered automation will play an even bigger role in marketing strategies. AI algorithms can analyze huge amounts of data in real-time, helping marketers identify trends, predict consumer behavior, and optimize campaigns as they go. This agility and responsiveness are crucial in today’s fast-moving digital world, where opportunities come and go in the blink of an eye. For example, we’re witnessing the rise of AI-based tools from AI website builders, to AI logo generators and even more, showing that we’re competing with time and efficiency.
Combining AI-powered automation with WordPress management services streamlines marketing efforts, enabling quick adaptation to changing trends and efficient management of online presence.
Moreover, AI can take care of routine tasks like content creation, scheduling, and testing, giving marketers more time to focus on strategic activities. By automating these repetitive tasks, businesses can work more efficiently, leading to better outcomes. AI can create social media ads tailored to specific demographics and preferences, ensuring that the content resonates with the target audience. With the help of an AI ad maker tool, businesses can efficiently produce high-quality advertisements that drive engagement and conversions across various social media platforms.
Personalization on a Large Scale
Personalization has always been important in marketing, and automation is making it possible on a larger scale. By using AI and machine learning, marketers can create tailored experiences for each customer based on their preferences, behaviors, and past interactions with the brand.
This level of personalization not only boosts customer satisfaction but also increases engagement and loyalty. When consumers feel understood and valued, they are more likely to become loyal customers and brand advocates. As automation technology continues to evolve, we can expect personalization to become even more advanced, enabling businesses to forge deeper connections with their audience. As your company has tiny homes for sale California, personalized experiences will ensure each customer finds their perfect fit, fostering lasting connections.
Integration Across Channels
Another trend shaping the future of marketing automation is the integration of multiple channels into a cohesive strategy. Today’s consumers interact with brands across various touchpoints, from social media and email to websites and mobile apps. Marketing automation platforms that can seamlessly integrate these channels and deliver consistent messaging will have a competitive edge. When creating a comparison website it’s important to ensure that the platform effectively aggregates data from diverse sources and presents it in a user-friendly manner, empowering consumers to make informed decisions.
Omni-channel integration not only betters the customer experience but also provides marketers with a comprehensive view of the customer journey. By tracking interactions across channels, businesses can gain valuable insights into how consumers engage with their brand, allowing them to refine their marketing strategies for maximum impact. Lastly, integrating SEO services into omni-channel strategies boosts visibility and helps businesses better understand and engage with their customers across different platforms.
The Human Element
While automation offers many benefits, it’s crucial not to overlook the human aspect of marketing. Despite advances in AI and machine learning, there are still elements of marketing that require human creativity, empathy, and strategic thinking.
Successful marketing automation strikes a balance between technology and human expertise. By using automation to handle routine tasks and data analysis, marketers can focus on what they do best – storytelling, building relationships, and driving innovation.
Conclusion
The future of marketing automation looks promising, offering improved efficiency and results for businesses of all sizes.
As AI continues to advance and consumer expectations change, automation will play an increasingly vital role in keeping businesses competitive.
By embracing automation technologies, marketers can simplify processes, deliver more personalized experiences, and ultimately, achieve their business goals more effectively than ever before.
MARKETING
Will Google Buy HubSpot? | Content Marketing Institute
Google + HubSpot. Is it a thing?
This week, a flurry of news came down about Google’s consideration of purchasing HubSpot.
The prospect dismayed some. It delighted others.
But is it likely? Is it even possible? What would it mean for marketers? What does the consideration even mean for marketers?
Well, we asked CMI’s chief strategy advisor, Robert Rose, for his take. Watch this video or read on:
Why Alphabet may want HubSpot
Alphabet, the parent company of Google, apparently is contemplating the acquisition of inbound marketing giant HubSpot.
The potential price could be in the range of $30 billion to $40 billion. That would make Alphabet’s largest acquisition by far. The current deal holding that title happened in 2011 when it acquired Motorola Mobility for more than $12 billion. It later sold it to Lenovo for less than $3 billion.
If the HubSpot deal happens, it would not be in character with what the classic evil villain has been doing for the past 20 years.
At first glance, you might think the deal would make no sense. Why would Google want to spend three times as much as it’s ever spent to get into the inbound marketing — the CRM and marketing automation business?
At a second glance, it makes a ton of sense.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I and others at CMI spend a lot of time discussing privacy, owned media, and the deprecation of the third-party cookie. I just talked about it two weeks ago. It’s really happening.
All that oxygen being sucked out of the ad tech space presents a compelling case that Alphabet should diversify from third-party data and classic surveillance-based marketing.
Yes, this potential acquisition is about data. HubSpot would give Alphabet the keys to the kingdom of 205,000 business customers — and their customers’ data that almost certainly numbers in the tens of millions. Alphabet would also gain access to the content, marketing, and sales information those customers consumed.
Conversely, the deal would provide an immediate tip of the spear for HubSpot clients to create more targeted programs in the Alphabet ecosystem and upload their data to drive even more personalized experiences on their own properties and connect them to the Google Workspace infrastructure.
When you add in the idea of Gemini, you can start to see how Google might monetize its generative AI tool beyond figuring out how to use it on ads on search results pages.
What acquisition could mean for HubSpot customers
I may be stretching here but imagine this world. As a Hubspoogle customer, you can access an interface that prioritizes your owned media data (e.g., your website, your e-commerce catalog, blog) when Google’s Gemini answers a question).
Recent reports also say Google may put up a paywall around the new premium features of its artificial intelligence-powered Search Generative Experience. Imagine this as the new gating for marketing. In other words, users can subscribe to Google’s AI for free, but Hubspoogle customers can access that data and use it to create targeted offers.
The acquisition of HubSpot would immediately make Google Workspace a more robust competitor to Microsoft 365 Office for small- and medium-sized businesses as they would receive the ADDED capability of inbound marketing.
But in the world of rented land where Google is the landlord, the government will take notice of the acquisition. But — and it’s a big but, I cannot lie (yes, I just did that). The big but is whether this acquisition dance can happen without going afoul of regulatory issues.
Some analysts say it should be no problem. Others say, “Yeah, it wouldn’t go.” Either way, would anybody touch it in an election year? That’s a whole other story.
What marketers should realize
So, what’s my takeaway?
It’s a remote chance that Google will jump on this hard, but stranger things have happened. It would be an exciting disruption in the market.
The sure bet is this. The acquisition conversation — as if you needed more data points — says getting good at owned media to attract and build audiences and using that first-party data to provide better communication and collaboration with your customers are a must.
It’s just a matter of time until Google makes a move. They might just be testing the waters now, but they will move here. But no matter what they do, if you have your customer data house in order, you’ll be primed for success.
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