All you need to know about HubSpot Workflow Automation

HubSpot workflow is a tool that helps you automate your sales, marketing, and service processes, which allows you to generate more qualified leads, move prospects further down the funnel, inform your team, and more. 

HubSpot Workflow automation makes way for you to scale upwards with your marketing and sales efforts and automates those tasks that you typically have to perform manually inside a CRM. 

You no longer have to send responsive emails manually to every individual who fills up the form. The workflow sends them personalized and contextual emails automatically, based on their action. It is a powerful tool with multifold benefits that we will cover as much as possible in this blog. 

Who can use HubSpot Automation Workflows?

The type of HubSpot Workflow you can use depends on the nature of your subscription. However, generally speaking, HubSpot Workflow applies to the following tiers:

HubSpot Marketing Hub: Professional and Enterprise.

Sales Hub: Professional and Enterprise.

Service Hub: Professional and Enterprise.

Types of HubSpot Workflow you can build in HubSpot:

Lead nurturing

Lead scoring

Notifications

Property Changes

Engagement/ Re-engagement

Event-based

Date based

What are HubSpot Workflow best Practices?

It can often get confusing as to where you should begin and which guidelines you should follow while using a new tool or solution. Here are some useful tips that define the best practices that users should follow to boost their sales results.

Start with a Simple Workflow

Whenever you start something, it is recommended that you start small. Naturally, the first HubSpot automation workflow will not resolve all of your issues. However, it will give you a better understanding of how to proceed. 

Thus, to save yourself from the confusion and hassle, start working on simple workflows and avoid creating too complex workflows. One of the best examples of a smart yet straightforward HubSpot workflow is setting up a follow-up email for anyone subscribing to your blog. You can welcome them by offering some initial content for them to check out.

Focus on Timing

Timing is a crucial aspect to consider while you use HubSpot email workflow. Whether it is a sales or marketing email, being thoughtful about its timeliness can help you a long way. Consider the convenience, availability, and triggers of the recipient. 

For example, if you send a sales email at midnight on a Friday, the subscriber is most likely to miss it. And even if they do notice, it will be considered a highly unprofessional attitude from you.

Fortunately, you can leverage HubSpot workflows' parameters, which enable automated emails on business days or working hours, etc.

Set a specific Goal

With any marketing campaign, analysis is mandatory, and to analyze the performance; you need to set a specific goal. If you don't set a goal, you will not be able to make the most of Workflow automation. You will fail to grasp how successful your workflow is.

Thus, we recommend that HubSpot workflow users assign a scalable and achievable target to the workflow and track how many people reach the goal and how many are dropping off midway. It is also essential to analyze where they are disconnecting, so you can work on it.

Add Context and Branches as you Proceed

As you get the hang of the tool, you can add more criteria and branches to your HubSpot workflow. Let us take the instance of HubSpot lead nurturing workflow:

If you set up a series of lead nurturing emails, you can create an alternate branch that re-sends the emails to those subscribers who haven't opened the email. 

Test the Performance

Another one of the HubSpot workflow practices that you shouldn't neglect is testing the workflow. Although HubSpot has a testing feature, we recommend users to do it manually. To ensure there are no errors, fill out the form in the criteria.

You can also enroll yourself manually in the workflow. This way, you will have the opportunity to work out any existing kinks before setting it live. 

How to get started with HubSpot Workflow?

Now let's get to the most vital part of HubSpot workflow: the setup.

Follow the steps mentioned below to get started:

• Navigate to Automation, then Workflows in your HubSpot account.
• Click on Create workflow in the upper right.

Select Workflow Type

The following are the options you can choose from when it comes to selecting the workflow type:

• Contacts
• Companies
• Deals
• Quotes
• Tickets
• Custom objects

To select your workflow type:

Navigate to the left panel of the setup page and choose whether you want to start your workflow from scratch or a template. 

Start from scratch: begin with a blank workflow.

Source: knowledge.hubspot

Templates: start with a default set of enrollment triggers and actions.

Source: knowledge.hubspot

Set Enrollment Criteria

After creating the workflow, the next step is to select enrollment criteria. When the records meet the requirements, they will get enrolled automatically. You can also enroll records manually by leaving the enrollment box empty. 

• Navigate to the workflow editor, click on Set enrollment triggers.
• Select one of the many options in Filter type for your enrollment trigger in the right panel.
• Set up the criteria and click the Apply filter option.

The first time the records meet the enrollment triggers, they will only meet the enrollment triggers by default. Execute the following steps to enable re-enrollment:

• Click on the Re-enrollment tab in the right sidebar. 
• Click to toggle the Re-enrolment switch on.
• Here you can select the triggers you want to use for re-enrollment. 

You can add more enrollment triggers if you want.

• Once you are done, click Save.  

Add Actions

• Click the plus icon(+) to add an action to your workflow.
• Select an action in the right panel.
• Set up the specifications of the action and click Save.
• You can add more workflow options by clicking the plus icon(+).

Source: knowledge.hubspot

Manage Settings

To manage workflow settings, select the Settings tab. Navigate to the General page and select the days and hours when you want the action to be executed, enroll contacts and ad campaigns in the workflow.

Another page is the Unenrollment and suppression one, where you can set enrollment and suppression criteria to automatically remove or exclude records from the workflow. 

Source: knowledge.hubspot

Turn on your Workflow

• Click Review in the upper right corner.
• Select the enrolled records that fit the current criteria or that of the future.
• To enroll existing records that meet the enrollment triggers, select "Yes", enroll existing [objects] which meet the trigger criteria as of now.
• To only enroll records that meet the enrollment triggers after the workflow is turned on, select "No" and only enroll [objects] that meet the trigger criteria after turning the workflow on.

Source: knowledge.hubspot

• If you have a Marketing Hub Starter, Professional, or Enterprise account, in contact-based workflows, you can view a static list of contacts that meet the criteria by clicking Use lists to see these contacts. The list will automatically be saved and can be accessed from your lists dashboard.

Source: knowledge.hubspot

• Verify the workflow settings and click Turn on.
• You will see the dialog box where you have to select Yes, turn on. 

And you are done.

Wrapping Up

Now that you are thorough with the nitty gritty of HubSpot Workflow, make the most of it and steamline your business processes. If you still have questions, you can schedule a complementary demo with us.

For any HubSpot related queries or requirement contact us!