Developing a website on HubSpot CMS involves more than just knowing the ins and outs of the platform. It also requires a thorough understanding of the client's needs and expectations. In this article, we’ll cover how a marketing agency should brief HubSpot developers effectively.
A comprehensive brief allows for a shared understanding between the marketing agency and developers. It minimises misunderstandings and ensures the final product aligns with the agency's vision.
1. Define the Project Goals
A project's success is gauged by how well it meets its objectives. So, state your goals clearly. They could range from boosting lead generation to enhancing customer engagement.
Sharing relevant business information helps developers understand your needs better and tailor solutions accordingly. This may include your industry, target audience, USP, competitors, and any specific challenges you’re facing. It equips developers with the necessary context to design a website that speaks to your business.
2. Detail Specific Functionalities
Expressing your desired functionalities helps developers plan and allocate resources efficiently. Highlight the features you want—from live chat to e-commerce capabilities. Delve into the specifics. The more detailed your list of desired features, the more tailored your final product will be.
Remember that the more unique features the higher the cost and longer time to launch the website. Many HubSpot CMS developers build websites based on their pre-customised theme and adjusting it to the individual client's needs. This has a huge advantage of being really fast and cost-effective in delivery, yet has its constraints in terms of functionalities available straight from the shelf.
3. Provide Necessary Materials
Website Structure - Outline the website structure, including the sitemap and the number of subpages. This helps developers understand the scope, scale of the project, and cost estimates. Want the page to have language variations? Write it.
Design & UX Wireframes - If possible, provide design or wireframes in Figma, Miro or any other interface design tool. These act as blueprints that guide developers through the visual aspect of your website.
Content Management - Specify who will be responsible for filling in the content like images, videos and copywriting. If the developers are to handle this, provide them with necessary resources. Videos and images should have sizes and formats as specified by developer.
Analytics Integration - Ensure your brief includes a request for Google Analytics, Google Tag Manger, HotJar or other integrations. These a crucial tool for measuring your website's performance and understanding user behaviour.
Performance & SEO Audits - It's crucial that your HubSpot CMS developers know if you would like them to optimise your website for performance, SEO and accessibility. Sometimes it may cost extra but these audits help identify improvement areas, ensuring your website stays competitive in the dynamic digital landscape.
4. Outline the Project Budget
Clearly outline the project budget. This will keep developers' efforts aligned with your financial constraints. Bear in mind that the more subpages or language versions your website has, the more work hours of development it will take to complete. This will of course be reflected in the final cost estimates of the project.
5. Establish Communication Channel
Setting a dedicated communication channel facilitates open dialogue, promptly addressing issues and keeping the project on track. Platforms such as Slack or Trello help with regular check-ins or progress reports.
What's more, timely feedback prevents minor issues from ballooning into major problems, ensuring a smooth project progression. Feedback helps developers refine their work and better meet your expectations.
Conclusion
Briefing of HubSpot CMS developers requires more than a list of requirements—it requires context, clear objectives, and an understanding of your brand's unique identity. By outlining desired functionalities, you provide a roadmap for the developers to follow. Supplying branding materials and design wireframes ensures your website aligns with your brand aesthetics.
Outlining the website structure gives an idea of the project's scope, while clarifying content responsibilities and analytics integration shows a commitment to seamless operation and data-driven improvement.
Lastly, providing a clear budget highlights your financial constraints. All these components, combined with open communication and timely feedback, set the stage for a successful HubSpot CMS development project.
Need help with HubSpot?
If you are struggling with scaling your business, Chimera Prime can help you build engaging and data-driven websites to increase quality traffic. We will guide you through HubSpot solutions like HubSpot CMS to help you choose the ones that are suited to your business. Just go to our Contact page, fill in the form and we will get in touch with you soon!
