How Hubspot Defines and Uses Smarketing

Hubspot popularized the term smarketing to describe tight alignment between sales and marketing teams, ensuring both work toward the same revenue goals and customer experience outcomes.

This guide explains what smarketing is, how it works, and how you can apply the core principles inside and outside the Hubspot platform.

What Is Smarketing in Hubspot Terms?

Smarketing combines “sales” and “marketing” into a single, collaborative process. Instead of operating in silos, both teams agree on shared definitions, metrics, and workflows that support the full customer journey.

In the original Hubspot explanation, smarketing is about:

• Aligning goals for leads, pipeline, and revenue
• Sharing data and insights, not hoarding them in separate tools
• Agreeing on what a qualified lead actually looks like
• Communicating frequently so campaigns and outreach stay in sync

Core Principles Behind Hubspot Smarketing

Whether or not you use the Hubspot platform, the underlying principles of smarketing are the same. You build a single, unified approach to attracting, engaging, and closing customers.

Shared Revenue Goals and KPIs

Instead of measuring marketing on leads alone and sales on closed deals alone, smarketing creates shared KPIs, such as:

• Marketing-sourced revenue
• Sales-qualified opportunities generated from marketing
• Pipeline created vs. pipeline target
• Customer acquisition cost across both teams

By agreeing on these metrics, both sides are accountable for the entire funnel, not just their own segment.

Aligned Lead Definitions

A key point in the Hubspot definition of smarketing is alignment on lead definitions. Both teams should document and agree on:

• What counts as a marketing-qualified lead (MQL)
• What counts as a sales-qualified lead (SQL)
• Which behaviors or firmographic traits move a lead from one stage to the next

Clear definitions reduce friction and wasted effort, because marketing focuses on the right prospects and sales receives leads that are more likely to convert.

Transparent Data and Reporting

Smarketing depends on shared visibility. Both teams need access to the same reports on leads, activities, and revenue performance. While Hubspot provides native dashboards for this, the concept is tool-agnostic: everyone sees the same truth about funnel performance.

How to Implement a Hubspot-Style Smarketing Strategy

You can follow a straightforward sequence to bring smarketing into your organization. These steps apply whether you are just starting or formalizing an existing collaboration.

1. Set a Unified Revenue Target

Start by defining a single revenue or pipeline goal for a set time period. Then work backward:

1. Estimate how many opportunities are required to hit the target.
2. Calculate how many qualified leads you need to produce that opportunity count.
3. Assign responsibility for each portion of the funnel between sales and marketing.

The final plan should make it clear how both teams contribute to the shared number.

2. Document Shared Lead Definitions

Next, run a workshop with both teams to define lead stages. Align on:

• Demographic or firmographic criteria (industry, company size, role)
• Behavioral criteria (content views, demos requested, emails engaged)
• Thresholds for handing off a lead from marketing to sales

Write these definitions down and review them regularly as your market evolves.

3. Create a Smarketing Service-Level Agreement

The original Hubspot smarketing guidance often emphasizes a written service-level agreement (SLA). This document sets expectations for:

• How many MQLs marketing will deliver in a period
• How quickly sales will follow up with new leads
• How many attempts sales will make before disqualifying a lead
• How both teams will report on progress and issues

The SLA keeps collaboration concrete rather than abstract.

4. Align Content and Sales Conversations

Smarketing also means your marketing content supports actual sales conversations. To do this:

• Interview sales reps about common objections and questions.
• Build blog posts, guides, and emails that address those points.
• Enable sales with one-pagers, case studies, and decks tied to current campaigns.

This way, marketing creates assets that sales can immediately use in outreach.

5. Establish Regular Smarketing Meetings

Consistent communication is critical. Schedule recurring meetings that include both teams, and use them to:

• Review funnel metrics and campaign performance
• Discuss lead quality and feedback from sales calls
• Plan upcoming campaigns, offers, and product promotions
• Refine your SLA and lead definitions based on data

These sessions build trust and keep both sides focused on shared goals.

Examples of Smarketing in a Hubspot-Style Funnel

To see how smarketing works in practice, consider a simplified funnel where marketing drives inbound leads and sales closes deals.

Top of the Funnel

Marketing focuses on attracting the right traffic and capturing leads. Activities may include:

• Publishing educational blog content tied to buyer pain points
• Offering downloadable resources in exchange for contact information
• Running targeted social or search ads that match ideal customer profiles

Metrics at this stage include visits, new contacts, and early engagement.

Middle of the Funnel

Once prospects engage, smarketing alignment becomes more critical:

• Marketing nurtures leads with email sequences and tailored content.
• Sales receives alerts when leads reach high-intent behaviors.
• Both teams monitor which assets generate the most qualified responses.

The shared goal is to move only the best prospects into sales conversations.

Bottom of the Funnel

At the closing stage, sales takes the lead, but marketing still supports the process. That support can include:

• Case studies targeted to specific industries
• ROI calculators and comparison tools
• Customer stories that map to common objections

Smarketing ensures every stage is coordinated, from first touch to signed contract.

Using Hubspot Resources to Go Deeper

If you want to see the original short-form definition of smarketing from Hubspot, you can read it directly on the official blog at this source page.

For broader digital strategy support that complements any Hubspot-focused approach, review the consulting and optimization services available at Consultevo.

Final Thoughts on Hubspot-Style Smarketing

Smarketing, as defined and promoted by Hubspot, is ultimately about alignment. When sales and marketing share goals, data, and accountability, your organization reduces friction and creates more predictable revenue.

By adopting unified metrics, clear lead definitions, a written SLA, and ongoing collaboration, you can bring smarketing to life in your own environment and create a more cohesive experience for every prospect and customer.

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