Workflows

You can use HubSpot Workflows to schedule email automation, lead notifications, and other tasks.

Currently, your college Marketing office has a master workflow that begins sending automated emails to any student who has filled out a form and selected your college, as well as several other marketing-specific ones.

To see your college’s workflows and create new ones, navigate in HubSpot to Automations, and then Workflows.

Please note that only some individuals have access to edit or create workflows to protect against the number of messages that our students receive and preserve our District's email deliverability rating. If you do not have access to workflows, you will need to work with your local college Marketing office to create them.

Here, you can see the Workflows that currently exist for your college. Clicking into any one will show you what groups are set to receive automation through the workflow, as well as the order and timing of messaging, in addition to any branching logic that may exist.

Be very careful when accessing these spaces, as changing elements in an existing workflow can have many downstream consequences to automated messaging already occurring in the system.

If you are unable to see workflows or do not have access to create them, you will need to reach out to your college enrollment and marketing teams for permission.

To create a new workflow, select Create workflow, and then choose whether you would like to use a template, or create one from scratch. In this example, we will be creating one from scratch.

Just like other elements in the system, you will want your workflow to be Contact-based, and you will want to begin with a Blank workflow.

When you are ready, select Next.

Users enter a Workflow via a Contact enrollment trigger, meaning you indicate the criteria that would cause someone to begin receiving messaging from this Workflow. In this example, let’s say we want to send messaging to all prospective Business students at your college.

Once you select Set up triggers, you will have some options, including beginning messaging when an event occurs, when certain filter criteria are met, or on a schedule. In this example, let’s use filter criteria.

The easiest way to add users to a workflow is by using Lists. See our Lists video for a refresher on how to create these.

When you select List membership, you can add your desired List as the enrollment trigger for your Workflow.

Select Save, and now any new users who meet the criteria to join the List will also enroll in this workflow.

You can now begin the automation process. Select the plus symbol to begin. Here, you will see there are several options. You can send communications, you can change contacts’ property values in the CRM, or you can segment into marketing groups. You will also see that you can build in workflow delays, branching logic, and integrations with other workflows. In this example, let’s send an email. Select Communications, Send email, and choose your desired email from the dropdown. Select Save.

You can continue adding actions, delays, and branches until your workflow is complete.

When you are ready for your workflow to go live—meaning email automation will begin—select Review and publish. If you only see Review, it means there are issues with your workflow that must be resolved before you can continue.

Now you will have the option to enroll existing contacts (meaning email automation will retroactively begin for contacts meeting the criteria in your contact enrollment trigger), or you can select to only enroll new contacts. Choose Next.

Review the Timing and notifications, as well as any Connections you may have, and the Details of the workflow. When everything looks correct, select Turn on workflow. Consider adding an end-date here for time-specific campaigns to ensure there are not active workflows in the system that are not in use.

Your workflow is now live!

After you finish, please let the District office know you have created a new workflow, which will be documented with all other active workflows to ensure other HubSpot users are aware.

Also be sure to add your workflow to the correct folder using the actions dropdown.

For detailed instructions on managing and creating workflows, see our HubSpot Knowledge Base.

About HubSpot Workflows

You can use HubSpot Workflows to automate email scheduling, lead notifications, and other essential marketing tasks. These workflows ensure timely and relevant communication with prospective and current students.

Your college's Marketing office manages a master workflow that automatically sends emails to any student who has filled out a form and selected your college. Additionally, several marketing-specific workflows are set up for targeted communications.

To view your college’s existing workflows or create new ones, navigate to Automations > Workflows in HubSpot.

Please note that only some individuals have access to edit or create workflows to protect against the number of messages that our students receive and preserve our District's email deliverability rating. If you do not have access to workflows, you will need to work with your local college Marketing office to create them.

🥇 Best Workflow Practices

Organize your workflows with folders

Once created, folders will display alongside your workflows on the dashboard.

Create and manage folders.
- In your HubSpot account, navigate to Automations > Workflows.
- In the top right, click the Folders tab.
- Hover over the workflow and click Actions. Then, click Move to folder.
- In the dialog box, select your college’s folder.
- At the bottom, click Move.

Test your workflow.

Testing workflows before activating them ensures that your automation function properly and that contacts will receive the correct messages or actions at the right time.

In HubSpot, go to Automation > Workflows, and select the workflow you want to test.
Use the "Test" feature, and click the Test button in the upper right corner of the screen.
Choose a Contact to Test:
- You'll be prompted to select a contact. This allows you to simulate the workflow for a specific person to ensure it functions correctly.
- Select the contact you want to test with, ensuring they meet the enrollment criteria you've set up in the workflow.
Review the Workflow:
- HubSpot will run through the workflow as if the chosen contact has entered the workflow, showing you each step of the process and what actions would be taken, like sending an email or updating a property.
- You can check to see if actions like emails, delays, and conditions are functioning as expected.
Troubleshoot Errors:
- If there are any issues, HubSpot will alert you with error messages. Review and adjust the workflow actions or triggers based on the feedback provided.
- Test specific workflow actions by clicking into the individual steps within the workflow and selecting "Test action" to ensure they work correctly.
After running the test, carefully review the results. Make sure the correct emails are triggered, contacts are enrolled and unenrolled properly, and all actions execute as planned.

💻 Watch Our Video on Workflows

[INSERT LINK]

🔀 Step-by-Step Instructions for Creating and Managing Workflows

Viewing and Editing Workflows

To view your college’s existing workflows or create new ones, navigate to Automations > Workflows in HubSpot.
Once you access the workflows, you can:
- View the existing workflows for your college.
- Click on any workflow to see the groups set to receive messages, the messaging order and timing, and any branching logic.

Important: Be cautious when making any changes to existing workflows, as it can affect ongoing automated messaging.

Creating a New Workflow

Create a new workflow from scratch:

In your HubSpot account, navigate to Automations > Workflows.
Assign your college’s business unit to your workflow. Hover over the workflow's name and click More > Then, select Assign business unit.
In the upper right, select Create workflow > From scratch.
In the left panel, select Contact-based to select your workflow object and start with a Blank workflow.
Click Next to proceed.
Give your workflow a name and add a description > Save.
When you are ready, select Next.
Set your workflow enrollment triggers - Users enter a Workflow via a Contact enrollment trigger, meaning you indicate the criteria that would cause someone to begin receiving messaging from this Workflow. The easiest way to add users to a workflow is by using Lists. See our Lists video for a refresher on how to create these.
1. Types of Enrollment Triggers
  1. List Membership: Enroll contacts based on their inclusion in a specific list. For example, enroll everyone who is part of a list of prospective students.
  2. Form Submissions: Trigger automation when a contact submits a form (e.g., an application or request for information).
  3. Contact Property: Enroll contacts based on specific contact properties, such as their program of interest or enrollment status.
  4. Page Views: Trigger workflows based on specific pages a contact visits (useful for nurturing campaigns).
  5. Date or Date Property: Enroll contacts based on a specific date or a date property (like an event date or a renewal date).
  6. Behavioral Triggers: You can use actions like email opens, link clicks, or form abandonment to trigger workflows.
When you select List membership, you can add your desired List as the enrollment trigger for your Workflow.
Select Save, and now any new users who meet the criteria to join the List will also enroll in this workflow.
Choose your workflow actions - After setting your enrollment triggers, you can start adding actions like sending emails, updating contact properties, or adding time delays between steps.
1. Click the plus symbol to add actions.
2. You can choose from several actions, including sending emails, updating CRM properties, or segmenting contacts into marketing groups.
3. Let’s say you want to send an email. Choose Communications > Send email, and select the email you want to send from the dropdown.
Save your action.

If you are unable to see workflows or do not have access to create them, you will need to reach out to your college enrollment and marketing teams for permission.

Publishing and Managing the Workflow

When you're ready to activate the workflow:

Select Review and publish. (If only "Review" is visible, resolve any issues before continuing.)
Choose whether to enroll existing contacts or only new contacts who meet the criteria.
Review the Timing, Notifications, and Connections, and ensure the Details of the workflow are correct.
Set an end-date if it’s a time-specific campaign to prevent unnecessary active workflows.
Click Turn on workflow to make it live.

After Publishing the Workflow

Once the workflow is live:

Notify the District office to document the workflow with other active workflows.
Add the workflow to the appropriate folder using the actions dropdown.

For additional instructions on creating and managing Workflows, view All Workflow articles.