Create a Custom Property for Industry

1. Why Track Industry for Contacts?

• Targeted Marketing and Sales: You can segment contacts based on the industries they operate in, allowing for more personalized email campaigns, sales outreach, or consultative offerings.
• Cleaner Data: If a contact’s associated company is not always clear—or if they’re freelancers or independent professionals—you still have a way to store the industries they’re interested in or have experience with.
• Greater Visibility: In your contact record, you’ll instantly see which industry (or industries) matter to them, without needing to rely solely on the related Company record.

2. Setting Up an Industry Custom Property

Step 1: Access the Property Settings

• Log into HubSpot: Use your admin credentials if you’re setting up new properties.
• Go to Settings: Click the gear icon at the top-right of the HubSpot interface.
• Select “Properties”: In the left sidebar, click Properties.
• Make sure you’re viewing Contact properties (not Companies, Deals, or Tickets).

Step 2: Create a New Contact Property

Click “Create property.”

A panel or modal will appear. Fill in the following properties:

• Object type: Contact
• Group: Contact information (or create a new group, like “Additional Contact Info,” if you prefer)
• Label: Industry (or “Contact Industry”)
• Internal Name: Automatically generated; leave as is unless you need a specific naming convention.
• Description (optional): “This property tracks the industries relevant to this contact.”

Step 3: Choose the Multiple Checkboxes Property Type

• Property type: Multiple checkboxes
• This allows a contact to be associated with more than one industry at a time.

Step 4: Populate the Checkboxes with Industries

In the Options section, add each industry that you commonly target. For example:

• Technology
• Healthcare
• Financial Services
• Consumer Goods/Retail
• Professional Services
• Non-profit/Education
• Energy/Utilities
• [Any other industries you focus on]

You can always add or remove industries from this list as your practice evolves.

Step 5: Save the Property

• Double-check your list of industries.
• Click Create or Save to finalize the new property.

3. Using Your Custom Industry Property

Updating Contact Records Manually

• Open a Contact: Go to Contacts > Contacts and select any contact record.
• View All Properties: Find the newly created “Industry” multiple checkboxes property.
• Select Relevant Industries: Check all that apply for that contact.
• Save your changes.

Bulk Updates

• Bulk Edit: In the Contacts list view, select multiple contacts, then choose Edit from the bulk actions menu to set their industries simultaneously.
• Imports: If you have a spreadsheet with an “Industry” column, map it to your new multiple checkboxes property during the import process. Make sure the values in the spreadsheet match the industry labels you created (e.g., “Technology,” “Healthcare,” etc.).

4. Creating a Custom List of Industries

If your standard list of industries goes beyond the basics, consider these best practices when building out your checkboxes:

• Stay Consistent: Use standardized industry names. Avoid variations like “Healthcare” vs. “Health Care.”
• Group Subcategories: For broad verticals like “Technology,” you might decide if you want further specificity (e.g., “SaaS,” “Cybersecurity”) or just keep it high-level.
• Keep the List Manageable: Don’t overload your list with dozens of micro-industries. Start with the most common 5–10 and expand only if needed.
• Revisit Periodically: You can always revisit the property to add or remove industries as your client base or focus changes.

5. Segmenting and Filtering by Industry

• Active Lists: Build an Active List where Industry includes or does not include certain checkbox options. For instance, if you want a list of all contacts in “Technology,” filter for Industry has any of Technology. This can power targeted marketing campaigns, sales sequences, or special event invitations.
• Workflows (If your HubSpot tier supports them): Trigger automated follow-up or add tasks for contacts once their Industry property is updated. For example, if you check “Healthcare,” automatically enroll them in a healthcare-themed email nurture.
• Dashboards and Reports: If you want to know what percentage of your contact base is in each industry, create a Custom Report and group by this property to see how your CRM is distributed.

6. Best Practices

• Simplify Where Possible: Resist the urge to list overly narrow niche industries unless it’s truly beneficial for your marketing or sales focus.
• Train Your Team (If Applicable): If you work with a virtual assistant or team, make sure they understand how to consistently apply the correct industry labels.
• Combine with Default Properties: Use your Industry property alongside other data (like Country or Lifecycle Stage) to zero in on very specific target groups (e.g., “Healthcare” contacts who are Customers in a certain region).