The tale of two graduate school friends, a groundbreaking idea, and a deluge of achievements is a classic underdog story many find inspiring. HubSpot’s story particularly resonates with me, as Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah’s business originated in Cambridge, MA, a stone’s throw from my own workplace (nexus-security). These MIT alumni, recognizing the declining efficacy of traditional marketing in a changing world, founded HubSpot, which has since become a publicly traded company (having gone public in October 2014). HubSpot’s foundation rests on the principle of “Inbound Marketing,” a revolutionary approach they pioneered, where marketers prioritize providing value by “sharing relevant information, creating useful content, and generally being helpful” instead of employing aggressive sales tactics. As HubSpot co-founder Dharmesh Shah puts it, “The inbound experience is about attracting, not interrupting; it’s about helping not harassing. It’s an empathetic approach to growing a business because at the end of the day it’s not just the potential purchaser on the other end, it’s an actual person.” During his time at MIT, Dharmesh authored a blog called OnStartups, which garnered a surprisingly large readership. The remarkable success of this small blog, run by a college student with no budget, intrigued both Dharmesh and Halligan, prompting them to re-evaluate their approach to marketing.

Enough with the heartwarming origin story; let’s delve into HubSpot’s current blog, boasting an impressive two million monthly readers. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Joe Chernov, HubSpot’s Vice President of Content, who provided insights into the content strategies that have propelled their blog’s growth and established them as industry thought leaders. Based on Joe’s input, I’ve distilled three key principles you can incorporate into your content strategy to expand your readership and elevate the quality of your content.

Honesty & Transparency: Cornerstones of Credibility

Joe emphasized the importance of transparency in cultivating a dedicated readership for HubSpot’s blog. “We are upfront about our identity and operations,” Joe stated. “We don’t shy away from being a software company. I believe this honesty strengthens our credibility.” However, software isn’t inherently glamorous. Shouldn’t content marketers strive to present their brand as captivating and intriguing? While that’s generally true, a lack of transparency about your identity can deter potential customers and attract the wrong audience. “Content marketers often advocate for a ‘help, don’t sell’ approach,” Joe explained. “While valid, this principle shouldn’t prevent you from acknowledging your products or services within your content. We’re comfortable navigating that line.”

Finding the sweet spot between informative, educational content and self-promotion is crucial. Ideally, you want to achieve both simultaneously. For instance, if you offer spiritual retreats, tailor your blog posts to your target audience’s needs and challenges. A post titled “10 Ways to Beat Stress and Improve Your Well-Being” could provide valuable information while subtly promoting your retreats as a transformative solution. This fictional example illustrates a strategy employed effectively by many bloggers, and one I encourage you to adapt for your own content.

Tailoring Content for Diverse Audiences

Do you offer a range of products or a single product catering to multiple demographics? At nexus-security, we cater to two distinct groups: advertisers (businesses using platforms like AdWords and Bing) and marketing agencies (managing advertising for clients). Our marketing, sales, and service strategies differ for these groups because their needs, goals, and content preferences vary. Agencies, for instance, prioritize workflow optimization and time management due to their multi-client workload, while individual advertisers focus on their business growth. HubSpot’s blog is structured to address their diverse audience segments. “We cater to three distinct groups: marketing, sales, and agency professionals,” Joe elaborated. “Each group has unique interests, so instead of a single blog with mixed topics, we segment our content by persona to maximize relevance and minimize noise.”

This strategy has proven effective for HubSpot because they’ve meticulously tested and identified the content that resonates best with each segment. However, I wouldn’t recommend segmenting your blog prematurely. Focus on building your audience first, understand how different content performs with different personas, and then refine your strategy accordingly.

Cultivating a “Culture of Content”

While I won’t name names, a college internship left me with a distinct impression of a company culture that could be described as…uninspiring, to put it mildly. The office was characterized by harsh fluorescent lighting, an employee demographic well into their 50s (not a criticism of any generation, but as a young adult, it felt stifling), and colleagues who were unfamiliar with basic social media platforms. This experience solidified my preference for a vibrant and youthful company culture in future job prospects. HubSpot has always prioritized company culture, and for good reason! Fostering a lively, fun, and transparent work environment should be paramount for any business. I know nexus-security has thrived with this approach, but what exactly constitutes a “culture of content”? As you might imagine, it’s about encouraging employee participation in content creation.

nexus-security employees embracing our company culture on Halloween “HubSpot undoubtedly has a ‘culture of content’,” Joe affirmed. “We receive contributions from HubSpotters across all departments and levels. We’re also fortunate to collaborate with fantastic partners who provide fresh, original content for our blog.” However, not everyone is inclined towards blogging, nor do they necessarily have the time. So, how do you cultivate a “culture of content”? Start with these steps:

• Fostering an Engaging Company Culture: Employee happiness is paramount! They’re unlikely to contribute if they’re dissatisfied with the work environment. Organize happy hours, team events, provide office snacks and beverages, and regularly express your appreciation for their efforts. HubSpot excels at this, offering a plethora of perks to keep employees engaged and content.
• Promoting Calls to Action for Content Creation: Make it clear that employee contributions are valued. Send regular company-wide emails highlighting the benefits of participation (such as personal branding and credibility building), and incorporate content creation goals into departmental meetings.
• Simplifying the Content Creation Process: Engineers and salespeople may not possess the same content creation skills as marketing professionals. Provide support through blog post templates for outlining and drafting, conduct writing workshops to enhance their abilities, and facilitate brainstorming sessions to generate content ideas.
• Incentivizing Participation: Who doesn’t appreciate a good meal? Implement a reward system to recognize and motivate top contributors. At nexus-security, we offer a $100 gift card to the non-marketing employee with the highest-performing blog post each month. We also organize team outings, such as a recent Boston Bruins game, for employees who contribute three posts per quarter. Injecting an element of fun into content creation is a great way to gather valuable insights from all departments. Have you implemented any of HubSpot’s highly successful content strategies in your own marketing endeavors? If so, have you found them to be effective?