The proliferation of plug-and-play website builders has opened the door for businesses of all sizes to develop sharp-looking websites on a budget. Yet, despite lowering the barriers to web design and hosting, website performance has decreased over the last five years when measuring page size, requests, speed, etc.

Just as software as a service (SaaS) solutions have created a new generation of sleek-looking websites with sub-average load times, the growth of intuitive marketing automation solutions, such as HubSpot, has led to mismanaged content databases and ineffective campaigns, in this article we discuss the importance of managing your marketing automation software.

Here are 4 Signs That It May Be Time for a Check-Up:

1: FILE NAMING DISCIPLINE HAS BROKEN DOWN

When it comes to file naming conventions, consistency is key. How you name your files today can have a big impact on whether you or your future colleagues will be able to find them again tomorrow. The inability to quickly locate a file may lead to duplicates, aggravating the problem. Some best practices include using underscores instead of spacing, dating files YYYYMMDD, and avoiding special characters. However, the most important factor will be to make sure that every user is on board with your naming convention and sticks to it.

2: YOU NO LONGER CUSTOMIZE LEAD SCORING

Configuring the right lead scoring metrics is about finding the sweet spot for when leads become marketing qualified. Make it too easy, and you end up with too many unqualified leads, which could potentially cost you sales opportunities. Make it too difficult, and your sales team will be left emptyhanded. When launching custom lead nurture campaigns, be sure to align your lead scoring with the content and calls to action presented in the campaign. As your content library grows, the way that your leads engage with you does as well.

3: YOUR BUYER PERSONAS ARE OUTDATED

Buyer personas are fictional bios that guide your marketing efforts. They are realistic depictions of your ideal clients and can include various levels of detail, such as demographic data, interests, professional histories, and more. However, it is important to remember that as your products and service offerings change or expand, so does your target market. This is especially true for businesses that work with highly segmented email lists.

4: YOU HAVE NOT BEEN SEGMENTING YOUR LEADS

Segmented email campaigns are probably one of the main reasons you got into marketing automation in the first place. If not properly maintained, lists from trade shows, online events, or contacts that have been inherited through mergers and acquisitions may not be properly assimilated with your existing structure. Over time, you may miss out on engaging numerous prospective buyers if you keep allowing the number of unsegmented contacts to grow.

Luckily, there are various grading tools and quizzes available to help you determine the state of your marketing automation software and web presence. If you are looking for a more in-depth analysis of your current platform, there are numerous options available. One possibility is to work with an agency to conduct an audit of your HubSpot instance. Vonazon has created a free HubSpot Health Quiz, which can be used to self-assess your use of HubSpot. Be sure to check it out!