If you’re in the world of marketing, sales, or customer service, chances are you’re juggling a million things at once. Enter HubSpot workflows: your knight in shining automation armor! Whether you’re sending emails, nurturing leads, or reminding your sales team to follow up with prospects, HubSpot workflows make it all happen smoothly, like clockwork (without any need for an extra cup of coffee). In this guide, we’ll dive into the magic of setting up and managing HubSpot workflows so you can automate like a pro and get back to focusing on the big stuff.
What is a HubSpot Workflow?
Before we dive in, let’s get this straight: a HubSpot workflow is not your regular 9-to-5 hustle. Instead, it’s a superpower that automates your tasks based on triggers you set. Think of it like a well-choreographed dance: you define the moves, and HubSpot performs them flawlessly. Whether it’s sending a welcome email to new contacts or assigning tasks to your sales team, HubSpot workflows automate repetitive processes to make your workday easier and more efficient.
Why Use Workflows?
Let’s be real: we all have more tasks than time. Workflows help you:
- Automate repetitive tasks (so you don’t forget that all-important follow-up email).
- Create personalized customer journeys (because no one likes feeling like they’re just another number).
- Save time for more strategic work (like finally planning that beach vacation).
Got it? Awesome! Now let’s jump into the setup process.
Step 1: Define Your Workflow’s Purpose (AKA Know What You Want)
Before we go pressing buttons, let’s figure out why you need a workflow in the first place. HubSpot workflows can handle tons of scenarios, from automating lead nurturing to sending post-purchase follow-ups.
Example: Let’s say you run an online pet supply store, and every time someone subscribes to your newsletter, you want to automatically send them a series of emails introducing your best dog products, favorite grooming tips, and your VIP discount.
The purpose? Lead nurturing.
Take a minute to define your goal, as it will shape every decision you make moving forward.
Pro Tip: It helps to sketch out your workflow on paper first (or on a whiteboard if you’re feeling fancy). Visualizing the process helps to ensure you don’t miss anything.
Step 2: Choose a Workflow Type
Now that you have a goal in mind, it’s time to open HubSpot and create your workflow. HubSpot gives you two major options:
- Standard Workflows: These are your typical “if this, then that” scenarios. For example, “if someone fills out this form, send them an email.”
- Contact-based Workflows: These are workflows specifically triggered by contact properties like lifecycle stage, last interaction, or list membership.
Example: If a new lead joins your email list, send them a welcome message within 10 minutes.
Pro Tip: New to workflows? Start with contact-based workflows. They’re straightforward, and perfect for things like automating email sequences based on user actions.
Step 3: Set Your Enrollment Triggers
This is where the fun begins! The enrollment trigger is what kicks off your workflow. You can think of this as the starting point—the action a user takes to enter your workflow.
Head to your HubSpot dashboard, and under “Workflows,” click Create Workflow. Select the type of workflow you’re building (contact-based, for example) and then set your trigger.
You can choose from:
- Form Submissions: Trigger the workflow when someone fills out a specific form.
- Page Views: Kick off the workflow when someone views a certain page (like your pricing page).
- List Membership: Automatically enroll contacts who are added to a specific list.
- Lifecycle Stages: For example, when a lead moves from “Marketing Qualified Lead” to “Sales Qualified Lead.”
Example: If someone submits a form to download your free e-book, enroll them into your workflow.
Pro Tip: Make sure your trigger is specific! You don’t want everyone and their grandma entering your workflow by accident.
Step 4: Define Workflow Actions (AKA Time to Automate)
Now we get to the meat of the process: actions. Once a user is enrolled in your workflow, what happens next? This is where you’ll define the actual steps HubSpot will take for you, such as:
- Sending an email.
- Assigning a task to your sales team.
- Adding the contact to a list.
- Updating a property (e.g., changing the lead status).
You can add as many actions as needed to create a full automation process.
Example: Let’s go back to the pet store scenario. After someone downloads your e-book on dog care, you can:
- Wait 2 days, then send them a follow-up email with tips on dog grooming.
- Wait 5 more days, then send them a 10% discount on dog grooming products.
- If they don’t open the second email, send a reminder email.
Each action builds on the previous one to nurture the lead toward a purchase.
Pro Tip: Keep actions spaced out, and don’t overwhelm people with too many emails at once (we’ve all seen that trigger-happy brand that sends three emails in one hour—don’t be that brand!).
Step 5: Set Delays and Timeframes
Now that you have your actions in place, think about timing. HubSpot lets you set delays between actions, ensuring your contacts aren’t bombarded with too much too soon. You can also set workflows to only execute during business hours, which is handy for sales-related workflows.
Example: If someone downloads your e-book on a Friday night, they might not appreciate receiving a follow-up email on Saturday morning. You can set the workflow to wait until Monday during business hours to send that first email.
Pro Tip: Use delays wisely. Giving users time to absorb your content between actions (like a few days between emails) can increase engagement rates.
Step 6: Add Goal Criteria
If your workflow has a specific end goal—like turning leads into customers—you can set goal criteria that unenroll contacts once they’ve completed that goal.
Example: If the goal of your workflow is for someone to purchase a product, you can set it so that once a contact makes a purchase, they’re automatically unenrolled from the workflow. This prevents them from receiving redundant or irrelevant follow-up emails.
Pro Tip: Always set a goal to avoid over-emailing contacts who have already taken action!
Step 7: Test Your Workflow (Before Launching into the Wild)
Before you hit the big “Activate” button, you want to make sure everything runs smoothly. HubSpot allows you to test your workflow to see how contacts will flow through the automation. This helps identify any bottlenecks or errors before they go live.
Pro Tip: Use test contacts (or dummy data) to see if the workflow logic holds up. If your workflow has email sends, you’ll also want to check that the emails look good across different devices and browsers.
Step 8: Monitor and Optimize
Once your workflow is live, the work doesn’t stop there. You should monitor its performance regularly to ensure it’s delivering the desired results. HubSpot provides analytics that show how many contacts are enrolled, how many emails were opened, and whether the workflow is achieving its goal.
Pro Tip: Experiment with different versions of your workflow to see what works best. For example, try testing different subject lines in your emails or tweaking the timing of your actions to improve engagement.
Step 9: Managing and Editing Existing Workflows
Let’s say a couple of months down the line, you want to tweak your workflow. Maybe you’re noticing a drop in engagement, or you want to add a new product to your email sequence.
Luckily, editing an existing workflow is easy in HubSpot. Just go to the workflow editor, make your changes, and HubSpot will update everything seamlessly.
Pro Tip: Don’t be afraid to evolve your workflows. As your business grows, your workflows should too. Keep refining to maximize results.
Conclusion
Setting up and managing HubSpot workflows is like giving your business a superpower. With a little bit of time and creativity, you can automate processes that make your life easier and help your team focus on what really matters: providing value to your customers.
So go ahead, set up your workflows, and let HubSpot do the heavy lifting while you enjoy that well-deserved beach vacation.
And remember: always test, optimize, and keep those workflows fresh. After all, automation should work for you, not the other way around!