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August 22, 2024

How to Clean Up Your Contacts In HubSpot

By Pete Gavin 2 Minute Read

Raise your hand if you've ever felt overwhelmed by the clutter in your contacts database... 🙋‍♀️ Here’s how Vendilli Digital Group leverages HubSpot's tools and features. Roll up your sleeves and let's dive in!

Step 1: List Cleanse

Regularly cleaning your contact lists ensures you’re targeting the right audience and helps maintain the health of your CRM. Begin by:

  • Removing Duplicates: Use HubSpot's built-in duplicate management tool to identify and merge duplicate contacts. This can be found under "Contacts" > "Actions" > "Manage Duplicates."
  • Filtering Out Unengaged Contacts: Create a list of contacts who haven’t engaged with your emails or other content over a specified period. HubSpot allows you to set parameters for inactivity and automatically categorize these contacts.
  • Validating Contact Information: Use third-party integrations available in HubSpot’s marketplace to verify email addresses and other contact details, ensuring your data is up-to-date.

Step 2: Utilize Operations Hub

HubSpot’s Operations Hub offers advanced features to automate and streamline your data management processes:

  • Data Sync: Ensure all your apps and tools are in sync with HubSpot to maintain consistent and accurate data across platforms. This avoids the creation of duplicates and outdated information.
  • Data Quality Automation: Use workflows to automate the standardization of contact properties. For instance, you can create workflows that automatically correct capitalization errors or format phone numbers consistently.
  • Custom Properties: Define and manage custom properties that are relevant to your business, which helps in segmenting your audience more effectively and tailoring your marketing strategies.

Step 3: Adhering to Marketing Limits

HubSpot enforces certain limits on marketing activities, such as the number of emails sent per month or the size of contact lists. Staying within these limits is crucial to avoid additional costs and ensure compliance with HubSpot's policies:

  • Email Send Limits: Monitor your email usage in HubSpot under "Marketing" > "Email" > "Manage." This section provides insights into your email sending limits and usage.
  • Contact Tiers: Regularly audit your contacts to stay within your subscription’s tier limits. If you’re nearing the limit, consider an upgrade or a more aggressive data cleanup strategy.
  • Marketing Email Health: Track your email performance metrics like bounce rates and spam reports. High rates can impact your ability to send emails and hurt your sender reputation.

Best Practices

  • Regular Audits: Schedule monthly or quarterly audits of your contact database to keep it clean and updated.
  • Segment Smartly: Use smart lists to dynamically segment contacts based on their behavior and properties. This keeps your lists relevant and engaged.
  • Engagement Tracking: Monitor engagement metrics regularly to identify and re-engage cold leads through targeted campaigns.

By implementing these strategies, Vendilli Digital Group can maintain a high-quality contact database in HubSpot, ensuring more effective marketing campaigns and better ROI. For more detailed steps, check out additional resources and guides available on HubSpot’s knowledge base and community forums.

Reach out to us today!

Pete Gavin
About the Author
From a quick glance, Pete looks like your average marketing guy. When you peel back the layers you’ll find a man of many creative talents. He attended the University of Colorado and went on to work for leading companies coast-to-coast, such as CBS and The Knot. He started using HubSpot in 2012 and helped grow (and sell) a marketplace SaaS company. When he’s not logged into a marketing hub, you can find him making music or playing golf with his two boys in Pittsburgh. Work Skills: Inbound Marketing, Content Strategy, Account Management, Advertising, Video Editing, Social Media, and Web Design.

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