How to Use HubSpot to Scale Your Small Business in 2026

Quick Start

This guide covers how to use HubSpot feature:

• Erste Schritte — Create account and basic setup
• How to Use Marketing Platform — Run targeted campaigns and capture leads at scale
• How to Use Content Arrangement — Organize and publish content that drives traffic
• How to Use E-Commerce Management — Manage products, deals, and revenue in one place
• How to Use AI Automation — Automate repetitive tasks with Breeze AI
• How to Use Reporting & Analytics — Track KPIs and measure what’s working
• How to Use Contact Management — Centralize and segment your entire contact database

Time needed: 5 minutes per feature

Also in this guide: Pro Tips | Common Mistakes | Fehlerbehebung | Preisgestaltung | Alternativen

Why Trust This Guide

I’ve used HubSpot for over two years and tested every feature covered here.

This tutorial comes from real hands-on experience — not marketing fluff or vendor screenshots.

HubSpot is one of the most powerful CRM platforms available today.

But most users only scratch the surface of what it can do.

This guide shows you how to use every major feature.

Step by step, with screenshots and pro tips.

HubSpot Tutorial

This complete HubSpot tutorial walks you through every feature step by step, from initial setup to advanced tips that will make you a power user.

HubSpot

HubSpot is an all-in-one CRM platform that unifies marketing, sales, and customer service in a single dashboard. It helps teams capture leads, automate follow-ups, and close deals faster. Start free — no credit card required.

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Getting Started with HubSpot

Before using any feature, complete this one-time setup.

It takes about 3 minutes.

Follow the steps below to get your account ready in minutes.

Step 1: Create Your HubSpot Account

Go to hubspot.com and click “Get started free.”

Enter your work email address and create a password.

HubSpot will ask a few onboarding questions about your role and company size.

✓ Checkpoint: Überprüfen Sie Ihre Posteingang for a confirmation email from HubSpot.

Step 2: Access Your HubSpot Dashboard

HubSpot runs entirely in your browser — no download needed.

Log in at app.hubspot.com with your new credentials.

Here’s what the dashboard looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: You should see the main HubSpot navigation on the left sidebar.

Step 3: Complete Initial Setup

Connect your email by going to Settings → Email Integrations.

Import existing contacts from a spreadsheet or previous CRM under Contacts → Import.

Define your lifecycle stages — Subscriber, Lead, MQL, SQL, Opportunity, and Customer.

How to Use HubSpot Marketing Platform

Marketing Platform lets you run email campaigns, create landing pages, and capture leads directly into the CRM.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Watch Marketing Platform in action:

Now let’s break down each step.

Step 1: Create a Marketing Email

Go to Marketing → Email in the left sidebar.

Click “Create email” and choose a template from the library.

Use the drag-and-drop editor to add your headline, body Text, and CTA button.

Step 2: Set Up Your Audience and Send

Click “Settings” inside the email editor to set your subject line and sender name.

Under “Recipients,” choose a contact list or apply filters based on lifecycle stage or custom properties.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: You should see your recipient count update in real time.

Step 3: Track Email Performance

After sending, go to Marketing → Email and click your campaign to view results.

HubSpot tracks opens, clicks, and page views for each contact automatically.

How to Use HubSpot Content Arrangement

Content Arrangement lets you plan, create, and publish blog posts, landing pages, and web pages that drive organic traffic.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Watch Content Arrangement in action:

Now let’s break down each step.

Step 1: Create a Landing Page

Go to Marketing → Landing Pages and click “Create landing page.”

Choose a pre-built template or start from scratch using the drag-and-drop Bauherr.

Step 2: Add a Form to Capture Leads

Drag a Form block onto your landing page from the left panel.

Select an existing form or click “Create new form” to build one with custom fields.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: Preview your page and confirm the form submits correctly to the CRM.

Step 3: Publish and Promote Your Page

Click “Publish” in the top right corner of the editor.

Share the page URL in your email campaigns, social posts, or paid ads.

How to Use HubSpot E-Commerce Management

E-Commerce Management lets you connect your online store, manage products, and track revenue inside HubSpot’s CRM.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Watch E-Commerce Management in action:

Now let’s break down each step.

Step 1: Connect Your E-Commerce Store

Go to Settings → Integrations → App Marketplace and search for your platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.).

Click “Install” and follow the authorization steps to link your store.

Step 2: Set Up Deal Pipelines for Orders

Go to CRM → Deals and click “Manage pipelines” in the top right.

Create pipeline stages that match your sales process — Prospecting, Qualification, Demo, and Closed-Won.

✓ Checkpoint: Your deal stages should now reflect your actual sales workflow.

Step 3: Track Revenue with Forecasting

Go to Sales → Forecast to view expected revenue by rep, team, or period.

Use deal probability fields to weight forecasts accurately for each pipeline stage.

How to Use HubSpot AI Automation

KI Automatisierung lets you use Breeze AI to enrich leads, transcribe meetings, and resolve customer queries without manual effort.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Watch AI Automatisierung in action:

Now let’s break down each step.

Step 1: Enable Breeze AI in Your Account

Go to Settings → AI & Automation and toggle on Breeze AI features available on your plan.

Breeze AI is available on Professional and Enterprise tiers for full automation.

Step 2: Build a Workflow with AI Triggers

Go to Automation → Workflows and click “Create workflow.”

Choose a trigger — such as a form submission, email click, or website visit — to start the workflow.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: Your workflow should show a trigger node connected to at least one action.

Step 3: Add Actions Like Email Sequences and Lead Scoring

Add actions such as “Send email,” “Set property,” or “Create task” inside the workflow builder.

Use the lead scoring module under CRM → Lead Scoring to automatically prioritize high-value contacts.

How to Use HubSpot Reporting & Analytics

Reporting & Analytics lets you build dashboards that track lead conversion rates, email performance, and revenue in real time.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Watch Reporting & Analytics in action:

Now let’s break down each step.

Step 1: Open the Reports Dashboard

Go to Reports → Dashboards in the left sidebar.

HubSpot includes pre-built dashboards for Marketing, Sales, and Service right out of the box.

Step 2: Build a Custom Report

Click “Add report” on any dashboard and choose “Create custom report.”

Select your data source — Contacts, Deals, Emails, or Web Analytics — and choose the metrics to display.

✓ Checkpoint: Your report should populate with live data from your CRM contacts and deals.

Step 3: Schedule and Share Reports

Click the three-dot menu on any report and select “Schedule email delivery.”

Set a weekly or monthly schedule and add team members as recipients.

How to Use HubSpot Contact Management

Kontaktmanagement lets you centralize, segment, and act on your entire contact database from one place.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Watch Contact Management in action:

Now let’s break down each step.

Step 1: Import Your Contacts

Go to Contacts → Contacts and click “Import” in the top right.

Upload a CSV file from your previous CRM or spreadsheet — audit it first to remove duplicates.

Step 2: Create Custom Properties and Segment Lists

Go to Settings → Properties and click “Create property” to store data like industry or lead source.

Then go to Contacts → Lists and create active lists based on custom filters.

✓ Checkpoint: Your contact list should update automatically as new contacts meet the criteria.

Step 3: Define Lifecycle Stages

Set the Lifecycle Stage property on each contact — Subscriber, Lead, MQL, SQL, Opportunity, or Customer.

Use workflows to move contacts automatically between stages based on their behavior.

HubSpot Pro Tips and Shortcuts

After testing HubSpot for over two years, here are my best tips.

Tastenkombinationen

Hidden Features Most People Miss

• HubSpot Academy Certifications: Free courses on email marketing, inbound strategy, and CRM setup — go to academy.hubspot.com to earn credentials that actually improve your HubSpot usage.
• Treffen Terminplaner Link: Found under Sales → Meetings — share a booking link so prospects book time directly on your calendar, which auto-updates the CRM.
• Conversations Inbox: Under Conversations → Inbox — centralizes emails, live chats, and forms into a shared team inbox so nothing falls through the cracks.

HubSpot Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake #1: Importing Contacts Without Cleaning the Data First

Mistake #2: Building Workflows Before Mapping the Customer Journey

Mistake #3: Ignoring Naming Conventions for Properties and Lists

HubSpot Troubleshooting

Problem: Emails Are Going to Spam

Cause: Your sending domain is not authenticated with SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records.

Fix: Go to Settings → Email → Sending Domains and follow HubSpot’s DNS authentication wizard to add the required records to your domain provider.

Problem: Workflows Are Not Triggering

Cause: The enrollment criteria is too narrow, or contacts have already been enrolled and the “Re-enrollment” option is off.

Fix: Open the workflow and check the enrollment filters — broaden the criteria or enable re-enrollment under the Settings tab of the workflow editor.

Problem: Duplicate Contacts in the CRM

Cause: Contacts were imported from multiple sources without deduplication, or forms created new records instead of updating existing ones.

Fix: Go to Contacts → Actions → Manage Duplicates — HubSpot’s built-in deduplication tool will surface pairs for you to merge or dismiss.

📌 Notiz: If none of these fix your issue, contact HubSpot support via the Help button in the bottom-right corner of your account.

Was ist HubSpot?

HubSpot is a CRM platform that connects marketing, sales, content, and customer service into one unified system.

Think of it like a command center for your entire customer-facing operation — from first click to closed deal.

Watch this quick overview:

It includes these key features:

• Marketing Platform: Email campaigns, landing pages, forms, and lead capture tools built into the CRM
• Content Arrangement: Blog, website, and landing page builder with built-in SEO recommendations
• E-Commerce Management: Deal pipelines, revenue forecasting, and store integrations for sales teams
• AI Automation: Breeze AI for lead enrichment, meeting transcriptions, and automated follow-up sequences
• Berichterstattung & Analysen: Custom dashboards and scheduled reports to track KPIs across all hubs
• Kontaktmanagement: Central contact database with lifecycle stages, custom properties, and segmentation lists

For a full review, see our HubSpot review.

HubSpot-Preise

Here’s what HubSpot costs in 2026:

Kostenlose Testversion: Yes — the Free Tools plan is available with no credit card required.

Geld-zurück-Garantie: Not offered on paid plans — cancel before your billing date to avoid charges.

💰 Best Value: Starter Customer Platform — gives you marketing, sales, and service tools for just $15/seat/month.

HubSpot vs Alternatives

How does HubSpot compare? Here’s the competitive landscape:

Watch this comparison:

Quick picks:

• Best overall: HubSpot — most complete platform with free CRM, marketing, and sales tools in one place
• Best budget: Pipedrive — clean sales pipeline at $14/user/month with no bloat
• Best for beginners: HubSpot Free — no credit card required and a guided onboarding experience
• Best for agencies: GoHighLevel — white-label CRM with client sub-accounts and reseller pricing

🎯 HubSpot Alternatives

Looking for HubSpot alternatives? Here are the top options:

• 🚀 GoHighLevel: Best for marketing agencies — includes white-label CRM, funnels, SMS, and sub-account management for client teams.
• 💰 Pipedrive: Focused sales pipeline tool starting at $14/user/month — great for teams that want a lean, deal-first CRM without the marketing overhead.
• ⚡ Keap: Combines CRM with powerful Kleinunternehmen automation — ideal for service businesses that need invoicing and appointment booking alongside sales.
• 🧠 ActiveCampaign: Strong email automation and CRM combo at an affordable price — best for businesses that prioritize behavior-based email sequences.
• 🎯 ClickFunnels: Purpose-built for building high-converting sales funnels — a better fit than HubSpot for direct-response marketers and course creators.
• 🌟 Volk: Lightweight relationship CRM with a clean modern interface — great for consultants and small teams who find HubSpot too complex.
• 📊 Sofort: Specialized Kaltakquise per E-Mail outreach platform — better than HubSpot for high-volume outbound prospecting with AI-powered personalization.
• 🔧 ClickUp: Project management tool that also handles CRM-style workflows — good for teams that want task management and deal tracking in one app.
• 💼 Montag CRM: Visual CRM built on Monday.com’s work OS — a strong choice for teams already using Monday for project management.
• ⭐ Capsule CRM: Simple and affordable CRM starting at $18/user/month — designed for small businesses that want contact management without the complexity.
• 🔥 Aufschlussreich: CRM with built-in project management features — useful for businesses that need to track both deals and post-sale project delivery.
• 🤖 Freshsales CRM: AI-powered sales CRM with a free plan — a solid HubSpot alternative for teams that want predictive lead scoring without a high price tag.
• 🏢 Salesforce: Enterprise-grade CRM with the deepest customization on the market — best for large organizations with dedicated admins and complex sales processes.
• 🎧 Zendesk: Customer service platform with CRM capabilities — better than HubSpot for support-heavy businesses that prioritize ticket management over sales pipelines.

For the full list, see our HubSpot alternatives guide.

⚔️ HubSpot Compared

Here’s how HubSpot stacks up against each competitor:

• HubSpot vs. GoHighLevel: HubSpot wins for mid-market businesses needing an all-in-one platform; GoHighLevel wins for agencies wanting white-label reseller capabilities.
• HubSpot vs. Pipedrive: Pipedrive wins on simplicity and price for pure sales teams; HubSpot wins when you need marketing and CRM in the same database.
• HubSpot vs. Keap: Keap wins for small service businesses needing invoicing and appointments; HubSpot wins for teams that need scalable marketing automation.
• HubSpot vs ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign wins on email automation depth at a lower price; HubSpot wins when you need native CRM and sales pipeline alongside email.
• HubSpot vs. ClickFunnels: ClickFunnels wins for building standalone sales funnels fast; HubSpot wins for businesses that need full CRM and long-term contact nurturing.
• HubSpot vs Folk: Folk wins for simplicity and small team use; HubSpot wins when you need automation, reporting, and multi-hub features at scale.
• HubSpot vs Instantly: Instantly wins for cold outbound email volume and deliverability; HubSpot wins for inbound lead management and full CRM visibility.
• HubSpot vs. ClickUp: ClickUp wins as a project management tool with CRM-like boards; HubSpot wins for dedicated sales pipelines and contact-based marketing automation.
• HubSpot vs Monday CRM: Monday CRM wins for teams already inside Monday.com’s work OS; HubSpot wins for businesses wanting a true CRM with deep marketing integrations.
• HubSpot vs Capsule CRM: Capsule wins for solo operators needing a simple affordable CRM; HubSpot wins for teams that need marketing, sequences, and analytics built in.
• HubSpot vs. Insightly: Insightly wins when you need project tracking after deal close; HubSpot wins for inbound marketing, lead capture, and multi-channel campaigns.
• HubSpot vs Freshsales CRM: Freshsales wins on AI lead scoring and price for pure sales teams; HubSpot wins when marketing and sales need to share a single contact database.
• HubSpot vs. Salesforce: Salesforce wins for enterprise customization and deep integration options; HubSpot wins for teams that need a faster setup and a cleaner user experience.
• HubSpot vs. Zendesk: Zendesk wins for support-first businesses managing high ticket volumes; HubSpot wins for sales and marketing teams that need CRM as the foundation.

Start Using HubSpot Now

You learned how to use every major HubSpot feature:

• ✅ Marketing Platform
• ✅ Content Arrangement
• ✅ E-Commerce Management
• ✅ AI Automation
• ✅ Reporting & Analytics
• ✅ Contact Management

Next step: Pick one feature and try it now.

Most people start with Contact Management.

It takes less than 5 minutes.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

How do I set up my first HubSpot CRM account?

Go to hubspot.com and click “Get started free.” Enter your work email, create a password, and answer the short onboarding questions about your role and company size. HubSpot will personalize your dashboard based on your answers. You can start using the free CRM immediately — no credit card is required.

What is the easiest way to import contacts into HubSpot?

Go to Contacts → Contacts and click the “Import” button in the top right corner. Upload a CSV file with your contact data — HubSpot will let you map your column headers to CRM properties. Clean your data first by removing duplicates and outdated email addresses before importing to avoid a messy database from the start.

How to use HubSpot for email marketing automation?

Go to Automation → Workflows and create a new workflow triggered by a form submission or contact property change. Add a “Send email” action and select or create a marketing email. You can add delays, branching logic, and follow-up steps to build a complete nurture sequence. Monitor performance under Marketing → Email for open rates, clicks, and conversions.

What are the steps to connect my email to HubSpot?

Go to Settings → General → Email Integrations and click “Connect personal email.” HubSpot supports Gmail and Outlook natively. After connecting, you can log emails, send tracked messages from the CRM, and receive replies directly inside contact records. This also enables the HubSpot Sales Chrome extension for in-browser email tracking.

How do I create a custom sales pipeline in HubSpot?

Go to CRM → Deals and click “Manage pipelines” in the top right dropdown. Click “Add pipeline” and name it, then add stages that match your actual sales process — for example, Prospecting, Qualification, Demo Scheduled, Proposal Sent, and Closed Won. You can set a win probability for each stage, which powers the revenue forecasting tool under Sales → Forecast.

How to use HubSpot Breeze AI to automate tasks?

Enable Breeze AI under Settings → AI & Automation — availability depends on your subscription tier. Breeze AI can enrich lead profiles automatically, transcribe sales calls, and suggest next steps on contact records. On Professional and Enterprise plans, you can also use AI agents to handle customer queries through the conversations inbox without human intervention.

Can I use HubSpot as a project management tool?

HubSpot is not a dedicated project management tool, but its Tasks and Deals features can handle basic project tracking. You can create task sequences, assign owners, set due dates, and link tasks to contact or deal records. For full project management with dependencies and Gantt views, tools like ClickUp or Monday.com are better suited alongside HubSpot.

How do I set up lead scoring in HubSpot CRM?

Go to CRM → Lead Scoring (available on Professional and Enterprise plans) and create a new score. Add positive attributes like form submissions, email opens, and page views to increase a contact’s score. Add negative attributes like email unsubscribes to decrease it. Once set up, use workflows to automatically assign high-scoring leads to sales reps for follow-up.

How to use HubSpot to track my website visitors?

Install the HubSpot tracking code on your website by going to Settings → Tracking & Analytics → Tracking Code. Copy the code snippet and paste it into the header of your site. Once active, HubSpot logs every page visit by known contacts and shows their activity timeline inside their contact record. You can also view aggregate traffic data under Reports → Analytics Tools → Traffic Analytics.

What is the difference between a Deal and a Lead in HubSpot?

A Lead in HubSpot is a contact who has shown interest but has not yet entered the sales process — they sit at the top of the funnel with lifecycle stages like Subscriber or MQL. A Deal is a specific sales opportunity with a monetary value, close date, and pipeline stage — it represents an active negotiation with a contact or company. Leads become Deals when a rep qualifies them and moves them into a sales pipeline.

How do I build a landing page using HubSpot?

Go to Marketing → Landing Pages and click “Create landing page.” Choose a template or start from scratch, then use the drag-and-drop editor to add sections, images, text blocks, and a form. Once ready, click “Publish” to make it live on a HubSpot-hosted URL or your own connected domain. All form submissions go directly into the CRM as new contacts.

How to use HubSpot for soziale Medien management?

Go to Marketing → Social and connect your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X accounts. You can schedule posts, monitor engagement, and view performance analytics from one dashboard. HubSpot also links social interactions back to contact records so you can see which leads engaged with your posts before converting.

How do I generate custom reports in HubSpot?

Go to Reports → Reports and click “Create report.” Select “Custom Report Builder” to choose your data sources — Contacts, Companies, Deals, Activities, or cross-object combinations. Pick the metrics and dimensions you want to display, then choose a chart type. Save the report to a dashboard to monitor it automatically over time.

What are HubSpot Sequences and how do I use them?

Sequences are automated, personalized email series used by sales reps to follow up with prospects over time. Go to Automation → Sequences and click “Create sequence.” Add emails with time delays between each step — for example, a same-day intro email, a 3-day follow-up, and a 7-day check-in. Enroll contacts one at a time from their contact record, and the sequence stops automatically when they reply.

How to use HubSpot mobile app for sales on the go?

Download the HubSpot mobile app from the App Store or Google Play and log in with your account credentials. The app lets you view and update contact records, log calls, check deal pipelines, and receive notifications when prospects open your emails. Use the business card scanner to add new contacts on the spot at events or networking meetings.