As we enter a new quarter, now is the perfect time to standardize your Hubspot file naming conventions within your HubSpot instance.
HubSpot offers so many useful and intuitive sales and marketing features and tools — everything from landing pages, to emails, call-to-actions, and more. But along with all these cool features comes the responsibility of keeping them organized, and that’s where standardizing a naming convention comes into play.
Before we talk about naming conventions, we can describe in a word what the the world looks like without standardized conventions: chaos.
In a business, if a naming convention isn’t established among files (whether physical in a file cabinet or digitized online), then multiple team members may begin (if they haven’t already) naming files however they see fit. And unlike our beloved COVID-19 masks, one size does not fit all.
For example, some teammates may lean towards more detailed naming conventions like:
Insurance_Document_March_3_2021_12:37AM_Anthony_Arthur_Jr.pdf
while others may take a much shorter approach like:
ID3321.jpg
Same intentions, same file, but different naming conventions, which can lead to a world of confusion. Setting expectations early with your team will help everyone be on the same page and ultimately spend less time decoding file names, and more time completing tasks.
If you can relate or would like to get ahead of a potential problem, check out these 5 best practices to establish a naming convention for your HubSpot files.
Establish Your Assets
Before you start changing any file names, be sure to create a list of frequently used assets to ensure you are not missing anything. A few examples include:
- Landing Pages (LP)
- Emails (EM)
- Call-to-actions (CTA)
- Workflows (WF)
How HubSpot Supports the Attract Phase
How Much is Too Much? How Little is Too Little?
Next, you’ll want to determine how your HubSpot file naming conventions will look — and there are quite a few things to consider. Do you want very detailed file names? Or short and concise ones? Underscores or dashes? Capitalization or lowercase? Creator’s name or initials? Version dates? Etc.
The route you take may depend on your company size and how many hands are in and out of HubSpot. But whichever route you take, be sure to be consistent throughout. If some assets have the name, date, creator’s initials, and dashes, then all assets should have the name, date, creator’s initials, and dashes.
However, the best way to keep from going into naming convention overload is to try the more short and concise approach. It leaves less room for error and it tends to be easier to identify.
A few examples of short and concise naming conventions include:
- LP: Download Our Insurance Brochure – 3- 2021-V1
(Asset) – (Name) – (Month)- (Year) – (Version #)
- EM: Download Our Insurance Brochure – 3.3.21- JTW
(Asset) – (Name) – (Date) – Creator’s Initials
- CTA: Download Our Insurance Brochure – V3
(Asset) – (Name) – (Date) – (Version Number)
Utilize Folders
Folders are great way to group assets based on the organizational needs of your teams. There are a few ways you can organize folders in HubSpot, a few examples include:
- Based on the Campaign
- Based on the Asset
- Based on the Author
- Based on the Month
Although folders can be used to help keep things organized, be sure not to create so many that you find yourself going down a rabbit hole. Like the Hubspot file naming conventions, you’ll want to keep this structure short and concise. Making it easy for any and everyone who enters HubSpot.
How HubSpot Supports the Engage Phase
Get Your Team’s Feedback
You guessed it, another meeting to add to your schedule! But this one (and hopefully short) meeting can make a huge difference in how your team approaches this new naming convention adventure. Not only will you be able to get your team’s feedback on the proposed approach, but you’ll also be able to fill in any gaps you may have missed during the asset stage. They’ll be able to get an explanation as to why it’s being implemented, the benefits of a naming convention, and how it will improve their day-to-day.
Follow-Up
Do yourself a favor and follow up with this naming convention approach every 3 months.
Check your HubSpot to make sure your teammates are following the new structure and that it has been effective. If you see certain people are not using the agreed-upon conventions, you’ll be able to address the matter in advance, opposed to 6 months or a year down the line.
Another great rule of thumb is to train new employees on the naming convention as well. They may or may not be familiar with this kind of approach, so instead of assuming be proactive and introduce them to yours right away.
If you’d like to discuss your current Inbound Marketing needs or if you’re interested in a demo of HubSpot, connect with Gate 39 Media today!
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