Set Contacts as Non-Marketing in Hubspot

Managing non-marketing contacts in Hubspot is essential for controlling which records can receive marketing emails and how they impact your billing and contact limits. This guide walks you through how non-marketing status works, how it affects your account, and the exact steps to set contacts as non-marketing.

The instructions here are based on Hubspot functionality for accounts with marketing contacts enabled, so some options may not appear in accounts without that feature.

How Hubspot non-marketing contacts work

In Hubspot, each contact can be labeled as either a marketing or non-marketing contact. This setting drives both email eligibility and how contacts are counted toward your subscription limits.

• Marketing contacts can receive marketing emails and count toward your marketing contact tier.
• Non-marketing contacts cannot receive marketing emails and do not count toward your marketing contact tier after your next update date.

The marketing/non-marketing state is controlled by the Marketing contact status property.

Key rules for non-marketing contacts in Hubspot

Before changing any records, review these important rules that apply in Hubspot:

• You can set contacts as non-marketing immediately or schedule the change for your next update date.
• When you set a contact as non-marketing, Hubspot automatically prevents marketing email sends to that record.
• Only contacts created using specific tools or settings can be automatically set as non-marketing at creation time.
• Changes to marketing contact status may affect your billable contact count on the next update date.

Understanding these rules will help you use Hubspot non-marketing contacts without surprises at renewal or billing checkpoints.

How to set individual contacts as non-marketing in Hubspot

You can update one record at a time directly from the contact record page in Hubspot.

Step-by-step: update a single contact

1. In your Hubspot account, go to Contacts > Contacts.
2. Click the name of the contact you want to edit.
3. Locate the Marketing contact status property in the contact’s left sidebar.
4. Click the property to edit it.
5. Select Non-marketing.
6. Choose when to apply the change, if prompted (immediately or at your next update date).
7. Save your changes.

After this change, Hubspot will treat the record as non-marketing according to the schedule you selected.

Set multiple Hubspot contacts as non-marketing from the index page

To work more efficiently, you can bulk-edit contacts from the main contacts table in Hubspot.

Bulk update using the contacts table

1. Navigate to Contacts > Contacts in Hubspot.
2. Use filters or the search bar to find the group of contacts you want to change.
3. Select the checkboxes next to each contact, or use the top checkbox to select all on the page.
4. At the top of the table, click More (or the bulk edit dropdown, depending on your UI).
5. Click Edit.
6. In the property list, choose Marketing contact status.
7. Select Set as non-marketing.
8. Confirm the timing for this change (immediately or on your next update date).
9. Apply the update.

Hubspot will process the bulk change and adjust the marketing contact status for all selected contacts.

Set contacts as non-marketing via import in Hubspot

If you need to update many records at once, you can use the import tool in Hubspot to mark contacts as non-marketing.

Prepare your import file

• Create a CSV, XLS, or XLSX file with at least one column for Email or another unique identifier.
• Add a column for Marketing contact status.
• For contacts you want to mark as non-marketing, enter the appropriate value recognized by Hubspot for this property (for example, Non-marketing if that matches your property options).

Import steps in Hubspot

1. In your Hubspot account, go to Contacts.
2. Click Import.
3. Select Start an import and choose to import a file.
4. Choose Contacts as the object type.
5. Upload your prepared file.
6. Map the columns in your file to Hubspot properties, ensuring your marketing status column maps to Marketing contact status.
7. Review the summary and start the import.

Once the import completes, all matched contacts will have their marketing contact status updated to non-marketing as defined in your file.

Use workflows to set Hubspot contacts as non-marketing

Workflows in Hubspot allow you to automate changes to marketing contact status based on triggers and conditions.

Create a workflow to update non-marketing status

1. Go to Automation > Workflows in Hubspot.
2. Click Create workflow and choose a Contact-based workflow.
3. Select a template or start from scratch.
4. Define your enrollment triggers, such as:
   • Lifecycle stage changes
   • Form submissions
   • List membership
   • Integration-based properties
5. Add an action and choose Set marketing contact status (label may vary slightly).
6. Select Non-marketing as the new status.
7. Choose when the change should apply, per your Hubspot settings.
8. Review, test, and turn the workflow on.

From now on, any contact meeting the workflow criteria will be automatically set as non-marketing by Hubspot.

Check and manage non-marketing status in Hubspot

After making changes, it is important to verify that contacts are correctly labeled in Hubspot.

Filter contacts by marketing contact status

1. Open Contacts > Contacts.
2. Click Filters.
3. Add a filter for Marketing contact status.
4. Set the filter to show only Non-marketing contacts.
5. Apply the filter to confirm the correct records are included.

You can save this filtered view in Hubspot to quickly monitor non-marketing contacts in the future.

Billing and limits for non-marketing contacts in Hubspot

Hubspot uses the marketing contact status to determine how contacts count toward your paid contact tier.

• Non-marketing contacts are excluded from the marketing contact count after your next update date.
• If you change a contact from non-marketing to marketing, that contact will start counting against your tier after the update date.
• Billing is based on the highest number of marketing contacts recorded during the current period.

Because of these rules, schedule large non-marketing updates strategically within Hubspot to optimize your contact limits and costs.

Additional resources for Hubspot users

For the most accurate and current details about non-marketing contacts in Hubspot, always refer to the official documentation.

• Official guide: Set contacts as non-marketing
• Consulting and implementation help: Consultevo

By understanding how to set contacts as non-marketing in Hubspot using record edits, imports, and workflows, you can keep your database compliant, control marketing eligibility, and manage your subscription costs more effectively.

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