How to Use the HubSpot Messages Feature

04/24/2018 4 min read Written by Roman Kniahynyckyj

Live chat software is becoming increasingly popular, giving companies a tool to enhance their customer service, sales and marketing capabilities while giving website visitors on-the-spot information they want and need. HubSpot Messages is HubSpot’s answer to live chat software, and it comes with powerful features that outpace the average live chat tool lineup.

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Why HubSpot Messages Beats Out Other Chat Tools

HubSpot Messages, which is part of the HubSpot Sales Pro package, beats out other live chat software for several reasons, especially if you’re already using or considering the HubSpot platform and tools for marketing, sales and customer relationships management (CRM).

The messages tool seamlessly imports the leads into your HubSpot CRM, making it a veritable lead-capturing machine. If you’re engaging with a prospect for the first time, the chat is imported as a lead. If the chat is with an existing contact, the conversation gets added to their profile so you can track their ongoing engagement.

Once a chat has been assigned to someone in your marketing and sales team, that same representative can be assigned to every subsequent chat the visitor initiates on your site. That means the visitor will be greeted with a familiar rep with whom they’ve already engaged.

One more plus is the option of including a link for scheduling a meeting at the top of the chat field. Visitors can instantly book a meeting right on the spot.

What It Can do for Your Company

In addition to the valuable features noted above, HubSpot Messages can bring on additional benefits. The tool helps you:

  • Optimize your site: Once you’ve been using messages for a bit, you may start to see the same questions pop up again and again. The answers to such commonly asked questions can make ideal content for your site, giving you a chance to fill in information that may have been lacking.
  • Strengthen your relationships: The messages tool gives visitors a new channel of communication, a fast and easy way to contact reps for an immediate response. Visitors can use it to share feedback, and you can even elicit that feedback by customizing the message visitors see during different parts of their journey.
  • Close more sales: With personalized attention, easy meeting scheduling and the ability to rapidly respond to visitor inquiries, the messages tool has the overall benefit of helping you close more deals.

Read More: Why Your Website Needs a Chatbot

Tips for Using HubSpot Messages

A number of quick tips can help you get up and running with messages in no time.

Find the messages dashboard: The messages dashboard is located under the Sales Tools dropdown menu of your Sales dashboard.

Customize your settings: Before you send out your first message, head to the messages dashboard to customize settings that include:

  • Targeted messages, where you can also create a new message
  • Profile, where you’ll find options for your avatar, name and job title
  • Introduction, to create an introductory message for visitors
  • Meetings link, which lets you turn the link and off for different messages
  • Notifications, which lets you select how to receive notifications of new messages
  • Appearance, where you can customize the color and HubSpot branding options
  • Availability, where you set your online and offline schedule
  • Code snippet, which gives you a code snippet to add to pages you want messages to appear if you’re not already on the HubSpot platform

Create a message: Head to the targeted messages tab, then click the button to create a message. Choose Chat prompt, and then select your preferences from settings that include:

  • Audience, which lets you narrow down your audience
  • Targeting, where you select where the message appears on your website and set your online and offline messages

Route the message: The last step in creating a message is choosing the team member who will receive the message, which can be adjusted based on other team members online availability.

Publish: Give your message a name then hit the publish button when you’re ready to roll.

See Also: Let’s Get Digital: Why HubSpot is the Solution to Your Digital Marketing Needs

Best Practices for HubSpot Messages

Messages best practices can help you make the most of the tool.

  • Encourage visitors to ask questions, which can kick-start a conversation.
  • Create different messages for different pages on your site.
  • Use messages on pricing and products pages, where they perform well to answer questions and schedule meetings from visitors with buying intent.

Live chat software can give your business a boost, and choosing HubSpot Messages as that software can make the boost even bigger. With a quick setup and easy manageability, you can rapidly put the tool into action to start receiving just as rapid results.

By: Roman Kniahynyckyj

Roman has been helping clients develop and implement revenue enhancing inbound marketing strategies since 2009. Prior to becoming an inbound marketer, Roman was a management consultant with Ernst & Young, Booz Allen Hamilton, BearingPoint, and KPMG. Roman's relentless focus on client satisfaction and client results has garnered accolades from many clients and teams.

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