Building Your First HubSpot Workflow

HubSpot workflows are one of the most powerful features for automating your marketing and sales processes. Whether you want to nurture leads, score prospects, or streamline internal tasks, workflows can save you hours of manual work while delivering a more personalized experience to your contacts.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through creating your first HubSpot workflow from scratch. By the end, you'll understand the key components, best practices, and how to avoid common pitfalls that can derail your automation efforts.

What Are HubSpot Workflows?

HubSpot workflows are automated sequences of actions triggered by specific conditions or events. Think of them as digital assistants that can:

• Send personalized email sequences
• Update contact properties automatically
• Create tasks and notifications for your team
• Score leads based on their behavior
• Move contacts through lifecycle stages
• Integrate with external systems

Types of HubSpot Workflows

Contact-Based Workflows

These workflows are triggered when contacts meet specific criteria. Examples include:

• Welcome email series for new subscribers
• Lead nurturing campaigns based on interests
• Re-engagement campaigns for inactive contacts
• Post-purchase follow-up sequences

Company-Based Workflows

These workflows act on company records, useful for:

• Account-based marketing campaigns
• Company scoring and qualification
• Sales territory assignment
• Contract renewal reminders

Deal-Based Workflows

These workflows trigger based on deal activities:

• Sales process automation
• Deal stage progression notifications
• Quote and proposal generation
• Win/loss analysis automation

Planning Your First Workflow

Step 1: Define Your Goal

Before building any workflow, clearly define what you want to achieve. Common goals include:

• Lead Nurturing: Move prospects through the buyer's journey
• Lead Qualification: Score and route leads to sales
• Customer Onboarding: Guide new customers through setup
• Sales Enablement: Automate sales tasks and follow-ups
• Customer Retention: Identify and re-engage at-risk customers

Step 2: Map Your Process

Document your current manual process before automating it:

• What triggers the process?
• What actions do you currently take?
• What decisions need to be made along the way?
• What is the desired outcome?
• How do you measure success?

Step 3: Identify Your Audience

Determine who should enter this workflow:

• What characteristics define your target audience?
• What behaviors trigger enrollment?
• Are there any exclusion criteria?
• Should the workflow be one-time or recurring?

Building Your First Workflow: A Lead Nurturing Example

Let's build a practical example: a lead nurturing workflow for prospects who download a specific whitepaper. This workflow will educate them about your solution and eventually convert them into sales-qualified leads.

Step 1: Access the Workflow Tool

1. Navigate to Automation > Workflows in your HubSpot account
2. Click "Create workflow"
3. Choose "Contact-based" workflow
4. Select "Blank workflow" to start from scratch
5. Give your workflow a descriptive name: "Whitepaper Download Nurture"

Step 2: Set Enrollment Triggers

Define what will cause contacts to enter your workflow:

1. Click "Set enrollment triggers"
2. Select "Form submission" as your trigger type
3. Choose your whitepaper download form
4. Set re-enrollment to "No" (contacts should only go through this once)
5. Save your trigger settings

Step 3: Add Your First Action

Let's start with a welcome email:

1. Click the "+" button to add an action
2. Select "Send email"
3. Choose "Create new email" or select an existing template
4. Design your welcome email with:
   • Personalized subject line: "Thanks for downloading [Whitepaper Name], [First Name]"
   • Confirmation of download
   • Additional resources or next steps
   • Clear call-to-action
5. Save your email

Step 4: Add Delays

Don't overwhelm your prospects with immediate follow-ups:

1. Click the "+" button after your email
2. Select "Delay"
3. Set a 3-day delay
4. Choose whether to skip weekends and holidays

Step 5: Add Educational Content

Follow up with valuable, educational content:

1. Add another "Send email" action
2. Create an educational email that:
   • References the downloaded whitepaper
   • Provides additional insights or tips
   • Links to related blog posts or resources
   • Includes a soft CTA for a consultation or demo

Step 6: Add Branching Logic

Create different paths based on engagement:

1. Add a 2-day delay
2. Click the "+" and select "If/then branch"
3. Set the condition: "Has clicked link in email" (your educational email)
4. Create two paths:
   • Yes path: High engagement - send sales-focused content
   • No path: Low engagement - send more educational content

Step 7: Add Lead Scoring

Update contact properties based on behavior:

1. In the high-engagement path, add "Set property value"
2. Select "HubSpot Score" property
3. Choose "Increase by" and set value to 10 points
4. Add another property update for "Lead Status" to "Marketing Qualified Lead"

Step 8: Create Sales Notifications

Alert your sales team about qualified leads:

1. Add "Create task" action
2. Assign to contact owner or specific sales rep
3. Set task title: "Follow up with qualified lead: [Contact Name]"
4. Add notes about their download and engagement
5. Set due date for immediate follow-up

Workflow Best Practices

1. Start Simple

Begin with basic workflows and add complexity gradually. A simple workflow that works is better than a complex one that confuses your team and contacts.

2. Test Before Launching

• Use test contacts to verify all actions work correctly
• Check email rendering across different devices
• Verify links and CTAs function properly
• Test all branching logic scenarios

3. Use Clear Naming Conventions

Develop consistent naming for workflows, emails, and other assets:

• Include purpose and trigger: "Lead Nurture - Whitepaper Download"
• Add version numbers: "v1.2" for iterations
• Use descriptive email names: "WP Download - Welcome Email 1"

4. Monitor Performance

Regularly review workflow performance:

• Enrollment and completion rates
• Email open and click-through rates
• Conversion rates at each stage
• Goal completion and ROI

5. Set Clear Goals

Define success metrics before launching:

• Primary goal: Lead qualification rate
• Secondary goals: Email engagement, website visits
• Timeline: How long should contacts stay in the workflow?
• Exit criteria: When should contacts leave the workflow?

Common Workflow Mistakes to Avoid

Advanced Workflow Ideas

Once you've mastered basic workflows, consider these advanced scenarios:

Behavioral Scoring Workflow

Automatically score contacts based on their website behavior, email engagement, and content consumption.

Customer Health Score Workflow

Monitor customer engagement and automatically flag at-risk accounts for intervention.

Event-Triggered Workflows

Create workflows triggered by specific events like webinar attendance, trial signups, or support ticket creation.

Measuring Workflow Success

Key Metrics to Track

• Enrollment Rate: How many contacts enter your workflow?
• Completion Rate: What percentage complete the entire workflow?
• Email Performance: Open rates, click rates, unsubscribe rates
• Conversion Rate: How many achieve your workflow goal?
• Revenue Impact: What's the monetary value generated?

Optimization Tips

• A/B test email subject lines and content
• Experiment with send times and delays
• Refine enrollment criteria based on performance
• Add or remove workflow steps based on engagement data
• Update content to stay relevant and valuable

Conclusion

Building your first HubSpot workflow might seem daunting, but by starting with a clear goal and simple structure, you can create powerful automation that saves time and improves results. Remember to test thoroughly, monitor performance, and iterate based on data.

The key to workflow success is starting simple and gradually adding sophistication as you learn what works for your audience. Focus on providing value at every step, and your workflows will become powerful drivers of growth for your business.