How to Connect LinkedIn to HubSpot CRM
HubSpot offers several LinkedIn integrations that span sales, marketing, and social media management. The depth of integration depends on which HubSpot products you use and whether you have a LinkedIn Sales Navigator subscription. This guide covers the LinkedIn Sales Navigator integration, LinkedIn Ads, social posting, and lead gen forms integration with HubSpot.
Overview of LinkedIn Integrations in HubSpot
HubSpot connects with LinkedIn in several distinct ways:
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator integration: Syncs LinkedIn profile data with HubSpot contacts for sales prospecting. Requires a Sales Navigator Team or Enterprise subscription.
- LinkedIn Ads integration: Manages and tracks LinkedIn ad campaigns from within HubSpot. Available with HubSpot Marketing Hub.
- Social posting: Schedule and publish posts to LinkedIn from HubSpot's social tools. Available with Marketing Hub Professional and above.
- LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms: Syncs leads captured through LinkedIn Lead Gen Form ads directly into HubSpot contacts.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator Integration
This is the most powerful LinkedIn-HubSpot connection for sales teams. It embeds LinkedIn Sales Navigator data directly within HubSpot contact and company records.
Requirements
- A LinkedIn Sales Navigator Team or Enterprise subscription. The Core (individual) plan does not support CRM integrations.
- HubSpot Sales Hub Professional or Enterprise.
- Admin access to both HubSpot and your LinkedIn Sales Navigator account.
Setup Steps
- In HubSpot, navigate to Settings (gear icon in the top navigation).
- In the left sidebar, go to Integrations, then Connected apps.
- Click Visit App Marketplace and search for LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
- Click Install app (or Connect app).
- You will be prompted to sign in to your LinkedIn account and authorize the connection.
- Follow the setup prompts to enable the integration.
What the Sales Navigator Integration Provides
Once connected, you will see a LinkedIn Sales Navigator card embedded in your HubSpot contact and company records:
- LinkedIn profile snapshot: View the contact's LinkedIn headline, profile photo, current role, and company directly within the HubSpot contact record without leaving the CRM.
- Shared connections: See mutual connections between you and the contact.
- Recent LinkedIn activity: View the contact's recent LinkedIn posts and activity to find conversation starters.
- InMail: Send LinkedIn InMail messages directly from the HubSpot contact record. InMail activity can be logged in the contact's timeline so your team has visibility into LinkedIn outreach. Note that InMail messages consume InMail credits from your Sales Navigator subscription.
- Connection requests: Send connection requests from within HubSpot.
- Related leads: Sales Navigator suggests other people at the same company who may be relevant to your deal.
CRM Sync (Data Writeback)
The Sales Navigator integration supports a CRM sync feature that can automatically match LinkedIn profiles to HubSpot contacts:
- Auto-matching: Sales Navigator attempts to match your HubSpot contacts with their LinkedIn profiles based on email address and name.
- Saved leads sync: Leads you save in Sales Navigator can be synced to HubSpot, and vice versa. This keeps your prospecting lists aligned between the two platforms.
- Activity sync: InMail messages and connection requests sent through Sales Navigator can be logged back to HubSpot contact timelines.
The CRM sync is configured in LinkedIn Sales Navigator's admin settings. Go to Sales Navigator, then Admin Settings, then CRM Settings to enable and configure the sync with HubSpot.
LinkedIn Ads Integration
HubSpot's Marketing Hub includes a LinkedIn Ads integration that lets you manage LinkedIn advertising from within HubSpot.
Connecting LinkedIn Ads
- In HubSpot, go to Marketing, then Ads.
- Click Connect account and select LinkedIn.
- Sign in to LinkedIn and authorize HubSpot to access your LinkedIn Campaign Manager account.
- Select the LinkedIn ad account(s) you want to connect.
What You Can Do
- Create LinkedIn ad campaigns: Build Sponsored Content, Message Ads, and other LinkedIn ad formats from within HubSpot.
- Audience targeting: Use HubSpot contact lists as LinkedIn Matched Audiences. Upload lists of contacts from your CRM to target them (or lookalikes) with LinkedIn ads.
- ROI tracking: See which LinkedIn ads generate contacts, deals, and revenue in HubSpot. This closed-loop reporting connects ad spend to actual pipeline and revenue.
- Ad performance metrics: View impressions, clicks, cost per click, and conversions for your LinkedIn campaigns within HubSpot's Ads dashboard.
- Retargeting: Create retargeting audiences based on HubSpot contact properties or website visitor behavior.
LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms Integration
LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms allow you to capture leads directly on LinkedIn without sending users to an external landing page. The form pre-fills with the user's LinkedIn profile data, resulting in high conversion rates.
To connect LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms to HubSpot:
- First, connect your LinkedIn Ads account to HubSpot (as described above).
- In HubSpot, go to Marketing, then Ads, then Settings.
- Under your connected LinkedIn account, enable Lead syncing.
- Choose how you want leads to be handled: create new contacts, update existing contacts, or both.
- Map the LinkedIn Lead Gen Form fields to HubSpot contact properties. For example, map LinkedIn's "Job Title" field to HubSpot's "Job Title" property.
When someone fills out a LinkedIn Lead Gen Form on one of your ads, their information is automatically created as a contact in HubSpot. You can then enroll these contacts in workflows, assign them to sales reps, or add them to nurture sequences.
Social Posting to LinkedIn from HubSpot
HubSpot's social media tools (available on Marketing Hub Professional and above) allow you to publish content to LinkedIn:
- Go to Marketing, then Social.
- Click Create social post.
- Select your connected LinkedIn account (personal profile or Company Page).
- Compose your post, add media, and schedule it.
You can connect both LinkedIn personal profiles and Company Pages for social posting. HubSpot's social tools also provide basic analytics on post performance, including impressions, clicks, and interactions.
Keep in mind that HubSpot's social posting features are more basic than dedicated social media management tools like Hootsuite or Sprout Social. If LinkedIn social media management is a primary need, you may want a specialized tool. HubSpot's social posting is best suited for teams that want basic LinkedIn posting without an additional tool.
Combining Integrations for a Full LinkedIn Strategy
The real power of HubSpot's LinkedIn integrations comes from using them together:
- Attract: Run LinkedIn Ads with Lead Gen Forms to capture new leads. These sync automatically into HubSpot as contacts.
- Nurture: Use HubSpot workflows to automatically send email follow-ups to LinkedIn leads. Segment them based on their form responses.
- Sell: Sales reps use the Sales Navigator integration in HubSpot to research leads, view their LinkedIn activity, and send personalized InMail outreach.
- Engage: Publish thought leadership content to LinkedIn through HubSpot's social tools to stay visible to your target audience.
- Measure: HubSpot's reporting connects LinkedIn ad spend to actual deals closed, giving you true ROI measurement.
Limitations
- Sales Navigator cost: The Sales Navigator integration requires a Team or Enterprise subscription, which starts at a significant monthly cost per user. The Core plan does not include CRM sync.
- No LinkedIn message inbox: You cannot view or respond to LinkedIn messages from within HubSpot (only InMail through Sales Navigator). Regular LinkedIn messages are not synced.
- Social posting is basic: HubSpot's LinkedIn posting tools lack features like document/PDF posts and carousel posts that are available in dedicated social media tools.
- Data matching is not perfect: Sales Navigator's auto-matching between LinkedIn profiles and HubSpot contacts relies on email and name data. Matches are not always found, especially for contacts with limited LinkedIn profile information.
Troubleshooting
- Sales Navigator card not appearing: Ensure the integration is installed and your Sales Navigator subscription is active. Check that the user viewing the contact record has a Sales Navigator seat.
- Leads not syncing from Lead Gen Forms: Verify that lead syncing is enabled in HubSpot's Ads settings. Check the field mapping to ensure LinkedIn form fields are mapped to HubSpot properties.
- LinkedIn Ads account not showing: You must have admin access to the LinkedIn Campaign Manager account. Ask the account admin to grant you access if needed.
