Latest / Marketing Automation with Fexingo: HubSpot, Marketo, and Automated Customer Journeys / Why Marketing Automation Ignores Your Side Hustle
Transcript
- Lucas: So you run a side hustle. Maybe it's freelance graphic design, maybe it's a weekend Etsy shop, maybe it's a food truck that only fires up on Saturdays. And you've signed up for a newsletter, bought something, or just browsed a site. And the marketing automation on the other end? It treats you like a ghost. Luna: A ghost that occasionally gets a 'we miss you' email at the wrong time. Lucas: Right. And that's the thing we're digging into today on Marketing Automation with Fexingo. The software that's supposed to track and nurture every customer has a massive blind spot when it comes to the side hustle. And it's not just annoying—it's costing businesses real money. But before we get into the weeds, quick note: we keep this show ad-free on purpose, and if that's something you value, you can support us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just a way to keep these conversations going. Luna: And honestly, it's nice to not have a mid-roll ad break right in the middle of a thought. Lucas: Exactly. So, let's talk about Maya. She runs a weekend baking business out of her home. During the week she's a project manager at a software company. She signs up for a commercial oven newsletter with her personal email. From the automation's perspective, she's just a casual browser. But she's actually a serious buyer with a budget. Luna: And because she doesn't fit the 'business owner' profile, she gets the generic nurture flow. Lucas: Right. She gets the same 'welcome to our community' email that goes to a hobbyist who bakes once a year. The automation has no idea she's a potential high-value customer. And that's because most lifecycle stages and lead scoring models are built around full-time, 9-to-5 customers. Luna: So what's the actual data point that trips it up? Lucas: Well, think about how a typical lead score works. You get points for your job title, company size, industry. 'Project manager at a tech company' scores high. 'Bakes on weekends' scores zero. And so Maya's score stays low, she gets deprioritized, and the sales team never follows up. Luna: Even though she's the one who's actually ready to buy a $5,000 oven. Lucas: Exactly. And here's the kicker: the automation could know this if it just looked at behavior. She's visited the pricing page three times, she's downloaded the spec sheet, she's watched the demo video. But those actions get overridden by the demographic data that says she's not a serious lead. Luna: So the classic fix is to weight behavioral scoring higher, right? Lucas: That's part of it. But the deeper issue is that the lifecycle stages themselves don't have a place for 'side hustler.' She's not a lead, she's not a marketing qualified lead, she's not a sales qualified lead. She's just... a person with a hobby, as far as the system is concerned. Luna: It's like the software can't handle the complexity of a real human being. Lucas: Yes. And that's a design flaw. Most marketing automation platforms, whether it's HubSpot, Marketo, or Pardot, let you create custom lifecycle stages. But the default ones are baked in, and most companies never bother to change them. So the side hustle stays invisible. Luna: Have you seen any company actually fix this? Lucas: Yeah, there's a great example from a B2B software company that sells to freelance designers. They realized their best customers were people who had a full-time job but also freelanced on the side. So they added a custom property called 'Freelance Status' with three values: full-time, part-time, and side hustle. Luna: And that changed everything. Lucas: It did. Because now they could segment their email lists, they could adjust lead scores based on that property, and they could send different content to someone who's just exploring versus someone who's actively building a business. Their conversion rates went up significantly, just from that one change. Luna: It's almost like the software needs to acknowledge that people have multiple identities. Lucas: Right. And that's the bigger lesson. Marketing automation is only as good as the model of the customer it's working with. If you model everyone as either a full-time professional or a hobbyist, you're going to miss the massive and growing segment of people who are both. Luna: And the gig economy isn't shrinking, it's growing. Lucas: According to some estimates, over 36 percent of the U.S. workforce now does some kind of freelance or side work. That's not a niche audience. That's a huge chunk of your customer base that your automation might be ignoring. Luna: So what's the first step for a marketer who wants to fix this? Lucas: Audit your lifecycle stages. Look at the actual people who are buying from you, and ask: do these stages reflect who they really are? If not, create custom stages or properties that capture different work arrangements. It's a simple data model change, but it can have a huge impact on how you engage with customers. Luna: And also, look at your lead scoring. Are you giving points for behavior over demographics? Lucas: Absolutely. Behavior is a much better predictor of intent than job title. Someone who's on your pricing page at 11 p.m. on a Tuesday is telling you something. Don't let a demographic filter bury that signal. Luna: Another thing I've seen: some platforms let you set up conditional content blocks. So even if you can't overhaul your whole scoring model, you can at least tailor the experience based on time of day or device. Lucas: That's a smart workaround. Like if someone's opening your email at 10 p.m., you could show them a message that says 'planning a weekend project?' It's a small touch, but it makes the person feel seen. Luna: Feeling seen is underrated in marketing. Lucas: It's everything. And the side hustler is often the most loyal customer because they're building something of their own. They're more invested, they're more likely to become an advocate. If your automation treats them like a casual browser, you're leaving money on the table. Luna: And this isn't just about B2B. Think about a fitness app that targets 'people who go to the gym.' A side hustler who works out at 5 a.m. before their day job is a totally different persona than a retiree who goes at 10 a.m. Lucas: Exactly. The same principle applies. You need to model the reality of your customer's life, not some idealized version of it. Luna: So what are the key takeaways we want listeners to remember? Lucas: First, your lifecycle stages probably have a blind spot. Second, behavior beats demographics for lead scoring. Third, a small data model change can have a big impact. And fourth, the side hustle economy is too big to ignore. Luna: And if you're listening and you have a side hustle, you've probably felt this. You're not crazy, the software is just limited. Lucas: Right. And hopefully, the next time you get an email that actually gets it, you'll know someone took the time to fix the model. That's the goal, isn't it? To make automation feel a little more human. Luna: Well said. And on that note, that's our show. Thanks for listening, and we'll catch you next time. Lucas: Take care, everyone.