Unleashing Marketing Power: Benefits of Using HubSpot over Total Expert CRM
In a competitive lending and financial services landscape, the right CRM can make the difference between steady growth and stagnation. For years, Total Expert has positioned itself as the go-to CRM for mortgage lenders, banks, and credit unions. While it offers industry-specific features, many marketing and sales teams are finding that HubSpot, especially when paired with Proven ROI®’s EncompassSync™, delivers far greater marketing power, scalability, and ROI.
This post explores why HubSpot is emerging as the smarter choice—not just as a CRM, but as a full-scale marketing engine for financial institutions.
Why Marketing Power Matters More Than Ever
Modern buyers—whether they’re securing a mortgage, opening a new account, or refinancing—are more informed, more selective, and more digitally engaged than ever before. Traditional, one-size-fits-all marketing is no longer enough.
To compete, lenders need a CRM that:
- Drives personalized engagement across multiple channels
- Integrates seamlessly with core banking or loan origination systems
- Aligns sales and marketing for consistent messaging and lead nurturing
- Automates repetitive processes so teams can focus on high-value activities
This is where the HubSpot advantage becomes clear.
HubSpot vs. Total Expert: Marketing Power Breakdown
| Capability | HubSpot | Total Expert |
|---|---|---|
| Email Marketing | Fully customizable templates, A/B testing, automation triggers based on borrower behavior | Prebuilt mortgage templates, fewer automation triggers |
| SEO & Content Tools | Built-in blog, landing page builder, SEO recommendations, AI content assistant | No native blog or SEO optimization features |
| Social Media Integration | Manage posts, track engagement, run ads directly from CRM | Limited social posting features, no deep ad integration |
| Paid Ads Management | Native integration with Google, Facebook, LinkedIn for lead tracking and ROI reporting | Not natively integrated for ad ROI tracking |
| Personalization | Advanced segmentation, dynamic content, behavior-based triggers | Limited to mortgage-specific audience segments |
| Analytics | Unified marketing + sales dashboards with real-time Encompass loan data | Mortgage-focused reporting, less marketing depth |
1. True Full-Funnel Marketing
Total Expert is strong in top-of-funnel borrower acquisition, offering co-branded marketing with real estate agents. But once leads enter the pipeline, marketing automation often hits a wall.
HubSpot, on the other hand, is built for full-funnel marketing:
- Top of Funnel: SEO, content marketing, PPC ad integration, lead capture forms
- Middle of Funnel: Drip campaigns, retargeting, borrower education workflows
- Bottom of Funnel: Automated reminders, loan officer follow-ups, document request triggers
This full-funnel approach is crucial for moving borrowers from initial interest to funded loans.
2. Advanced Personalization at Scale
Borrowers expect Netflix-style personalization—content and messaging tailored to their specific needs.
HubSpot makes it easy with:
- Dynamic content on emails and landing pages
- Behavior-driven workflows that respond to borrower actions
- Segmentation that combines loan data (from Encompass) with marketing insights
Total Expert offers segmentation, but it’s tied primarily to prebuilt mortgage personas, making it less flexible for nuanced marketing strategies.
3. SEO and Content Marketing Built-In
One of the most overlooked areas where HubSpot beats Total Expert is organic traffic growth.
HubSpot includes:
- A built-in blog platform for publishing borrower education content
- SEO recommendations to help your content rank higher in Google and AI search
- AI-powered content generation to speed up production without sacrificing quality
Total Expert does not have a native blog, SEO toolkit, or keyword tracking—forcing lenders to use and integrate outside tools.
4. Seamless Encompass Integration with Proven ROI®
The Proven ROI® EncompassSync™ transforms HubSpot from a powerful marketing platform into a complete lending growth engine.
With real-time loan data from Encompass:
- Automated marketing triggers go out the moment loan statuses change
- Borrowers receive timely updates without manual follow-up
- Loan officers see full borrower history in one place
- Executives get live pipeline visibility for marketing ROI tracking
While Total Expert can connect to Encompass, the integration is slower, less customizable, and lacks the real-time triggers that keep borrowers engaged.
5. Superior Ad ROI Tracking
HubSpot natively integrates with Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and LinkedIn Ads. This means:
- You can track exactly which campaigns bring in funded loans
- Marketing spend is directly tied to closed revenue
- Retargeting campaigns can be automated based on Encompass loan status
Total Expert does not offer the same level of direct ad integration or ROI reporting.
6. Marketing + Sales Alignment Under One Roof
A common challenge in lending is the disconnect between marketing teams generating leads and sales teams closing them. HubSpot solves this by:
- Housing both teams in one system
- Providing a single borrower record with full history
- Triggering loan officer follow-up tasks from marketing actions
Total Expert functions as a CRM, but its marketing and sales capabilities are less intertwined.
7. Faster Time to Market
With Proven ROI®’s HubSpot onboarding, you can be fully operational in weeks, not months.
We set up:
- Loan pipelines
- Marketing workflows
- EncompassSync™ connection
- Reporting dashboards
- Compliance-ready automation
Total Expert implementations often stretch to 3–6 months, delaying ROI.
Why HubSpot Is the Smarter Long-Term Choice
While Total Expert is a solid mortgage CRM, it’s narrow in scope and less adaptable to broader marketing strategies.
HubSpot delivers:
- Industry flexibility — works for residential, commercial, and federal lenders
- Full inbound marketing capabilities — SEO, content, ads, email, social
- Faster deployment — weeks, not months
- Real-time borrower engagement with EncompassSync™
- Scalable pricing — you pay for what you use
How Proven ROI® Maximizes HubSpot for Lenders
As the #1 HubSpot partner for mortgage and financial services, Proven ROI® provides:
- Custom CRM and pipeline setup for lending workflows
- Full Encompass integration with real-time loan data sync
- Marketing automation designed for borrower journeys
- Training and adoption support for loan officers
- Campaign management to drive measurable growth
Our clients see higher borrower engagement, faster loan cycles, and better marketing ROI compared to Total Expert.
Final Word
If your goal is to win in a competitive lending market, you need a CRM that empowers marketing and sales equally. HubSpot—especially with Proven ROI®’s EncompassSync™—delivers unmatched marketing power, flexibility, and scalability that Total Expert simply can’t match.
