Every agency will say they understand your industry. Fewer can prove it with results, and fewer still have a third party verify their expertise. The gap between the promise and delivery is exactly what makes finding the right marketing partner hard. The problem is especially challenging in the most complex industries: software, manufacturing, healthcare and medtech. The truth is generic marketing advice doesn't move deals in industries with long sales cycles, technical buyers and strict compliance requirements.
Kuno Creative just closed the credibility gap for our clients and prospects. HubSpot has awarded three Industry Specialization Badges available to partners: Manufacturing, Software and Healthcare.
"HubSpot caps this at three badges per partner, and, given our experience, we didn't want to stop at one," said Paula Zimmer, VP of Client Services at Kuno Creative. "Earning all three means our team can walk into a conversation with a manufacturer, a software company or a medtech brand already speaking their language, not learning it on their dime."
HubSpot doesn't hand these out at the agency’s request. HubSpot partners must submit highly detailed, outcome-based case studies, show a dedicated go-to-market presence in the industry and provide proof of thought leadership and a minimum number of actively managed client portals in that vertical. In total, 25 industry badges are available.
Kuno hit the target three times: HubSpot awarded all badges that were applied for.
Miller Weldmaster, a capital equipment manufacturer, worked with Kuno to connect conventional SEO with an AI-forward search strategy: keyword-driven content, a glossary built for AI Overview visibility, dedicated Perplexity pages and custom GPTs.
The results included:
Kuno's manufacturing work also includes AAON, a commercial HVAC manufacturer, along with a dedicated industrial marketing page built around manufacturer-specific value props and testimonials from clients like Amerline, Big Bolt and ElectroShield.
White Cup, a CRM and business intelligence platform for distributors, brought Kuno in for a full-service engagement: rebuilt messaging, launched a 90-day campaign, created nine new case studies, wrote more than 40 blog posts and optimized HubSpot lead scoring.The results:
A second software engagement, focused on growing topical authority and AI search visibility through a glossary strategy and custom GPTs, saw glossary pages surpass 508,000 impressions in nine months and rank for nearly 300 keywords, with one page reaching Google's first page in about 30 days.
RapidAI, a clinical software platform used in stroke care across more than 2,000 hospitals worldwide, partnered with Kuno on a full rebrand, a new HubSpot-built website and an SEO and content strategy. Six months after launch:
"Healthcare and medtech clients can't afford a marketing partner who's still learning the compliance landscape," said Vanessa Knipper, VP of Client Success at Kuno Creative. "Our work with clients like RapidAI meant writing and optimizing for hospital administrators and clinical teams evaluating stroke care software, not a general audience, and the results show that distinction matters."
Kuno became one of HubSpot's original partners in 2009, and the relationship has only grown over time. Today, Kuno holds Diamond tier, HubSpot's highest partner status, as a HubSpot Revenue Growth Partner.
The three new badges join six HubSpot accreditations Kuno already holds:
HubSpot opens accreditation applications only during limited windows each year, and a panel of HubSpot experts reviews each partner's case studies and results before awarding one.
Badges prove Kuno understands specific industries. Accreditations document that Kuno executes at the highest technical level inside the HubSpot platform. Together, they cover both sides of what a marketing partner needs to deliver.
A badge alone doesn't close your pipeline. What it tells you is that a third party looked at the work, the results and the ongoing client relationships and confirmed the expertise is real, not just a claim on a homepage. If you're a manufacturer, software company or medtech brand deciding whether an agency actually understands your buyers or is learning on your dime, that verification is the difference.
Kuno will be at HubSpot's UNBOUND conference in Boston, September 16-18. If you're attending and want to talk about what industry-specific marketing looks like for your business, find us there.