Highspot at GitLab

Highspot at GitLab

Highspot is a field enablement tool we use to gather, categorize, and share content within GitLab - and externally to our customers, prospects, and partners. It collates native content and guidance, training and coaching, and engagement intelligence – all supported by actionable analytics. GitLab uses Highspot as a sales content portal to:

1. Provide a single repository in which GitLab’s go-to-market (GTM) team members can find all of the resources they need.
2. Enable more efficient discovery of new resources and content.
3. Drive consistency in GitLab collateral including the branding and messaging across assets.
4. Attribute influenced revenue to GitLab content to discover ROI and enable a tighter feedback loop between Sales and Marketing.

To learn more about Highspot’s features, check out this Highspot in Action video.

Why Highspot?

Because of the pace of business and rapid growth of the GitLab team, efficiently organizing and distributing content are key pain points for the GitLab GTM organization.

Upon surveying members of the Field team in 2020, we found that 92% of the Field organization felt that finding the resources they needed to do their jobs was moderate-difficult (source). Furthermore, we found that 85% of the organization only finds the resources they are looking for some of the time (source). Lastly, we found that Enterprise SAEs spend an average of two hours per week simply searching for Sales content, which equates to 200 hours per week across the entire Enterprise team that could be used for revenue-generating activities instead (source).

GitLab ultimately chose to onboard Highspot as a sales asset management system to increase the efficiency of marketing spend, improve sales productivity and drive more visibility around content adoption and performance.

Highspot Optimization

In 2024, the Field Enablement team recognized the need for platform optimization. This transformation addressed evolving organizational needs and field challenges around content sprawl, version control, and findability. As we shifted from segment to region-focused operations and expanded our product portfolio, our content infrastructure needed to evolve. The reimagined Highspot experience delivers three key improvements:

1. Three streamlined, region-specific homepages that make AMER-, EMEA, and APJ-specific content interface and discovery intuitive and efficient.
2. Enhanced content governance to ensure materials stay current and relevant.
3. Advanced sharing capabilities through pitches and digital rooms, paired with robust analytics.

Users now have:

1. Faster access to region-relevant content.
2. Clearer 3-click pathways to frequently used materials.
3. Real-time insights into content performance and buyer engagement.
4. Customizable digital rooms for ongoing customer collaboration.

This updates matures Highspot from a traditional content management to an intelligent platform that actively supports sales success. Watch the optimization launch announcement to the field in this Field Spotlight session.

Communicating with the Highspot Team

Highspot is managed by the Field Enablement organization, specifically, the Field Communications & Content team. Episodically, the team leverages a contract agency, Arnic Business Solutions, to help manage the day-to-day administration of our Highspot environment.

There are two primary Slack channels to communicate with platform DRIs and other content owners / contributors about Highspot at GitLab:

1. #highspot-help-center: Public channel for team members to ask questions and get updates regarding Highspot.
2. #highspot-content-owners: Public channel for content contributors to ask questions and collaborate on ongoing upkeep and growth of Highspot instance.

Highspot Access Requests & Content Requests

The Highspot team manages several issue templates within the Enablement Project for common requests:

1. Looking to add content or a new page to Highspot? Share and align the scope of your project in this issue request to get started.
2. Looking for access to Highspot? Access to the tool is provisioned via SSO in Okta. To access Highspot, please navigate through the Highspot tile in your Okta dashboard. If you do not see Highspot on your dashboard, follow the typical Access Request process to submit your request. Tech stack provisioners to review and approve your request can be found here.
   1. The following teams’ access is provisioned automatically: Sales; Customer Success; Renewals; Professional Services; Global Ecosystem; Revenue Strategy, Operations & Enablement (RSOE); Sales Development; Strategy Marketing (Product Marketing, Customer Reference, Analyst Relations, Competitive Intelligence); Field Marketing; Developer Relations; Corporate Communications.
   2. Additional insights on User Governance here.

Highspot Trainings

There are two training courses for Highspot available in the GitLab University / Level Up platform. These courses can also be found in the Highspot User Guide & Reporting Spot for later reference:

1. Highspot User Training - Foundational knowledge that all Highspot users should possess to get the most out of the platform. This includes a brief tour of the tool, how to search and discover content, how to share content for buyer engagement and how to leverage Highspot for personal organization and efficiency. All new Field team members should complete this course as a part of the Sales Quick Start training program in onboarding. Non-Field team members who gain access to Highspot via an access request are required to complete this training within one quarter of their provisioned platform access.
2. Highspot Content Contributor Training - All Content Owners and Content Contributors in Highspot are required to complete this training prior to being provisioned edit access to any spot. This ensures that all contributors are trained to uphold GitLab’s Highspot governance best-practices to support the best end user experience. This training is a required prerequisite to Editor permissions being provisioned; failure to follow these directives with compliance will results in a revocation of Editor permissions.

More on Highspot user governance can be found in the Highspot Governance Playbook (G-Drive version available for non-Highspot users).

Highspot Principles

Key Features & Definitions

1. Spots - Spots are like an asset folder. We use Spots to organize content by topic, product, or initiative for specific groups or purposes. Spots are the basic building blocks of Highspot. User access to content is determined at the Spot level. See GitLab Spots for a full list of Spots.
2. SmartPage - SmartPages are like landing pages. Content Owners can create SmartPages to display curated content and provide instructions and CTAs for field members. Examples of SmartPages include Revenue Plays, resource Hubs, Tool User Guides, and even the homepage!
3. Lists & List Groups - Lists function as filters, and make it easier to find the content you need. Lists can then be collected under List Groups for parent-level organization.
4. Search - everything in Highspot can be found through the search bar. The broader the search, the more promoted content and high-level results; the more specific the search (for example, using “AND”, “OR”, or posing a question with “?” at the end of the query), the finer the results. More advanced search term tactics can be found here
5. 3-click rule - to complement the search motion, the most frequented Highspot items can also be found in three-clicks from your homepage. If you find an asset exclusive to this rule, please let your Highspot Admin know!

Key Roles

1. Field User - Field users, or Contributors, have the ability to view all Official content, pitch external items to prospects and customers, and view pitch performance analytics. This is the access level many GitLab GTM team members will have.
2. Content Contributors aka Spot Editors - Content Contributors have the ability to add and manage Official content, design and build SmartPages, and create and manage lists and Spots. Content Contributors are responsible for the management of content in Highspot at least two Spots: the Tier 3 Team Spot, and a Tier 2 Official Spot. They can also make high-level changes to the search structure as needed. Note that all Content Contributors are required to complete the Content Contributor Training prior to being provisioned Editor access.
3. Spot Owners - Spot Owners are the Directly Responsible Individual (DRI) for a Spot, and oversee content governance and usage performance for the Spot and its users. Note that all spot owners are required to complete the Content Contributor Training prior to being provisioned access to own a Team or Official Spot.
   1. The key difference between Spot Owners/Co-Owners and Spot Editors is that Owners/Co-Owners can delete a Spot, and recieve Spot-wide content governance notifications while Editors cannot delete the Spot and only receieve individualized content governance notifications.
4. Analyst - Analysts have the ability to create reports within the Analytics section of Highspot and view reports in the Analytics Spot. All Field Managers and above have Analyst permissions so they can view team-level reporting.

Official GitLab Spots

All Spots are categorized by the following: Product, Team, and Go-to-Market (GTM).

Key Content Properties

Content properties allow content to be organized and discovered via the search bar, side navigation bar, and other platform features, like related or promoted content. By setting policies and requirements around this content metadata, we standardize our content (e.g., titles, labels, and lists) and set clearer ownership motions to keep content up to date (e.g., author, feedback owner, and expiration date).

1. Internal & External Content - All content in Highspot will be marked as either internal or external:
   1. Internal - This content is for internal consumption/enablement only. Under NO circumstances should this content be shared with external audiences - customers, prospects, partners, etc. You should not download this content onto your local device. (You can always bookmark content to your personal spot to revisit later.) All items marked as internal cannot be pitched (the pitch function is disabled).
   2. External - This content has been reviewed and approved for distribution to external audiences in a small forum (customer/partner call, etc.). You should always consult GitLab Legal before distributing content to a large audience (ex. conference or GitLab event), regardless of its distinction in Highspot. All items marked as external can be pitched to prospects and customers.

Key Functionality

1. External Share - External sharing allows you to easily and flexibly share external content with your customers, patners, and prospects. External sharing gives you the ability to customize, personalize, and send content from Highspot through virtually any channel, and receive real-time, actionable notifications when recipients interact with your content. These analytics help sales and marketing teams understand what works best to drive buyer engagement so they can better optimize their sales processes and sales content. There are two ways to share content
   1. Digital Rooms - a customizable microsite accesible from one link that allow multiple contributors to curate content in a page, and add or adjust that content as the recipient’s interests evolve. All engagements are tracked. (Training & analytics overview available at 27:24 here)
   2. Pitch - through links or email pitches, you can curate a static collection of content to send to your recipient of choice either via existing email thread, LinkedIn, text, or even QR code. All engagements are tracked.
2. Integrations - Maximize your sales efficiency with strategic Highspot integrations.
   1. Salesforce connection links content directly to pipeline activity, revealing shared content influence at the account and opportunity levels.
   2. Google Drive integration ensures documents automatically update from source files
   3. Upcoming Gong integration will display Highspot activities on customer timelines.
3. Remix - empowers you to craft tailored presentations by seamlessly combining slides from various approved decks. This dynamic tool allows you to customize content directly within the platform, ensuring each pitch precisely addresses your prospect’s specific needs and challenges. Create personalized, targeted presentations in minutes while maintaining brand integrity—delivering exactly what your customers want to see at every stage of their journey.

Learn more about critical functionality to enhance your workflows, and more fundamental features to set-up your acccount in the Getting Started section of the Highspot User Guide & Reporting Spot.

Highspot FAQs

Who has access to Highspot?

At this time, the entire GitLab GTM organization, which includes the global Field team, Sales Dev (SDR/BDR) and Strategic Marketing.

How do I get access to Highspot?

All members of GitLab’s GTM organization have access to the tool via their Okta dashboard. For a full list of teams with Highspot access, see the Highspot Access section above. If you are on one of these teams and still do not have Highspot access via Okta, please open an access request.

Who can upload content to Highspot? If I have a recommendation for a piece of content that should be in Highspot for all to access, how do I contribute?

Contributing to Highspot is easy, and we encourage all team members to contribute resources that you think the entire GTM org or specific teams could benefit from. This could be anything from a Marketing resource you found that isn’t already in Highspot or a presentation/document you created or found that would be helpful for team members to reference as an example of “what good looks like.” If it’s helpful for the team, we want to include it in Highspot!

To submit content, please open a Content Intake Request Issue and indicate your level of support needed. If “low” to “medium,” complete the Content Contributor Training.

What is the best way to save a piece of content that I want to come back to later?

You can do this by selecting Bookmark on the piece of content and bookmarking it into your Personal Spot.

Can partners or other external audiences access Highspot?

Not at this time. GitLab’s Highspot instance is only accessible by internal team members via SSO. External audiences can only see external content that is pitched to them via External Share.

We are exploring the option of a Highspot instance for GitLab partners and will share more details when available.

Can I find industry- or segment-specific content in Highspot?

Yes! You can quickly find industry- or segment-specific content by using Highspot’s tag lists, which allow you to filter search results as well as content found within individual Spots. When you enter a keyword in the Highspot search field and hit return, all available filter lists will appear in the left-side navigation pane. Simply filter this navigation bar according to your search specifications.

When browsing through a specific Spot (e.g. the Competitive & Marketing Intelligence Spot), simply click into the Spot and then select the appropriate filter list that appears in the left-side navigation pane. For more information about browsing and filtering content, check out the Highspot Help Center.

How can I find content that is trending or popular among GitLab’s field team?

You can quickly find trending/popular content by using the Sort functionality within each Spot. When you visit a specific Spot, toggle into the “Content” view and use the sorting options (found under the Spot title) to arrange your display by popularity. Content will then be grouped by trending (popular items for the last two weeks) and most popular (most popular for all time). For more information about sorting and browsing Spots, check out the Highspot Help Center.

How does search work in Highspot?

Highspot’s search algorithm is designed to get users in contact with the right content in a quick and effective way. Highspot identifies items that match your search term - looking in many places to detect a match, including the title, description, the content of the item, the name of the Spot it is in, the name of any tag lists it is in, a word spoken in the transcription (if it is audio or video), a word that appears in an image or in a snapshot of the video - and then ranks them.

Advanced search techniques are also supported, including exact match quoting, “AND”, “OR”, “NOT”, and combining terms () to increase specificity.

Can I download content found in Highspot?

Generally, no. To help us maintain GitLab’s SAFE framework and cultivate Highspot as a single source of truth, most content found in Highspot is not available for download. Please reach out to the Highspot admins in #highspot-help-center if you have any questions about a specific piece of content.

Can teams have an area where they can post content specific to their team?

Yes! Within our optimized Spot framework, a new, private Spot type - meant exclusively for our content creating and contributing teams - is supported for Team-specific needs. Access to these Spots require completion of the Content Contributor training to understand the proper function and utilization of these Spots.

How does Highspot differ from the Handbook?

The Handbook is still our SSOT at GitLab. If you’re a content creator and wanting to document information, processes, etc., you should still use the GitLab Handbook as the place to do this. The added benefit is that you can then add a link to that Handbook page within Highspot and add it to the appropriate Spot/lists so that the Handbook page is more easily discoverable by the Field team. A great way to think of Highspot is like a search engine across the documents/resources that the Field uses often, and a virtual briefcase for all sales and marketing materials.

What is the difference between Highspot and Thought Industries (LevelUp)?

Thought Industries (GitLab University in LevelUp) is the main hub for all training content, courses, etc. Think of Highspot like a search engine put across all of the tools and platforms we use - Google Drive, YouTube, Handbook, etc. So, we might upload a link to a training course or a video recording that’s housed in another location so that it’s more discoverable and served up with related content within Highspot.

What are the differing goals of Highspot and PathFactory?

Similar to PathFactory, Highspot is a tool that can point customers to a set of relevant assets. In Highspot, users can create Pitch Templates with Pitch Styles (sometimes called Digital Sales Rooms) that curate a series of content into a customized experience for customers. Once sent, users can update DSRs for their customers and prospects for a customized, personalized experience. In general, the high-level goals for the two platforms are:

1. Highspot: To connect with customers 1:1 as part of a campaign, initiative, event, general outreach, other CTA. Can support lead gen/outreach, but primarily used once a lead has become an SAO.

2. PathFactory: To increase consumption/engagement with GitLab content in order to move prospects through the marketing funnel.

Can Highspot users send PathFactory content to customers?

Yes. PathFactory tracks are a type of asset that can be shared using Highspot. Content owners can “upload” (point to) PathFactory tracks within Highspot, and send those tracks to customers and prospects via a Highspot Pitch activity.

Can I use Highspot to mass-send a pitch to multiple customers and prospects?

Not from within Highspot. The Highspot pitch function and analytics are currently designed for a 1:1 or 1:few experience. The tool is optimized to provide tracking and insights into what customers are opening and viewing (i.e. what content they value) through the 1:1 motion.

Use Groove to send messaging en masse - and better yet, pull Highspot Email Templates into Groove to leverage Marketing-validated messaging in your Groove flows.

Is Highspot a tool for Marketing automation and email nurture? Highspot is not a replacement for marketing automation or email nurture tools such as Marketo. All email pitches are sent by a member of the Field team, who can then view insights.

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