Summary
Migrating email sending from Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) to HubSpot can present several email deliverability challenges, often leading to a noticeable drop in inbox placement and engagement rates. While SFMC and HubSpot are both powerful platforms, their underlying infrastructure, IP reputation, and default authentication configurations differ significantly. This transition requires careful planning and execution to maintain a positive sender reputation and ensure emails reach the inbox effectively.
Key findings
- Authentication Changes: Relocating from SFMC may involve a shift in your authentication setup (SPF, DKIM), especially if you were previously relying on SFMC's shared domain authentication. Proper re-configuration of these records is crucial to avoid deliverability issues, as mentioned in our guide on improving SPF alignment and email deliverability with HubSpot.
- IP and Domain Warmup: A new sending platform often means new IP addresses or a new subdomain that needs to be warmed up. Skipping this critical step can severely impact your sender reputation, causing emails to land in spam folders. Refer to our article on common deliverability issues during IP and subdomain warmup.
- Reporting Discrepancies: Observed drops in open rates and click-through rates (CTRs) may not always indicate a true deliverability problem. Differences in how ESPs handle Apple Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) or pre-fetching by mailbox providers (like Google) can lead to varied reporting without a real change in inbox placement. It's essential to understand how HubSpot tracks email engagement.
- Sender Reputation Reset: Mailbox providers often treat senders on new platforms as 'new senders,' even if the domain is the same. This can temporarily impact deliverability as your new IP or domain builds its reputation from scratch, affecting perceived trust.
Key considerations
- Thorough DNS Configuration: Verify that all DNS records, particularly SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, are correctly configured for your sending domain within HubSpot. Misconfigurations are a leading cause of email delivery failures and spam folder placement.
- Strategic IP Warmup Plan: Implement a detailed IP warmup strategy, gradually increasing sending volume to build trust with internet service providers (ISPs) and mailbox providers. This is crucial for avoiding being flagged as suspicious or ending up on a blocklist.
- List Hygiene and Segmentation: Clean your email lists before migrating to HubSpot. Sending to unengaged or invalid addresses can quickly degrade your new sender reputation. Segment your audience and prioritize sending to your most engaged subscribers first during warmup.
- Content Quality and Engagement: Ensure your email content is high-quality, relevant, and encourages engagement. High opens, clicks, and replies signal positive sender behavior to ISPs, improving deliverability over time. Conversely, low engagement or high complaint rates can trigger spam filters.
- Monitor Deliverability Metrics: Continuously monitor key deliverability metrics within HubSpot, such as bounce rates, complaint rates, and inbox placement. Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools for specific insights into Gmail deliverability.
What email marketers say
Email marketers who have transitioned from SFMC to HubSpot often share common experiences regarding shifts in deliverability and reporting. Many report initial dips in performance, often attributable to the technical nuances of migrating sending infrastructure and the different ways platforms handle engagement metrics.
Key opinions
- Expected Drop in Opens: A common sentiment is that a drop in reported open rates is almost inevitable when moving between ESPs. This isn't always a true deliverability problem but rather a change in how opens are tracked or pre-fetched by mailbox providers. This is discussed further in how to diagnose email deliverability drops after ESP migration.
- Authentication is Key: Marketers frequently emphasize the importance of correct SPF and DKIM setup. Relying on the previous ESP's authentication can cause significant issues post-migration, leading to emails hitting spam folders.
- The 'Cold Leads' Challenge: Sending to 'cold leads' or unengaged lists on a new platform is a major concern. If the volume of such emails is significant (e.g., 10-20% of total volume), it can trigger blocklists and severely impact overall sender reputation for all mail.
- Perceived Platform Limits: Some marketers perceive HubSpot as more suitable for lower email volumes compared to SFMC. This isn't necessarily a limitation of the platform itself, but a reminder that sending practices must align with the platform's design and your overall sender reputation strategy. Learn more about HubSpot's approach to email authentication and deliverability.
Key considerations
- Pre-Migration Audit: Before migrating, conduct a thorough audit of your current SFMC deliverability metrics and configurations. This baseline helps differentiate actual deliverability issues from reporting changes post-migration.
- Controlled Warmup: Plan a disciplined warmup schedule, starting with highly engaged segments and gradually expanding volume and audience. This helps build a positive sending history with HubSpot's infrastructure.
- Permission-Based Sending: Strictly adhere to permission-based sending practices. Avoid sending to purchased lists or unengaged cold leads, especially during the initial migration phase. These practices significantly increase the risk of landing on an email blocklist.
- Monitor Spam Folder Placement: Beyond metrics within HubSpot, actively test email delivery to various personal email addresses (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) to confirm inbox placement versus spam folder delivery. This is a practical way to gauge real deliverability.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests that a significant drop in open rates and click-through rates after switching to HubSpot from SFMC could indicate emails are landing in the spam folder. They recommend performing tests to personal email addresses to confirm spam folder placement.
Marketer view
CRM specialist from Ndevr highlights that ensuring data quality and consistency is a significant challenge when migrating from Salesforce to HubSpot. Clutter, duplicates, and inconsistencies can negatively impact email segmentation and targeting, leading to poor deliverability.
What the experts say
Email deliverability experts often highlight that platform migrations inherently introduce complexities. They stress the importance of understanding underlying technical shifts and adhering to best practices, especially concerning authentication and sender reputation management, to mitigate deliverability declines.
Key opinions
- Platform Independence: Experts assert that deliverability issues are rarely the direct fault of the sending platform itself. Instead, they are usually a consequence of incorrect configuration, insufficient IP or domain warmup, or poor sending practices on the part of the sender.
- Authentication is Fundamental: The correct setup of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is non-negotiable. If senders were previously relying on the ESP's authentication (e.g., SFMC's ExactTarget DKIM signature), a switch to their own domain on HubSpot necessitates careful re-authentication. See our guide on a simple guide to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM.
- Migration Havoc: Changing sending providers (ESPs) almost always causes some level of disruption to deliverability. This disruption can be genuine (temporary reputation hit) or merely a change in reporting due to how different platforms track metrics.
- Cold Lead Volume Impact: Sending a high volume of cold leads (even on a dedicated subdomain) can significantly impair deliverability for the entire sending domain. If 10-20% of the total volume consists of cold leads, delivery problems are highly likely. We have more on the challenges of working with cold email senders.
Key considerations
- Distinguish Real Issues from Reporting: Before reacting to lower open rates, analyze if it's a true deliverability problem (emails in spam) or a statistical artifact due to changes in tracking or pre-fetching by mailbox providers.
- Proactive Authentication Setup: Prioritize setting up and verifying all email authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for your sending domain within HubSpot before starting significant email volumes. This foundational step prevents many common deliverability pitfalls.
- Consider IP/Domain Warmup: Even if migrating a domain, if the underlying IP infrastructure changes, a gradual warmup process is essential. This builds trust with ISPs and avoids sudden reputation drops that lead to blocklistings or spam folder placement.
- Strategic Cold Lead Management: Re-evaluate the strategy for cold leads. While a dedicated subdomain can help, if the volume is too high, it will still impact the overall domain's reputation. Consider alternative engagement methods or stricter segmentation for such lists.
- Consult Deliverability Resources: Leverage reputable deliverability blogs and communities for advice. Experts often share insights on specific platform nuances and common issues encountered during migrations, such as those found on Spam Resource.
Expert view
Deliverability expert from Email Geeks (U02KPM4GEDB) notes that when new to a platform like HubSpot, it's typically the sender's responsibility to ensure all authentication and configuration bits are set correctly. The new IP or domain needs appropriate warming up to build a good reputation, as deliverability issues are rarely the platform's fault.
Expert view
Industry expert from Word to the Wise states that a common issue with email migrations is the assumption that previous sender reputation will immediately transfer. ISPs often treat new sending IPs or domains as unproven, requiring a gradual volume increase to re-establish trust and avoid blocklists.
What the documentation says
Official documentation and industry best practices often emphasize key technical and strategic elements for successful email deliverability, particularly during ESP migrations. These resources typically highlight the importance of proper authentication, a structured warmup process, and adherence to established sending guidelines to ensure optimal inbox placement and avoid blocklistings.
Key findings
- Authentication Standards: Documentation from major email service providers and authentication standards (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) stress their critical role in verifying sender identity and preventing spoofing. Proper configuration is vital for achieving inbox placement.
- Reputation Building: Guidelines for new senders or those moving IPs often outline a gradual warming process. This involves sending low volumes to engaged users first, progressively increasing volume to build a positive reputation with mailbox providers.
- Data Migration Challenges: Migration guides for CRM systems like Salesforce and HubSpot frequently highlight the complexity of data transfer, including ensuring data cleanliness, avoiding duplicates, and maintaining data integrity. Inaccurate data can lead to sending to invalid addresses, increasing bounce rates and negatively impacting deliverability.
- Compliance Requirements: ESPs and regulatory bodies emphasize strict adherence to anti-spam laws (like CAN-SPAM, GDPR) and permission-based marketing. Sending to non-consented lists can result in high complaint rates, blocklistings, and account suspension.
Key considerations
- Leverage ESP-Specific Guides: Consult HubSpot's official documentation for setting up custom sending domains, authenticating emails, and any specific deliverability best practices they recommend. This ensures alignment with their platform's requirements.
- Validate DNS Records: Before going live, use DNS lookup tools to verify that your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly published and align with HubSpot's specifications. Incorrect records are a common source of delivery issues. Learn more about fixing DMARC issues.
- Understand HubSpot's Infrastructure: Familiarize yourself with whether HubSpot assigns dedicated IPs or uses shared IPs for your sending. This impacts the warmup strategy and how your reputation is managed. You can also review HubSpot's email deliverability policies.
- Pre-flight Data Cleaning: Clean your contact lists thoroughly before importing them into HubSpot. Remove old, unengaged, or bounced addresses to ensure a high-quality sending list from day one, which directly contributes to better deliverability.
Technical article
HubSpot's documentation outlines features designed to help users achieve good email deliverability, emphasizing proper email authentication setup as a core component. They provide guides on connecting domains and verifying SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to ensure emails are authenticated correctly.
Technical article
An industry guide on email authentication suggests that authentication failures often lead to messages landing in spam or delivery failures. Recognizing these errors in email headers and ensuring correct configuration of DKIM, SPF, and DMARC is critical for maintain deliverability.
Related resources
15 resources
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