How to Use Hubspot CRM for Digital Agencies

Digital agencies use Hubspot to organize leads, manage client work, and keep sales and marketing aligned inside a single CRM platform. This guide explains how to set up and use a modern CRM, using insights based on the best tools reviewed for agencies so you can choose and configure the right system for your team.

The advice below is inspired by the comparison of top CRMs for digital agencies in the original breakdown at HubSpot's CRM for digital agencies article, translated into a practical how-to format.

Why Digital Agencies Need Hubspot-Style CRM Features

Whether you pick Hubspot or another CRM, agencies share the same core needs. A solid platform should help you:

• Track every lead from first touch to closed deal.
• Store all client data in one place for sales and account teams.
• Automate routine communication and follow-ups.
• Report on revenue by client, campaign, or channel.
• Scale processes as your agency grows without chaos.

Modern CRMs built for agencies go far beyond simple contact lists, bringing together sales, marketing, delivery, and billing data so you have a single source of truth.

Key Hubspot CRM Capabilities Agencies Should Look For

When evaluating Hubspot or any CRM, focus on capabilities that map directly to your agency workflows.

1. Hubspot Contact and Company Management

Agencies need a clear view of every person and organization in the pipeline. Strong contact management should let you:

• Store prospects, clients, and partners with custom fields.
• Associate contacts with companies, deals, and projects.
• Log calls, emails, meetings, and notes automatically.
• Segment lists by industry, size, or campaign.

A contact database like the one in Hubspot helps you see a full history of engagement before every call or pitch.

2. Hubspot Deal Pipelines for Agency Sales

A funnel built for agency sales makes it easier to forecast and prioritize work. Look for CRM deal pipelines that allow you to:

• Define custom stages such as Qualification, Proposal Sent, and Contract Signed.
• Assign owners and expected values to each opportunity.
• Create multiple pipelines for retainers, one-off projects, or upsells.
• Use visual boards to drag and drop deals between stages.

This type of pipeline design, used by Hubspot and other leading tools, keeps sales leaders and account managers aligned on where every opportunity stands.

3. Marketing and Sales Automation Similar to Hubspot

Automation is crucial for busy digital agencies. Systems that match the automation power of Hubspot will allow you to:

• Trigger nurture sequences after a lead downloads content.
• Send reminders when deals sit too long in the same stage.
• Score leads based on behavior, fit, and engagement.
• Route new inquiries to the right sales rep or pod.

Well-planned workflows save hours and help smaller teams look bigger and more responsive.

4. Reporting and Dashboards Inspired by Hubspot

Agencies must show clients the impact of campaigns while tracking internal performance. CRM reporting like that found in Hubspot should give you:

• Dashboards for revenue, conversion rates, and pipeline health.
• Reports by source, campaign, and channel.
• Views by rep or team to compare performance.
• Forecasting based on current pipeline value and close probability.

Clear visuals help agency leaders decide where to invest time and budget.

How to Choose the Right CRM (Including Hubspot) for Your Agency

The source comparison highlights that no single CRM fits every agency. Use this framework to evaluate Hubspot and alternatives.

Step 1: Map Your Agency Processes

Before testing software, document how your agency works today:

• Lead sources and qualification criteria.
• Proposal and contract workflows.
• Handoffs from sales to delivery.
• Reporting expectations from leadership and clients.

Once your process is clear, compare it to Hubspot and other CRMs to see which one best fits without heavy workarounds.

Step 2: Compare Hubspot Features to Other CRMs

Use the original rundown of tools for digital agencies as a checklist. Evaluate each platform on:

• Ease of use for non-technical team members.
• Native integrations with email, calendars, and project tools.
• Scalability for larger pipelines and teams.
• Cost relative to the revenue you expect to manage in the system.

Hubspot is often praised for a user-friendly interface and deep marketing features, while other tools may be better for pure sales or simpler requirements.

Step 3: Run a Pilot Implementation

Once you have a shortlist that may include Hubspot, run a time-limited pilot:

1. Choose one pipeline or segment (for example, new retainer deals).
2. Import a limited set of contacts and open deals.
3. Configure basic automation, such as follow-up emails and reminders.
4. Track how quickly your team adopts daily CRM usage.

During the pilot, gather feedback from sales, account management, and leadership so you can refine configuration or change tools if needed.

Setting Up Hubspot-Style CRM Foundations

Whether or not you pick Hubspot, you can apply these configuration steps to build strong CRM foundations for your agency.

Define Your Hubspot Pipeline Stages

Start by mapping your real sales process into a simple series of stages. For a typical digital agency, that might look like:

1. New Lead
2. Discovery Call Booked
3. Needs Assessment Completed
4. Proposal Sent
5. Negotiation
6. Closed Won / Closed Lost

Tools like Hubspot let you customize stages, probabilities, and automations tied to each stage so nothing slips through the cracks.

Create Hubspot Views and Filters for Your Team

Views and filters help teams focus. Build saved views that mirror common use cases:

• New leads this week with no activity.
• Deals closing this month over a defined value.
• Clients with active retainers and renewal dates in the next 90 days.
• Opportunities by industry or region.

Replicating this approach in Hubspot or similar CRMs ensures everyone sees the same data cuts and can work from consistent lists.

Integrate Your Tech Stack with Hubspot-Like Connectors

Most modern CRMs, including Hubspot, offer app marketplaces or native integrations. For agencies, key connections usually include:

• Email and calendar platforms for automatic logging.
• Project management tools to align sold work with delivery.
• Billing and invoicing tools for revenue tracking.
• Form and landing page tools for capturing leads.

Connecting these systems reduces manual data entry and improves reporting accuracy.

Improving Agency Performance with a Hubspot-Focused Strategy

Once your CRM is live, refine it continually using ideas drawn from how agencies use Hubspot in practice.

Measure the Metrics That Matter

Align dashboards with agency goals rather than vanity metrics. Focus on:

• Lead-to-opportunity conversion rate.
• Average deal size and sales cycle length.
• Revenue by channel, service line, and client type.
• Client retention and upsell rates.

CRMs with reporting similar to Hubspot make it easier to identify campaigns and services that drive the highest-margin work.

Standardize Playbooks Inside the CRM

Document sales and account management playbooks directly in your system:

• Email templates for outreach and follow-ups.
• Call scripts for discovery and qualification.
• Task checklists for onboarding new clients.
• Notes fields for capturing key decision criteria.

Embedding these playbooks in a CRM resembling Hubspot helps new hires ramp quickly and keeps client experiences consistent.

When to Get Expert Help Implementing Hubspot or Another CRM

Some agencies benefit from external guidance when planning or optimizing a CRM rollout. Specialized consultants and agencies can help you:

• Translate your service offerings into clear pipelines and stages.
• Design automation that matches real-world workflows.
• Integrate marketing tools and analytics with your CRM.
• Train your team to adopt daily usage habits.

If you want expert support designing a scalable setup around Hubspot or another platform, consider working with a consulting partner such as Consultevo, which focuses on building revenue systems for growing teams.

Next Steps for Your Agency CRM Strategy

Use the detailed comparison of digital agency CRMs in the original HubSpot digital agency CRM guide to shortlist tools, then apply the framework in this article to run a structured pilot. Whether you implement Hubspot or another solution, the goal is the same: a single, reliable system that unifies sales, marketing, and client management so your agency can grow with clarity and control.

Need Help With Hubspot?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your Hubspot , work with ConsultEvo, a team who has a decade of Hubspot experience.

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