As your business scales, so does the challenge of efficiently organizing and managing contacts. To ease the burden on your marketing team and sales representatives, HubSpot Contact Management steps in as a solution.

HubSpot Contact Management offers a centralized platform where you can effortlessly create, organize, and manage your contacts. Its intelligent features streamline the process by automatically updating records and facilitating sales tasks.

This not only saves time but also ensures that your contact information is accurate and up-to-date. Moreover, it allows you to manage contacts tier, enabling you to optimize costs effectively and prioritize interactions with high-value prospects or customers.

Let's delve deeper into the usage and benefits of HubSpot Contact Management software, uncovering how it can help in driving business growth.

What is the HubSpot Contact Management Tool?

HubSpot Contact Management is a tool that helps businesses keep track of all their contacts in one convenient place. With HubSpot, you can store details about your contacts, like their names, emails, phone numbers, and more.

You can also see a history of your interactions with each contact, such as emails sent or meetings scheduled. The tool allows you to group contacts based on similarities, making it easier to send targeted messages.

HubSpot Contact Management also integrates with other tools you use, automates repetitive tasks, and provides insights into your contacts' behavior. Overall, it helps businesses organize, understand, and engage with their contacts effectively, leading to better relationships and results.

Before diving deep into the benefits and usage of this tool, let's understand the concept of marketing and non-marketing contacts.

What are Contacts within HubSpot?

HubSpot Contacts are individuals or entities that have interacted with a company through various channels such as email, social media, or website visits. These contacts are stored in a centralized database within the HubSpot CRM, allowing businesses to track and manage their interactions with customers and leads. 

Each contact entry includes basic information like name, email address, and phone number, along with details about their interactions with the company, such as past purchases or website activity. HubSpot Contacts serve as a valuable resource to grow your business. 

As a part of HubSpot Free CRM, users can create up to 1 million non-marketing contacts for no cost. HubSpot only charges for the contact you assign as Marketing. 

What are Marketing & Non-marketing contacts?

Marketing Contacts are those who have engaged with your marketing efforts by signing up for a newsletter, downloading a whitepaper, or attending a webinar. These contacts are interested in learning more about your products or services and may be considered leads for potential future sales.

HubSpot defines non-marketing contacts as contacts within your HubSpot account that are not primarily engaged with through marketing efforts. These contacts could include customers, partners, suppliers, employees, or any other individuals or entities that your business interacts with but are not part of your marketing audience. They do not count towards your contact tier. 

How do you create, assign, merge and delete contacts?

HubSpot Contact Management software is a centralized dashboard that allows you to create, merge, delete, assign and manage your contacts efficiently.

Create a New Contact

Let's start by creating a new HubSpot contact.

  • Log in to your HubSpot Account and go to Contacts > Contacts.
  • Select the “Create Contact” option positioned in the top-right corner.
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  • Input the necessary information and specify contact properties, including the life cycle stage and legal basis for processing contacts, among others.
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  • If you possess access to Marketing contacts, you can opt to designate this contact as a marketing contact by selecting the checkbox – Set as marketing contact.

Alternatively, HubSpot Contact Management also allows you to import contacts from a file, an opt-out list or by syncing through external apps.

Assign Contacts 

Follow the steps below to assign an owner to your contact record.

  • Go to Contacts > Contacts in your HubSpot Account.
  • Choose the records you wish to assign.
  • Click on “Assign” located at the top of the table.
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  • A dialog box will emerge. From the dropdown menu, choose the owner's name, and then click “Update.“
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Merge Contacts 

If you have duplicate contacts within your HubSpot account, it's advisable to merge them rather than deleting to ensure that no information or detail is lost. Follow these simple steps to merge contacts:

  • Locate the contact you wish to merge.
  • Click on the Action dropdown menu.
  • Choose the “Merge” option.
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  • A new window will pop up. Select the contact you want to merge from the dropdown menu and click on “Merge.”
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Delete Contacts 

Below are the steps to remove a contact from your HubSpot Account:

If you want to delete an individual contact:

  • Locate the contact you want to remove.
  • Click on Actions.
  • Choose Delete.
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  • A pop-up window will appear with two radio buttons:
    1. Permanent Delete
    2. Restorable Delete (allows you to restore the contact within 90 days)
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  • Select the option to send a confirmation email and click Delete Contact.

If you want to delete multiple contacts then follow these steps:

  • Select the contacts you wish to delete
  • Click Delete, located at the top of the table 
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  • Type the number of contacts selected in the pop-up window and click delete.
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Restore Deleted Records

HubSpot offers the ability to restore deleted records. Follow these steps to restore your contacts:

  • Navigate to Contacts > Contacts.
  • Click on Actions at the top right corner. 
  • Choose Restore Records.
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  • Select the checkboxes next to the deleted records you wish to restore.
  • Click on Restore.
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  • In the pop-up window, indicate the number of records/contacts selected for restoration and click Restore.

With the HubSpot Contact Management tool, you can also create several tasks to streamline your team efforts. Let's explore more about this software.

How to streamline Marketing activities within Contact Database?

HubSpot Contact Management helps enhance the productivity of your Sales and Marketing team by centralizing all activities and tasks in one place.

You can easily send emails, log a call, create a task, make a note, schedule a meeting, log SMS, LinkedIn and WhatsApp messages, enroll contacts in a sequence and create other tasks. 

Let's explore how to execute some of these HubSpot marketing activities step by step.

Send Emails 

You can craft and send compelling emails by following the steps below.

  • Go to Contacts > Contacts.
  • Select the contact you intend to send an email to.
  • On the left sidebar, just below the contact information, click on the email icon.
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  • From this point, you can craft a professional email and dispatch it.
  • Additionally, you can utilize existing email templates, attach documents, sales quotes, knowledge articles, or send meeting links.
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Instead of sending plain emails, you have the option to create visually appealing and professional emails directly within HubSpot. Additionally, you can opt to schedule emails for later delivery by clicking on ‘Send Later.‘

Make a Phone Call 

You can initiate a phone call either from your browser or your phone. To place a call directly from a contact's record, follow these steps:

  • Navigate to the contact you intend to call.
  • On the top left panel, locate and click the call icon.
  • Choose the phone number you wish to call and select the preferred call-from option.
  • This action will place the call.

Please note: Making calls is a feature available for Sales Hub and Service Hub Starter, Professional, and Enterprise subscribers.

Schedule a Meeting 

You can schedule a meeting with your contacts by following these steps directly:

  • Select the contact you wish to schedule the meeting with.
  • Click on the meetings icon.
  • From there, you can pick a suitable time and date based on availability, attendees, and the meeting location (whether physical or virtual).
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  • Additionally, you have the option to send reminder emails by clicking on Add Reminder.

Log SMS

Here are the steps to log SMS for your contact.

  • Choose the contact you want to log the SMS for.
  • Access additional options in the left sidebar by clicking on the three dots.
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  • Opt for the Log SMS option.
  • Compose the SMS and log the activity.
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Update Lead Status 

At any point in time, you can modify your lead status by following these steps:

  • Head to Contacts > Contacts.
  • Find the lead status column.
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  • Select from various options such as “open,” “in progress,” “open deal,” “unqualified,” “connected,” “bad timing,” and then save your changes.

How to track contact activities?

The HubSpot Contact Management Tool enables you to monitor the engagement activities associated with your contact list.

To track these engagement activities, follow the steps below:

  • Choose the contact you wish to track.
  • Review the deal activities listed under the activity tab.
  • Utilize filters as needed to track specific activities.
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  • This centralized dashboard provides an overview of all activities, including emails, calls, tasks, and meetings.

How to edit Contact Properties & Manage Duplicates?

If your contact properties are inaccurately mapped, the HubSpot Contact Management software permits you to edit and update them. 

Edit Contact Properties 

Follow the instructions below to edit HubSpot Contact Properties.

  • Access your HubSpot account and click on the settings icon.
  • Go to Properties located in the left sidebar.
  • Hover over the specific property you wish to edit and click on Edit.
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  • You can modify the group, add a description, set the field type, and include rules as needed.
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  • After making the necessary changes to the property, click Save.

Manage Duplicates 

HubSpot automatically deduplicates the contacts to efficiently manage your contact information. Alternatively, you can also deduplicate the contacts manually.

Here are some of the ways through which HubSpot automatically manages duplicates: 

1. By User Tokens 

HubSpot employs a user token-based approach to deduplicate contacts, ensuring accuracy and consistency within its contact database. 

When a contact interacts with your business through various channels such as filling out a form, visiting your website, or engaging with your content, HubSpot generates a unique user token for that contact.

As new interactions occur, HubSpot compares the contact data against existing contact records using the user token. If a contact's user token matches an existing record, HubSpot consolidates the new data with the existing contact profile rather than creating a duplicate entry. 

2. By Company Domains

When contacts are added to the HubSpot database, whether through form submissions, imports, or integrations, HubSpot extracts the domain name from the contact's email address.

HubSpot compares the extracted domain name of each new contact against existing contact records in its database. If a contact shares the same domain as an existing record, HubSpot identifies them and will alert you. 

3. By Email IDs

HubSpot extracts the email address associated with each contact when contacts are added through form submissions, imports, or integrations. 

It compares the extracted email address and if a contact's email address matches an existing record, HubSpot consolidates them into a single contact record.

4. By Record ID

Each contact, company, or other entity stored within HubSpot's database is assigned a unique identifier known as the Record ID.

When a new contact is added or an existing one is updated, the system compares the Record ID of the incoming data with existing records to identify any duplicates. When duplicate records are identified, HubSpot offers options to merge or link these records. 

5. By Custom Properties

HubSpot allows users to create custom properties to store additional information about contacts beyond the standard fields like name and email address.

These custom properties can include unique identifiers such as customer IDs, account numbers, or any other relevant data unique to your organization's needs. 

When new contacts are added or existing ones are updated, HubSpot's deduplication algorithms analyze the custom unique value properties along with other standard fields to identify potential duplicates.

6. Manually Deduplicate Contacts

Manually deduplicating contacts in HubSpot allows users to review and resolve potential duplicates with precision and control. Follow these simple steps to manage duplicates:

  • Navigate to Contacts > Contacts.
  • Click the Actions dropdown in the top right corner.
  • Click Manage Duplicates and review your records. 
  • Click Merge once you've reviewed the contact records. 

Please note: The users with Enterprise and Professional subscriptions can only manage duplicates manually.

Benefits of HubSpot Contact Management

HubSpot Contact Management Software offers many benefits that can streamline and enhance your customer relationship management (CRM) processes. Take a look at some of its key advantages:

  • Organized Contacts: It helps you keep all your contacts in one place, making it easy to find and manage them without the hassle of scattered information.
  • Detailed Insights: You can gather valuable contact details, such as their interactions with your business, preferences, and more.
  • Segmentation: HubSpot allows you to segment your contacts based on various criteria like location, behavior, or interests. This makes it easier to send targeted messages and campaigns, increasing their effectiveness.
  • Automation: With automation features, you can set up workflows to handle routine tasks like sending follow-up emails or updating contact information.
  • Integration: It seamlessly integrates with other tools you might be using, such as email marketing platforms or CRM systems.
  • Personalization: By understanding your contacts better and having easy access to their information, you can personalize your interactions with them. This leads to stronger relationships and higher customer satisfaction.
  • Scalability: Whether you're a small business or a large enterprise, HubSpot Contact Management Software can scale with your needs. You can start with basic features and expand as your business grows.
  • HubSpot Contact Management Software offers a user-friendly way to organize, understand, and engage with your contacts, ultimately helping you build stronger relationships and drive business growth.

Can HubSpot Contact Management simplify your efforts?

HubSpot's Contact Management software offers a comprehensive solution for organizing, tracking, and engaging with contacts effectively.

With its intuitive interface, powerful automation capabilities, and robust deduplication features, HubSpot enables businesses to streamline their contact management processes and nurture valuable relationships with customers.

Now, we'd love to hear your thoughts on what features you find most valuable in managing your contacts effectively. Share your view in the comments. 

If you've still any queries related to HubSpot Contact management, feel free to contact us for expert advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

HubSpot Contact Management refers to the process of organizing and maintaining a database of contacts, which can include leads, customers, and prospects. It involves capturing contact information, tracking interactions, and managing relationships with individuals or organizations within the HubSpot CRM platform.

You can organize your contacts in HubSpot by using features such as contact properties, lists, and segmentation. Start by categorizing contacts based on criteria like lead status, customer type, industry, or any custom properties relevant to your business. Then, create lists or segments to group contacts with similar attributes for targeted communication and personalized engagement.

Yes, HubSpot is indeed a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools and features designed to help businesses manage relationships with their customers, prospects, and leads effectively. HubSpot's CRM includes functionalities for contact management, email marketing, sales automation, reporting, and more, all integrated into a single platform.

Contact management plays a crucial role in effectively managing relationships with customers and prospects. It allows businesses to centralize contact information, track interactions, and nurture leads through targeted communication. By organizing contacts and maintaining a comprehensive database, businesses can improve customer engagement, increase sales efficiency, and enhance overall customer satisfaction.

Akansha Patidar is an expert in content creation, copywriting, blogging, social media content, and content strategy. She writes clear and engaging content that helps brands connect with their audience. Akansha's passion for writing ensures her work is both creative and effective.