HubSpot and Salesforce are the leading software tools supporting sales and marketing teams. Separately, they each have amazing strengths that can build a robust system for your business. Together, they can transform how you engage prospects and customers and drive smarter strategic decisions.
The HubSpot Salesforce integration is a powerful automation platform that provides tools for every stage of the customer journey, from initial marketing to customer service requests. It combines marketing features like content management and email services with sales functionalities and customer support, which unifies your team toward business objectives.
This article guides you through how HubSpot and Salesforce work together and what you can expect when integrating the two. Plus, what to consider when deciding whether to use the integration or stick to one system over the other.
HubSpot and Salesforce integrate one of two ways. You can get the native integration through the HubSpot App Marketplace or create a custom solution with a developer. We recommend most teams use the native integration. It is easier, faster, and more affordable. The HubSpot Salesforce integration Certification takes an in-depth look at the integration, from understanding its benefits and drawbacks to implementation and management for non-tech folks.
A custom integration gives you more control of the setup and data structures, but it also increases ongoing maintenance costs and complexity, and frankly, it’s not necessary for most teams.
Each platform has a unique data structure. HubSpot’s data structure centers around the Contact, which represents a person. Salesforce focuses on the Account, which represents a company that has engaged you and uses the Lead and Contact objects to represent individuals within the Account. We have talked at length about the challenges caused by using Salesforce Leads with the HubSpot Salesforce integration.
HubSpot and Salesforce send data bi-directionally—when appropriately integrated, that is. During the integration process, you’ll be able to choose which data makes it from HubSpot to Salesforce and vice versa. The systems have different data types, so you’ll have to map fields for the data to flow correctly.
Automations put the data to work. Workflows are at the core of the integration, removing manual work and ensuring all prospects get timely, relevant communications. Depending on how you set the system up, actions taken in either platform will trigger automations on the other. For example, updating a Contact’s status in Salesforce updates that Contact’s record in HubSpot, which can trigger an email to go out or a notification to pop up for the Account owner.
One of the main challenges of the integration is navigating the different data structures and intended functionality of each platform. If you’re an experienced Salesforce user, you may come to HubSpot with a set expectation of reporting or how the Lead object behaves. On the contrary, a HubSpot user may expect to use Campaigns to compile assets for an initiative, which won’t happen in Salesforce.
Once we’re past the initial shock of how different the systems are, it’s time to talk about sync errors, or issues with data flow. A sync error is a problem with the setup that keeps data from moving seamlessly from one platform to the other, preventing automations from being triggered and records from updating correctly. HubSpot takes a proactive approach to tracking and solving sync errors in the integration.
Another common theme is that Salesforce is a more complex tool than HubSpot. While HubSpot can handle most Enterprise use cases, Salesforce is a blank canvas for skilled administrators to build upon from scratch. Teams love it because of how customizable it is, but this translates into increased complexity in daily management. And, for each customization done to Salesforce, an equal customization will need to be done to maintain each integration with Salesforce. Comparatively, HubSpot’s interface is more geared towards user experience and meeting the needs of businesses via the path of least resistance, requiring little to no code or deep technical knowledge.
The HubSpot suite is also more comprehensive, with marketing, sales, operations, and customer service tools that place it at the top in terms of marketing technology. If your team is not already using Salesforce, we recommend exploring HubSpot alone.
Ultimately, choosing the integration or a single platform depends on your business and needs. On its own, HubSpot provides a robust sales, marketing, and support system that is user-friendly, affordable, and designed to streamline your operations. Add HubSpot to your Salesforce mix and build a powerful engagement machine that transforms how you interact with your audience.
The HubSpot Salesforce Integration Course provides a thorough overview of how the integration works, the considerations you’ll need to make before getting started, and how to design a solution tailored to your business.
Position yourself as a thought leader in the HubSpot Salesforce integration.