If you’re juggling marketing and sales tools separately, you’re probably wasting precious time and missing opportunities. This is why knowing how to integrate HubSpot with Salesforce is a big deal when you must align marketing and sales efforts.
Bringing together HubSpot and Salesforce, you’re ensuring that teams can share current customer data, collaborate more effectively, and track leads with greater ease. Let’s discuss how to do it right.
What is HubSpot?
HubSpot functions as an all-in-one platform for marketing, sales, and customer service. Originally, HubSpot was launched to help businesses capture leads and build relationships.
Over the years, it’s evolved into a full-fledged enterprise CRM, encompassing marketing, sales, CMS, and customer service modules. You’ve got tools to manage contacts, run email campaigns, see who’s engaging with your website (clicks, form fills, the whole nine yards), and track how your campaigns are doing.
The whole idea behind HubSpot is ‘inbound’: pulling people in with useful content and smart marketing automation. When paired with CRM integration, such as sending a contact to Salesforce the moment they’re sales-ready. That streamlined flow illustrates the power of HubSpot and Salesforce integration. Or, put another way, how to connect HubSpot to Salesforce so no potential lead is missed.
What is Salesforce?
Salesforce is a big name in cloud-based CRM for a reason: it is used by everyone from Aussie SMEs to massive global companies. Salesforce is the place where your sales team lives – managing contacts, tracking opportunities through the pipeline, and qualifying leads with surgical precision.
Beyond these fundamentals, Salesforce features a vast ecosystem of plugins and CRM integration tools found in its AppExchange. These ecosystems make it simpler to integrate with marketing systems like HubSpot. Implementing a Salesforce HubSpot integration centralizes your data in one place.
Think of syncing all your marketing leads directly into Salesforce, so your sales team doesn’t have to jump between different dashboards. By choosing a connector or plugin to connect Salesforce to HubSpot, you can:
- Streamline your entire operation
- Maintain consistent lead records
- Harness sales automation for smoother workflows and better alignment between sales and marketing.
Why You Need to Integrate HubSpot with Salesforce
Linking HubSpot and Salesforce offers both time savings and growth opportunities. First off, you get smooth contacts sync. When marketing updates a lead’s status in HubSpot, sales see it in Salesforce almost instantly, and vice-versa.
For example, when HubSpot flags a marketing-qualified lead, that lead shows up in Salesforce straightaway. This helps your sales team respond faster.
Consequently, it also means smarter marketing outreach. Your sales can see exactly which emails or pages a lead interacted with (clicks, downloads, etc.), making follow-ups much more personal and effective. Another major selling point is marketing automation.
Tasks like updating lead stages or assigning new tasks can be triggered automatically when a certain condition is met, minimizing manual data entry.
On top of that, Australian small and medium-sized businesses benefit from local compliance control while still ensuring they remain competitive in broader markets.
Your teams lean on a HubSpot Salesforce integration to keep everyone in sync, with real-time data updates fueling collaboration across multiple offices/multiple sites/multiple devices.
This also settles the old debate of HubSpot vs. Salesforce. Why pick one over the other if you can blend both platforms’ strengths seamlessly? When both work together, you’ll unlock a well-rounded system for sustainable growth.
HubSpot and Salesforce Workflow Example
To see this HubSpot Salesforce partnership in action, imagine you running a new marketing campaign in HubSpot—perhaps offering a free eBook.
When a prospective buyer clicks your ad, lands on your HubSpot form, and enters their details, they’re logged as a new contact in HubSpot. Automatically, that record moves from HubSpot to Salesforce, producing a corresponding Salesforce lead for your sales team.
Your sales team receives an alert and gets full insight into the lead’s origin and history of engagement. From the first click to the final deal, these two systems are exchanging data the entire way. This means your marketing department tracks performance metrics, like views and conversions, in HubSpot, while the sales side updates the lead status in Salesforce.
If the lead becomes a paying customer, the change flows back from Salesforce to HubSpot, possibly triggering a welcome campaign.
As you see, no spreadsheets, no clunky imports. Everyone simply navigates the funnel with consistent data. This fluid HubSpot to Salesforce setup makes it crystal clear why alignment and a shared data view enhance conversions.
Step-by-Step Guide to Integrating HubSpot with Salesforce
Let’s break down how to integrate HubSpot with Salesforce into manageable steps. Having set up this integration countless times for our clients, we’ve learned where the common pitfalls are – and how to avoid them.
For additional context, we lay out a HubSpot Salesforce integration guide below using HubSpot’s native connector. If you want to use a specialized service like the Nexalab HubSpot Connector, these same core principles still apply, just with more support baked in.
1. Prepare Your HubSpot and Salesforce Accounts
You’ll need admin-level permissions and API capabilities activated in both Salesforce and HubSpot before you start connecting them.
In HubSpot, that means having an Admin role (with Account Access rights). In Salesforce, it’s best to use a dedicated integration user or a System Administrator profile with enough rights to handle data for leads/contacts. Note that Salesforce Professional or higher is typically required to allow API integration.
Verifying your permissions, tokens, and any necessary setup steps—like installing a package in Salesforce—helps you avoid access-related snags down the road.
2. Navigate to HubSpot’s Integration Marketplace
After logging into HubSpot, head over to the App Marketplace by clicking the marketplace icon. Once you’re there, just search for “Salesforce.” You should see the official Salesforce CRM integration offered by HubSpot pop right up. Click on it, and hit the ‘Install app’ or ‘Connect’ button.
However, take a moment to review the compatibility notes – they’ll tell you if there are any subscription-level restrictions or system requirements you need to address. This process is like adding a plugin. But instead of a standard plugin, you’re getting a robust connection that syncs your marketing and sales data automatically.
3. Connect HubSpot to Salesforce
Once you choose Connect, HubSpot prompts you to log into your Salesforce account. Provide the correct credentials, then confirm that HubSpot can access your Salesforce data. Typically, this step uses secure OAuth protocols.
HubSpot will usually display a Salesforce org ID or username as proof of the successful connection. You may also be directed to install a HubSpot package in Salesforce, which adds specialized fields and a Visualforce window. We suggest you using a dedicated integration user account here is a good practice for security.
4. Configure Field Mapping
Now, specify exactly how each piece of data travels between HubSpot and Salesforce. In HubSpot, go to Connected Apps > Salesforce and match your HubSpot properties. You’ll see some default mappings, like ‘Name,’ ‘Email,’ or ‘Company.’ Review these, but definitely add mappings for any custom fields crucial to your business, like ‘Industry’ or maybe ‘Lead Source.’ Keep an eye on field types. For example, if you’re mapping a text field to a numeric field, you’ll hit snags.
Also, decide if the sync is one-way or two-way. HubSpot-to-Salesforce only? Salesforce-to-HubSpot? Or both ways?
5. Define Sync Rules and Frequencies
After mapping fields, define your overall sync strategy. You might only want certain records. Let’s say you want marketing-qualified contacts flowing to Salesforce, or you may want everything synced.
Also consider whether to allow Salesforce to push newly created leads to HubSpot. Note that once the initial sync is complete, the system typically updates in near real-time. Clarify how you’d like the integration to handle record deletions or merges.
Please remember, setting clear rules ensures clean data flow and helps maintain that crucial sales and marketing alignment.
6. Test and Monitor the Integration
With the integration configured, run a small test by creating a sample contact in HubSpot and verifying it appears as a lead in Salesforce. And vice versa.
Check for errors in HubSpot’s sync log. Several common issues might involve missing required fields, invalid credentials, or permission shortfalls.
Once everything looks good, monitor the sync on a routine basis. But, always give room for any integration issues, like hitting API call limits.
If you hit tricky HubSpot Salesforce integration issues, our Nexalab team has seen it all and can help you troubleshoot.
HubSpot-Salesforce Integration Issues and Common Challenges
Even the best setup can hit a few bumps. So, you might still run into a handful of HubSpot Salesforce integration issues. Data duplication is a classic one. A tiny variation in an email address, for instance, can unintentionally create multiple records.
The problem is HubSpot and Salesforce have slightly different ways of spotting duplicates. So, sometimes you might end up with clones if you’re not careful with unique identifiers.
Similarly, if a particular Salesforce field is mandatory (“Industry,” perhaps), but HubSpot never populates it, you could see sync failures. Partial syncs can happen, too, like trying to force text values into numeric-only fields. On top of that, not having the right Salesforce object permissions or exceeding API call limits can disrupt your sync entirely.
For troubleshooting, peek at both HubSpot’s error logs and Salesforce’s queue. Often, they’ll pinpoint exactly which record is causing the problem and why. Quick fixes range from adjusting field mappings to cleaning up duplicates or even reconfiguring user permissions. It also helps to keep your database tidy by regularly merging duplicate entries.
If the issues become too complicated or time-consuming, it might be worth exploring Salesforce HubSpot integration services. Or you can consider an advanced middleware solution, like the Nexalab HubSpot Connector. We automate a lot of these tasks and offer direct support.
Best Practices to Ensure a Seamless HubSpot Salesforce Integration
Putting these two systems together doesn’t end after the first successful sync. Below are tips on how to ensure a seamless HubSpot Salesforce integration over the long haul.
- Establish Clear Data Governance: Decide which system is the primary record for certain data points (like lead statuses), and keep those rules consistent. Uniform data entry standards across both platforms help maintain clarity.
- Maintain Consistent Naming Conventions: If you call a status “Marketing Qualified” in Salesforce, adopt the same term in HubSpot. Such consistency cuts down on confusion and simplifies reporting.
- Regular Audits and Data Hygiene: Schedule monthly or quarterly check-ups to spot any stray records or duplicates, ensuring the sync remains reliable. When you keep your data squeaky clean, you reduce errors.
- Leverage Automation Wisely: Set up workflows in both systems carefully to avoid creating feedback loops. For example, a HubSpot workflow that updates a field which triggers Salesforce to do the same, endlessly.
- Notification and Error Handling: Enable notifications for any sync errors, and make sure the right person or team gets them. Tackling issues early often prevents bigger headaches down the road.
- Keep Integration Settings Updated: If you introduce new custom fields or alter your sales process in Salesforce, mirror those changes in HubSpot. And if you switch up your marketing approach in HubSpot, adjust your Salesforce fields and sync rules accordingly.
But for your information, tools like the Nexalab HubSpot Connector can simplify tasks such as setup, automation, and ongoing maintenance, all while ensuring you have the final say in how your systems work together. This is why we’re gonna discuss the comparison below.
Comparison Table: Manual Integration vs. Nexalab Integration
Sometimes it’s useful to compare a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach using HubSpot’s native integration with the more tailored Nexalab HubSpot Connector. Here’s a quick overview:
| Aspect | Manual Integration | Using Nexalab Services |
|---|---|---|
| Setup Time | Long – you’ll need to configure, map, and fully test all components yourself. | Short – guided setup, ready-made mappings, and swift deployment. |
| Technical Expertise | High – you must understand both HubSpot and Salesforce, including APIs. | Low – Nexalab’s experienced team does the heavy lifting for you. |
| Automation | Limited – relies on native sync (robust but may need custom coding for advanced needs). | Comprehensive – fully automated sync, plus advanced customizations and extra workflows. |
| Ongoing Support | On an ad-hoc basis – you’ll have to stay on top of updates and troubleshoot. | Dedicated – Nexalab keeps an eye on performance, proactively fixes issues, and stays on call. |
As you see, the manual route works but often takes more time and in-house expertise. This is why our team at the Nexalab HubSpot Connector typically delivers a more streamlined and worry-free setup. Our clients appreciate the time saved and reliability gained from our expert-led solution team.
However, the path you choose hinges on your internal resources, project scope, and comfort level in managing integration complexities.
Still not sure what you need? Contact us for a quick consultation, it’s free.
Your Next Steps
A well-orchestrated HubSpot-Salesforce integration can change how your teams manage leads, run campaigns, and cultivate customer relationships worldwide.
When your marketing automation and CRM systems work in harmony, the impact ripples throughout your organization. Sales and marketing finally operate as partners rather than separate departments. Customer insights flow freely instead of getting trapped in data silos.
The question now is how to integrate HubSpot with Salesforce with fewer issues. This is why you can try the Nexalab HubSpot Connector for extra guidance. We will be your partner in taking that first step toward unification. Your marketing team, your sales team, and your customers will thank you for it.
