How to nurture leads in HubSpot

You've already seen this movie: the lead asks for information, opens an email, even responds quickly on the first contact... and then disappears. The sales team says that "the base is cold", and marketing feels that it is delivering volume, but sees no real progress.

And in the midst of all this, it's not you who decides. It's the candidate's anxiety, the comparison with other institutions and the lack of clarity about the next step.

When you look at lead nurturing seriously, the question changes. It's no longer "how do I attract more leads?" or "how do I send more emails?", but rather "how do I manage each contact, from first interest to decision, with consistency between marketing and sales?"

This is where marketing automation on the HubSpot platform becomes a system: it recognizes the signals, organizes the context and triggers the next right action at the right time.

Just to make the point clear: the subject of this post is lead nurturing in HubSpot throughout the sales funnel.

But the strategy we're going to put together here covers the top, middle and bottom, with clear rules for entry and exit so as not to become an email factory.

What you'll see in the post

Before getting into the step-by-step, it's worth lining up the road map. The list below summarizes exactly what you'll learn and in what order.

1. What lead nurturing is and how it works throughout the funnel.
2. What HubSpot data you need to organize before automating.
3. How to create segmentations (lists) by profile, intent and topic of interest.
4. How to set up lead scoring and define pass-through criteria between marketing and sales.
5. How to design lead nurturing flows on the HubSpot platform for the top, middle and bottom.
6. How to use email marketing, personalization and testing to increase response without sounding robotic.
7. How to integrate tasks and alerts so that the sales team can act at the right time.
8. How to measure impact on funnel progress, speed and quality of opportunities.

How to create a lead nurturing flow in HubSpot?

Lead nurturing in HubSpot is the combination of segmentation, scoring and automations that drive contacts throughout the funnel, with clear rules for entry, transition and exit.

In practice, you use lists to separate audiences and stages, apply lead scoring to prioritize who has fit and intent, and create workflows to trigger emails, tasks and notifications according to the lead's behavior.

The aim is not to "send more", but to maintain a coherent experience between marketing and sales, reducing friction in the process and helping progress between stages when there is a real sign of interest.

Lead nurturing: what it is and how it behaves throughout the funnel

Lead nurturing is the practice of maintaining a relevant conversation with the contact over time, using context and behavior to deliver information and next steps at the right time.

Instead of "more emails", it's more clarity. And that matters because, in educational marketing, the candidate doesn't just decide with logic. They decide with confidence. They want to feel that they are making the right choice, that they won't regret it, that they won't be pressured.

How nurturing changes by stage of the funnel

The same person can be at different stages along the consumer journey.

That's why nurturing is more efficient when you separate objectives by stage, rather than trying to cram everything into a single flow.

• Top of the funnel: the contact is still understanding the problem and exploring the possibilities. Nurturing here helps them recognize the need, choose a path and take the next micro-conversion step.
• Middle of the funnel: the person is comparing alternatives and looking for criteria to decide. Nurturing needs to include comparisons, evidence, frequently asked questions and process guidelines.
• Bottom of the funnel: at this point, they have already demonstrated a high level of intent, such as asking for prices, starting the application process, asking about scholarships or scheduling a visit. Nurturing becomes decision unlocking, with clarity on the next steps, reducing friction and directing towards human service.

A practical way of understanding what is preventing progression is to look at three common gaps:

1. Information gap: course details, timetable, duration, dates and documents.
2. Trust gap: evidence, comparison, testimonials, validations and signs of authority.
3. Logistics gap: timetables, fees, payment methods, financing and processes.

Marketing automation in the HubSpot tool can act on these gaps, as long as you transform each one into specific rules and actions per stage.

The mistake that most destroys nurturing when you scale

The mistake isn't "sending too many emails", it's sending the wrong email when the candidate is already asking for people, not content.

That's why any lead nurturing flow needs exit criteria (and also transition criteria between stages).

If the contact has booked a meeting, become an opportunity or entered an advanced stage of the lifecycle, they should automatically leave nurturing and enter a service path.

Before automating: sort out the base in HubSpot

Well-designed workflows depend on reliable data. If each unit and course is written in a different way, automation becomes a lottery.

The good news is that it's possible to organize without "redoing everything", as long as you choose a few key properties and really standardize.

Minimum properties to nurture along the funnel

Here is a lean set of fields that usually support automations throughout the funnel in institutions, without you having to create new fields for each campaign.

• Course of interest (e.g. Business Administration, Nursing).
• Modality (face-to-face, distance learning, hybrid).
• Unit or pole.
• Shift (morning, evening, flex).
• Entry period (semester, month or class).
• Enrollment status (not started, started, sent, pending, completed).
• Main objection (value, time, travel, documentation, financing).

You don't need to have it perfect to start with, but you do need to have it consistent. Without consistency, personalization becomes noise and segmentation becomes a gimmick.

Life cycle and alignment with marketing and sales

At HubSpot, ownership of the life cycle phase helps to see where the contact is in the process and to align expectations between the teams.

The point here is not "what name to use", but to define what each phase means, what behavior puts someone in it and who is responsible for the next step.

HubSpot's documentation on lifecycle stages makes it clear that the function is to track progress and support reporting and automation.

A simple rule to keep in mind: lifecycle stage is the funnel view. Business pipeline is an opportunity view. Lead nurturing straddles the two, but you can't mix them.

Segmentation at HubSpot: lists that really get the flow going

Segmentation needs to separate two things: stage and intent. Intent shows "I want to decide", while need shows "what's left to decide".

The platform allows you to create lists to group contacts by property and behavior criteria. These lists are the silent engine of good marketing automation.

How do I create a list kit in HubSpot for the top, middle and bottom?

Before showing you how to create a list kit, it's worth putting it into context: you can create dozens of lists in HubSpot, but if they're not actionable, they'll just become an aesthetic organization.

The five categories below are enough to get you started and to scale.

• Top list: new leads by origin and topic of interest.
• Middle list: recurring engagement (clicks on course pages, comparison, grid) and consumption of materials.
• Bottom list: high intent (price, enrollment, scholarships, start enrollment, click on schedule).
• List by product: course, modality and unit.
• List by objection: value, financing, agenda, documentation.

Once you've created these lists, workflows become smaller, easier to test and maintain.

To delve deeper into the issue of segmentation in educational marketing, the vision of lead capture and relationships on the mkt4edu blog helps to connect intent and journey without falling into "a message for everyone".

Lead scoring at HubSpot: what to score and how to use it in the transition to sales

Lead scoring is the technique of assigning scores to indicate likelihood of progress, combining profile and engagement.

On the HubSpot platform, the lead scoring tool creates a scoreproperty, calculated on the basis of criteria that you define. The detail that makes all the difference is that this property can be used in lists, workflows and reports.

How to define a score that works from top to bottom

The idea isn't to make a perfect model. It's to create a rule that prioritizes a human approach when the timing is right.

In Educational Marketing, it works well when you separate:

• Points for intent: actions that indicate a decision (e.g. starting an application, requesting fees, clicking on scholarships).
• Points for fit: criteria for adherence (e.g. region served, modality available, shift range).

And, above all, when you define a clear threshold that becomes an action. For example: above X points, create a task for the consultant to call within Y hours and send a notification with context.

How do I create a simple lead scoring model to get started?

The table below shows an initial base of weights. It's not "universal truth", but it serves as a starting point for you to test and adjust with data.

Here's a tip: use higher weights for rare and decisive signals, and lower weights for common signals that can generate noise.

Table: Example of suggested criteria and weights for scoring leads in HubSpot and prioritizing the passage to sales.

The next step is to turn the score into routes. High scores become tasks and alerts. Medium score continues in nurturing. Low score goes back to a lighter relationship path.

How to design lead nurturing flows in HubSpot by funnel stage

Now, let's move on to designing the workflow. A lead nurturing flow is the combination of entry triggers, sequence of actions and exit criteria. In HubSpot, this usually lives in the workflows tool.

How do you structure a lead nurturing flow in HubSpot with entry, middle and exit?

To avoid falling into the "giant flow", I recommend smaller modules per stage, with a few emails, but with branches. The flow doesn't have to be long. It needs to be responsive.

• Entry: an intent event or a score that exceeds the threshold.
• Middle: messages that resolve doubts, deliver proof and open appointments.
• Output: meeting scheduled, opportunity created, change of lifecycle phase, or disqualification.

Step-by-step on how to implement a lead nurturing flow at HubSpot

You can adapt, but the order below reduces possible errors.

1. Create the input list (by stage: top, middle or bottom).
2. Define an exclusion list (already in opportunity, already enrolled, already in attendance).
3. Set the lead score and the "trigger sales" limit.
4. Create a workflow with an enrollment trigger (list or score).
5. Add actions: send email, update property, create task, notify owner.
6. Insert delays consistent with the stage (top more spaced out, bottom faster), always with an exit condition first.
7. Add branches by click, response, phase change.
8. Test with internal contacts, validate tokens and links, then publish.

This design becomes scalable when you treat the flow as a product: version, measure, and improve without "redoing from scratch".

KEEP LEARNING:

• Buying journey and sales funnel, Revenue Ops principles

• What funnelytics is and what it's used for

• Understand how to segment leads using Funnelytics

How to personalize emails on the HubSpot platform without sounding robotic?

Emails don't have to be pretty. It needs to be useful. And to be useful, it needs to recognize the candidate's context. The platform allows you to use personalization tokens to insert contact propertyvalues into emails.

How can you use personalization to increase response rates?

Personalization is not about calling the person by their name. That's the bare minimum. What really improves response is personalizing the "reason" for the contact.

Examples of points that usually work:

• Course and unit chosen, so that the candidate feels you are following up.
• Condition they're interested in (scholarship, financing, installment plan).
• Objective next step (scheduling, sending documents, completing registration).

And always with fallback. If the field is empty, the email must not break or look strange.

How do I run A/B tests in HubSpot by funnel stage?

The HubSpot platform allows you to run A/B tests on marketing emails, depending on the plan. Instead of testing cosmetic things, test decisions.

• Subject with social proof vs. subject with clear next step.
• Immediate appointment CTA vs. "quick question" CTA with response.
• Short and to the point email vs. email with mini objection FAQ.

The test learning becomes active. It should be fed into the next semester, and not just die in the report.

Image: Visual representation of the funnel and automations used in lead nurturing at HubSpot.

How do you automate tasks and alerts to support sales at HubSpot?

A bottom-of-the-funnel lead nurturing flow needs to have an operational truth: the lead doesn't "go to sales" because a field has changed. It passes because someone takes the next step with context.

In HubSpot, you can use workflow to create tasks, send notifications and assign responsibilities.

If you want a conceptual view of why this works, the class "Lead Nurturing with HubSpot" helps you connect automation with journey progression. This avoids a classic waste: the candidate is ready and no one approaches them at the right time.

How do you define an SLA between marketing and sales?

If you want to avoid a fight between marketing and sales, define a minimum agreement.

• When the score exceeds the threshold, automatically create a task.
• First attempt deadline: up to 2 hours during business hours.
• Number of attempts: 3 contacts in 48 hours, alternating channels.
• If there is no response, the lead goes back to "re-engagement" nurturing for 7 days.

This is not a ready-made recipe. It's good operating practice. What matters is that the SLA exists, is possible and is measured.

What is worth automating and what is best kept human?

Marketing automation is tempting. It makes you want to automate everything, but at the bottom of the funnel, this can be dangerous.

Automate:

• Confirmation communication (meeting scheduled, documents received).
• Reminder messages with value (what to bring, how it works, deadlines).
• Internal tasks and alerts to ensure timing.
• Segmentation and updating of properties to maintain consistency.

Don't fully automate:

• Individual negotiation of conditions.
• Sensitive conversations about price when the person has already expressed insecurity.
• Offer changes without human validation.

The rule is simple: automate what reduces friction and increases clarity. Keep the human being, who requires emotional reading and adaptation.

Lead nurturing metrics at HubSpot

If you only measure opens and clicks, you're optimizing for vanity. The final metric is progress through the funnel (not just opens and clicks).

The HubSpot platform allows you to follow stages of the life cycle and, when you structure the pipeline, measure the conversion per stage.

How do I set up a minimum dashboard to see if nurturing is working?

Before listing the metrics, a practical observation: the best dashboard is the one the team actually looks at every week. If it has 25 indicators, nobody uses it.

• Progress rate: from MQL to opportunity, or from opportunity to enrollment.
• Time to meeting: days between entering the flow and scheduling.
• Response rate: replies and conversations initiated by email.
• Booking rate: clicks and meetings booked.
• Unsubscribe rate: sign of excess, misalignment or lack of value.

After measuring for 2 to 4 weeks, you adjust the cadence, messages and entry criteria. The goal is not to "send more". It's to get it right.

SEE ALSO:

• SMART goals: understand how to apply them to your business

• SWOT analysis: why apply it before any marketing campaign

• SEO for LLMs: The Guide to Getting AIs to Answer Your Questions

Common mistakes in lead nurturing

Here's the part that usually hurts, but saves months. These mistakes are common and, when they appear, they almost always have the same root: lack of an exit rule and lack of alignment.

• A single flow for all courses and profiles.
• Too early an entry trigger, based only on "you've become a lead".
• Lack of exclusion list, generating conflicting messages.
• Lead scoring without review, with random weights and no action limit.
• Content that talks about "discovery" for those who are already making up their minds.
• Sales without an SLA, so the hot lead cools off halfway through.

If you want to connect nurturing with commercial governance, the vision of marketing and sales working together usually unblocks internal decisions and reduces friction.

How does mkt4edu combine email marketing and automation at HubSpot?

HubSpot is a tool. Results come from strategy, content and operation. That's why our projects connect building the flow with sustaining the relationship.

When it makes sense, the structure of email marketing comes in to design messages with a human tone, the right cadence and clear next steps.

And the layer of marketing automation with HubSpot CRM comes in to standardize properties, segmentation, lead scoring, workflows and governance with sales.

If you want to take lead nurturing out of "campaign" mode and into "predictable process" mode, the most direct route is to talk to our experts.

What are the most common questions about lead nurturing in HubSpot?

What is lead nurturing?

Lead nurturing is the strategy of driving contacts along the journey, with relevant and context-based messages, until the moment of purchase, meeting or enrollment.

How does lead nurturing work by funnel stage?

Top: help the lead move on to the next action. Middle: supporting comparison and building trust. Bottom: unlock decision, reduce process friction and quickly connect with human service at the right time.

How do I create a lead nurturing flow in HubSpot?

You create inbound and outbound lists, define lead scoring, and set up a workflow with triggers, emails, tasks and exit criteria. The basis is HubSpot's workflow documentation.

Is HubSpot good for marketing automation in education?

It's a strong platform for organizing data, segmenting and automating communication and tasks. The result depends on the quality of the properties, segmentation and alignment with sales.

How many emails should a bottom-of-funnel flow have?

As a good starting practice, 3 to 5 short, useful emails, with delays of 24 to 48 hours and automatic exits when there is a meeting or progress in the pipeline.

How can I use personalization without making the email artificial?

Use tokens to insert relevant context, such as course and unit, and write as if you were helping the person take the next step. The personalization tokens reference shows how to set it up with fallback values.

How do I know if lead nurturing is working?

Track progress through the funnel, time to meeting and response rate. If the operation is sending emails but the pipeline isn't moving, the problem usually lies in segmentation, the offer or timing.

How do I take the next step in implementing lead nurturing at HubSpot?

Lead nurturing is not about "making the HubSpot platform fire". It's about building a coherent experience throughout the entire journey, with the right level of clarity and help at each stage of the sales funnel.

When you organize data, segment by stage and intent, apply lead scoring and design workflows with entries, transitions and exits, the funnel stops being a place of anxiety and becomes a place of predictability.

If you want to implement this consistently, without relying on heroic effort every day, talking to our experts puts your operation on the shortest path between intent and enrollment.