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🔍 Use Web Research to Update HubSpot Properties
🔍 Use Web Research to Update HubSpot Properties

Harness Lutra’s web research feature to enrich your HubSpot data

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Written by Lutra
Updated over a week ago

Overview

  1. Start with a HubSpot List: Identify which contacts or companies you want to update.

  2. Create or Confirm a HubSpot Custom Property: For example, a text field called accreditation_status

  3. Use Lutra to Web Research: Lutra searches publicly available info and writes relevant findings back to your custom property.

  4. Verify & Automate: Preview a small batch first, then scale and (optionally) turn it into a Lutra Playbook for ongoing data enrichment.

Prerequisites

  • Connected HubSpot Account: Make sure your Lutra–HubSpot integration is active.

  • Custom Property in HubSpot: Create or confirm the property you’ll be updating. For example, a text field named accreditation_status.

    • If needed, specify the data type (text, dropdown, boolean, date, etc.) so Lutra can correctly store the data.

  • HubSpot List: A static or active list of records you want to update (e.g., “Law Firms List,” “Potentially Accredited Companies”).

  • Access to Lutra Chat: You’ll prompt Lutra to perform the web research and handle the updates.

Create or Verify Your Custom Property in HubSpot

  1. Open HubSpot: Go to Settings → Properties.

  2. Create a New Property (if needed):

    • Object Type: Choose Contact or Company based on your use case.

    • Property Name: For instance, accreditation_status.

    • Field Type: Single-line text, Dropdown, Multi-line text, or another data type that fits your scenario.

  3. Save: Make sure the property is visible on records so you can verify changes quickly.

Tip: If you want to store a simple yes/no result (e.g., “Accredited or Not Accredited”), consider using a checkbox or boolean data type for easier reporting in HubSpot.

Identify a HubSpot List to Target

  1. Create or Use an Existing List: For instance, “Potentially Accredited Companies” or “Law Firms.”

  2. Keep It Small Initially: Start with 5–10 records to test and confirm the results.

  3. Check Data: Ensure each contact or company has enough basic information (e.g., name, domain, location) so Lutra can reference them accurately during web research.

Fetch the List in Lutra & Perform Web Research

A. Fetching the List

  1. Open a New Chat in Lutra.

  2. Prompt:

    Retrieve the HubSpot list named "Potentially Accredited Companies" and show me the first 5 records.

  3. Output: Lutra will list a handful of companies, including their IDs and relevant details (e.g., domain, name).

B. Running Web Research

Now you can instruct Lutra to research each company (or contact) on the web to find the specific data you’re after.

  1. Prompt:

    For each company in that HubSpot list, perform web research to determine if the company is accredited by the 'National Association of X'. Then set a custom property "accreditation_status" in HubSpot to "Accredited" or "Not Accredited" based on your findings.

  2. How Lutra Responds:

    • Searches for each company’s domain or name to check public info about accreditation.

    • Reads all the sites it finds, and interprets the data for the purposes of updating your CRM.

    • Updates to the relevant records, using your custom property.

C. Reviewing a Preview

  • Small Batch First: Lutra typically suggests testing a few records to confirm the approach.

  • Feedback: If Lutra’s initial research yields incomplete or incorrect data, provide feedback:

    The property for Company A is incorrect; they are accredited by 'National Association of X' per their website. Please re-check.

  • Lutra refines its web research approach and updates the record again.

Updating the HubSpot Property

Once you’re satisfied with the web research preview:

  1. Run the Full Update: Ask Lutra to proceed with all records in your HubSpot list.

  2. Status Reports: Lutra will notify you which records it’s updating.

  3. Verification:

    • Check the “accreditation_status” field in a few company records directly in HubSpot.

    • Confirm the data matches what you expected (e.g., “Accredited,” “Not Accredited,” or “Unknown”).

Automate with a Playbook

A. Creating the Playbook

After verifying the workflow on a small list:

  1. Click “Create Playbook” in Lutra’s chat interface (usually appears after you confirm your final run).

  2. Name It: For instance, “Accreditation Checker - Weekly.”

  3. Configure Settings:

    • If you’d like to run it regularly, set a schedule (e.g., weekly).

    • Specify your HubSpot list, the custom property, and the research instructions.

B. Scale Up Safely

  • Testing: If your next list is larger, test a handful of records first.

  • Monitor Results: Review changes in HubSpot to ensure accuracy.

Tips & Best Practices

  • Clarity in Prompts: If your accreditation or legal search is nuanced, specify the website or keywords Lutra should prioritize.

  • Use Quoted Searches: If brand names have multiple variations, ask Lutra to be precise: “Use the exact business name plus the word ‘accreditation’ in your search query.”

  • Data Type Alignment: Make sure your HubSpot property type (checkbox, text, date) matches the data Lutra is going to store. For instance, a boolean property is perfect if you only want “Yes” or “No.”

  • Avoid Large Batches: Start small. If thousands of records need updating, work in segments to prevent errors and confirm each batch’s accuracy.

Example Prompts

  • Accreditation:

    For each company in my "Potentially Accredited Companies" list, perform web research to confirm if the company is accredited by [ORG NAME]. Then update their HubSpot property "accreditation_status" to "Accredited" or "Not Accredited."

  • Legal Info for Law Firms:

    For each contact in the "Active Lawyers" HubSpot list, search the web for any recent high-profile lawsuits they've won or lost in the past year. Summarize each case in a short bullet point, then save it to the custom field "recent_lawsuits" in HubSpot.

  • Certification Tracking:

    For each company in my "Vendor List," see if they hold an ISO 9001 certification. If yes, set "iso_9001" to true in HubSpot. If no mention of it, set it to false.

Troubleshooting & FAQ

  • No Relevant Info Found: Lutra may default to a fallback value like “Not Accredited” if nothing is found. If you’d prefer a different default (e.g., “Unknown”), specify that in your prompt.

  • Data Accuracy: Public info can be outdated or incomplete. Always review a sample to ensure correct classification.

  • Partial Success: If Lutra encounters missing or ambiguous data for certain records, it may skip them or label them “Inconclusive.” Provide feedback to refine the search or adjust property values manually.

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