Best Practices to Ensure HubSpot Data Hygiene

In modern business realities, data is the fuel that powers the customer relationship management (CRM) engine of any business and is crucial for enterprises. HubSpot is one of the leading platforms driving that engine. The quality of data within this platform can significantly influence the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, sales processes, and the satisfaction of customers. However, maintaining this data quality – often referred to as “data hygiene” – is not a one-time task but a continuous effort.

This article aims to share best practices for ensuring that your HubSpot data remains clean, accurate, and useful. Keep reading.

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Data Hygiene Is the Key to CRM Success

CRM data hygiene might sound like a boring term, but it’s actually a game-changer when it comes to your CRM’s performance. Think of it as a deep cleanse for your data, removing all the gunk, duplication, and outdated information that can throw your analytics off track and lead to misguided decisions.

For HubSpot users, good data hygiene means having a database where every entry is uniquely identified, up-to-date, and correctly formatted.

When your data is fresh and accurate, you can:

1. Target the right audience with laser-precision marketing campaigns.
2. Streamline your sales processes by focusing on qualified, up-to-date leads.
3. Provide top-notch customer service by having access to accurate customer information.

On the flip side, poor data hygiene can lead to wasted resources, missed opportunities, and frustrated customers.

3 Data Hygiene Best Practices for Maintaining Clean Data

Let’s dive into some best practices so your HubSpot data is in pristine condition.

The Health Check-up for Your Data

Your data needs regular audits to identify any errors, inconsistencies, or redundancies. Set a recurring schedule (monthly, quarterly, or annually) to examine your data.

During these audits, look for:

• Duplicate entries (e.g., multiple records for the same contact or company)
• Incomplete or missing information
• Outdated or inaccurate data points
• Formatting inconsistencies (e.g., different date formats or capitalization styles)

Consistency

Establishing clear data entry standards is crucial for maintaining consistency across your records.

Your data entry standards should cover:

• Field formats (e.g., date, currency, phone number)
• Naming conventions (e.g., capitalization rules for company names)
• Required fields and optional fields
• Data validation rules (e.g., ensuring email addresses are in the correct format)

Data Hygiene 101

Training is essential to ensure that everyone who interacts with your HubSpot data understands the importance of data hygiene and how to maintain it.

Schedule regular training sessions to cover topics like:

• The impact of poor data quality on your business
• Best practices for data entry and maintenance
• Using HubSpot’s built-in tools for data management
• Identifying and resolving data issues (e.g., duplicates, formatting errors)

Data Hygiene Tools and Techniques for Data Audits and Enrichment

Now that you’ve got the basics covered, let’s explore some tools and techniques that can take your CRM data hygiene efforts to the next level.

HubSpot’s Built-in Data Management Tools

The platform comes equipped with a suite of powerful tools designed to help you maintain data hygiene. Here’s how you can leverage them:

1. Set the rules of the game. HubSpot’s property customization feature allows you to define the rules for how data should be entered and formatted. Think of it as setting the guidelines for a game – if everyone follows the same rules, there’s no room for confusion or errors.
2. The duplicate detective. Duplicate records can quickly turn your data into a confusing jumble. Fortunately, HubSpot has a built-in management tool that acts like a sharp-eyed detective, identifying and rooting out any repeated contacts, companies, or deals. Use it to merge or remove duplicates, keeping your database streamlined and free of redundancies.
3. Personal data butler. HubSpot’s workflow automation feature is the next best thing. Set up workflows to automatically update and enrich data fields, ensuring that your information stays fresh and accurate without any manual effort.

Third-party Tools for Enhanced Data Analysis

Sometimes, you need that extra oomph to get the job done. That’s where third-party tools come in, offering deeper insights and additional functionalities:

• Data cleansing services. There are services such as Incycle that can scrub your data clean, removing any inaccuracies and outdated information.
• Integration platforms. Tools like Zapier or Make can connect HubSpot with other apps, creating a seamless flow of clean data across your entire software stack.
• Advanced analytics tools. If you’re a data nerd looking for more, advanced analytics platforms such as Tableau can take your data analysis to the next level, offering sophisticated reporting and visualization options.

Keeping Your Data Duplicate-Free

Duplicate data is like pesky weeds in your garden – they can quickly take over if left unchecked. You can spot and prevent those repeated copies by using Hubspot’s deduplication tool, scheduling regular checks, and consistency in data entry.

How to Set Up HubSpot to Avoid Duplicate Data Entry

1. Set email as a unique identifier. Make sure that each contact’s email address is set as a unique property. It’s like giving everyone a one-of-a-kind ID badge.
2. Customize contact creation settings. Adjust your settings to prevent the creation of new contacts when a known email address is used again.
3. Leverage automation. Use workflows to flag potential copies before they become an issue.

Enrichment Strategies for Maximum Impact

Hubspot data enrichment is like giving your records a power-up – infusing them with additional valuable information to make them more insightful and actionable.

Tapping Into Hubspot’s Insights

HubSpot itself is a goldmine of data enrichment opportunities. Here’s how you can leverage its built-in capabilities:

• HubSpot Insights database offers vast resources to automatically fetch valuable company details and enrich your records with those juicy data points.
• Smart content superpower. With the platform’s smart content feature, you can personalize every interaction based on the user info in your records.
• Predictive lead scoring. This handy tool analyzes your enriched data to identify the prospects most likely to convert, ensuring your team focuses their efforts where it matters most.

Integrating External Data Sources

While HubSpot packs a punch, sometimes you need to look beyond its borders. That’s where external data sources can come into play. They:

• Build bridges between your HubSpot data and external databases by connecting them via APIs.
• Join forces with specialized data providers to import detailed demographic, firmographic, or technographic data about your contacts and companies. This added context paints a more complete picture of who you’re dealing with.
• Integrate social media profiles with your records to gain valuable insights into your contacts’ interests, behaviors, and online personas. It’s like adding vibrant colors and textures to an otherwise flat canvas.

You can view all your successfully installed integrations in one place. Whether you pull data from Apollo, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, or another app connected with Zapier, you can navigate them in HubSpot’s Integration menu. Access it by opening the Reporting & Data tab in the sidebar, and clicking the Integrations button.

Monitoring Data Quality

HubSpot provides a powerful Data Quality Command Center, acting as your data’s personal health tracker. You can:

• Track specific properties and monitor updates to their values, using HubSpot’s AI to sniff out any anomalies.
• Assess issues with properties, such as missing data, unused fields, or pesky duplicates.
• Look for formatting issues or duplicates lurking within your records, ensuring everything is shipshape.
• Monitor the health of your data sync integrations and workflows.

Additionally, you can create custom reports to keep an eye on important metrics, such as records without owners, deals without associated companies, contacts with invalid email addresses, or companies with outdated contact information.

To access it after logging into your HubSpot account, you have to navigate to the left sidebar. Expanding the Reporting & Data tab will show you additional features, one of which is the Data Quality feature. To eliminate the element of surprise – you are going to need a HubSpot’s Operations Hub Professional subscription.

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Wrap Up

Keeping your data clean is a must if you want your business to thrive using HubSpot’s CRM. By adopting the right strategies, utilizing both built-in and third-party tools, and making regular data check-ups and enhancements a habit, you can guarantee that your HubSpot data stays valuable, guiding smart choices and streamlining operations.