How to Use and Create HubSpot Custom Objects

Customer Relationship Management software (CRM) manages customer relationships and stores interaction data to help businesses streamline sales and marketing processes. 

Inside HubSpot, relationships and interaction data are stored in objects. HubSpot offers four standard objects that many users are familiar with: contacts, tickets, companies, and deals.  These standard objects allow users to track individuals, companies, ongoing transactions, customer service requests, and the relationships between these objects with ease. 

However, what if you wanted to track inventory or track custom engagements? HubSpot offers users the ability to track data unique to their business using custom objects. 

Custom objects are a game-changer for any business, and while they may be challenging to create at first, they can help you properly track, segment, and manage your data. Additionally, you can also sync up to 10 custom objects with a HubSpot Salesforce integration. 

So how do you get started with custom objects, and what’s the best way to leverage this data for your organization? Learn how to get started with custom objects and employ them in standard processes. 

What is a Custom Object in HubSpot?

HubSpot custom objects are customer and business-related data that is unique to your business. Since standard objects are fairly limited to general customer contact data and ongoing deals, you may find a strong business case for creating a custom object to store and track unique business processes. 

For example, your business could create a custom object for cars at a dealership to track your inventory and how many vehicles are sold in a given month. Additionally, custom objects are not solely reserved for B2B or B2C businesses with inventory but could be used to track specific business processes or activities unique to your team.

Custom objects also allow users to track relationships and report on data between two objects. For example, a car dealership could add a custom Vehicle object to a contact record to see what vehicle from your inventory was purchased by a customer and then view which vehicles are performing the best overall. 

Similar to standard objects, HubSpot enables users to implement custom objects into multiple features, including reporting, personalized automated marketing emails, and workflows. 

One limitation to note - HubSpot allows for a maximum of 10 custom objects per account, which are available in Enterprise Accounts.  

To create a custom object, users must send an HTTP request via the HubSpot API, which may seem overwhelming at first. Luckily, we’ve provided an easy step-by-step guide to help you create your first custom object. 

How to Get Started with Custom Objects in HubSpot

To create a custom object in HubSpot, you’ll need to navigate to their Developer's Site and create a new schema. Then, complete the following to create a basic custom object. 

Developers Site > Object Definition > Create a New Schema 

> Fill out Parameters: singular/plural property, required properties

> Define a Property: name, label, and data type (Properties store information, help segment data, and allow for better attribution in reporting)

> Add Associated Objects: Deals, Contacts, Companies, Tickets, or other custom objects (ex., Associate a Subscription object with a Company to track revenue over time)

> Set Primary Display Property

> Run a test call by pasting the API key and viewing the HTTP protocol

For a more detailed guide, visit HubSpot, or take this free lesson. 

Build HubSpot Custom Objects without API

Not sure what HTTP or API mean? We’re not a fan of dev language either. Luckily, SyncSmart created an app to help you build custom objects with the click of a button. Custom Objects HQ lets you create custom objects in HubSpot quickly—no developer required!

Learn how to create a custom object without using API here.

Different Uses of HubSpot Custom Objects

Now that we understand how custom objects are built and how they can be managed by adding associated properties, we can start enrolling custom objects into all of our marketing processes in HubSpot, including workflows, emails, and reporting. 

1. Enroll Custom Objects in Workflows

   Similar to standard objects, custom objects can be enrolled into HubSpot workflows that trigger actions and requests for particular objects. For example, suppose your company works with external vendors. You could create a custom object representing the vendor and then enroll that object into a workflow that sends them an email with a contract every time your company makes a sale on each other’s behalf. 

   To enroll a custom object in a workflow, click the following:

   Automation > Workflow > Create Workflow > Start from Scratch > (Custom Object) > Next > Fill Out Workflow

2. Personalize Automated Emails with Custom Objects

   Since custom objects will record all data related to an object, this data can also be leveraged to personalize your automated email campaign further. Click the following to enroll custom objects inside an email campaign:

   Personalize > Type > (Custom Object) > Object Property > Default Value > Insert (Personalized Token) > Create Email

   Note - custom objects need to be directly related to the Contact object in order to personalize emails using data from Custom Objects.

3. Add Custom Objects to Reporting 

   Finally, reporting on custom objects is super straightforward. Add a custom object to an existing report or create a separate report for custom objects, and personalize them to your liking. To generate a report for a custom object, click the following:

   Reports > Report > Create Custom Report > Single Object > (Custom Object) > Create Report

   Manage Custom Object Records

To view and edit existing custom objects, you can navigate to your custom object records by clicking the following:

Records > Contacts > Contacts  > Click Name of Record > Select Custom Object from drop-down > Create Object Name in upper right > Fill out property values > Create

Now that you understand the basics of using custom objects, you can enroll them into existing workflows, pipelines, and emails to better personalize and streamline your marketing and sales processes. 

HubSpot’s custom objects allow businesses to personalize their data and make it work for them. 

If you need help managing your HubSpot CRM, schedule a consultation with our team at Coastal Consulting. 

Our team of experts offers everything from a HubSpot audit to HubSpot and Salesforce integration to help your business take back control of your CRM. We’re a HubSpot Partner ready to take your CRM to the next level and fuel your business growth.