Are you tired of routine tasks pulling you away from strategy?
This guide will show you how to automate repetitive processes using HubSpot Workflows.
Imagine a system where follow-ups, data updates, and notifications happen automatically—not just in marketing but across sales and customer service.
With HubSpot Workflows, you’ll have a toolkit to save time, reduce errors, and align every team without manual effort. Let’s dive into how to make HubSpot Workflows work for you.
Think of HubSpot Workflows as a powerful assistant that’s always on duty, helping you automate essential processes so you can focus on the bigger picture.
Workflows aren’t just about saving time; they’re a tool to keep communication consistent, data organized, and responses timely across your entire customer journey.
With HubSpot Workflows, you can build “if-this-then-that” sequences that trigger actions based on specific conditions—e.g., a contact filling out a form or viewing a high-intent web page.
Here’s a glimpse of what workflows can automate for you:
1. Send Timely Emails Automatically: Trigger emails precisely when most relevant, such as after a form submission or a pricing page visit.
2. Keep Data Updated and Accurate: Automatically adjust contact or company properties to ensure your data stays up-to-date without manual input.
3. Assign Tasks to Your Team: Automatically assign tasks to the right team members to prevent critical actions from slipping through.
4. Connect with Other Tools You Use: Sync HubSpot with platforms like Slack, Salesforce, or custom APIs to create seamless integrations.
5. Connect HubSpot with AI agents: Connect HubSpot to AI tools like n8n to automate data workflows and quickly add AI functionality to your CRM data.The benefits of workflows go beyond just streamlining daily tasks.
When leveraged fully, automation can enhance your organization’s data flow and inter-departmental communication and even help you capture high-intent buyers.
Let’s look at the core advantages:
1. Cut Down on Manual Errors:
Automation minimizes the chance of human error, keeping your data consistent and accurate.
This is especially helpful in larger teams where data accuracy is essential for smooth operations.
2. Communicate When It Matters Most:
With the right triggers, you can send personalized emails or follow-ups, increasing engagement and creating a better customer experience.
For instance, a workflow might send a customized email after a potential client visits the pricing page, connecting at the right time.
3. Enhance Team Coordination:
Workflows facilitate the efficient transfer of information across departments.
For example, once a lead is qualified, sales are automatically notified, and when a deal is closed, details are sent to customer success for onboarding.
4. Spot High-Intent Actions:
Track key behaviors like visits to high-value pages (e.g., pricing) and prompt your sales team to connect with interested prospects, giving you a better chance at conversions.
5. Centralize Your Data and Tasks:
Workflows organize everything, making reporting and tracking customer interactions more straightforward and effective. They create a hub of synchronized activity across departments.
With HubSpot Workflows, you have various automation options that can make a difference across your entire business—not just in marketing.
Think of workflows as a way to simplify repetitive tasks and focus on strategy, whether it’s in sales, support, or operations.
When used right, workflows save time, increase profitability, and improve data quality. Here’s a breakdown of the main types of workflows and how they can support your specific goals.
Standard workflows are your go-to choice for recurring actions that need flexibility in timing.
These workflows trigger based on a contact’s activity—like filling out a form or visiting a specific page—and are ideal for continuous campaigns or ongoing tasks.
1. Marketing Use: Automatically follow up with an email whenever a new lead completes a form, keeping engagement relevant and timely.
2. Sales Use: Notify your sales team instantly when a prospect views a key page, like pricing, showing they’re ready for deeper engagement.
3. Customer Support Use: Welcome new customers with onboarding emails right after they sign up, making their experience seamless from day one.Fixed-date workflows revolve around specific calendar dates, making them perfect for time-sensitive activities, such as event reminders or promotions.
This type of workflow is your answer to recurring campaigns or events that need timely engagement.
1. Marketing Use: Schedule campaigns around holidays or end-of-year promotions to stay on top of seasonal trends.
2. Sales Use: Set up automated reminders for contract renewals, helping retain valuable customers.
3. Operations Use: Use workflows to manage company-wide compliance updates, ensuring timely reminders for training deadlines or policy reviews.
4. Service Use: Fixed-date workflows allow you to schedule follow-ups at set intervals—say, 30, 60, or 90 days after sign-up—to ensure customers feel supported every step of the way.
If personalization is your focus, property-based workflows let you enroll contacts based on specific attributes, like industry or job title.
By tailoring messages to match these attributes, you can make your outreach more relevant and impactful.
1. Marketing Use: Send content that speaks to the recipient’s industry or company size, making each interaction personalized.
2. Sales Use: Automatically engage with high-potential leads by setting triggers based on lead scores or job titles.
3. Customer Success Use: Streamline your renewal process by scheduling reminders based on contract dates or product usage.
Choosing the Right Workflow Type for Your Goals
The right workflow type depends on what you’re looking to achieve.
Want to nurture high-intent leads? Use a Standard Workflow triggered by website activity, such as visits to your pricing page.
For campaigns tied to a specific date, Fixed-Date Workflows ensure your messaging hits right on schedule.
If personalized communication is vital, property-based workflows will help tailor each interaction to your audience’s unique attributes.
Setting up a workflow in HubSpot is straightforward. These steps will create an efficient workflow tailored to your business’s unique goals and processes.
Step 1: Choose the Right Workflow Type
Think about your main goal for the workflow. Are you following up with leads based on their actions? A standard workflow might be ideal.
Are you running a campaign around a specific date? Then go for a Fixed-Date Workflow.
A property-based workflow is the best choice if you need to tailor messages based on a contact’s information, such as industry or role.
Step 2: Set Enrollment Triggers
Now, decide what triggers a contact’s entry into the workflow. HubSpot allows you to set either manual or automatic triggers, depending on the workflow's purpose.
Automatic triggers save time and ensure contacts are consistently added to the workflow without manual work.
For a lead-nurturing workflow, you might set an enrollment trigger that adds contacts whenever they download a gated asset or fill out a form on your site.
Step 3: Define Your Actions and Delays
Next, outline the actions you want the workflow to perform and any delays between them.
HubSpot Workflows let you choose from a variety of actions:
Step 4: Configure Workflow Settings for Control and Precision
Finally, adjust settings to ensure the workflow runs smoothly and meets your goals. Here are some options to consider:
Following these steps will set you up for a smooth workflow experience.
Each step helps ensure that your workflow runs as intended and that your team and contacts enjoy seamless, timely interactions.
Let’s explore practical ways to automate standard business processes using Workflows.
These examples cover various departments and show how workflows can streamline marketing, sales, and customer support activities.
Automate Sales Follow-Up Sequences
Set up a workflow to automate follow-up emails for leads interested in your offerings.
When a lead visits a key page, such as pricing, or downloads a product guide, this workflow can trigger personalized follow-up emails to maintain engagement.
Re-Engage Inactive Leads
A re-engagement workflow targets contacts who have gone quiet.
For instance, if someone hasn’t engaged in three months, they’ll receive an email with updated resources to recapture their interest.
Sync with Salesforce for Consistent Data Across Platforms
Sync data between HubSpot and Salesforce using custom URLs to keep both platforms updated, ensuring everyone in your team has the most recent information.
Trigger Actions Based on Lead Score
Automate lead scoring notifications so your sales team is alerted to promptly engage with these highly qualified leads when a contact reaches a certain threshold.
Automate Lead Assignment Based on Criteria
Use criteria like geographic region, industry, or company size to assign leads to the right sales rep, ensuring a tailored experience.
Multi-Step Lead Nurturing for New Prospects
Build a multi-step workflow for new leads, delivering content over time that guides them through the buyer’s journey—from awareness to decision.
Manage Bounced or Unsubscribed Contacts Automatically
Automatically remove bounced or unsubscribed contacts from your lists, keeping your data clean for more effective campaigns.
Organize Webinar Campaign Management
Manage webinar campaigns from start to finish, including registration confirmations, reminders, and post-event thank-yous.
Assign Follow-Up Tasks for Sales Based on Lead Behavior
Set workflows to assign follow-up tasks when leads take high-value actions, like signing up for a demo.
Segment Contacts Automatically by Lifecycle Stage
Automatically update contacts’ lifecycle stages based on their engagement, helping you keep track of leads, customers, and opportunities.
Tag Target Accounts for Focused Engagement
Tag contacts as target accounts for focused account-based marketing strategies, allowing for strategic, account-focused communication.
Data Hygiene for Contact Properties
Standardize contact properties, like job title or company size, ensuring data remains clean and easy to filter.
Assign Ownership for Unassigned Contacts
Automate contact assignment, ensuring each contact has a designated owner to prevent anyone from being overlooked.
Identify Engaged Target Accounts for Immediate Action
Set workflows to alert your team about high-intent actions (e.g., pricing page visits), prioritizing outreach to interested prospects.Once you’ve mastered basic workflows, it’s time to dive into advanced tactics.
These strategies will help you optimize each workflow, ensuring efficiency, effectiveness, and alignment with your business goals.
1. Use Personalization Tokens for Greater Engagement
Make each interaction personal using personalization tokens to include contact details like names or company names within workflows.
2. Add Strategic Delays for Natural Flow
Adding delays between actions makes interactions feel natural, giving contacts time to engage with one message before the next.
3. Track Workflow Goals to Measure Success
Set goals to measure workflow performance, such as form submissions or lifecycle stage advancements.
4. Test Workflows Thoroughly Before Going Live
Test workflows with test contacts to ensure they run smoothly, checking email triggers, delays, and branching logic.
5. Save Time with Workflow Templates
Use templates for workflows you create frequently, like lead nurturing.
6. Regular Workflow Maintenance Keeps Automation Relevant
Review and update workflows quarterly to ensure alignment with business objectives.
7. Use Webhooks and the Operations Hub for Advanced Integrations
Use webhooks to connect workflows with external tools, like CRMs or AI tools.
HubSpot Workflows can transform your approach to automation—helping your team move beyond manual work and focus on what truly matters.
Building workflows tailored to your needs will streamline processes, strengthen communication, and ensure consistent, accurate data across sales, marketing, and service.
Now, it’s time to use HubSpot Workflows. Start by reviewing your current workflows or creating new ones that align with your business goals.
With a thoughtful setup and regular monitoring, you’ll build a system that syncs your entire organization.
Ready to dive in? Contact us for a personalized HubSpot audit to get your automation strategy on track.