Marketing Automation Migration: Effort, Timeline & Cost

For those considering a marketing automation migration, hesitation usually isn’t about recognising a problem. Most marketing leaders already know their current setup isn’t quite doing what they need it to. But migration is a big task and often comes with questions like:

How much work is this really going to be?
How long will it take before things feel stable again?
And what happens if the cost, effort, or disruption is greater than expected?

Marketing teams are still responsible for performance while the migration happens, and no one wants to explain missed targets or confused reporting because a platform project took far longer than planned.

Based on our experience migrating clients from Salesforce to HubSpot, this article focuses on those practical concerns. It explains what a marketing automation migration actually involves, what affects effort and timelines, and how to think about cost in a way that makes sense to both marketing teams and leadership.

Most marketing automation tools have been shaped over the years by different teams, changing priorities, and short-term fixes that made sense at the time. 

As a result, effort and cost can feel difficult to pin down early on. There’s usually a sense that “there’s more work under the surface,” even if it’s not immediately obvious what that is. 

During migration projects, we often come across hidden automations, unused or duplicate fields, old processes, and undocumented logic, all of which can confuse in-house teams enough to give up on migration early on. But that would be a mistake.

The purpose of a migration isn’t to remove these problems first, but to understand them early enough that decisions are based on reality rather than best-case assumptions. 

In short, you need to know what you’re dealing with before you can predict effort or assign a project budget.

Most marketing automation migrations follow a similar structure:

• Discovery and audit

• Design and rebuild

• Testing and validation

• Controlled rollout

Each phase exists for a reason. Skipping steps or rushing ahead usually increases risk rather than reducing timelines.

The first port of call is an audit of your current state. This provides clarity on what actually exists, not what teams think exists. It allows you to write a plan and confidently estimate how long the migration will take, how much resource it will require, and a ballpark idea of cost based on whether you’re working in-house or with a certified migration partner.

Next is the design and rebuild stage. Here, you’ll focus on creating a system that supports your current and future goals, not just replicating old behaviour. 

And of course, testing and validation catch issues before they affect live campaigns. A controlled rollout will ensure you have stability once the new platform is in use.

This structure helps surface issues early, when they are easier and cheaper to fix, rather than at go-live when pressure is highest.

At MarCloud, we manage the full migration process end-to-end. We take responsibility for both the technical outcome and how the platform supports day-to-day marketing work.

Our Salesforce to HubSpot (or vice versa) migration work typically includes:

• A full platform audit

• A custom migration plan based on your setup

• Data migration and validation ( so important!)

• Rebuilding key assets such as automations and scoring

• Testing and rollout

• Post-migration support

Throughout, our clients know what’s happening, why it’s happening, and what to expect at each stage. It also avoids the common issue of migrations being treated as purely technical projects, disconnected from how marketing actually operates.

Migration timelines vary because platforms and businesses vary. There are, however, clear factors that influence how quickly a marketing automation migration can happen.

Projects tend to move faster when:

• Your data is relatively clean, or you’re working with a small database

• There are fewer active automations and marketing assets

• Your CRM integrations are standard

Timelines extend when:

• Platforms are heavily customised or integrated

• Multiple regions or business units are involved

• CRM and lead routing logic are complex or undocumented

Faster isn’t always better. Rushing a migration often increases the chance of issues appearing after go-live, when fixing them is more disruptive. All this said, most MarCloud migrations do not take longer than 90 days end-to-end.

Pricing migration work with a fixed template rarely works. The effort involved depends on complexity, scope, and risk, not just platform selection.

MarCloud’s migration pricing reflects:

• The amount of data involved

• The number and complexity of automations

• Integration requirements

• The level of testing and validation needed

We quote each migration individually because no two environments are the same. This avoids under-scoping and ensures expectations are aligned from the outset, so you can plan a business case with the correct budget.

It’s tempting to view migration purely as a project cost. In reality, it’s an investment in how marketing operates day to day.

The ongoing cost of staying on a platform that slows teams down, produces unreliable reporting, or limits adoption often goes unnoticed because it’s spread across time. Lost productivity, manual fixes, and reduced confidence don’t always show up in a budget, but they have a real impact on the bottom line.

Migration, when done properly, replaces that ongoing friction with stability and clarity.

If you’re weighing up a migration and finding the uncertainty overwhelming, that’s normal. In many cases, a short conversation with a HubSpot or Salesforce specialist can clarify far more than weeks of internal debate. 

Get in touch with MarCloud for personalised support.