HubSpot Marketing Onboarding: The 2026 Guide for B2B Teams

Want to get your HubSpot Marketing Hub onboarding right the first time?

You're in the right place.

This is a step-by-step playbook for setting up Marketing Hub in 2026 — including newer features (AEO, Marketing Studio, and Buyer Intent) that most onboarding guides still ignore.

There are two numbers should make marketers like you stop mid-scroll:

• Organic traffic for HubSpot customers is down 27% year-over-year.
• AI referral traffic across the industry has tripled.

Translation: your buyers haven't stopped researching. They are stopping clicking blue links.

Any HubSpot onboarding that skips AI search visibility leaves the fastest-growing channel of the next decade unconfigured on day one.

So this guide uses HubSpot's own Loop Marketing framework — Express, Tailor, Amplify, Evolve — as the connecting thread. It's the lens HubSpot's product roadmap is built around now.

Let's dive in.

Read more: The Complete Guide to HubSpot Marketing Hub in 2026

What's Inside

1. Why HubSpot Marketing onboarding matters in the AI era
2. Choosing your HubSpot Marketing onboarding path
3. Phase 1 — Account and technical setup
4. Phase 2 — Building your buyer awareness engine
5. Phase 3 — Plan and orchestrate campaigns with Marketing Studio
6. Phase 4 — Marketing reporting
7. Keep momentum after onboarding
8. Frequently Asked Questions

Why HubSpot Marketing Onboarding Matters in the AI Era

Jumping into HubSpot Marketing Hub without a plan is like assembling a complex puzzle with no picture on the box.

You'll fit a few pieces together. But it's easy to get lost.

A real onboarding plan is your roadmap. It shows how every piece fits — including the pieces that didn't exist a year ago.

Two big shifts happened since most "HubSpot onboarding" guides were written:

Shift #1: AI search. Buyers run discovery prompts in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity before they ever visit your site. HubSpot launched a dedicated tool — HubSpot AEO — on April 14, 2026 to make sure you show up in those answers.

Shift #2: HubSpot's product redesign. The Spring 2026 Spotlight introduced Marketing Studio as the new visual canvas for campaigns. And it rebuilt Buyer Intent as a feature with first-party and third-party signal data.

Both sit at the center of how marketing teams now work in HubSpot. Not as advanced add-ons.

Bottom line: if you skip onboarding, you're driving a high-performance car in first gear. You'll get from A to B, but you'll miss the speed that makes the trip worthwhile.

Most HubSpot users never set up their portal correctly. They never see the platform's full value.

Don't be most HubSpot users.

Choosing Your HubSpot Marketing Onboarding Path

You have two real options when it comes to HubSpot Marketing onboarding:

1. Onboard directly with HubSpot.
2. Partner with a HubSpot Solutions Partner.

Here's how to choose.

Path #1: Onboarding Directly with HubSpot

HubSpot offers a standardized onboarding process guided by its team.

You'll follow a set methodology covering account setup, basic configurations, and essential tools.

This works if:

• You have a relatively straightforward business model.
• You're comfortable with a general setup and don't need extensive customization.
• You have internal resources to do the configuration work yourself with guidance.
• You have time to follow HubSpot's consultant on a 30–90 day cadence.

The catch: HubSpot direct onboarding is guidance, not execution.

It won't go deep on AEO, Marketing Studio, or Buyer Intent. Those are products HubSpot will introduce — but most of the hands-on setup falls on your team.

Path #2: Partnering with a HubSpot Solutions Partner

Partners customize onboarding to your business.

They take time to understand your goals, challenges, and industry — then configure HubSpot to support them.

This works better if:

• You need a tailored approach for specific use cases or compliance requirements.
• Your business is complex (multi-business-unit, multi-language, regulated industry).
• You want hands-on execution — including AEO, Marketing Studio, and Buyer Intent setup.
• You lack internal bandwidth.

Partners often offer "white-glove" services with one-on-one support, advanced features, complex integrations, and compliance work like GDPR.

Pro tip: Tiered Solutions Partners can waive HubSpot's mandatory onboarding fee — redirecting that budget into hands-on configuration. (Superwork is one of them. Read our onboarding service page for the economic specifics.)

The verdict:

If you're confident handling setup with some guidance, HubSpot direct can work.

If you want a configuration that actually covers AEO, Marketing Studio, and Buyer Intent? A partner usually pays for itself.

Phase 1 — Account and Technical Setup

Before launching any campaigns, get the foundation right.

This phase doesn't change much year to year. But a handful of 2026 items are worth flagging.

Step #1: Connect Your Domain(s)

• If you host your website on HubSpot Content Hub, connect your primary domain (e.g., yourcompany.com).
• If you host elsewhere, connect a subdomain for landing pages, blogs, and emails (e.g., info.yourcompany.com).
• In your domain registrar, add the CNAME records HubSpot provides.

That's it.

Step #2: Configure Email Sending

Authenticate your sending domain by adding DKIM, SPF, and DMARC records.

Here's what each one does:

• DKIM — verifies emails aren't altered in transit.
• SPF — specifies which servers can send on your behalf.
• DMARC — builds on both to protect against spoofing and phishing.

Then define your subscription types (newsletters, product updates, promotions) so contacts can manage their preferences.

Important for EU/Nordic teams: this is also where GDPR-compliant subscription management gets configured. Don't treat it as an afterthought.

Step #3: Install Tracking Codes

If your site doesn't run on HubSpot CMS, install the HubSpot tracking code manually. Use a WordPress plugin, GTM, or paste it into the header.

This step matters more than ever in 2026.

Why? Both Buyer Intent and AEO depend on accurate first-party data from your site.

Step #4: Set Up Data Privacy and GDPR Compliance

• Enable GDPR features in account settings.
• Customize consent language to match your legal requirements and your brand voice.
• Document your data residency choices, especially if you operate in EU, UK, or Nordic markets.

Step #5: Manage Email Subscription Types

• Let contacts choose which communication types they want.
• Translate subscription types per market if you operate across multiple languages.
• Confirm the system suppresses opted-out contacts automatically.

Step #6: Import Your Data

Clean lists of contacts and companies before import. Remove duplicates. Update information. Standardize fields.

Then use HubSpot's import tool to map data fields appropriately.

New for 2026: HubSpot's email template migration tool (Spring 2026 release) can pull email templates from Marketo, Pardot, Mailchimp, or ActiveCampaign without manual rebuild.

If you're switching from any of those platforms? Use it.

For complex migrations, look at tools like Datawarehouse or SyncMatters.

Step #7: Organize Your File Manager

• Structure your file manager so future-you and your team can actually find things.
• Upload images, documents, and resources you'll use across campaigns.
• Connect Adobe Express or Canva to streamline image creation.

Step #8: Connect Social Media Accounts

Integrate LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok with HubSpot.

(Yes, TikTok organic publishing and ad management both became native in Spring 2026.)

Then add your team's LinkedIn profiles so they can publish from HubSpot.

Step #9: Integrate Advertising Platforms

Connect your LinkedIn, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), Google, and TikTok ad accounts.

Enable conversion tracking so ad spend can be attributed all the way through to deals (more on this in Phase 4).

Step #10: Integrate Third-Party Tools

Native integrations cover Slack, Microsoft Teams, PandaDoc, and many more.

For complex flows, use ConnectMyApps, n8n, Make, Zapier, or custom development.

The goal: clean data flow between HubSpot and your CRM, ERP, or product analytics.

Read more: The Complete Guide to HubSpot Marketing Hub in 2026

Bonus: Free Firmographic Enrichment (Worth Knowing)

Here's a meaningful change most teams haven't caught up to yet.

As of early 2026, Standard Data Enrichment is now free with Core Seats.

Revenue, industry, employee count, and location all enrich automatically. You don't need credits for the basics.

Tools like Clay and Breeze Intelligence are still useful for advanced enrichment (technographics, hiring signals, intent). But don't pay twice for firmographics you already get included.

Phase 2 — Building Your Buyer Awareness Engine

Phase 1 was technical foundation. Phase 2 is where the funnel actually starts.

We'll cover four goals:

1. Show up in AI answers (AEO)
2. Capture and convert leads
3. Engage and nurture leads
4. Automate and personalize

AEO is first. Because in 2026, the funnel starts before the first website visit.

Goal #1: Show Up in AI Answers (AEO)

This is the Phase 2 step nobody had in their onboarding playbook a year ago.

Now? Table stakes.

What HubSpot AEO Actually Does

It does four things:

1. Brand visibility score. Tracks how often your brand appears in AI answers across ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. Expressed as a percentage. Includes sentiment analysis on a -100 to +100 scale.

2. Prompt tracking with CRM-suggested prompts. This is the differentiator vs. standalone tools. For Marketing Hub Pro and Enterprise, HubSpot uses your CRM data to suggest the prompts your actual customers are likely to run. So you're not guessing in a blank field.

3. Citation analysis. Shows which domains, pages, and content types are driving AI mentions for you and your competitors. Source types: owned, competitor, third-party, social, affiliate. Content types: blog, news, product, social.

4. Prioritized recommendations. Turns visibility data into specific actions: create this page, update that post, publish on LinkedIn, engage on Reddit. In Marketing Hub Pro/Enterprise, you can act on most recommendations without leaving HubSpot.

How to Set It Up During Onboarding

• Activate AEO inside Marketing Hub Pro/Enterprise — or buy it standalone for $50/month ($45/month annually).
• Run the free HubSpot AEO Grader before onboarding to capture a baseline.
• Connect the tool to your domain so HubSpot can identify your brand in AI answers.
• Review the auto-suggested prompts (or define them manually).
• Add competitors for share-of-voice tracking.
• Set baseline visibility score and review the sentiment breakdown.
• Bookmark the recommendations queue. Treat it like a content backlog. Review weekly.

Real Results

• Sandler: ~8,000 new visitors and 12 new account conversions with a 2-point visibility lift.
• Anedot: ~20% of leads now come from AI sources.
• Docebo: nearly 15% of leads from AI.
• HubSpot's own brand: grew leads from AI by 1,850%.

Want a deeper dive on the tool? See our HubSpot AEO explainer.

Goal #2: Capture and Convert Leads

Define Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

• Develop detailed profiles of your ideal customers, including their challenges and goals.
• Upload target accounts and segment companies into tiers and industries.
• Build lists using databases and prospecting tools like Ocean, Clay, and Breeze Intelligence.

Activate Target Accounts (ABM)

• Activate the Account-Based Marketing features in HubSpot.
• Create lists segmenting buyer roles and companies.
• Integrate LinkedIn Ads for targeted ABM campaigns.
• Identify high-value accounts that match your ICP using Breeze AI.

For more on the full ABM setup, see our HubSpot ABM guide.

Set Up Website Forms

• Design clean, low-friction forms and pop-ups asking only for essential details.
• Place them on high-intent pages: pricing, demo request, product, and case studies.

New for 2026: Forms can now connect directly to deal properties. Capture data at submission that maps right to your sales pipeline.

There's also an auto-create-deal option (Spring 2026 public beta) that turns qualified form submissions into deals automatically.

It's a significant speed-to-pipeline win.

Design Compelling Calls-to-Action (CTAs)

• Use HubSpot's CTA builder for buttons and banners.
• Test different designs and messages.

Don't assume what'll resonate. Test it.

Implement Lead Scoring (Rebuilt)

The old HubSpot Score 0–100 property was sunset in August 2025.

HubSpot's rebuilt Lead Scoring has three score types:

• Fit Score — firmographic match to your ICP (industry, size, geography).
• Engagement Score — behavioral signals (page views, email opens, form submits).
• Combined Score — weighted blend that drives sales notification triggers.

The big upgrade: Breeze AI now suggests scoring criteria based on historical conversion patterns. So you don't have to guess weights from scratch.

Configure your model so qualified leads route to sales automatically when both fit and engagement cross thresholds.

Set Up Buyer Intent (Powered by Breeze Intelligence)

Buyer Intent went from a single feature to a full product line in Spring 2026.

It captures four signal types and surfaces them inside the Smart CRM:

1. Visitor intent. First-party website visits matched to companies via reverse-IP lookup.

2. Research intent. Topic-level research activity tracked across 200,000+ third-party publisher websites. This is the biggest change vs. earlier versions: HubSpot now offers off-site signal data, not just first-party. It closes a long-standing gap vs. dedicated tools like Bombora and 6sense (though those still have broader publisher networks).

3. Company news. Executive hires, funding rounds, and acquisitions create timeline events on company records automatically.

4. Contact-level signals. When a key contact moves to a new company, HubSpot creates a new lead automatically.

How to Set It Up (Eight Steps)

1. Confirm the HubSpot tracking code is firing on all relevant subdomains (cross-reference Phase 1).
2. Configure target markets. Define ICP segments by industry, company keywords, employee count, location, web technologies, and revenue. Set this up carefully — adding companies to CRM consumes HubSpot Credits.
3. Set intent criteria. Up to 10 high-intent pages (pricing, demo, case studies). Ask: would a real prospect visit this page while researching? Exclude job pages, partner pages, and top-of-funnel blog content.
4. Set up research topics. Choose topics relevant to your category. HubSpot's AI tags and surfaces companies researching them across the third-party network.
5. Configure auto-add rules. Optionally auto-add companies matching ICP + intent to CRM, segments, or workflows. Be deliberate — each net-new company costs credits (~$0.01 each).
6. Set up email digests. Most reps prefer a weekly or daily digest of warm accounts over a dashboard.
7. Add the Buyer Intent card to company records so reps see signal data inline.
8. Define the goal lifecycle stage for in-market opportunities (e.g., "converted to MQL").

Honest Caveats

This is where partner-led onboarding earns its keep. The marketing page won't tell you any of this:

• Buyer Intent gives you company-level data, not contact-level. You'll know Acme Corp is interested. You won't know who at Acme to email. Tools like Clay, Hublead, or Apollo fill the gap.
• Viewing and filtering are free with subscription. Adding net-new companies costs credits. Budget accordingly.
• Buyer Intent data isn't natively pullable into standard reports. A "target accounts engaging with website" dashboard requires a workaround using custom properties and workflows.
• One independent comparison test (over 14 days) found HubSpot Buyer Intent identified ~3x as many companies as a leading dedicated visitor-tracking tool. So the data quality is competitive — even with the caveats above.

Goal #3: Engage and Nurture Leads

Map Nurturing Strategies

• Decide what content to send at each stage of the buyer's journey.
• Group contacts by interests or behaviors.
• Combine targeted email, organic content, and paid advertising for full coverage.

For deeper guidance, see our lead nurturing guide.

Create Email Marketing Campaigns

• Use the drag-and-drop editor for brand-consistent emails.
• Plan sends for optimal times based on audience behavior and time zones.

Spring 2026 upgrade: custom fonts and refined templates landed in the email editor. Long a weak spot — finally fixed.

Set Up Marketing Workflows

• Build workflows triggered by contact behavior (a download, a page view, a form submission).
• Use If/Then logic to personalize journeys with branching paths.

Define Lifecycle Stages and Lead Status

• Use HubSpot's defaults (Subscriber, Lead, MQL, SQL, Customer) — or create custom stages for your funnel.
• Combine forms, lead scoring, and workflows to assign the right stage automatically.
• Notify sales when a contact reaches Sales-Qualified Lead.
• Use Lead Status to track which SQLs sales has actually contacted.

Create a Welcome Series

• Design a series introducing your brand and providing immediate value.
• Include CTAs that move readers toward demo requests, content downloads, or webinar registrations.

Goal #4: Automate and Personalize

Automate Manual Tasks

• Identify repetitive work — follow-up emails, sales notifications, list updates.
• Move it to workflows.
• Free your team for strategic work, not operational toil.

Develop Smart Content

• Personalize website content by visitor lifecycle stage or persona.
• Use personalization tokens in emails for a one-on-one feel.

Enhance CTAs With Personalization

• Display different Smart CTAs based on viewer attributes.
• Iterate on CTAs continuously using performance data.
• Test offers. Test copy.

Advance Your ABM Strategies

• Use account insights to tailor content for specific segments or target accounts.
• Align marketing campaigns with sales outreach for a unified motion.

Phase 3 — Plan and Orchestrate Campaigns With Marketing Studio

This phase used to be called "advanced features."

In 2026, it's where most marketing teams will spend their day.

Why? Because Marketing Studio is now the visual canvas customers see first when they open Marketing Hub.

What Marketing Studio Is, in Plain Terms

Marketing Studio is a visual, AI-powered campaign workspace inside Marketing Hub Pro and Enterprise.

You access it at Marketing > Marketing Studio.

Here's the key insight: it's the same underlying campaign data object as the legacy Campaigns tool. With a new collaborative UI on top.

Think Figma-style canvas for campaigns. Not a passive bucket of attached assets.

For a more detailed breakdown of how Marketing Studio differs from the legacy tool, see our Marketing Studio vs Campaigns post.

The Four Views

1. Canvas. Visual map of the entire campaign: ads → landing pages → CTAs → forms → emails → workflows → sales sequences. Inline metrics (contacts generated, conversion rates, CTA click rates) sit next to each asset.

2. Calendar. Month and week views with publish dates or due dates. Drag and drop assets onto dates.

3. Board. Kanban-style with stages (Placeholder, Draft, Scheduled, Published, Archived). Useful for editorial sprints.

4. Table. Asset list with owner, comments, due dates, type, and creation date. Best for project management views.

Read more: The Complete Guide to HubSpot Marketing Hub in 2026

AI Capabilities to Configure During Onboarding

Type a prompt like:

"Increase trial signups for our project management software among small business owners."

Marketing Studio generates campaign strategies, channel recommendations, and initial asset drafts (email copy, ad copy, landing page copy).

Asset suggestions come with tracking already wired up.

Brand voice gets automatically applied — if you've configured Brand Kit.

Important: AI features require turning on "Give users access to generative AI tools and features" in AI settings. Flag this as an onboarding step so it doesn't get missed.

The Loop Marketing Connection

Marketing Studio operationalizes HubSpot's Loop Marketing framework:

• Express — start with vision on canvas
• Tailor — AI generates personalized assets
• Amplify — multi-channel coordinated launch
• Evolve — performance insights drive iteration

It's HubSpot's answer to enterprise tools like Adobe Campaign and Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Accessible to mid-market teams.

How to Set It Up

• Enable Marketing Studio in the Marketing navigation.
• Confirm AI settings allow generative tools.
• Configure Brand Kit (logo, colors, voice guidelines) so AI-generated content matches brand.
• Build your first campaign canvas: ads → landing pages → CTAs → forms → emails.
• Write a campaign brief with goals, KPIs, and publishing windows. This becomes the team's source of truth.
• Select an attribution model based on campaign goals.
• Train the team on Board view for editorial sprint workflows.
• Set a review cadence (weekly performance review; adjust budgets and creative based on data).

A Gotcha Worth Flagging

Marketing Studio and the legacy Campaigns tool share the same underlying data object.

Translation: if a campaign is permanently deleted in one, it's gone in the other. No recovery.

Establish team conventions during onboarding for who can delete campaigns and when.

Tier Availability

Marketing Studio is Marketing Hub Professional and Enterprise only.

Starter customers won't see this menu. If you're on Starter and considering upgrading? This is the most visible reason why.

Other Advanced Features to Layer In

Once Marketing Studio is set up, the rest of Phase 3 layers on top.

Manage Multiple Business Units

Organize multiple brands within HubSpot. Keep data separate yet accessible. Each unit can have its own look, feel, and campaigns.

Implement Advanced Segmentation

• Build dynamic, auto-updating lists based on contact criteria.
• Segment contacts by website activity and email engagement for precise targeting.

Scale Globally

• Localize content for multiple languages.
• Schedule communications by time zone for optimal sends worldwide.

Develop Complex Workflows

• Create workflows with multiple branches for sophisticated processes.
• Trigger actions in other tools through integrations for an end-to-end ecosystem.

Establish Data Governance

• Set guidelines for data collection, storage, and usage.
• Review practices regularly to align with regulations and maintain trust.

For Nordic and EU teams, this is also where Schrems II and data residency decisions get documented.

Utilize Custom Objects

• Create custom objects for data that doesn't fit standard categories.
• Link custom objects to contacts or deals for a fuller customer view.

Phase 4 — Marketing Reporting

Understanding performance is critical to continuous improvement.

The reporting layer got several meaningful upgrades in Spring 2026.

Set Up Marketing Dashboards

• Track website traffic, conversions, email engagement, and pipeline contribution in one place.
• Highlight what matters most by customizing views.
• Build dashboards for each marketing function (e.g., one for landing pages, one for email, one for ads).
• Hide dashboards that aren't relevant for specific users or teams.

Track AEO Performance

• Monitor brand visibility score across ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity over time.
• Track sentiment trends (positive / neutral / negative).
• Review citation source mix — owned, competitor, third-party, social, affiliate.
• Measure share-of-voice against competitors.

Track ABM Performance

• Use ABM dashboards to view target account engagement and pipeline progression.
• Adjust your approach based on insights.
• Use enrichment tools like Clay and Breeze Intelligence to enrich records further (remembering that basic firmographics are now free).

Use the New Spring 2026 Reporting Upgrades

Campaign attribution to deals, tickets, and custom objects (public beta). Previously attribution was limited to marketing-specific metrics. Now you can trace a campaign touch through to a closed-won deal — or a custom object record. Worth re-examining your attribution model with this in mind.

List Health (public beta). Automatically surfaces what's driving subscriber growth and what's causing churn. A weekly check should become standard practice.

Buyer Intent reporting workarounds. Buyer Intent data still doesn't pull into standard reports natively. Build custom properties and workflows to expose it in dashboards if you want target-account engagement reporting.

For a deeper breakdown of how attribution is changing, see our marketing attribution guide.

Keep Momentum After Completing Onboarding

Congratulations on aligning HubSpot Marketing Hub with your goals and launching your first campaigns.

But here's the truth: onboarding is the beginning. Not the end.

Here's how to keep momentum going.

1. Set New Marketing Goals

As you achieve initial objectives, set fresh ones.

Traffic. Conversion rates. Leads. AI visibility. Pipeline.

2. Leverage AI for Content Creation

Three tools belong in your stack:

• Breeze Assistant — now trained on Loop Marketing and aware of your CRM data, role, and HubSpot Academy content. Use this for HubSpot-native work.
• ChatGPT — general-purpose horsepower.
• Claude — long-context drafting and analysis.

Use Breeze Assistant inside HubSpot. Reach for ChatGPT or Claude when you need general-purpose AI.

3. Review AEO Recommendations Weekly

Treat the AEO recommendations queue as a content backlog.

The teams winning AI search visibility act on these regularly. Not in batches.

4. Watch the Spotlight Cadence

HubSpot ships major features twice a year (Spring and Fall Spotlight).

Stay updated with HubSpot's latest releases and decide which to pilot.

5. Document Your Setup

Outline your HubSpot configuration, processes, and best practices in a shared wiki.

New team members onboard faster. Existing users have a reference when something breaks.

6. Maintain Compliance and Data Hygiene

• Regularly merge duplicates.
• Remove outdated emails.
• Audit your CRM.

For EU and Nordic teams, this includes documenting GDPR practices and reviewing data residency decisions.

Now It's Your Turn

Follow this plan and HubSpot Marketing Hub becomes a cornerstone of your growth in the AI era.

The key isn't just setting it up.

It's continually engaging, adapting strategies, and leveraging new features as they roll out.

If you'd rather have a partner do the configuration work for you — particularly the AEO, Marketing Studio, and Buyer Intent setup that HubSpot direct onboarding doesn't cover in depth — Superwork is a HubSpot Solutions Partner serving B2B mid-market teams across the Nordics, DACH, and the UK.

Book a 30-minute working session and we'll tell you in plain language whether to go with us, with HubSpot direct, or with a different partner entirely.

FAQ

How long does HubSpot Marketing Hub onboarding take?

A typical onboarding runs about 90 days. HubSpot direct onboarding usually takes the full 90 days because of limited touchpoints. Partner-led onboarding can compress to 30–60 days for straightforward setups, depending on data quality and integration scope.

What's the difference between HubSpot direct onboarding and partner onboarding?

HubSpot direct is guidance-led — your team does the configuration with HubSpot's coaching.

Partner onboarding is execution-led — the partner configures HubSpot for you, including advanced workflows, integrations, and 2026 features like AEO, Marketing Studio, and Buyer Intent.

Tiered Solutions Partners can also waive HubSpot's mandatory onboarding fee.

How do I set up HubSpot Buyer Intent during onboarding?

Eight steps:

1. Confirm tracking code is firing.
2. Configure target markets.
3. Set intent criteria (up to 10 high-intent pages).
4. Set up research topics.
5. Configure auto-add rules.
6. Set up email digests for sales.
7. Add the Buyer Intent card to company records.
8. Define the goal lifecycle stage.

Be deliberate with auto-add rules. Each net-new company addition consumes HubSpot Credits.

Is HubSpot AEO included with Marketing Hub?

Yes — AEO is included with Marketing Hub Pro and Enterprise. It uses your CRM data to suggest prompts your customers are likely to run.

It's also sold standalone for $50/month ($45/month annually) for teams that want AEO without a Marketing Hub subscription.

A 28-day free trial is available with no credit card required.

What is HubSpot Marketing Studio and is it free?

Marketing Studio is HubSpot's visual, AI-powered campaign planning workspace, accessed at Marketing > Marketing Studio.

It's included with Marketing Hub Professional and Enterprise. Starter customers don't have access.

It shares the same underlying campaign data object as the legacy Campaigns tool. So your existing campaign data is preserved.

Do I need to use HubSpot Credits for Buyer Intent?

Viewing and filtering features are free with subscription.

Adding net-new companies to your CRM from Buyer Intent costs HubSpot Credits (~$0.01 per company).

Standard Data Enrichment of firmographics (revenue, industry, employee count, location) is now free with Core Seats as of early 2026. So you don't need to budget credits for the basics.

Can I migrate email templates from Marketo, Pardot, or Mailchimp into HubSpot?

Yes. The email template migration tool released in Spring 2026 supports template imports from Marketo, Pardot, Mailchimp, and ActiveCampaign without manual rebuild.

This is a meaningful change if you're switching platforms. Previously? A multi-week project.