HubSpot Marketing: Your First Lead Gen Campaign

Ready to supercharge your business but overwhelmed by the sheer volume of marketing options? It doesn’t have to be a mystery. I’m going to walk you through setting up your first campaign in HubSpot Marketing Hub, focusing on email marketing automation. By the end, you’ll have a tangible, working campaign to nurture leads. Can’t get easier than that, right?

Step 1: Defining Your Goal and Audience

Before even logging into HubSpot, you need clarity. What’s the one thing you want this campaign to achieve? Is it generating leads for your sales team, driving traffic to a specific service page, or nurturing existing contacts? Let’s assume our goal is to generate qualified leads for our consulting services.

Identifying Your Ideal Customer

Who are you trying to reach? Don’t say “everyone.” Define your ideal customer profile (ICP). What are their pain points? What solutions are they seeking? What industry are they in? Let’s say our ICP is small business owners in the Atlanta metro area with 10-50 employees struggling with outdated marketing strategies. They’re likely searching for terms like “marketing automation for small business” or “lead generation Atlanta.”

Pro Tip: The clearer you are on your ICP, the more targeted (and effective) your campaign will be. A vague audience leads to a vague message, which leads to… well, nothing.

Step 2: Creating Your Lead Magnet and Landing Page

Now, let’s create something of value to attract your ideal customers. This is your lead magnet: a free offer in exchange for their email address. Think ebook, checklist, template, or free consultation.

Designing Your Lead Magnet

I had a client last year, a local bakery called “Sweet Surrender” near the intersection of Peachtree and Piedmont, who was struggling to grow their email list. We created a “7 Secrets to Irresistible Desserts” ebook. It was simple, but highly targeted to their audience.

For our consulting business, let’s create a checklist: “The Ultimate Marketing Audit Checklist for Small Businesses.” Make it actionable and easy to consume. Save it as a PDF.

Building Your Landing Page in HubSpot

1. Log into your HubSpot account and navigate to Marketing > Website > Landing Pages.

1. Click the “Create landing page” button in the top right corner.
2. Choose a template. In the 2026 interface, I recommend the “Growth Starter” template, as it’s clean and conversion-focused.
3. Give your landing page a name (e.g., “Free Marketing Audit Checklist”).
4. Edit the headline to something compelling, like “Uncover Hidden Marketing Opportunities: Get Your Free Audit Checklist.”
5. Write a brief description of the checklist and its benefits.
6. Add an image of the checklist or a relevant graphic.
7. Now for the crucial part: the form. Click on the existing form element (or add a new one from the left sidebar).
8. Edit the form fields. At a minimum, you’ll need “Email” and “First Name.” Consider adding “Company Name” and “Job Title” to further qualify leads.
9. In the form settings (on the left), configure the “What should happen after someone submits the form?” option. Select “Redirect to another page” and enter the URL where users can download the checklist (you’ll need to upload the PDF to HubSpot’s file manager or another hosting service first). Alternatively, you can select “Display a thank you message.”
10. Click “Review and publish” in the top right corner.
11. Connect your landing page to a domain. If you haven’t already, you’ll need to connect your domain to HubSpot. Follow the on-screen instructions.
12. Finally, click “Publish.”

Common Mistake: Forgetting to optimize your landing page for mobile. HubSpot’s templates are generally responsive, but double-check how it looks on different devices. A bad mobile experience will kill your conversion rate.

Step 3: Setting Up Your Welcome Email Automation

Now, let’s automate the process of delivering the checklist and welcoming new subscribers.

Creating Your Welcome Email

1. In HubSpot, go to Marketing > Email > Email.

1. Click the “Create email” button.
2. Choose “Regular email.”
3. Select a template. The “Welcome” template is a good starting point.
4. Give your email a name (e.g., “Welcome to [Your Company] + Your Free Checklist”).
5. In the “From name” and “From address” fields, use your company name and a professional email address (not a personal Gmail address).
6. Write a compelling subject line. “Your Marketing Audit Checklist is Here!” is a good start.
7. Craft your email body. Thank them for subscribing, deliver the link to the checklist (or reiterate the thank you message), and briefly introduce your company and its services. Include a clear call to action, like “Learn more about our marketing consulting services.”
8. Add your company logo and contact information to the email footer.
9. Click “Review and publish” and then “Publish.”

Creating Your Workflow

1. Navigate to Automation > Workflows.

1. Click the “Create workflow” button.
2. Choose “Start from scratch” and select a “Contact-based” workflow.
3. Give your workflow a name (e.g., “Welcome Email Automation”).
4. Set the enrollment trigger. Click “Set enrollment triggers”.
5. Select “Form submission” as the trigger type.
6. Choose the landing page form you created earlier.
7. Click “Save.”
8. Now, add an action. Click the “+” icon below the enrollment trigger.
9. Select “Send email.”
10. Choose the welcome email you created.
11. Click “Save.”
12. Review your workflow. Make sure everything is configured correctly.
13. In the top right corner, switch the workflow from “Off” to “On.”

Expected Outcome: Anyone who submits the form on your landing page will automatically receive your welcome email with the checklist download link. This is a foundational step in building your email list and nurturing leads for future conversions.

Step 4: Tracking and Analyzing Your Results

The beauty of marketing automation is that it provides data. Lots of data. But data is useless if you don’t analyze it.

Monitoring Email Performance

1. Go to Marketing > Email > Email.

1. Find your welcome email in the list.
2. Click on the email name to view its performance metrics.
3. Pay attention to the following metrics:

• Open rate: The percentage of recipients who opened your email. A good open rate is generally above 20%.
• Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of recipients who clicked on a link in your email. A good CTR is generally above 2-3%.
• Bounce rate: The percentage of emails that couldn’t be delivered. A high bounce rate indicates issues with your email list.
• Unsubscribe rate: The percentage of recipients who unsubscribed from your email list. A high unsubscribe rate suggests your content isn’t resonating with your audience.

1. Analyze these metrics to identify areas for improvement. For example, if your open rate is low, try a different subject line. If your CTR is low, try making your call to action more compelling.

We once ran a campaign for a real estate agent in Buckhead, Atlanta. Their initial welcome email had a terrible open rate (around 10%). We A/B tested different subject lines and found that “Your Guide to Buckhead Luxury Homes” performed significantly better (over 30% open rate). It’s all about testing and optimizing.

Analyzing Landing Page Conversions

1. Go to Marketing > Website > Landing Pages.

1. Find your landing page in the list.
2. Click on the landing page name to view its performance metrics.
3. Pay attention to the “Submissions” metric. This tells you how many people have submitted the form on your landing page.
4. Also, track the “Conversion rate,” which is the percentage of visitors who submitted the form. A good conversion rate is generally above 2-3%, but it can vary depending on your industry and offer.

Common Mistake: Ignoring the data. Don’t just set it and forget it. Regularly monitor your campaign’s performance and make adjustments as needed. Marketing is an iterative process.

Step 5: Iterating and Optimizing Your Marketing

Marketing is never a one-and-done activity; it’s a continuous cycle of testing, learning, and optimizing. Use the data you collect to improve your landing pages, emails, and overall campaign performance.

A/B Testing

A/B testing involves creating two versions of a landing page or email (with one element changed) and then tracking which version performs better. For example, you could A/B test different headlines, images, or call-to-action buttons on your landing page. Or you could A/B test different subject lines or email body copy in your welcome email.

HubSpot has built-in A/B testing tools for both landing pages and emails. Use them! It’s the most reliable way to determine what resonates with your audience.

Refining Your Targeting

As you collect data, you may discover that your initial ICP was slightly off. Perhaps you’re attracting a different type of customer than you expected. Use this information to refine your targeting and adjust your messaging accordingly.

For example, let’s say you discover that many of your leads are coming from companies outside of the Atlanta metro area. You could expand your targeting to include other geographic regions or create a separate campaign specifically for those areas.

Pro Tip: Don’t be afraid to experiment. Try new things and see what works. The marketing world is constantly evolving, so you need to be willing to adapt and change.

If you’re finding your marketing stuck and needing a boost, consider seeking expert advice.

Remember, data-driven marketing is key to long-term success.

Getting started with marketing doesn’t require a massive budget or a team of experts. By following these steps and focusing on providing value to your audience, you can build a solid foundation for your marketing efforts. Now, go build that campaign!