HubSpot vs Salesforce Campaigns: A Practical Guide for Marketers

Whether you’re working in Salesforce or HubSpot, "campaigns" are tools marketers use to track and measure the business impact of their marketing efforts across various channels. 

But, for many, the pivotal question remains: “Which platform should I use to measure my marketing campaign performance?”

There are multiple reasons people come head-to-head with the question, “HubSpot or Salesforce Campaigns?” 

• They’ve migrated from Salesforce to HubSpot and need to align their old processes to the new tool
• They’ve integrated the two platforms and need to understand which to use or how to use them together
• They’re currently deciding which platform as a whole – HubSpot or Salesforce – is right for their business' needs  

Regardless of where you’re coming from, let's cut through the noise and really break down the use cases for Salesforce and HubSpot campaigns.

Understanding Platform Functionality

While they share the same name and both track marketing efforts, these campaigns function as fundamentally different tools. 

In fact, these two features are so distinct that they cannot be synced directly through the HubSpot<>Salesforce integration – a clear indication of their unique approaches to campaign management. 

Here’s what you actually need to know to make the right choice for your team.

Salesforce: Complex, yet configurable

Think of Salesforce campaigns like building a detailed project plan in Excel. You can create a masterpiece with intricate formulas, linked sheets, and color-coded tabs, but it takes effort, patience, and a solid understanding of the tool.  

With up to five levels of hierarchy, Salesforce campaigns are designed to handle even the most complex marketing projects, giving you the ability to see how different efforts contribute to broader goals. 

But heads up –you’ll need to roll up your sleeves for some manual work when it comes to: 

• Setting up UTM parameter
• Connecting contacts to campaigns
• Building customer attribution tracking

What’s the reward? 

• Salesforce’s nested campaign hierarchies allow you to organize efforts across parent (umbrella campaigns) and child (individual tactics or activities) campaigns  
• Detailed ROI tracking and engagement metrics give you deep insights into campaign performance 
• Custom reporting tools provide flexibility – if you’re familiar with Salesforce reporting
  

The tradeoff? Incredibly detailed custom reports... if you know your way around Salesforce reporting. And if you don’t, well it might be time to make friends with your Salesforce admin. 

HubSpot: An intuitive fast track

Using HubSpot campaigns is like working with a pre-built project management template. The framework is already set up for you, so you can focus on strategy and execution instead of building from the ground up. 

HubSpot shines when it comes to: 

• Tracking inbound and outbound activities with minimal effort 
• Managing gated content, like forms or downloads, by adding assets to your campaign with just a few clicks. 
• Associating contacts and deals to campaigns for clear attribution and ROI tracking.

What’s the reward? 

• HubSpot makes it easy to track both inbound and outbound marketing efforts in one place 
• Intuitive native reports help your team quickly understand campaign performance without requiring advanced configuration 
• Effortlessly tie all your marketing assets - forms, lists, and landing pages etc. - to campaigns for complete attribution

The tradeoff? HubSpot’s out-of-the-box functionality means fewer customization options compared to Salesforce. For example, each asset (like a landing page or form) can only be tied to one campaign. There are also deal attribution nuances that must be accounted for in your sales processes. For example, for a deal to be attributed to a campaign, it must be linked to a contact influenced by the campaign before the deal closes.  

But for many, HubSpot’s native reports and tools are intuitive, making it easier for teams to track performance quickly without needing advanced configuration. And its straightforward user-friendly tools provide everything most teams need to execute campaigns efficiently and effectively – minimal advanced technical skills required.

Which Tool Complements Your Team?

The chart below offers a granular look at the native functionality and user experience across Salesforce and HubSpot. While each solution has unique strengths, understanding their core capabilities can help teams make informed decisions.  

This "nuts and bolts" comparison can help assess which tool best fits specific needs and workflows, particularly in areas including campaign management, reporting, customization, and marketing features. Note that this comparison reflects current platform features, as these tools continuously evolve. 

Please note: The absence of a check mark does not indicate that a feature is not possible. The check marks are truly there to differentiate between the ease of set up, and “out of the box” capabilities in each environment.  

If you are a non-admin looking at this chart, consider the following when you see your tool of choice is lacking a feature you need:

• Do I have a designated system administrator? 
• Has that person used or set up Campaigns before? 
• How much bandwidth does this person have?

If you’re a HubSpot user and your responses are “No”, “No”, “Very little”, reach out and let the pros take care of it.

Making the Right Call

Salesforce and HubSpot campaigns are fundamentally different tools designed for different needs. 

Go with Salesforce if your team needs deep customization, touchpoint granularity and are willing to put in the work to get it just right. 

Go with HubSpot if you want a platform that works well out of the box, measures comprehensive marketing performance and doesn’t require endless setup.

It all comes down to what your team needs to achieve its goals. And while we all have our own POVs, if anyone tells you otherwise, they’re probably trying to sell you something.

About the Author

Anastasia Costa

Anastasia Costa is a Solutions Consultant at accelant and rightfully known as our go-to data expert. Of the many things she helps guide her clients on, Anastasia especially enjoys transforming data into a powerful force for accelerated growth, leveraging HubSpot’s Datasets to seamlessly connect Line Items, Deals, and Companies. Outside of work, Anastasia enjoys grabbing dinner with friends, volunteering with the Junior League of Boston, and spending time with her dogs.