HubSpot Salesforce Field Mapping Best Practices

Correctly mapping HubSpot properties to Salesforce fields is the foundation of a reliable integration. Without it, the systems will pass data back and forth in ways that are incomplete, inconsistent, or misleading. This makes it impossible for marketers to attribute revenue accurately, or for sales reps to see the full profile of a lead before they pick up the phone.

To help you avoid this common integration issue, we’ll run through what HubSpot field mapping is, why it matters, where teams most often go wrong, and the best practices that ensure your data syncs to Sales Cloud in a way that helps Sales close deals and gives Marketing the attribution they need to secure budget.

Field mapping is the process of linking a property in HubSpot to its corresponding field in Salesforce CRM. For example, the HubSpot property for “Industry” is mapped to the “Industry” field in Salesforce, so whichever system the data is updated in, both platforms hold the same value.

Some mappings exist out of the box, but those defaults rarely cover everything a business needs. Most organisations use custom fields, specific qualification criteria, or naming conventions that don’t match one-to-one. That’s why field mapping isn’t something you set up once and forget about. It requires deliberate planning, an understanding of what sales reps actually need to progress leads, and a set idea of how you intend to measure ROI.

If this groundwork isn’t done properly, the systems won’t agree, and your marketing-to-sales handoff is affected. Marketing might see a contact sitting at one lifecycle stage, while Salesforce shows something completely different. A campaign could generate 50 MQLs in HubSpot, but the sales team might only receive 30 records in Salesforce because 20 of them failed to sync due to mismatched field types.

For marketing managers and directors, the technical side of field mapping may not feel like a priority compared with the creative campaigns you want to run (it’s less fun, we get it!). But when mappings are wrong or incomplete, it undermines everything else, so it’s not an area you can afford to overlook.

First, there’s data reliability. If fields don’t align, the same lead will display different information in each system. Once teams lose confidence in the data, it becomes far harder to convince leadership that your reports can be trusted.

Then there’s sales enablement. Reps need the full context around each lead. For example, what content they’ve consumed, where they came from, and what their buying intent signals look like. If these details are stuck in HubSpot and not visible in Salesforce, you’re asking sales to engage without the full picture, leading to slower conversations and missed opportunities.

Finally, there’s the question of marketing attribution. To prove ROI, you need to show which campaigns led to revenue. If fields like campaign ID or original lead source aren’t mapped correctly, the connection between activity and outcome is lost. When it comes to budget reviews, this gap makes it difficult to argue for further investment.

Want to add HubSpot lists to Salesforce campaigns too? Read this guide.

Even with good intentions, many organisations slip into the same HubSpot data mistakes when setting up field mappings. A common one is relying solely on the default mappings HubSpot provides. While these cover some basics, they don’t reflect the nuances of your business or the custom fields created in Salesforce to support your sales process.

Another frequent issue is confusion around one-way versus two-way sync. Without clear rules, data can be overwritten in ways that create major problems. For instance, should Salesforce always update HubSpot, or vice versa, or should both systems update each other? Without deliberate choices, information can quickly fall out of sync.

Data type mismatches are another culprit. A dropdown field in Salesforce won’t sync neatly with a free-text field in HubSpot. Instead, you end up with errors, failed syncs, or values that make no sense to users on either side.

Poor naming conventions also cause headaches. Multiple versions of the same field, such as “Lead Source”, “Lead Source Detail”, or “Original Source”, lead to confusion about which one is correct. Finally, one of the biggest mistakes is leaving the sales team out of the process. Field mapping often sits with marketing or technical teams, but if sales members aren’t consulted, critical information they need to progress deals can be missed entirely.

To avoid these field mapping pitfalls and set your integration up for success there are several practices we recommend every organisation follow.

1. Start with an audit. Review both systems in detail. Which fields exist in Salesforce, and which exist in HubSpot? Which are duplicates? Which are unused? This exercise is often eye-opening, as most systems accumulate clutter over time.

2. Focus on what drives revenue. Not every field needs to sync. Prioritise those that directly impact sales qualification and ROI reporting. Think about lead source, lifecycle stage, industry, deal size, and campaign ID. If a field doesn’t help sales close deals or marketing prove ROI, ask if it really needs to be mapped.

3. Standardise field types and naming. Make sure data formats match across both systems. A picklist in Salesforce should match the options in HubSpot. Field names should be consistent and descriptive, so everyone knows exactly what they represent.

4. Set clear sync directions. Decide whether each field should sync one-way or two-way. For example, lead score usually makes sense as one-way from HubSpot to Salesforce, whereas contact details like phone number or email should be two-way so both systems remain up to date.

5. Test thoroughly. Before pushing changes live, test in a sandbox, if possible. Create test leads and run them through different scenarios to confirm everything syncs correctly. This step catches small errors before they become bigger issues.

6. Review regularly. Your sales process will evolve, new campaigns will launch, and new fields will be created. Field mappings should be reviewed regularly to ensure they remain accurate and useful. A quarterly audit is good practice.

Of course, you don’t need to go this alone. Bringing in a certified partner can ensure your systems are integrated in line with best practices, while freeing your time to focus on strategic and creative work. MarCloud is both a HubSpot and Salesforce Partner, so we know both platforms inside out!

Once you’ve audited your fields and agreed which ones matter, the actual mapping process in HubSpot is fairly straightforward. Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to your HubSpot–Salesforce integration settings. In HubSpot, navigate to Settings > Integrations > Connected Apps > Salesforce. This is where all field mappings are managed.

2. Open the field mappings tool. Under the Salesforce integration, click the relevant Object, remembering that Contacts in HubSpot are Leads/Contacts in Salesforce, Companies in HubSpot are Accounts in Salesforce and Deals in HubSpot are Opportunities in Salesforce. Here you’ll see the default mappings HubSpot created automatically when the integration was set up.

3. Create or edit a mapping.

• Ensure the new field is already created in Salesforce (you can create the property in HubSpot via the dropdown in the following stage).

• Click the Object you would like to update e.g Contacts (if you don’t have permissions, this button will be greyed out like the above example, so speak with your admin).

• Select Contacts Property Mappings.

• Select Add New Field Mapping.

• Choose the sync behaviour: one-way (HubSpot to Salesforce or Salesforce to HubSpot) or two-way.

4. Check data type compatibility. HubSpot will only allow mappings between compatible field types (for example, text to text, dropdown to picklist). If you run into errors here, you’ll need to adjust the property in HubSpot or the field in Salesforce to match.

5. Save and test. After creating or editing a mapping, save your changes and create a test record in HubSpot. Update the mapped property and confirm the value appears correctly in Salesforce.

6. Use record type mappings if needed. If your Salesforce org uses multiple record types (for example, different lead or account types), you can manage how HubSpot contacts are assigned to those under the same integration settings.

The tool itself is easy to use. The real challenge lies in making the right strategic decisions about which fields to map, how they should sync, and when to review them.

When done properly, field mapping becomes much more than an integration task. It directly supports alignment between marketing and sales. Marketing gets the data that they need to attribute revenue accurately, and sales receives the complete context to engage leads effectively.

The real benefit of getting this right is that marketing and sales work from the same set of facts, which makes conversations about budget, performance, and strategy far more straightforward.

Start fixing your HubSpot field mapping today

If you’re unsure whether your current field mappings are set up in the best way, it’s worth carrying out an audit sooner rather than later. The investment in getting this right pays back in the form of reliable data, aligned teams, and campaigns that can be judged on their true impact.

At MarCloud, we help businesses review, optimise, and maintain their HubSpot–Salesforce integrations, including field mapping. If you’d like support in making sure your data is working as hard as it should, let’s talk.