Case Study

HubSpot to Pardot Migration: Maintaining Marketing Operations After an Acquisition

Platform Migration
MarTech & Integration
Marketing Automation
Salesforce CRM
Pardot
HubSpot
Enterprise Software
100%
Core marketing assets migrated to Pardot, including forms, emails, workflows, contacts and lists.
97%
Email deliverability benchmark established during the audit.
26%
Email open rate benchmark used as a foundation for future optimisation.

A software company with 2,500 employees needed to move an acquired business unit from HubSpot to Pardot whilst maintaining campaign continuity and day-to-day marketing operations. The migration was completed successfully and supported by a detailed optimisation roadmap covering governance, lead management, reporting and automation.

Challenge

An acquired team needed to switch platforms without stopping marketing operations.  

A software company had recently acquired a new business unit that relied on HubSpot for its marketing activities. The team needed to move to the corporate Pardot and Salesforce environment whilst continuing to run campaigns, manage leads and support ongoing business goals.

The migration was only part of the challenge. The existing Pardot environment already faced growing operational pressure. Database growth, inconsistent governance, ageing automation and reporting challenges were making it harder to scale efficiently.

The organisation needed more than a migration project. It needed a stable operating model that could support future growth without increasing complexity.

Solution

The project combined migration, team enablement and a roadmap for long-term optimisation.

  1. HubSpot to Pardot Migration
    Marketing assets, forms, emails, workflows, fields, contacts and lists were migrated into Pardot. The goal was to preserve campaign continuity and ensure the new team could continue operating without disruption.
  1. Training and Documentation
    Dedicated training sessions helped the migrated team learn Pardot quickly and adopt common ways of working. Documentation covered asset management, list management, governance and ownership processes.
  1. Governance and Data Review
    The audit identified areas where governance could be strengthened, including access management, ownership rules and database maintenance. Recommendations focused on preventing future clutter and improving operational control.
  1. Lead Management and Automation Improvements
    The roadmap included improvements to scoring, grading, nurture journeys and automation design. The objective was to support better lead qualification whilst reducing manual effort.  
  1. Reporting and Attribution Optimisation
    Clear reporting standards, dashboard ownership and attribution improvements were recommended to help teams make decisions using consistent data.

The team deliberately focused on stabilisation before optimisation. Migrating the platform solved the immediate business need. The audit created a structured path for future improvements.

Results

The biggest benefit was continuity. The newly acquired team moved onto the corporate marketing platform without losing operational capability. Marketing teams gained a clearer picture of system strengths, risks and improvement opportunities. Instead of reacting to platform challenges individually, they gained a structured roadmap for future growth.

The team changed platforms without losing momentum.

Before the project, the organisation faced two connected challenges. A newly acquired team needed to leave HubSpot behind, whilst the existing Pardot environment required a clearer plan for future scale and governance.  

The migration ensured that forms, workflows, emails and contact data moved successfully into the corporate ecosystem. Training and documentation helped the team become productive more quickly and reduced the risk of inconsistent processes.

The audit created visibility into operational risks that might otherwise have remained hidden. Governance, database growth, attribution, reporting and lead management all received clear recommendations supported by prioritised actions.

Rather than producing a list of disconnected recommendations, the project delivered a phased roadmap. Teams gained a practical plan for improving segmentation, automation, reporting and operational efficiency over the following months.

The acquired team successfully transitioned from HubSpot to Pardot, whilst the organisation gained a structured roadmap for improving governance, automation and marketing performance.

97%
Deliverability benchmark established as part of the optimisation baseline.
26%
Email open rate benchmark used to guide future improvements.
3 months
Roadmap phase defined for governance, attribution and workspace optimisation.

Expert Take

Most platform migrations fail when teams focus only on moving assets. The real challenge is transferring knowledge, ownership and operating practices. Without those pieces, every migration creates a new set of problems a few months later.

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