Marketing Automation Model Drives 9x Lead Growth in Secondary Markets

Many global companies struggle with marketing automation in secondary markets. These regions often receive less attention than primary markets, leading to outdated or poorly localized programs. The typical solution—hiring local specialists—can be resource-intensive and impractical for many organizations.

HubSpot faced this challenge in Japan, where their automated email campaigns generated only about 12 qualified leads monthly, far below the target of 160. Rather than hiring a dedicated specialist, the company developed a new approach that achieved significant improvements without additional headcount.

The Challenge of Secondary Market Automation

Companies with US headquarters often concentrate their marketing automation resources in core markets like English, French, Spanish, German, and speaking countries. This leaves secondary markets with programs that may be years old, partially built, or never properly localized. Japan represented the second scenario for HubSpot—having existing content and infrastructure but lacking a system designed for the local market.

The typical response to this problem involves hiring local automation experts, but this approach wasn't feasible for HubSpot. Instead, they developed a new model that could be replicated by other marketing teams facing similar challenges in secondary markets.

By rebuilding Japan's entire email automation program over two months, HubSpot demonstrated that significant improvements in lead generation are possible without expanding team size. This approach focused on targeting high-intent prospects and implementing a streamlined operating model.

Key Takeaways for Global Marketing Teams

The solution involved:

• Rebuilding automation programs specifically for local market needs
• Focusing on high-intent prospect targeting
• Implementing an efficient operating model

What this means for marketers: Secondary markets can achieve substantial growth through thoughtful automation redesign rather than resource expansion. Companies should evaluate whether their automation systems are properly localized and consider implementing targeted, efficient models rather than defaulting to hiring additional specialists.