Anyone who has spent time in their HubSpot portal knows how powerful and indispensable workflows can be. Workflows automate mundane processes like sending emails, following up on communication, and sending internal notifications. But what if there was a way to extend their capabilities further to maximize your investment?
Well, when there’s an API, there’s a way!
By tapping into the HubSpot workflows API built to create, update, and customize these workflows, you unlock the potential for genuinely dynamic marketing automation. In addition to merely being able to generate workflows dynamically, this API endpoint allows you to integrate your external website seamlessly. On top of that, you can use webhooks or extensions to continue creating unique functionality.
Let’s dig into how it all works and what you can achieve.
HubSpot Workflows API
As noted, workflows are an essential component of HubSpot’s marketing software. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to engage with your contacts in compelling and automated ways. Put simply, they’re the heart of marketing automation. You can use them to set up anything from simple campaigns to highly sophisticated ones that rely on triggering actions for your contacts.
There are two methods to enroll users in a workflow. First, is to set up a workflow that’s integrated with a list, so all members are automatically enrolled. The second is to enter them through HubSpot’s interface manually. If that doesn’t sound like enough control for you, that’s where the workflows API comes into play.
The most common use case for the API is first to create a workflow then enroll contacts in it based on a trigger from an external application. But using the workflows API, you can create your custom triggers for workflow enrollment if the list-building filters aren’t specific enough for your tastes.
Yet, the workflows API does a lot more than just allowing custom workflow enrollment. You can also create new workflows right from your code, which means any developer can build applications for HubSpot without the pain of installation. An example we’ve experienced is a HubSpot integration with GoToWebinar that lets users access the application interface and select webinars from their account to integrate into HubSpot. Then, the application creates a new registration form and workflow for each webinar that sends registrant data back to the app so it can register that user in GoToWebinar – all automatically from the API.
How HubSpot Workflows Work with Webhooks
Another critical automation feature in the API is webhooks. A webhook is a way of requesting contact info in real-time when the workflow triggers. You can use them to pass information from HubSpot to another outside application. Webhooks are frequently used for custom CRM, ERP, or eCommerce integrations. For HubSpot CRM integrations, webhooks allow for seamless, instant synchronization between the two platforms.
At Lynton, we’ve used webhooks to implement dynamic emails where the email content is generated from an external system but is sent back to HubSpot to take advantage of its activity tracking. With webhooks, any limitations of the HubSpot UI are obliterated, and the full power of your portal can be unleashed.
HubSpot Workflow Extensions
If webhook actions are still too complicated, or you don’t have the necessary time to implement them, try utilizing workflow extensions. They provide a seamless automation experience between HubSpot and other third-party services through custom workflow actions. Workflow extensions abstract details from URLs, HTTP methods, and auth headers to your end-user and let them easily find custom actions created by your application within their list of workflow actions.
Using both a HubSpot workflow and a workflow extension, you could set up an automatic appointment tracking system that presents the most relevant options to the user without having to set up a new configuration in your service.
Looking for More?
If you feel held back by HubSpot’s standard workflows, using the workflows API, webhooks, or workflow extensions (or a combination) may be your answer. With these tools, you can increase your portal’s efficiency, letting your team spend less time on manual, tedious tasks, and more time on more significant projects. For any help understanding any of these concepts, reach out today!
