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Smooth Sailing: Your Ultimate Asset Migration Checklist from HubSpot to Eloqua
Shifting gears from one marketing automation platform to another is no small feat. As businesses strive to stay ahead in the ever-evolving digital landscape, the decision to move from HubSpot to Eloqua signifies a pivotal step towards optimizing marketing operations and unlocking new possibilities.
Yet, this transition is challenging and demands more than a mere flip of the switch; it calls for meticulous planning and precise execution to ensure a seamless journey.
While the topic at hand is multifaceted, in this article we will focus on the migration of assets - the dos, the don'ts, and the best practices.
Think of this post as your ultimate guide and checklist, your trusty companion as you embark on the thrilling adventure of migration to a new marketing automation platform!
Evaluate your existing assets in HubSpot, including emails, landing pages, forms, workflows, and templates. Prioritize assets based on their importance to ongoing campaigns, lead generation efforts, and overall marketing strategy.
Take inventory and identify any outdated or underperforming assets that may not need to be migrated, allowing you to focus resources on the most valuable content.
It is also useful to create an internal migration document shared across your team where information can be easily checked and updated as you progress.
During the migration process, it's common to encounter files with obscure or convoluted names. To set a solid foundation for your new install, prioritize adopting a streamlined naming convention.
Define a standardized format for naming assets to ensure consistency across your organization. This could include using prefixes, suffixes, or specific keywords to categorize assets. Use a customized internal naming convention generator that is shared with all people from your organization.
Avoid the habit of saving files and programs without clear identification, as this can result in unnecessary inefficiencies down the line.
Document your naming convention guidelines and share them with team members to ensure everyone adheres to the same standards.
Best practices:
Tips for better organization:
Categorize the images and files based on their usage and relevance. This will help streamline the migration process and ensure that all assets are meticulously organized in Eloqua.
Use HubSpot's export tools to download the images and files from your account. HubSpot allows you to export files individually or in bulk, depending on your preferences and requirements.
Use Eloqua's import tools to upload the images and files into your Eloqua account. Eloqua provides diverse options for importing assets, including bulk uploads and individual file imports. Once the images and files are imported into Eloqua, update any links or references in your marketing campaigns and content to point to the new locations. This will ensure that your campaigns continue to function correctly after the migration.
This step is essential in your migration process for maintaining consistency and branding across your organization. It is advisable to configure these settings before initiating the migration or recreation of email assets in Eloqua, so you don't have to go back and forth with the changes.
Email groups are specific to Eloqua and are used to organize, manage subscription preferences, and allow contacts to opt in or out of specific email categories or topics. This helps ensure that recipients receive relevant content based on their interests and preferences. You can create as many email groups as needed, based on Business Unit, Marketing Initiative Type (Events/ Webinars/ Newsletters), Internal Communication, Sales, etc.
Email defaults need to be set up to establish default sender name, from address, reply-to address, and external tracking preferences.
Next, configure your email headers which should feature brand recognition elements such as logos, colors, and visual identity, along with navigation links for seamless access to vital sections of your website or online resources.
Best practices for setting up email footers:
When you move to Eloqua, you get a non-branded configuration. However, before launching your first campaign, it's essential to transition to a branded domain for improved email deliverability, brand consistency, and control over brand reputation. This includes:
Another important step is setting up email authentication protocols which prevent email spoofing, and phishing attacks. These are the key authentication methods used in Eloqua:
Before you start building your landing pages, you first need to configure your secure microsites. A secure microsite employs SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption to safeguard the data exchanged between a visitor's browser and the web server. For this, you must register a new SSL certificate through Eloqua. This form of microsite is preferred for 2 important reasons:
Identify key templates used for emails, landing pages, forms, and other marketing assets and determine which ones are still current and need to be migrated to Eloqua.
Familiarize yourself with the differences between HubSpot's and Eloqua's email editors. Eloqua provides two design editors: the Source Editor – work with content and code and the Design Editor – does not require coding skills, same as in HubSpot.
Unfortunately, there is no way to download HTML emails from HubSpot to upload them to Eloqua. One workaround is to test send the email and then grab the HTML code from the online version, save it as an HTML file, and upload it to Eloqua. In the case of landing pages, you can download them in HTML format by from the correspondent HubSpot tab > Actions button. Although it may require additional time at first, it is best to use Eloqua’s custom email builders to re-create the templates, instead of copy-pasting the code, as it provides more flexibility and long-term advantages.
Make sure that all images featured in emails and landing pages are hosted by your new marketing automation platform. If you have already uploaded your imagery repository as previously instructed, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Keep in mind to:
Review the workflows and automation sequences implemented in HubSpot and plan for their replication in Eloqua.
Configure Eloqua campaign canvases to closely mirror the logic and functionality of the corresponding workflows in HubSpot. This involves mapping out the steps, triggers, and conditions of each workflow and adapting them to fit Eloqua's capabilities.
Take into account:
It is crucial to conduct thorough testing of migrated assets and campaigns in Eloqua to identify any issues or inconsistencies. Reserve sufficient time to test asset functionality, data accuracy, and performance across various scenarios and use cases. Involve key stakeholders and end-users in the testing process to gather feedback and address any concerns before deploying assets in production.
Follow this checklist to ensure comprehensive testing of assets in Eloqua:
Emails:
Forms:
Landing Pages:
Campaigns:
As highlighted in this article, shifting your assets from one marketing automation platform to another is like planning a grand adventure. It calls for meticulous planning, spot-on execution, and a sprinkle of creativity to keep things consistent, efficient, and true to your brand throughout the journey.
By keeping these factors in mind and taking a structured approach to asset migration, you can smooth out any bumps and make your journey from HubSpot to Eloqua a breeze!
Consider working with experienced consultants to streamline the transfer process and minimize the risk of data loss or corruption.
Whether you're transitioning from HubSpot, Marketo, or any other marketing automation platform, we're here to assist you with a meticulously crafted Eloqua implementation delivery plan that oversees every aspect of the migration process.
Give us a nudge! We're geared up and ready to offer our assistance whenever you need it.
Ramona Ionescu
Marketing Automation Expert in Marketing Automation
Dedicated and experienced B2B Marketing Automation professional with a wealth of experience spanning over seven years. By leveraging my expertise in marketing automation platforms such as Eloqua and HubSpot and staying up-to-date with the latest trends, I work behind the scenes to ensure marketing operations run seamlessly and efficiently, ultimately driving exceptional results for businesses.
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