A lot of people don't know this, but inbound marketing is a lot like dating. There's the first stage where you've only met in groups of mutual friends but you kind of want something more to happen (Subscriber). Then comes stage two, when you go out on your first date and get to know each other a bit better (Lead). Stage three, the phone calls increase, you see each other more often, and you both exhibit sure signs of wanting to push this further (Marketing Qualified Lead). Stage four is when you start talking about the future and you meet each other's families (Sales Qualified Lead). Stage five is the proposal (Opportunity). Finally, you tie the knot at stage six (Customer). Making a sales proposal to a Subscriber is as awkward and terrible as making a marriage proposal on a first date!
Luckily, with HubSpot 3, Dynamic Content can save the day. Put simply, dynamic content is content that changes based on a visitor's profile or how far along they are on the customer lifecycle. These changes are created by using a set of rules that you can edit in the HubSpot CTA editor. This can be applied to most of the elements of a website but I want to talk particularly about Smart CTAs.
In terms of the information presented, a viewer will seek certain information based on which stage in the lifecycle they're at. You also want to push them forward on the cycle so they can eventually turn into Customers. For example, a Subscriber will be interested in downloading an ebook about your company. A Lead, on the other hand, would be ready for something more engaging, such as a free trial or a free assessment.
Now imagine how awful it would be if you've been seeing the same person for a while but on every date you ask them the same questions about themselves. The same problem can occur if you ask viewers to fill out a registration form every time they want to download an ebook. CTAs created using Dynamic Content allow you to distinguish between those who have already filled out a form and those who have not.First-timers will see a CTA inviting them to "Register for a free eBook" while those who have previously registered will see "Download the eBook, No Registration Required!".
Let me go back to the metaphor. When you're meeting someone for the first time and you find out you both have a common interest, it sparks up an attraction. How can we apply that to a CTA? Change it based on geographic location! You can have the text and image change so that a person in New York will see "Check Out What's Happening at Times Square" and a person in France will see "Rendez-vous aux Champs Elysées".
With Dynamic Content, you don't have to worry about going too fast or too slow. The content is always changing based on the rules you've set so that it appeals to anyone viewing your website. It's as simple as that!