Tracking Paid Media Leads Efficiently with Hubspot Forms

If you are a small business owner investing in paid media, tracking and storing the leads you get from your campaigns is important. Tracking your leads helps you understand whether your advertising efforts are actually paying off, and which campaigns are the most successful. 

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This is where HubSpot forms come in — they can help you collect important information from potential customers who interact with your ads. We will explore how to use HubSpot forms effectively to capture and manage these leads.

Setting Up HubSpot Forms for Lead Tracking

Understanding HubSpot Forms

HubSpot forms are part of a larger set of Hubspot tools designed to help small businesses manage their customer relationships effectively. These forms allow you to collect information directly from potential customers through your websites, landing pages, and social media platforms. If you use them correctly, you can turn casual browsers into potential leads by capturing their details as soon as they show interest in your offerings.

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Unlike basic forms that might come with your website platform, HubSpot forms are integrated directly into HubSpot’s CRM system. This means that when someone fills out a form, their information is automatically stored in your HubSpot database. From there, you can easily track how they interact with your business across all touchpoints.

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The forms tool in HubSpot is very user-friendly. It will guide you through creating custom forms, without the need for any technical skills. You can choose what information you want to collect, customize the form’s appearance, and decide where the form should appear on your website.

Creating Custom Forms to Capture Leads

Here’s how you can create your first custom form in Hubspot:

1. Open the HubSpot dashboard.
2. Navigate to the Marketing tab, click on 'Lead Capture', and then select 'Forms'.
3. Choose 'Create form' and select the form type you want — a regular form or pop-up form.

You can then start adding the fields you need. Think about what information you really need from your leads. Normally, you may want to include fields for the name, email address, and phone number. You may also want to add custom fields that make sense for the campaign you are running. Think about what information your customers could give you that would make the sales process easier in the future. The more relevant the field type, the better you can tailor your follow-up actions. 

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Watch out though — if your form is too long, your potential leads may give up halfway and click off. A shorter form with fewer fields is more appealing and less daunting for users. Also, make sure your call-to-action buttons stand out and encourage clicks. Phrases like "Get Started," "Join Us," or "Download Free Guide" are more engaging than a simple "Submit."

Embedding HubSpot Forms on Various Platforms

After you create your form in HubSpot, you’ll receive a piece of embed code. Copy this code and paste it into the HTML of your website, blog, or landing page where you want the form to show up. This allows the form to appear exactly where you place the code.

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When deciding where to place your forms, you have a couple of options. You can embed forms directly within the content of an article or a webpage. This way, they can integrate seamlessly with your content which may increase the likelihood that visitors will see them and fill them out. However, it could also disrupt the reading experience and may throw some people off. 

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You can also place forms on standalone dedicated landing pages. This method may attract fewer overall views since a person has to click on a button or link to reach the form page. However, you may also get a higher completion rate after a click and a higher quality lead. If your campaign is pay-per-click, it may be a good idea to experiment with standalone forms.

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You can tailor the appearance of your forms to match your website’s style. Adjusting elements like colors, fonts, and spacing helps make the form visually appealing and keeps your brand consistent across all pages.

Integrating HubSpot Forms with Paid Media Campaigns

Connecting Forms to Your Marketing Campaigns

To track how well each of your paid ads is working, you can group HubSpot forms by campaign. When setting up a form in HubSpot you can choose which campaign to group it under. This helps you see directly in your dashboard which of your ads is bringing in leads. This way you can A/B test campaigns to find the messages and creatives that resonate most with your customers.

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For detailed tracking, use UTM parameters and tracking URLs. UTM parameters are short text codes added to a URL. When someone clicks a link with these codes, HubSpot tracks where they came from, like a specific ad, social media site, or email campaign. This way, you can clearly see which ads or posts are working best.

Analyzing Form Submissions and Lead Quality

To evaluate how effective your campaigns are, start by analyzing the data you have collected from form submissions in HubSpot. HubSpot provides detailed reports that show how many people filled out your forms and which campaigns they came from. Look at the submission numbers to gauge the initial interest in your offers. Then you can see how many of these submissions turn into qualified leads or customers. 

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Important metrics to assess lead quality include conversion rates, bounce rates, and customer engagement levels. Conversion rates will tell you what percentage of form submissions actually convert into desired actions, like signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase. Bounce rates are the rates at which users leave a page without filling out your form. They can indicate whether your content and offers are actually relevant to the visitors.

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You can measure customer engagement by tracking how leads interact with your emails, content, or other follow-up actions. High engagement typically suggests high interest and may indicate higher quality leads.

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If you want to increase the quality of your leads, try to refine your form fields and the overall submission process further. Keep forms short and straightforward — ask only for essential information to avoid deterring potential customers. You can test different versions of your forms to see which fields and layouts generate the best response. Make sure that the form’s call to action is clear and compelling and encourages visitors to complete the form.

Best Practices for Efficient Lead Tracking with HubSpot Forms

Streamlining the Form Submission Process

Making forms easier to fill out helps keep people from giving up halfway through. To improve the user experience, you can reduce the number of fields in your forms. Ask only for essential information at first — too many questions can overwhelm people and make them leave before finishing.

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You can also track users as they interact with your website and serve them different forms as they continue on the user journey. This means you start by asking for basic information, and then ask for more details as people return and interact more with your site. This way, you gradually learn more about your potential customers without asking too much at once. 

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If you know that people are clicking through to your content and forms, but not a lot of people are filling out those forms, you might have one of two issues. Either your forms are not easy to find and fill out, or you may be having technical issues. 

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Check that your forms are visually appealing and clearly ask for information. If technical problems arise, like forms not displaying properly, check the embed code. Make sure it's pasted correctly in the HTML of your page. If problems persist, you can use a non-HubSpot form as a temporary solution while you sort out the issues.

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If you're stuck or need more help, HubSpot’s support team is there to assist. You can access tutorials, community forums, and direct support options through their help center. For more personalized help, consider partnering with a service like elk. We specialize in maximizing the effectiveness of HubSpot tools and can provide tailored solutions for your business.

Conclusion

Using HubSpot forms effectively is key to tracking leads from your paid media campaigns. You can use forms to see which ads are working and which aren’t and collect contact information and data from potential customers.

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We encourage you to apply the tips discussed in this blog to improve your lead-tracking efforts. Simplify your forms, link them clearly to your campaigns, and regularly check your data.

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If you're looking to get more from your paid media and HubSpot tools, consider reaching out to elk. Our team specializes in crafting strategies to enhance your digital marketing efforts, with a strong focus on building sustainable growth through organic search—often an overlooked but highly profitable channel. At elk, you'll work directly with experts dedicated to making your marketing successful.

‍Contact Us today to learn how we can help take your marketing to the next level.