The Hubspot Inbound conference is an event that we wait for every year. While it may not achieve the same hype as an Apple launch event, Hubspot users and partners sit on the edge of their ergonomically correct chairs in their home offices waiting to hear the latest updates, product releases, and new features in the platform.

This year one of the biggest announcements is the significant change to Hubspot’s pricing structure in terms of marketing contacts that directly impacts (haha - no pun intended) some of our clients. Here’s what you need to know.

Hubspot’s Previous Marketing Contact Pricing Plan

The challenge with the previous pricing model is that Hubspot users were constantly trying to manage the number of contacts in their database to ensure their list didn’t exceed the number of contacts they were allowed within the limit of their current paid plan. Inactive contacts, sales contacts, bounced emails, subscribers that you weren’t marketing to, and even your own employees all counted towards your limit.

As of October 21, 2020, that’s all changed.

What the Update Means for Hubspot Users

With Hubspot’s new model you can now categorize your contacts as marketing and non-marketing contacts and only those you set as marketing contacts will count towards your limit.

Increased Marketing Contacts Limit

For Hubspot Pro level users, your contact limit has just doubled. Your monthly or annual fee now includes 2,000 marketing contacts rather than just 1,000.

This means that organizations who are just beginning with Hubspot can import their current prospect list without worrying about how quickly they’ll hit their contact limit.

It’s important to note that those users that are still below the contact limit for their current tier

Store Up to 1 Million Non-Marketing Contacts for Free

The biggest change: you can store up to 1 million (yes, you read that correctly) non-marketing contacts in your portal at no charge. 

This is BIG news for those of you marketing an international or independent school: now you can keep your admitted families’ contacts in Hubspot instead of deleting them. Simply mark them as non-marketing while they’re being managed in your other platforms. That way if you ever have a need to market to a segment of that list you can simply reactivate the contact as a marketing one.

Categorize Contacts Easily

I know. You’re likely thinking “Hooray!” but you’re also thinking about how long this process of categorizing contacts is going to take.

Hubspot thought of that too and created an automated process to determine contact’s eligibility flow with just a few clicks. You can also manage this setting manually as well as create specific workflows.

And, you can update your contact settings monthly.

IMPORTANT: categorizing your contacts in Marketing Hub must be maintained regularly. The moment your contact list jumps over the limit within your chosen contact tier (even by just a few contacts), Hubspot will increase your monthly fee and it will not automatically go back down when you re-categorize contacts.

How to Switch to Marketing Hub with Contacts

Making the switch to Marketing Hub with Contacts is best suited for organizations that are already bumping up to their existing contact limit. If your contact database isn’t near your current limit, we suggest waiting until you’re at that limit before making the change.

If you are maxed out, contact your Hubspot Support Manager or your IMPACT Client Manager to start the process of changing your Hubspot subscription. 

IMPACT Marketing International has a Marketing Action Plan (MAP) workshop that will provide you with an end-to-end marketing campaign customized to your target market. From brand awareness through to conversion.

To learn more about customizing an end to end marketing plan for your school, click the button below.