Are you perhaps feeling overwhelmed by the options when it comes to streamlining your business software to synchronise your data and automate your workflows? Don't worry! This guide aims to unlock the nitty-gritty of HubSpot-built native options, third-party applications, Integration-Platforms-as-a-Service (iPaaS) custom solutions, as well as fully customised HubSpot integrations.
We'll break down each type, highlighting their strengths and ideal use cases. So, get ready to streamline your workflows, supercharge your results, and choose the HubSpot integrations that make you a productivity powerhouse!
Why Do (The Right) Integrations Matter?
Before we jump in, let's define integrations and why they're crucial for growing businesses. Integrations refer to the process of connecting and synchronising different software systems and tools to 'speak to each other' and work together autonomously.
Imagine your CRM software seamlessly syncing with your email marketing platform, automating lead generation and follow-up processes.
Another example is your financial invoicing system syncing with your inventory ERP system, while both talking to your CRM. This is the power of integration in action.
Integrations are crucial for scaling operations, improving efficiency, and enhancing productivity in modern businesses.
Connecting the right business software tools that speak to your specific requirements enables you to automate repetitive tasks, streamline workflows, expand your operations without increasing complexity, and ultimately empower teams to work more efficiently, have clearer visibility and make informed data-driven decisions.
Benefits of Integrating with HubSpot
There are many benefits off the back of an efficient and purpose-driven integration, including:
- Creating a seamless flow of data between different systems.
- Reducing the number of manual repetitive tasks and therefore reducing the risk of errors.
- Eliminating silos between teams and departments.
- Providing a centralised view of data.
- Enhancing personalised customer experiences.
- Creating efficient and automated workflows.
- Increasing productivity.
- Improving tracking and analytics to instil data-driven decisions.
Integrations enable agility, innovation, and scalability, allowing businesses to adapt quickly to changing market conditions, experiment with new technologies, and support business growth.
Integrating other systems and tools with HubSpot can streamline workflows, eliminating manual data entry and automating repetitive tasks, which in turn promotes accuracy and productivity. For example, you can automatically sync leads from your website's contact form to HubSpot, saving you time and reducing the risk of errors.
Optimised software integrations ultimately give businesses a competitive advantage in the market. So, let’s discuss what your options are, and which one would be best suited for your integration requirements.
Comparing the Types of Integrations Available to You
Below is a summary of the pros & cons of each type of integration:
|
Type of Integration: |
Pros: |
Cons: |
|
HubSpot-built |
Easy to set up, well-maintained by HubSpot. |
Limited customisation options. |
|
Third-Party |
Greater selection of tools to meet specific needs. |
Compatibility issues, potential security risks, reliance on third-party support. |
|
IPaaS Custom |
Highly scalable and adaptable. |
Costly implementation and maintenance, requires technical expertise. |
|
Custom |
Perfectly tailored to your specific needs. |
Time-consuming to develop, requires ongoing maintenance and technical expertise. |
How to Choose the Best Fit for Your Specific Needs
As you may be aware, there are numerous ways to integrate your business software with HubSpot. Choosing the right integration type is key to meeting your specific business requirements. We’ll unpack each option and its pros and cons to help you understand the differences so you can pick the perfect fit for your business.
Integration methods include:
- HubSpot-built native integrations
- Third-party integrations
- iPaaS custom integrations
- Custom integrations
Each method has its place with respective advantages and challenges; therefore, it is important to explore your options to ensure that you choose the right path for your specific integration requirements.
HubSpot-Built Native Integrations
These connectors can be found on the HubSpot App Marketplace and are purposefully built and managed by HubSpot to integrate their platform with an array of popular software applications.
The main advantage of the native integration option is their seamless connection with HubSpot's ecosystem, ensuring smooth data flow and compatibility. These integrations are updated and supported by HubSpot. However, a challenge of using HubSpot-built integrations is the limited customisation options available, as users are constrained by HubSpot's development roadmap.
Third-Party Integrations
Third-party integrations are developed by outside vendors to connect their software applications with HubSpot. A selection of best-in-class solutions are available on the HubSpot App Marketplace.
Third-party integrations boast a variety of connectors to meet your integration needs, however, you may be faced with challenges such as compatibility issues, potential security risks, and dependency on third-party vendors for updates and support.
iPaaS Custom Integrations
iPaaS custom integrations are built using Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) solutions to connect HubSpot with other systems.
iPaaS solutions generally support more complex integration scenarios as they have flexible and scalable integration capabilities. Challenges include costly implementation and maintenance, and they generally require technical expertise for configuration and management, which could be a potential disadvantage.
Custom Integrations
Custom integrations are developed in-house or by third-party developers using custom code to connect HubSpot with other systems.
The benefit is that these connections are purposefully tailored to your specific business requirements, giving you full control over features and functionality. Generally, they are more time-consuming to develop and may pose maintenance and scalability issues, meaning you may have to rely on developer expertise.
Next Steps
Choosing the right integration type is key to meeting your specific business requirements. As demonstrated here, each option has its pros and cons. We hope this guide has assisted you in gaining a better understanding to enable you to pick the perfect fit for your business.
A key ingredient when embarking on streamlining your tech stack is planning and using the right methodology and tools. Struto offers custom integration services using our purpose-built middleware called strutoIX to connect HubSpot to just about anything.
Our team of technical experts are award-winning in the technical expertise field and have a long successful history of integrating HubSpot with various business systems.
Should you have any further related questions, or wish to discuss your integration requirements, please contact one of our advisors for a chat.
