Wednesday, July 30, 2025

Upsell Smart: Turn HubSpot Lifecycle Events into Google Ads Conversions

Vincent Gaemers

Winning a new logo is hard; growing its value shouldn’t be. Spectacle lets you plug HubSpot’s rich lifecycle data straight into Google Ads, so you only pay to reach customers who are already sending upgrade signals.

Why most upsell ads miss the mark

Retargeting every existing account looks cheap on CPMs—until you realise renewal‑bound users see the same message as power users hunting enterprise features. Waste aside, generic ads can actually delay expansion by reminding happy customers about cheaper plans.

Spectacle’s event‑driven approach

Spectacle listens to HubSpot lifecycle changes and product milestones the moment you connect your CRM:

  • Customer Converted – when a contact first becomes a customer

  • Customer Expanded – when lifecycle stage moves to evangelist

  • Payment Succeeded / Failed – optional commerce events if you use HubSpot Payments

Every event is timestamped, attributed to marketing touchpoints, and usable in two ways:

  • Conversion Events – Feed Google’s Smart Bidding with ground‑truth revenue signals via Enhanced Conversions.

  • Audience Lists – Build Customer Match lists that stay in sync as contacts enter or leave your Spectacle audience.

Build your first “Upgrade‑Ready” segment

  • Connect HubSpot – One click in Settings → Integrations.

  • Create an audience in Audiences → New using:

    • Lifecycle Stage = Customer

    • Plan Tier property = Starter / Pro

    • Last Seen Page contains /enterprise OR downloaded Advanced Features guide in past 30 days

    • Health Score = Green (optional custom field)

  • Save & name the audience Upgrade‑Ready 30d.

Sync as conversion + Customer Match

  • Go to Audiences → Syncs → New Sync.

  • Select Google AdsEnhanced Conversions. Assign a conversion value that reflects average upgrade ARR.

  • Add a second sync for Customer Match List to target or exclude this exact segment.

Tip: Enhanced Conversions works even if cookies are missing—Spectacle hashes user identifiers before sending them, so you stay privacy‑safe and compliant.

Launch your upgrade campaign

  • Objective: Maximise conversion value.

  • Audience: Upgrade‑Ready 30d Customer Match (+ Similar).

  • Creative: Highlight advanced features they’ve browsed, offer prorated pricing, or invite them to an enterprise webinar.

Early movers see rapid payback

Metric

Before Spectacle

After Spectacle

Cost per expansion

$310

$138

Upgrade rate

7 %

18 %

Net Revenue Retention

112 %

129 %

(Aggregate data from beta customers running Enhanced Conversions for upgrades.)

Lessons learned

  • Event fidelity beats guesswork. Lifecycle changes tell Google exactly which clicks drive revenue.

  • Always‑fresh lists. Customer Match lists update daily, so you never pitch an upgrade to someone who already bought.

  • Single source of truth. HubSpot stays your CRM; Spectacle simply pipes its signals into the ad stack.


Ready to turn lifecycle data into revenue? Connect HubSpot → Sync to Google Ads Free →