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Why Data Hygiene Is the Unsung Hero of HubSpot Success with Jess Palmeri

Picture of George B. Thomas George B. Thomas Sep 13, 2025 5:07:30 PM

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Let’s be real for a second. When you show up for work, do you ever think about data hygiene? Or is it tucked away in the deepest corner of your mind, right next to that dentist appointment you keep rescheduling? Here’s the truth: if your business is running on HubSpot or any CRM, data cleanliness is not just a nice-to-have. It is the foundation that keeps everything else from crumbling.In a recent Sidekick Strategies episode, I sat down with Jess Pulmari, an experienced HubSpot trainer with more than a decade of hands-on expertise. Jess knows the pain, the pitfalls, and the victories that come with managing data. Together, we unpacked why data hygiene matters, what can go wrong when you ignore it, and how to create a culture of cleanliness that supports long-term success.

Let’s dig into the good stuff.

What Does Data Hygiene Really Mean in Marketing?

Data hygiene is all about health. A healthy database means you know why every contact is there, why each deal exists, and why custom properties were created in the first place. If you cannot confidently answer those questions, you are probably building cracks into the foundation of your business.

Clean data allows you to:

  • Run accurate reports.

  • Make smarter marketing decisions.

  • Deliver better customer experiences.

  • Build trust instead of breaking it.

On the flip side, poor data hygiene creates chaos. Think duplicate contacts, meaningless properties, and a CRM full of digital junk that slows your team down.

What Happens When You Ignore Data Hygiene?

If you think bad data is harmless, think again. Jess described two all-too-common scenarios.

The first is the brand-new HubSpot portal. You assume everything is fresh and ready, but it is actually sterile and unusable until you customize it properly. Without a strategy for properties, categorization, and reporting, you risk creating time bombs that will blow up months later.

The second is the inherited portal. Maybe someone else set it up years ago, and now you are stuck reverse-engineering their choices. This usually means untangling messy properties, broken processes, and duplicate records. It is like walking into a kitchen where the trash has been sitting for weeks. You might not notice the smell anymore, but the problem is real.

Both scenarios cost you time, money, and opportunities.

How Do You Start Cleaning Your Data Today?

Here is the good news: you can make progress right now. The trick is to treat data hygiene as an ongoing habit, not a one-time spring cleaning.

Jess recommends creating a repeatable process, just like going to the gym. That means scheduling time each month or quarter to audit your database. Run reports on bounced contacts, unsubscribed emails, and duplicate records. Then delete what no longer serves your business.

Think of it as a Marie Kondo moment. If a contact, property, or record does not bring value or joy, let it go.

Why Does Data Hygiene Matter for Campaigns and Customer Experience?

Imagine sending an email to 10,000 contacts about your big event. If half of those contacts are undeliverable, your results will look watered down. Suddenly, what could have been a 50% engagement rate looks like 25%.

That distorted picture leads to bad decisions. Your C-suite might think the campaign flopped when it actually performed well. Clean data ensures you are reporting on reality, not vanity metrics.

And from a customer experience perspective? Nothing kills trust faster than getting someone’s name wrong in a personalized email. Personalization is powerful, but it only works if your data is accurate.

How Does Data Hygiene Support Sales and Lead Scoring?

Marketing and sales alignment depends on good data. Lead scoring only works if the properties you are scoring against are actively being collected. Too many companies build lead scoring models on outdated properties from old forms. That creates a false sense of security and frustrates sales teams who rely on accurate insights to prioritize leads.

The fix is simple: regularly audit your properties, update your forms, and confirm that the data feeding your lead scoring system is both current and valuable.

How Often Should You Audit Your Database?

It depends on the size of your business and how fast your data grows. For smaller databases with long sales cycles, a quarterly cleanup might be enough. For larger databases with constant activity, monthly audits are essential.

Either way, the key is consistency. Put a recurring appointment on your calendar, and treat it like a meeting you cannot cancel. Check properties, remove bounced emails, merge duplicates, and ensure critical fields are being filled out.

How Do You Build a Culture of Data Cleanliness?

Data hygiene cannot live in a silo. Both marketing and sales need to agree on what data matters most and why. When teams are aligned, you create a unified experience for customers instead of making them repeat information at every stage.

Best practice: after setting standards, schedule follow-up meetings. Data strategies should evolve as your business grows. Without regular check-ins, you risk slipping back into messy habits.

Are There Legal and Ethical Considerations?

Absolutely. Regulations like GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act are only the beginning. More states are rolling out their own rules around data privacy.

If you cannot confidently say why every contact is in your database, you may be opening yourself up to compliance risks and fines. HubSpot has built-in GDPR functionality, and even if you are not legally required to use it yet, turning it on today could save you from headaches tomorrow.

How Can You Measure the Impact of Data Hygiene?

Start by identifying your core properties. Beyond name and email, what do you need to truly understand a contact? Then run reports to see how many of your contacts have those fields filled out.

From there, track deliverability, engagement rates, and the accuracy of your lead scoring. If those numbers improve after your cleanup efforts, you are on the right path.

The One Big Takeaway

Data hygiene may not feel glamorous, but it is the force behind every successful campaign, every accurate report, and every trusted customer experience. If you do nothing else today, open your calendar and schedule a recurring “data hygiene date” with yourself. Monthly or quarterly, the discipline matters more than the frequency.

Because here is the deal: a clean database does not just save you time and money. It builds trust, strengthens strategy, and gives your team the clarity to flourish long-term.

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