APPS:
Sean Kennedy @ Zapier
Overview
Metrics influenced include Speed-to-lead, time-saved, number of leads, and ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) Why we built it
⬆️ Operational efficiency: Decrease in time spent managing this system.
⬆️ Decreased risk: Less duplication and complexity means less risk of something going wrong.
⬆️ Scalability: It’s easy to add new channels or campaigns.
Problem Zaps that add leads from advertising platforms to CRMs need to be updated frequently for a variety of reasons, from new properties being added to the CRM, to launching a new campaign, or changing UTM parameters. Like many teams, we had a Zap for each channel or campaign (when new lead → add formatting → add to CRM).
There were two problems:
Not scalable: Every time we made an update to the CRM step, updates needed to happen in every Zap. This took a long time, and changes were at risk of falling through the cracks.
Not efficient: Advertising leads often have challenging formatting that is specific to the channel. For example, LinkedIn company size definitions don’t align with how we track company size. In a system where there’s a Zap for each campaign, this formatting is duplicated many times, making updates challenging and creating more risk of error.
Solution
A system of individual Zaps (one per campaign or channel) that funnel into a single catchall. Shifting to a system approach for advertising leads ensures that when updates need to be made, they can be made in one place, instead of potentially dozens. By reducing the effort to update how advertising leads are processed and the number of places that things can go wrong, this system also makes us feel confident that leads aren’t slipping through the cracks.
How it works
When: A new lead comes in on a variety of channels.
Then:
Do any custom formatting for the campaign and UTM, then send it to a webhook.
A central catchall Zap catches the webhooks.
Each lead goes down a channel-specific path, where channel-specific formatting is added.
Leads are routed and added to the CRM.
Other CRMs:
This system works regardless of which CRM you use, whether it’s Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, or something else!
💡 Tips and tricks:
HubSpot Custom Objects: At Zapier, we tend to use Webhooks to add records to HubSpot because we lean heavily on HubSpot Custom Objects and Form Submissions, but you could easily end the workflow by creating a Contact or Deal instead. Alternatively, you could end in a webhook and catch it using a HubSpot Workflow. Building systems: To decide what steps should go in the individual Zap or the catchall, first, look at whether those steps would need to exist in one or more Zaps.
Exclusive to the channel or campaign: Put it in the individual Zap.
Repeated across one or more channels or campaigns: Put it in the catchall.
For example, if there are two LinkedIn campaigns, and you need an identical formatting step for both of them, put that step in the catchall.
Use Sub-Zaps instead of Webhooks: You could also consider using Sub-Zaps for this workflow instead of webhooks. They’re very similar tools, but Sub-Zaps are built right into the Zapier editor. Some teams find Sub-Zaps easier to use than webhooks, but ultimately it comes down to preference. However, Sub-Zaps can’t catch external webhooks. If you plan to receive content syndication leads or leads from another channel that can only use webhooks, webhooks are a better choice.
