You’ve set up your workflows, your emails are queued, and your CRM is humming along. Technically, your HubSpot marketing automation is “running.” But is it really working?
Here’s the thing most guides won’t tell you: Marketing automation is less about plugging in tools and more about how you think—how you see your customers, your internal processes, and your team’s goals. If you want automation that actually drives results, it’s time to let go of the “set it and forget it” mindset and start thinking like a strategist.
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HubSpot marketing automation isn’t a crockpot. You don’t just set it, walk away, and return six months later to find a perfectly cooked funnel.
Your workflows need regular attention, especially if your business is growing, changing, or launching new campaigns. A quarterly audit of your automations is one of the smartest habits you can build.
What you should check:
Automated emails are great, but they’re not a goal. Booking a sales call, nurturing leads to MQL status, or driving repeat purchases? Those are goals.
Before you build a single email or set a delay timer, ask: What should this workflow accomplish—and how will I measure it?
Let’s take an example:
|
Workflow Type |
Business Goal |
Key Metrics to Track |
|
Lead Nurture |
Convert leads to MQLs |
Email CTRs, Lifecycle Stage progression |
|
Post-Purchase |
Increase repeat purchases |
Order value, repurchase rate |
|
Event Follow-up |
Book sales meetings post-webinar |
CTA clicks, meeting bookings |
Build your workflows backward from the outcome you want. That’s how you turn automation from busywork into business-building.
Tempting as it is to jump straight into HubSpot and get right to work: take a second to think. Great automation is less about software mastery and more about journey empathy. If your workflow doesn’t reflect the customer’s experience, it won’t resonate—no matter how sophisticated it looks behind the scenes.
Start with a simple map—nothing fancy. The point is to think like your customer:
When you map it out this way, your automation becomes more than a sequence of emails or tasks. It becomes a conversation—human, timely, and genuinely helpful.
It’s easy to lean on the basics like job title, industry, or company size when you’re setting up your segments. And those still matter. But if you really want to personalize in a way that feels relevant and timely, behavior is where the magic happens.
Demographics tell you who someone is. Behavior tells you what they care about—and when.
For example:
Behavior-based triggers let you go beyond generic nurture sequences. You’re able to respond to real actions in real time—with messages that actually match where someone is in their journey. It feels less like marketing, and more like being in the right place at the right time.
And when your automation feels that intuitive? Your audience notices—in a good way.
If your HubSpot marketing automation lives in a silo, you’re only doing half the job. HubSpot makes it incredibly easy to bridge the gap between marketing and sales—but only if you set things up with collaboration in mind.
Sales teams know what signals matter most. They know when a lead is ready, what questions they’re hearing in real conversations, and which contacts are just kicking tires. By looping them into your workflows, you create smoother handoffs and smarter follow-ups that lead to actual revenue—not just marketing checkmarks.
Here’s how to use HubSpot to make that collaboration effortless:
The result is that fewer leads fall through the cracks. Sales teams get cleaner, more actionable data. And your automation becomes a real revenue driver—not just a set of emails.
Every workflow you launch in HubSpot is doing more than just sending emails—it’s quietly collecting insights that can make your next campaign even better. Open rates, click-throughs, conversions, drop-offs—it’s all data. And if you’re not regularly reviewing it, you’re missing out on some of your most valuable feedback.
Think of your automation strategy like a conversation. The data is your audience talking back. Are they interested? Confused? Ready for more? The answers are right there in the numbers—you just have to look.
Make it a habit to review your key workflow reports at least once a month. Ask questions like:
In HubSpot, head to the 'Analyze' tab in the email section to get a closer look at subject line performance, engagement rates, and device type breakdowns.
And don’t forget to bring your sales or service team into the loop, sometimes the story behind the data comes from the conversations they’re having every day.
When you treat your automation data as a two-way feedback loop, not just a delivery system, you build smarter workflows, sharper content, and a better experience across the board.
Not every workflow is meant to be run forever. Some were great in their prime, but just aren’t pulling their weight anymore. And that’s okay—automation is supposed to evolve with your business, not collect dust while underperforming in the background.
Knowing when to cut a workflow loose can save your team time, improve your email deliverability, and keep your messaging aligned with what actually matters to your audience today.
Here are some clear signs it’s time to hit pause—or pull the plug entirely:
That said, not everything needs to go straight to the recycle bin. Before deleting an underperforming workflow:
Don’t let old workflows linger just because they’re “already set up.” Treat automation like your website—if it’s outdated, underperforming, or confusing your users, it’s time to rebuild or retire.
Behind every powerful, high-converting workflow is a strategic mind—someone thinking about the why, not just the how. That’s the real strength of HubSpot marketing automation: it’s not just a set of tools, it’s a framework for creating personalized, intentional, data-driven customer journeys.
Because at the end of the day, automation isn’t about removing the human touch. It’s about amplifying it—so every message feels like it was sent just for the person reading it, right when they needed it most.
If you’re ready to make your workflows smarter, stronger, and more aligned with what your audience actually wants—contact the team at Modern Driven Media. Whether you're starting from scratch or refining what’s already in place, we specialize in HubSpot marketing automation that actually moves the needle.
Let’s make your automation work harder—so you don’t have to.