Building GTIA’s Future-Proof Website on HubSpot CMS Hub

Client Profile

• Client: Global Technology Industry Association 
• Industry: Association Management / Non-Profit 
• Partner: Audentio (HubSpot Solutions Partner) 
• Goal: Migrate GTIA’s corporate website, consolidate content assets, execute a full re-branding, and architect a flexible, scalable website within HubSpot CMS Hub that supports rapid event subsite creation.

The Challenge: Legacy CMS Constraints and Brand Inflexibility

GTIA faced significant hurdles with their previous website infrastructure, which was rigid, siloed, and ill-equipped to support a major brand shift:

• Siloed Technology Stack: A primary limitation was the separation of the website (Sitefinity) from their core operational system (HubSpot CRM). GTIA required a unified platform where their marketing, sales, service, and website data resided together for seamless member experience and reporting.
• Content Management Bottlenecks: Content creation and updates were cumbersome, relying on outdated tools that limited marketing velocity.
• Complex Content Migration: Over 1,000 legacy blog posts and hundreds of pages needed to be cleanly transferred and restructured, including a massive volume of associated metadata and content assets.

The Solution: Custom CMS Hub Architecture and Re-Branding

Audentio provided an end-to-end CMS solution, combining strategic design with advanced custom development to deliver a site that is fully editable, performant, and perfectly aligned with GTIA’s new brand and content strategy. The migration solved the technology silo issue by consolidating their digital ecosystem.

Core Strategy Pillars:

1. Platform Unification: Integrating the website directly into the HubSpot ecosystem to leverage the power of the existing CRM, enabling unified reporting and personalization across all touchpoints.
2. Re-branding & Site Strategy: Executing a full organizational re-brand (migrating the look and feel from CompTIA to GTIA) and developing the new content strategy. (The comprehensive design deliverables are detailed in Section 4).
3. Custom Theme Development: Architecting a fully custom, modern HubSpot Theme designed for ultimate flexibility and marketer control.
4. Scalability Features Utilization: Implementing HubSpot’s advanced features, including HubDB and the Child Theming system, for specialized use cases.

Key Achievements and Technical Deep Dive

This project was a comprehensive CMS build, covering design, migration, and complex custom module development:

1. Large-Scale Content Migration

Audentio ensured continuity of GTIA’s digital footprint by meticulously moving high-volume content:

• High-Volume Blog Import: Successfully imported over 1,000 blog posts using a custom script and API integration, guaranteeing accurate URL redirects and data integrity.
• Page Migration: Over 150 CMS pages were either migrated, restructured, or created new based on the new site organization.
• Editorial Empowerment: All final content is fully editable within HubSpot’s CMS Hub, eliminating reliance on developers for routine updates.

2. Advanced Custom Theme Development

To deliver maximum flexibility, Audentio built the website on a robust, custom theme framework:

• Fully Custom Theme: Built a dedicated primary theme featuring 50+ custom modules and dozens of flexible sections and page templates.
• HubDB Integration: Implemented custom landing page solutions to display dynamic data from HubDB, providing marketers with control over complex content like directories or resource lists without touching the database directly.

3. Advanced Feature Implementation (Child Themes)

A critical requirement was the ability to rapidly launch branded event microsites without impacting the main website’s code or design:

• Child Theme System: Developed a child theme based on the primary theme, specifically for creating unique branded subsites for key events.
• Event Site Components: This child theme included 20+ of its own custom sections, modules, and templates, allowing for specialized event pages while maintaining core brand consistency.

4. Comprehensive Brand Transformation

To solidify GTIA’s identity, Audentio executed a complete organizational re-brand, moving the aesthetic and feel from CompTIA to the new GTIA brand. This involved delivering a comprehensive package of creative assets beyond the CMS implementation:

• Foundation Assets: Creation of the new logo, motif, and a comprehensive brand styleguide.
• Web Strategy & Design: Development of detailed website designs and wireframes that served as the blueprint for the custom CMS theme.
• Corporate & Internal Collateral: Design and production of executive presentations, internal collateral, and employee-facing assets like email signatures.
• Digital Marketing Assets: Production of social media banners and other various digital designs to ensure immediate and consistent brand adoption across all marketing channels.

Impact and Results

The CMS migration and redesign project transformed GTIA’s digital presence, providing the foundation for scalable marketing and seamless brand management:

• Total Platform Unification: By merging the website with the CRM, GTIA achieved a single source of data for all customer journeys, enabling greater personalization and efficiency across the organization.
• Total Content Control: Marketers can now easily update every element of the website, from global headers to complex landing page layouts, accelerating campaign deployment.
• Consistent, Scalable Branding: The primary and child theme architecture, combined with the comprehensive asset package (Section 4), ensures a cohesive brand identity across all digital and internal touchpoints, making brand management simple and instantaneous.
• Future-Proof Platform: GTIA is leveraging CMS Hub’s powerful features, like custom modules, HubDB, and child themes, to grow its digital offering without needing to switch platforms or rely on expensive, manual development.

Audentio successfully consolidated GTIA’s content, defined their new digital strategy, and delivered a high-performing, marketer-friendly website that serves as a powerful engine for member engagement.