If there’s one feature in HubSpot that can genuinely transform the way your business operates, it’s Workflows. HubSpot Workflows allow you to automate almost any repetitive task across your sales and marketing process — saving your team time, ensuring consistency, and making sure no lead or customer falls through the cracks.
But workflows can seem daunting if you’re new to them. This guide breaks it down clearly.
What Is a HubSpot Workflow?
A HubSpot Workflow is an automated sequence of actions that is triggered when a contact, company, deal, or ticket meets a defined set of criteria. When the trigger condition is met, HubSpot automatically carries out a series of actions — sending emails, updating properties, assigning tasks, notifying team members, and much more — without any manual intervention.
Common Types of HubSpot Workflows
There are many ways to use workflows in HubSpot. Some of the most common and valuable include lead nurturing sequences (automatically sending a series of emails to new leads based on their behaviour), lead rotation (automatically assigning incoming leads to the right sales rep), deal stage automation (updating deal properties and sending notifications when a deal moves to a new stage), and re-engagement campaigns (automatically reaching out to contacts who haven’t engaged in a defined period).
How to Build Your First Workflow
Every workflow starts with a trigger — the condition that sets it in motion. This could be a form submission, a contact property changing, a deal reaching a certain stage, or a date-based trigger. From there, you add actions: send an email, set a property value, create a task, send an internal notification, or add a delay before the next action. HubSpot’s workflow builder is visual and drag-and-drop, making it straightforward to build even complex sequences.
Best Practices for HubSpot Workflows
Before building a workflow, map it out on paper or a whiteboard first. Clearly define who should enter the workflow, what should happen at each step, and what the end goal is. Always test your workflows with a small group before rolling them out to your full database. Use clear, descriptive naming conventions so your team can understand what each workflow does at a glance. And review your workflows regularly — as your business evolves, your automations should too.
How Workflows Fit Into Your Wider HubSpot Strategy
Workflows are most powerful when they’re part of a joined-up HubSpot strategy — integrated with your CRM data, your email marketing, your deal pipeline, and your reporting. Used well, they can dramatically reduce the manual workload on your team while improving the consistency and quality of every customer interaction.
Need help building HubSpot Workflows that actually work for your business? Get in touch with Big Presence — workflow design and automation is one of our specialisms.