---
title: How Hubspots New Formula Fields Help Small Businesses Track Cost Per Lead (CPL) Across All Marketing Channels
description: HubSpot's new Formula Fields feature simplifies tracking Cost per Lead across multiple channels, offering small businesses real-time insights and optimizing marketing decisions directly within the platform.
---

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# [How Hubspots New Formula Fields Help Small Businesses Track Cost Per Lead (CPL) Across All Marketing Channels](https://huntscapeops.com/resources/hubspot-formula-fields-calculating-cpl)

 Written by [Garrett Hunt](https://huntscapeops.com/resources/author/garrett-hunt) | Feb 10, 2025, 4:56:44 PM

HubSpot just rolled out a **game-changing beta feature** for the **Custom Report Builder**—**Formula Fields**. If you’ve ever tried to pull a **Cost per Lead (CPL) report** across multiple marketing channels, you know the struggle: bouncing between spreadsheets, manually calculating totals, and trying to keep up with ever-changing marketing costs.

Now, with **Formula Fields**, small businesses can finally **calculate CPL directly in HubSpot**—without the headaches. This means **real-time tracking of lead costs across all campaigns**, allowing you to make **faster, smarter marketing decisions** without wasting hours wrangling data.

Let’s break down **how it works, why it matters, and how you can use it to fine-tune your marketing strategy**.

### What Is the Formula Fields Beta in HubSpot’s Custom Report Builder?

The **Formula Fields feature** allows you to **create custom calculations within reports**, giving you **more flexibility to analyze performance metrics** inside HubSpot.

With this beta, you can now:

✅ **Perform row-level calculations** (like dividing total ad spend by leads generated)

✅ **Create custom formulas** to track marketing KPIs

✅ **Analyze CPL across multiple sources** in a **single report**

Instead of **exporting data to Excel or Google Sheets**, you can now **build dynamic reports right in HubSpot** that **automatically update** as new leads and expenses come in.

For businesses that **rely on data to drive growth**—especially those trying to maximize marketing budgets—this feature is a **huge win**.

### How to Use Formula Fields to Calculate Cost Per Lead (CPL) in HubSpot

Cost per Lead (CPL) is one of the **most important marketing metrics** for small businesses. It tells you **how much you’re spending to acquire each lead**, helping you figure out **which channels are actually worth the investment**.

Here’s how to **set up a CPL report using Formula Fields in HubSpot**:

### 1️⃣ Open the Custom Report Builder

- Navigate to **Reports > Custom Report Builder**
- Select **Contacts** as your primary data source
- Add additional sources like **Marketing Campaigns** and **Ad Spend**

### 2️⃣ Create a Formula Field for CPL

- Click **"Create field"** in the Custom Report Builder
- Name your field **"Cost Per Lead"**
- Use the following formula:
- Choose the appropriate fields for **total spend** and **leads generated**

### 3️⃣ Filter & Segment by Marketing Channel

- Apply filters to **break down CPL by campaign, ad platform, or traffic source**
- Compare CPL across **Google Ads, Facebook, LinkedIn, organic, and email campaigns**
- Use visualization tools like **bar charts or trend lines** to **track performance over time**

### 4️⃣ Automate & Optimize

- **Set up alerts** to notify your team if CPL goes above a certain threshold
- Use insights from your report to **shift budget to high-performing channels**
- Test different campaigns and track **real-time CPL changes**

🚀 **Pro Tip:** If you’re running paid ads, this report helps you quickly **spot underperforming campaigns** and **cut wasted spend before it burns through your budget**.

### Why This Feature Matters for Small Businesses

Before this beta, tracking **Cost per Lead across multiple channels in HubSpot** was a **manual process**. Businesses had to:

❌ Export campaign data from HubSpot

❌ Match it with ad spend from platforms like Google Ads & Facebook

❌ Calculate CPL in a spreadsheet

❌ Rinse and repeat every time they needed an update

Now, **Formula Fields automate the entire process**, giving **real-time CPL insights** that update **instantly** when new data flows in.

### Here’s Why This Changes the Game:

✅ **Saves Time** – No more pulling reports manually—HubSpot does the math for you

✅ **Improves Accuracy** – Say goodbye to copy-paste errors in Excel

✅ **Optimizes Budget Allocation** – Quickly see which channels **deliver the best ROI**

✅ **Helps Scale Marketing Efforts** – Track CPL at a granular level and double down on what works

For **businesses running lean sales and marketing teams**, **Formula Fields make data-driven decision-making faster and easier than ever**.

### The Bigger Picture: [HubSpot vs. Salesforce](https://huntscapeops.com/resources/hubspot-new-features-scales-smbs-challenges-sfdc) for SMBs

This beta feature is another example of **why HubSpot is closing the gap on Salesforce for small and mid-sized businesses**.

While Salesforce has had **complex reporting capabilities for years**, they’re often **too difficult (or too expensive) for smaller teams to use effectively**.

HubSpot, on the other hand, continues to **roll out powerful, easy-to-use features that SMBs can implement without a dedicated admin team**.

With **Formula Fields**, HubSpot is making it **easier than ever for small businesses to track the KPIs that actually drive growth—without needing a full-time data analyst.**

### Final Thoughts: Why You Should Start Using Formula Fields Today

If you’re running **paid ads, email campaigns, or content marketing**, **tracking Cost per Lead is essential** to **making smart budget decisions**.

With **Formula Fields in HubSpot’s Custom Report Builder**, you can:

✅ **Calculate CPL automatically** without spreadsheets

✅ **Compare CPL across all marketing channels** in one report

✅ **Quickly shift budget to high-performing campaigns**

🚀 **Want to set up CPL tracking in HubSpot but need help getting started?** [**Huntscape Operations Partners**](https://huntscapeops.com/) specializes in helping businesses **maximize HubSpot’s newest features to drive revenue growth.**

📩 [**Book a Consultation**](https://huntscapeops.com/meetings/garrett194?uuid=d69ccc89-c721-4ee1-8aa9-a3c37cd1449f) **with Huntscape Operations Partners**

[View full post](https://huntscapeops.com/resources/hubspot-formula-fields-calculating-cpl)

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