This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) provides a step-by-step guide for planning, creating, and managing lead generation marketing campaigns in HubSpot, with a special focus on integrating and managing Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Ads and Google Ads from within HubSpot. It is intended for intermediate to experienced marketing team members and is written in a clear, professional, and instructional tone. The document covers the full campaign checklist, how to connect and manage Meta and Google ad accounts through HubSpot, best practices for running ads via HubSpot, and platform-specific FAQs. Use this SOP as a training or onboarding resource to ensure consistency and effectiveness in your campaigns.
Every successful HubSpot campaign starts with thorough planning and a standard checklist of tasks. Before building anything in HubSpot, ensure you have completed the following planning steps:
- Define Campaign Goals and KPIs: Clearly outline what the campaign aims to achieve (e.g. X number of new leads, cost per lead target, conversion rate) and how it aligns with business objectives [hublead.io]. Use SMART goals to make objectives specific and measurable. For example, decide how many leads or MQLs you need and what value they represent to the business [blog.hubspot.com].
- Identify Target Audience/Persona: Document your buyer persona or ideal customer profile for this campaign [blog.hubspot.com]. Understand their pain points, interests, and where they engage (e.g. Facebook, search engines) so you can tailor content and ads effectively. This will guide your messaging and channel strategy.
- Develop the Offer and Content: Decide on a compelling offer for lead capture, such as an eBook, webinar, free trial, or consultation. Create the content asset that the campaign will promote (ensure it’s high-value to your audience). Also plan the messaging and creative themes for ads and emails so they are consistent with the offer.
- Build Conversion Assets in HubSpot: Create the core assets needed to capture and nurture leads:
- Landing Page: Design a dedicated landing page in HubSpot for the offer, with a clear headline and benefit-oriented copy. Remove navigation and distractions to improve conversion [blog.hubspot.com]. Ensure the HubSpot tracking code is on the page (if it’s a HubSpot-hosted page, this is automatic).
- Lead Capture Form: Build a form with appropriate fields to gather lead information (e.g. name, email, company, etc.). Keep the form as short as possible while collecting what your sales team needs [blog.hubspot.com]. Include a privacy consent checkbox if required.
- Thank-You Page or Confirmation: Set up a thank-you page that the form redirects to after submission (or use a HubSpot form thank-you message). This page should either provide the content offer (e.g. a download link) or confirm the next steps (e.g. an email will be sent). It can also include a secondary call-to-action (like booking a demo).
- Follow-up Email: Create a follow-up email (if applicable) to deliver the promised asset or welcome the new lead. This email can be automated to send immediately after form submission (via a simple workflow or the form settings).
- Set Up a HubSpot Campaign: In HubSpot, create a new Campaign record to organize all the assets and channels related to this initiative. Go to Marketing > Campaigns, click Create campaign, and enter a Campaign name that clearly identifies the campaign [knowledge.hubspot.comknowledge.hubspot.com]. Assign a color code or tag if you use those for organization. In the campaign’s details, input the start/end dates, budget, and goals (lead target, etc.) for reference [knowledge.hubspot.com]. This helps consolidate reporting.
- Associate Assets: After creating the campaign, associate all relevant assets with it (landing page, form, follow-up email, workflows, etc.). This can be done on each asset’s settings or from the campaign’s Details page. Associating assets ensures HubSpot will aggregate performance data (submissions, views, contacts, etc.) for the campaign in one place [knowledge.hubspot.com].
- Prepare Promotion Plan: Determine how you will drive traffic to the landing page and generate leads. For most campaigns, this includes setting up paid ads (Meta and/or Google) and may also include other channels like email marketing, organic social posts, or partner promotions. Ensure each channel is planned with UTM tracking so that HubSpot can attribute traffic and conversions correctly.
- Compliance and Approval: Verify that all content and processes comply with legal and brand guidelines:
- If using Facebook Lead Ads, make sure you have a publicly accessible privacy policy URL ready (Facebook may require one for lead forms) [knowledge.hubspot.com].
- Ensure any necessary internal approvals (for budget, creative, compliance, etc.) are completed before launch.
By completing this checklist, you’ll have a solid foundation for your campaign and be ready to execute in HubSpot. Next, we’ll cover the steps to implement and manage the campaign, including connecting your ad platforms.
Once planning is done, implement the campaign in HubSpot’s Marketing Hub. Follow these steps to set up the campaign and its components:
Navigate to Marketing > Campaigns in the HubSpot main menu. Click Create campaign and choose Start from scratch (or use a template if provided) [knowledge.hubspot.com]. Enter the campaign name and other details (campaign dates, goal metrics, budget, etc.) as prompted [knowledge.hubspot.com]. This creates a campaign workspace where you can track everything.
- Naming Convention: TOPIC OFFER TYPE - DATE
- i.e. Healthcare eComm. Platform Trial Social Ads - 2025-01-01
- Color-based Statuses:
- Planned: Light Blue
- In Progress: Blue
- Active: Green
- Evergreen: Green
- Yellow: Paused
- Black: Completed
- Red: Blocked
- Orange: Needs Attention
Add all existing campaign assets to the HubSpot campaign:
- On the campaign’s page, use the Associate assets option to attach the landing page, form, emails, workflows, social posts, and ads that belong to this campaign. You can also associate assets later when creating them (e.g. select the campaign name in the asset’s settings). Associating assets is important for consolidated reporting on the campaign’s performance [knowledge.hubspot.com].
- Double-check that the landing page has the correct form embedded and that the form’s redirect is set to your thank-you page. Also ensure the follow-up email (if any) is linked to the form or workflow.
- Clarity HubSpot Files and Documents
- CVI-Marketing Collateral
HubSpot will auto-generate UTM parameters for ads (discussed later), but for any other channels, set up tracking:
- If you plan to share the landing page link elsewhere (e.g. LinkedIn posts or partner emails), use HubSpot’s Tracking URL Builder to generate a URL with UTM parameters for consistency. Select the Campaign you created so that any traffic using those UTMs will roll up under the campaign in analytics.
- Ensure the HubSpot tracking code is installed on any external pages used in the campaign (for example, if the landing page or form is on a non-HubSpot site). This will allow HubSpot to track page views and form submissions properly as contacts.
- Assign owners, set deadlines, and prioritize tasks for content creation, approvals, and asset deployment
- Track task progress directly within contact records, deals, or custom dashboards
¶ 4. Set Up Lead Notifications & Handoff:
To facilitate quick follow-up, configure notifications or tasks for new leads:
- If using Facebook lead ads, HubSpot allows you to set up an automatic notification email to users whenever a new contact is captured via the lead form [knowledge.hubspot.com]. Configure this in the ad setup’s Automation tab or via a simple workflow.
- For HubSpot forms on landing pages, you can use the form options to send an email alert to team members on each submission. Alternatively, create a workflow that triggers on form submission to notify the sales team or assign the lead for follow-up.
- Ensure your CRM properties and lead status are updated accordingly (e.g. mark new leads as MQLs or assign to a sales rep) as part of the workflow. This guarantees a smooth handoff to sales.
- Quality Assurance: Before launching, test everything:
- Proofread all copy and confirm images/videos load correctly on the landing page and ads.
- Use HubSpot’s preview and test features: e.g. send yourself the follow-up email, submit a test form submission (use the form’s preview or a test contact), and click through any CTAs.
- If using a Facebook lead ad, use Facebook’s Lead Ad Testing Tool to submit a test lead [knowledge.hubspot.com], and verify that the test contact appears in HubSpot (marked as a Facebook test lead). Remove these test contacts later to avoid skewing results.
- Ensure conversions are being tracked: for landing page forms, the form submission is automatically tracked in HubSpot. For Facebook lead forms, verify that lead syncing is enabled (more on this below). For Google Ads, if you have Google conversion tracking (e.g. via Google Analytics or Google Ads pixel on the thank-you page), verify that it fires on a test conversion.
With the campaign and assets set up in HubSpot and tested, you can proceed to promotion. Next, we’ll cover connecting your Meta and Google Ads accounts to HubSpot and managing ad campaigns directly from HubSpot’s Ads tool.
¶ Clarity Google Adwords Standards
Google Ads allows you to serve paid ads across the Search Network (text ads on Google Search) and Display Network (image/video ads across Google’s partner sites). It’s ideal for capturing high-intent leads based on keyword targeting and can drive traffic to your HubSpot landing pages or directly promote offers via callouts, sitelinks, and conversions. HubSpot’s Ads tool integrates directly with Google Ads, enabling unified campaign tracking and attribution.
¶ Standard Campaign Settings
Campaign Objective
- Use “Leads” or “Website Traffic” depending on your campaign goals
- Select “Search” for lead-gen forms or landing page traffic
- Use “Display” for remarketing or broader awareness campaigns
Budget
- Daily: $100/day (or based on forecasted CPC x expected traffic volume)
- Lifetime: Match to campaign timeline and estimated lead volume
Bidding Strategy
- Search Ads: Manual CPC to build initial traffic, then test conversions
- Display Ads: Maximize Clicks to build initial traffic, then test conversions
- Optional: Set Target CPA once historical data supports optimization
Networks
- Search Partners: Disabled
- Display Network: Disabled for search-only campaigns
- Enabled for remarketing or display-only campaigns
Device Bids
- Bid Adjustments: -100% for TV Screens
- Optional: Adjust for mobile if historical performance supports it
Ad Schedule
- Run ads during business hours or peak engagement periods, unless 24/7 coverage is needed
HubSpot Tracking Integration
When Google Ads is connected to HubSpot, UTM parameters are auto-appended for campaign tracking. You may also set a campaign-level tracking template in Google Ads.
Standard UTM Format (HubSpot-compatible)
URL Example:
| Parameter |
Description |
Example |
{lpurl} |
Landing Page URL |
{lpurl} |
utm_campaign |
HubSpot Campaign Name |
{_utmcampaign} |
utm_source |
Platform Source |
google |
utm_medium |
Channel Type |
ppc |
utm_term |
Keyword Matched |
{keyword} |
utm_content |
Ad Variant |
ecommerce-a |
hsa_cam |
HubSpot Campaign ID |
{campaignid} |
hsa_grp |
Ad Group ID |
{adgroupid} |
hsa_mt |
|
{matchtype} |
hsa_src |
|
{network} |
hsa_ad |
Ad Variant |
{creative} |
hsa_acc |
HubSpot Account ID |
{ID of account/customer} |
| hsa_net |
|
adwords |
| hsa_kw |
Keyword Matched |
|
| hsa_tgt |
|
|
| hsa_ver |
|
3 |
HubSpot will attribute performance using these UTM values. Be sure the campaign name in Google Ads matches the HubSpot Campaign for accurate alignment.
¶ Audience Targeting and Keywords
Keyword Strategy
- Focus on high-intent keywords tied to your offer
- Use Phrase and Exact match types primarily
- Avoid Broad match unless part of a structured test
- Build a Negative Keyword List: exclude “free,” “jobs,” or non-qualified terms
Geo-Targeting
- Location Targeting: United States
- Location Exclusions: All other regions unless otherwise specified
Remarketing Setup
If using Display campaigns:
- Install Google Ads remarketing tag on all site pages
- Create audience lists in Google Ads (e.g. past 30-day visitors, abandoned leads)
- Upload custom contact lists if compliant
Responsive Search Ads (RSAs)
- Minimum 10 headlines and 4 descriptions
- Include keywords in key variations
- Highlight your offer, trust elements, and differentiators
Display Ads
- Use Responsive Display Ads (upload up to 15 images + 5 headlines)
- Ensure creative alignment with HubSpot landing page copy and branding
Landing Page Relevance
- Ensure keyword-to-ad-to-landing page relevance for Quality Score
- Keep messaging consistent and conversion-focused
- Verify that HubSpot forms and tracking scripts are functioning
- Connect Google Ads Account
- Go to HubSpot > Marketing > Ads
- Click “Connect Account” and log into Google Ads
- Grant all permissions for syncing conversions and tracking
- Enable Auto-Tracking
- In HubSpot Ads settings, allow HubSpot to append tracking templates to each ad
- Ensure UTMs are properly pulling into HubSpot reports
- Conversion Tracking (Optional but Recommended)
- Use Google Ads pixel on the thank-you page or import HubSpot conversion events to Ads
- Validate conversions using Google Tag Assistant and the HubSpot analytics tool
Q: Can I track conversions without using the Google Ads pixel?
Yes. HubSpot tracks form submissions, and if you use HubSpot-hosted thank-you pages, these can act as conversion points without needing Google Ads tags.
Q: How do I test if my tracking template is working?
Use Google’s Ad Preview Tool and visit the ad URL. Confirm that UTM parameters appear in the landing page URL and that HubSpot is registering traffic.
Q: How often should I review keyword performance?
Weekly. Review search terms, CTR, and CPC. Add negatives regularly and adjust bids or match types for efficiency.
Q: Should I use dynamic keyword insertion (DKI)?
Use with caution. Only implement DKI if the landing page supports varied headlines and the offer remains relevant across terms.
Tracking Template Information
Meta Ads (formerly Facebook Ads) includes ad placements across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and the Audience Network. These platforms offer robust audience targeting capabilities and are especially effective for top- and mid-funnel lead generation campaigns. Within HubSpot, you can manage, sync, and report on Meta Ads to consolidate campaign performance across platforms.
¶ Standard Campaign Settings
Campaign Objective
Lead Generation or Website Traffic (based on your offer and conversion method).
Use “Lead Generation” if you are using native Meta lead forms.
Use “Website Traffic” if you’re directing users to a HubSpot landing page.
Budget
- Daily: $100 minimum for new campaigns
- Lifetime: Align with campaign timeline and expected CPL (cost per lead)
Placements
- Use “Manual Placements” to exclude low-performing inventory (e.g. Messenger Stories)
- Recommended: Facebook News Feed, Instagram Feed, Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories
Bidding Strategy
- Goal: Cost per Lead (CPL) or Cost per Result
- Optimization: Leads or Landing Page Views depending on your objective
Attribution Settings
- Default to 7-day click and 1-day view for lead generation
- Adjust based on campaign data and sales cycle length
Audience Targeting
- Custom Audience (e.g. past site visitors, email lists via HubSpot sync)
- Lookalike Audiences based on high-value leads or customers
- Demographic and interest-based targeting aligned with buyer personas
Ad Formats
- Carousel or Single Image for mobile-first design
- Use video where possible to improve engagement
- Primary Text: 125–150 characters
- Headline: Short, benefit-driven (25–40 characters)
¶ Tracking Setup and HubSpot Integration
- Connect Meta Account to HubSpot
- Go to HubSpot > Marketing > Ads > Connect Account
- Connect the appropriate Facebook Business Manager and Ad Account
- Grant permissions for lead syncing and ad creation
- Enable Lead Syncing (if using Facebook Lead Ads)
- In HubSpot Ads settings, activate automatic syncing of Facebook lead forms
- Leads will appear in HubSpot with Source = Paid Social
- Map form fields to HubSpot contact properties to ensure proper data capture
- Use HubSpot-Generated Tracking URLs
- When directing users to a landing page, use the HubSpot Tracking URL Builder
- UTM Parameters:
utm_source=facebookutm_medium=paidsocialutm_campaign=[HubSpot Campaign Name]utm_content=[Ad Variant or Creative]
- Conversion Events
- Use Facebook’s pixel to track landing page views and conversions
- Configure custom events for form submissions or thank-you page visits
- Verify pixel events using the Meta Events Manager and HubSpot form test
- Creative Brief Alignment
Keep messaging consistent with HubSpot emails, landing pages, and offer copy
- Mobile Optimization
Most Meta traffic is mobile – prioritize fast-loading visuals, minimal text overlays, and vertical video
- A/B Testing
Launch at least 2 creative versions per ad set to test headlines, visuals, and CTA wording
- CTA Consistency
Use "Learn More" or "Download" CTA to align with landing page goals or lead forms
Q: Can I edit a Facebook Lead Form after publishing it?
No. Facebook does not allow editing of live lead forms. If changes are needed, create a new form and update your ad.
Q: How do I test Meta lead forms before launch?
Use the Meta Lead Ad Testing Tool to submit a test lead and verify it appears in HubSpot.
Q: How soon do leads show in HubSpot?
Instantly. As long as syncing is enabled and the lead form is connected, leads will populate in HubSpot immediately.
Q: What happens if the pixel doesn’t fire properly?
Check that the pixel is installed on all relevant pages and use the Meta Pixel Helper Chrome extension to validate events. Also confirm the thank-you page loads and isn’t gated by redirects.
¶ Reporting and Analytics
Use HubSpot’s reporting to track and analyze campaign performance: Marketing Campaign & Paid Ads Analytics
- Traffic sources and attribution
- Email performance (opens, clicks)
- Landing page conversion rates
- Lead quality and lifecycle stages
- Overall campaign ROI and goal completion
¶ On-Going Maintenance