How to Ensure a Successful HubSpot Integration

Unfortunately, integrations are rarely one-size-fits-all. HubSpot offers hundreds of native integrations out of the box, but these won’t always match the unique processes or setup of your business. When native integrations won’t do the job, you need a custom HubSpot integration. Even better, you need an integration done successfully.

There are essential steps and considerations to ensure your HubSpot integration is set up to succeed - from strategy and data mapping, to training and proving value to the C-suite. When done well, integrating your tech stack will set you up for more efficient marketing that drives real results.

The most common mistake with any integration is jumping straight into the technical stuff, such as connecting tools and building workflows, without stopping to define the reasons for integration and what your objectives are. Without a clear strategy in place, it’s easy to end up with syncs that don’t support your goals or data that sits in the system unused.

Before touching a single setting, take the time to write down the objectives of your integration. Are you trying to speed up lead routing to sales? Centralise data for better decision-making? Understand how much time team members are spending on projects and how that impacts ROI? Knowing your goals up front will shape every decision that follows, from which platforms you integrate to how data should flow and what reporting is needed.

This is also a great time to map internal workflows. How does a lead move from paid ad to sales call? Where are the handoffs between marketing, sales, and service teams? Which users will be impacted, and what do they need from the integration? These questions will ensure you’re building a solution that works for the people using it day-to-day.

Once you’re clear on objectives, the next step is to understand what you’re working with. Many integrations go wrong because they assume too much about how existing systems are set up or how data is structured. A technical audit now will save you hours later.

Start by listing every tool that needs to integrate with HubSpot and why. This could be Salesforce CRM for marketing and sales alignment, Asana for project management oversight, Harvest for time tracking and ROI calculation, or AirCall for more call data.

Then map out how data currently flows between them (if at all), and where you want it to flow. For example, are contacts created in your CRM and then synced to HubSpot, or the other way around? Do you need bi-directional syncs, or is one-way fine?

You can check for existing native integrations in the HubSpot App Marketplace. Many common tools like Salesforce, Google Ads, and Zoom have plug-and-play options. But don’t assume these will meet all of your requirements. Look closely at what fields are synced, how frequently, and whether any business logic (like lead routing or data transformation) is included.

Finally, assess your current data quality. Are there duplicate records, inconsistent naming conventions, or missing key fields? Clean data is essential for accurate reporting and automation, so any issues here should be addressed before integrating.

By now, you should have your goals and systems mapped out, so the next step is deciding how you’ll connect everything. You have three options: native integration (via the HubSpot App Marketplace), custom integration, or a hybrid of the two.

• Native integrations are pre-built by HubSpot or third-party partners and are generally easy to set up. They’re ideal when your use case is straightforward, for example, syncing basic contact fields from HubSpot to a CRM or connecting a webinar tool to automate registrations.

However, native integrations aren’t always enough. If your business has specific processes, such as multi-step lead scoring, region-based marketing, or syncing across multiple systems, then a custom integration may be required. 

• Custom integrations typically involve API development and allow you to tailor how data is pulled, transformed, and pushed between platforms. It gives you full control over syncing and the result.

In reality, most businesses benefit from a hybrid approach.

Hybrid integration means starting with native tools where they make sense and layering custom logic where required. At MarCloud, we often meet clients who start with the native Salesforce–HubSpot connector. It’s great for getting the basics in place. But as soon as their process involves custom lead lifecycle stages, bespoke objects, or unique automation rules, they hit a wall. That’s where we step in to build the missing pieces: tailored integration logic, additional sync points, and processes that ensure both systems truly reflect the same customer journey.

No matter how sophisticated your integration is, it’s only as good as the data that moves through it. If your contact records are riddled with inconsistencies or fields aren’t mapped correctly between systems, the output will be unreliable, and your reporting, automation, and decision-making will suffer.

Before launching a new integration, take time to clean your data. It might feel like just another thing on your to-do list or a blocker to integration, but trust us when we say that removing duplicates, standardising field values (job titles, industries, etc.), and validating key information like email addresses and phone numbers will serve you in the long run. Data hygiene should be an ongoing part of your process.

Next, map your fields across systems. If HubSpot uses “Lifecycle Stage” but your CRM calls it “Lead Status,” decide how those align with one another. Pay close attention to field types, too. Multi-select fields, picklists, and date fields often cause issues if misaligned.

Finally, decide how to handle sync errors. What should happen if a record fails to sync? Will someone be alerted? Will the error be logged for review? These decisions will keep your integration reliable long after launch.

Integrations should be built not just for what your business needs today, but for what it might need six or twelve months down the line (without having a crystal ball handy, of course). Marketing teams evolve quickly, campaigns change, new channels are introduced, and reporting needs grow more sophisticated.

To avoid rebuilding later, ensure your integration is scalable. Use naming conventions and structures that will make sense to future users. If you’re custom-building, keep documentation up to date and version-controlled so others can maintain it. And always leave room to adapt, whether that means allowing for new campaign tags, integrating additional tools, or adjusting logic as the business shifts.

Monitoring integrations is also key. Set up logging, error alerts, and dashboards so that if something breaks, you know early enough to fix it before it derails your reporting.

Going live too soon is one of the most common causes of HubSpot integration failure. Before launching, create a thorough test plan that validates every part of the process, including data flow, field mapping, automations, reporting, and error handling.

Where possible, use a sandbox environment or dummy data. This lets you explore different scenarios e.g. what happens if a deal is closed in Salesforce before the contact reaches MQL in HubSpot? All without impacting live operations.

Sometimes it’s a good idea to get stakeholders involved too. A demo walkthrough with marketing, sales, and operations teams will surface everyday issues that might otherwise be missed. It’s better to hear concerns now than after the integration is live.

The people using HubSpot have to feel confident in using the new integration, or else what’s the point? Once it’s in place, train your users on what’s changed, how the data flows, where to find insights, and so on. Include documentation, recorded walkthroughs, and FAQs to help teams get up to speed faster.

After go-live, continue monitoring performance. Are contacts syncing as expected? Are campaign results visible in reports? Use dashboards and alerts to flag any issues early.

It’s also worth scheduling a regular integration health check, especially after system updates or team changes. This will help catch small issues before they become major problems.

The ultimate goal of most HubSpot integrations is to surface accurate, joined-up reporting using your full tech stack. Marketers want to prove revenue attribution, and by pulling data from different systems into HubSpot, you can better understand which campaigns are driving conversions, which channels are producing qualified leads, and how marketing is contributing to pipeline and revenue.

HubSpot’s built-in attribution reports and custom dashboards help you to visualise results. And wherever possible, benchmark performance pre- and post-integration to measure improvement. Showing tangible results to the C-suite is key to justifying marketing spend and securing future investment!

By now, you’re probably realising that a successful HubSpot integration doesn’t happen by accident. It takes careful planning, clean data, technical know-how, and, perhaps most importantly, alignment with your real business needs. Whether you’re using native tools, building custom workflows, or a bit of both, the goal is to create a connected ecosystem that enables smarter marketing and proves marketing value.

If you’d like support managing a custom HubSpot integration, MarCloud can help. We do everything from strategic planning and mapping to technical builds, so you can stay focused on campaign creativity and results. Contact us for a chat.