Media training 101 for small businesses

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Great news: you just scored a big press interview to promote your business. The story will expose your brand to the perfect new audience and drive meaningful traffic to your website. So…don't blow it. Yes, just as quickly as the excitement for the opportunity arrived, the realization that you now have to do an interview sets in. I get it—press interviews can absolutely be intimidating. The resulting coverage represents a significant opportunity to acquire new customers, drive sales, or raise awareness, and you want to be sure to represent your brand well and really compel the audience to check out your company. On top of that, you have to contend with adrenaline and nerves in the moment. You may be thinking, "So many other business owners are so polished and articulate in their interviews. How am I going to pull that off?" Deep breath. A successful interview is usually the result of good media training: preparation and practice in advance of an interview. I've tr
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5 ways to automate business operations in HubSpot

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HubSpot is a popular customer relationship manager for small businesses. It's free to start, and with features like form builders, meeting scheduling, and deal tracking, it can handle many tasks critical to keeping a small business running smoothly.

With that said, HubSpot already has a large marketplace of integrations with other apps, so you can ensure important information for your business will be in one place. The marketplace doesn't cover every app, and that's where Zapier comes in.

Zapier helps you connect web apps through our automated workflows, which we call Zaps. That means you spend less time copying and pasting information into HubSpot and spend more time focusing on your work.

HubSpot users turn to Zapier for help capturing new leads, updating contacts, tracking service requests, and more. We've collected popular Zap templates—what we call a pre-made workflow—to help you get started. Click on the Use this Zap button and we'll guide you through the set-up process. You can read more about setting up Zaps here.

You'll need a Zapier account to use the workflows in this piece. If you don't have an account yet, it's free to get started.

Capture new leads

There are so many ways to capture new leads for your business, from your business's website to social media. While apps like Facebook and LinkedIn allow you to download a CSV file of lead information, it's more efficient for your business to make sure leads get into HubSpot as you acquire them.

Use a Zap to automatically add new leads as HubSpot contacts, from a form app like Gravity Forms or paid lead generation tools like LinkedIn Lead Ads.

Keep track of prospecting efforts

Many sales teams rely on one-on-one calls to close deals with a customer, but the back-and-forth haggling to schedule a call is time-consuming. HubSpot has its own meeting scheduling feature to simply booking, but if it doesn't have everything you need, there are other scheduling apps out there like Calendly and Acuity Scheduling.

If you choose to use another scheduling app, you can still enjoy the convenience factor of having those calls tracked in HubSpot. Use a Zap that will automatically update HubSpot contacts whenever you've scheduled a call, so you never accidentally reach out to a lead twice.

Keep your email and CRM lists organized

Anyone who's worked in a CRM knows how important it is to keep information up-to-date and organized, but it's easier said than done. Email lists are also difficult to keep organized, especially if you suddenly have a surge of new subscribers.

With a few automated workflows, you can keep your CRM and email marketing lists organized.

Keep track of customer service requests

HubSpot's online forms connect with your CRM contacts, so anyone who fills out your form will automatically be tracked, whether they're expressing interest in your product or signing up for a webinar.

HubSpot has its own support ticketing system, but if you use another service, you can still get customer requests into your app of choice. Try any of these integrations to get your email support requests where you need them.

Update Hubspot from a spreadsheet

Even with all the apps in the world, sometimes nothing beats an old-fashioned spreadsheet to organize information, whether it's form submissions or renewal dates.

You can import any CSV file into HubSpot for any object, from contacts to deals. This may not be ideal for folks who prefer to work from a spreadsheet every day. For example, maybe you keep a spreadsheet that tracks deals because it's easier for you to navigate than a dashboard.

With Zapier, you can automatically update HubSpot whenever you make a change or add a new row in your favorite spreadsheet app.

Take your CRM to the next level

This is just the start of all that you can do with HubSpot and Zapier. Zapier supports thousands of apps, so you can automate almost any task at work. Start building your Zap now and see what you can create.

New to Zapier? It's a tool that helps anyone connect apps and automate workflows—without any complicated code. Sign up for free to use HubSpot with Zapier.

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