If you’ve ever tried to get a clean, enriched list of leads into your marketing automation platform, you know it’s never as simple as the sales pitch. This guide is for marketers, ops folks, and anyone responsible for keeping lead data updated and useful. We’ll walk through how to get your enriched data out of Leadspace and into your marketing automation system—without getting lost in the weeds or breaking your workflows.
Let’s skip the fluff and get into the step-by-step, with some real talk about what works, what doesn’t, and how to avoid common headaches.
1. Get Clear on What “Enriched Data” You Actually Need
Before you even log in to Leadspace, know what you want to export. Lead enrichment platforms can add dozens (sometimes hundreds) of fields to a contact or account, but more isn’t always better. If you dump everything into your marketing automation tool, you’ll end up with clutter, confusion, and possibly broken integrations.
Do This First: - Make a list of the fields you actually use in your campaigns, scoring, or routing. - Talk to your sales and marketing teams about what data is actually valuable. (You’d be surprised how often “job level” is ignored.) - Decide if you need contact-level, account-level, or both types of enrichment.
Pro Tip:
Keep things simple. Start with a handful of fields you know you’ll use, then expand later if needed.
2. Prep Leadspace for Export
Assuming you’ve already run data enrichment in Leadspace and have your segment or list ready, now’s the time to check a few things:
Check Your Data Quality - Scan for obvious duplicates or junk records. Leadspace’s enrichment is only as good as your source data. - Review a sample of enriched records for completeness. Did you actually get phone numbers, company size, etc.?
Configure Export Fields - In Leadspace, you can usually customize which fields to export. Stick to your essential list. - Pay attention to field naming—if you’re mapping these to fields in your marketing automation tool, consistency matters. “Company_Size” vs. “Company Size” can break things.
3. Export Data from Leadspace
Leadspace offers a couple of export options. The process changes slightly depending on whether you’re doing a one-off export or want a recurring sync.
For One-Time Exports
- Go to your segment or list in Leadspace.
- Choose “Export” (usually a button or in the dropdown menu).
- Select your file format—CSV is the standard for imports, but check what your marketing automation platform prefers.
- Pick only the fields you need, not the whole kitchen sink.
- Download your export.
For Ongoing Syncs
If you want data to flow automatically, Leadspace supports direct integrations with some marketing automation platforms (like Marketo, HubSpot, or Eloqua). The integration setup can be clunky, and you’ll need admin access on both sides.
- Go to the integration or sync setup section in Leadspace.
- Authenticate with your marketing automation platform (OAuth or API keys).
- Map Leadspace fields to your marketing automation fields. Slow down here—mapping mistakes are the #1 cause of sync failures.
- Set your sync frequency—daily, weekly, etc.
Honest Take:
The direct syncs can be buggy, especially if your field mappings change over time. If you run into issues, don’t be afraid to fall back to manual CSV uploads until things stabilize.
4. Prep Your Marketing Automation Platform
Don’t just import data blindly—prepare your MAP (Marketo, HubSpot, Pardot, etc.) so you don’t create chaos.
Create or Update Custom Fields - Double-check that your MAP has fields matching the columns you’re importing. - Watch out for data type mismatches (e.g., importing a text value into a number field).
Set Up Field Mappings - For direct integrations: Use the mapping interface to align Leadspace fields with your MAP fields. - For CSV imports: Most MAPs let you map columns during the import process. Review carefully.
Backup Existing Data - This sounds paranoid, but if you’re importing a lot of new data or overwriting fields, export a backup first. Restoring is painful, but not as painful as explaining why you lost valuable data.
5. Import or Sync Data
You’ve checked your fields. You’ve mapped things. Now it’s time to move the data.
Manual CSV Import
- In your MAP, go to the import section (usually “Lead Import” or similar).
- Upload your CSV.
- Map fields one more time—most platforms give you a final chance to check.
- Run the import and review the results. Most tools will flag errors or mismatches.
Automated Sync
- If using a direct sync, monitor the first few runs closely. Errors can slip by unnoticed.
- Check for records that failed to sync and fix mapping or formatting issues as needed.
What to Watch Out For - Duplicates: Most MAPs can dedupe based on email or another unique field, but Leadspace might enrich the same record more than once. - Field Overwrites: Make sure you’re not wiping out valuable data with blanks from your enrichment export. - Triggers & Workflows: Imported data can fire off automated campaigns or scoring rules. Double-check what’s set to trigger on data change.
6. QA and Clean Up
The work doesn’t end after the data lands. Take an hour to QA your sync—trust me, it’s worth it.
Spot Check a Sample - Pull a few records and verify that enriched fields show up as expected. - Check for weird formatting (e.g., “United States of America” vs. “USA”) that could mess with segmentation or scoring.
Review Automation Rules - Did any unexpected campaigns go out? Pause anything that looks off. - Make sure new data plays nicely with your scoring, routing, or segmentation logic.
Communicate with Teams - Let your sales and marketing teams know about the new data fields. - Share any new segmentation or campaign options now available.
7. Plan for Maintenance (Don’t Set and Forget)
Lead enrichment isn’t a one-and-done thing. Data goes stale, fields change, and integrations break.
- Schedule regular reviews of your field mappings and sync results.
- Monitor for changes in Leadspace’s export structure—vendors love to “improve” things and break your setup.
- Stay in touch with your marketing ops or IT teams about any issues.
Ignore the Hype:
No enrichment tool will give you “perfect data.” It’s about making things better, not flawless.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Exporting and syncing enriched data from Leadspace to your marketing automation platform doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Start small, focus on the fields you’ll actually use, and don’t try to automate everything on day one. Most issues come from overcomplicating the process or not double-checking field mappings.
Take it step by step, fix issues as they come up, and remember: good enough data that’s actually used beats “perfect” data that just sits in your system.