Listen to this article:
HubSpot’s annual INBOUND event once again set the stage for bold product launches, fresh thinking and a deep dive into how AI is reshaping the way we work, sell and connect. They unveiled a host of new tools and services designed to help customers revolutionise their marketing in the age of AI, including 200 new features and an AI playbook the company has dubbed The Loop.
This year, San Francisco was buzzing with energy, and while our CEO Jon Pittham was there in person, we’ve been following closely from the UK to share the highlights most relevant to law firms, advisory practices and financial planners.
Here’s our take on what stood out at INBOUND 2025 - and if you weren’t able to attend live, we’ve included a selection of on-demand sessions so you can catch up at your own pace.
Making AI work in the real world
As expected, AI dominated the conversation. What felt different this year was the shift from theory to application. Sessions like “How AI Will Transform Business in the Next 18 Months” outlined clear ways firms can implement AI to improve decision-making and scale efficiency without losing the human touch.
For IFAs, that could mean:
-
Faster, AI-powered portfolio modelling.
-
Quicker production of compliance-ready reports.
-
More time to focus on high-value, client-facing conversations.
For law firms:
-
Reduced admin overhead on case management.
-
Improved speed in preparing drafts and documentation.
-
More meaningful time spent advising clients, not processing data.
Another standout was “The AI Growth Stack: VC Insights on the New GTM Playbook.” This session underscored how investors are already reshaping their expectations around AI-driven growth. Venture capitalists pointed to the rapid obsolescence of traditional go-to-market tactics, emphasising that the next generation of founders must embed AI-native strategies from day one.
You can watch the session on demand here.
How AI is reshaping marketing strategy
INBOUND’s AI-heavy focus makes it clear the world of marketing is changing, possibly for good. What once worked is no longer enough. Traditional approaches are giving way to intelligent systems that execute and optimise campaigns in real-time.
As Monalisa Chanakira, our Digital Marketing Executive, put it:
“The biggest win for me is not having to micromanage every detail. The new Marketing Hub fine-tunes campaigns in the background - things like testing, targeting and optimisation - we get the breathing room to focus on the creative ideas.”
Another theme that surfaced repeatedly was “AEO is the new SEO”; marketers now need to optimise for answer engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity, not just Google SERPs, as zero-click searches dominate.
(Source: HubSpot Inbound)
The session “Inside Marketing Hub: Reclaiming Purpose in Marketing” captured this shift perfectly. It unpacked HubSpot’s newest AI-powered marketing features and explored how automation can take care of the mechanics while marketers double down on creativity, strategy, and empathy.
You can't watch it on demand just yet, but we'll keep you posted if it becomes available on YouTube.
In the meantime, you can access the session materials here.
HubSpot Data Studio comes of age
One of the standout product updates came through HubSpot’s Data Studio, the engine behind the platform’s reporting and analytics capabilities. Through this, teams can model, clean and unify data from multiple systems, creating a single source of truth that powers dashboards and forecasts, as well as increasingly AI-driven insights.
Here's what our CRM Specialist, Jenny Drinkwater, said:
“From a CRM perspective, the new Data Studio updates are a big win. Being able to query from multiple sources without a full integration makes reporting much more flexible for our clients.”
For firms often juggling multiple data sources, it's a big deal. It means fewer complex integrations and more flexibility in pulling insights when and where they’re needed. And it reflects a broader INBOUND 2025 theme: turning fragmented data into actionable intelligence that feeds both automation and strategy.
If you’d like to see these capabilities in action, HubSpot has made an on-demand session available that walks through the reimagined Data Hub.
Watch the full Data Hub session here.
Stronger developer platforms
Another major highlight from INBOUND 2025 was the expansion of HubSpot’s Developer Platform, now offering enhanced API documentation and flexible custom setting pages. These upgrades lay the groundwork for deeper, more seamless integrations across HubSpot’s growing ecosystem.
As Jaime Boardman, our Integrations Lead, pointed out:
“The developer upgrades really stood out this year. The improved API docs, app objects and customisation options open fresh opportunities to extend the platform. We’ve now got more freedom to automate complex workflows and deliver client-facing tools that feel completely native inside HubSpot.”
This evolution is perfectly illustrated in sessions like “From Concept to Marketplace: Building on the HubSpot Developer Platform” and “Behind the Scenes: The Making of HubSpot’s Developer Platform & Marketplace.” Both highlighted how HubSpot is investing in making its ecosystem friendlier for developers, so businesses can create highly tailored tools without being limited by out-of-the-box functionality.
Explore the full insights in the official developer materials here.
Why it matters for professional services
So what should professional services firms take away from INBOUND 2025?
Tailored solutions: Leverage the new developer capabilities to create workflows and experiences unique to your business.
Balanced AI adoption: Use AI to scale efficiency, but keep human expertise front and centre.
Final thoughts...
Across the event, one theme kept surfacing: AI is not a replacement for expertise, but a multiplier of it. INBOUND 2025 made it clear: HubSpot is doubling down on giving businesses, especially in professional services, the tools to compete in an AI-driven landscape without losing what makes them unique.
We’ll be exploring these updates in more depth with our clients over the coming weeks. In the meantime, if you’d like to talk through how these changes could impact your firm, we’d love to chat.
%20(3).png)