Tracking last touch which custom lifecycle stages

Marketing & Content Hub Reporting & Analytics
1

Hi!

We use a custom property to track the lifecycle stage of our contacts. I’m not sure why we do this, as I only joined the company recently and inherited this system, but we are not able to change it.

I know there is a HubSpot default property to track last touch attribution, but I presume this functions using the default lifecycle stage property (which, as discussed, we do not use).

Is there any way to track last touch attribution both historically, and moving forwards? Almost all interactions that convert to MQL are based on form submissions (event sign-ups, downloads, more info requests) so we basically just need to be able to measure the last form submitted before they converted to an MQL.

Is this doable?

Thanks!

2

Hi @SSpringate , thanks for the context — and welcome to the challenge of inheriting a system!

You’re right that HubSpot’s Last Touch Attribution model is typically tied to the default lifecycle stage property, especially when it comes to attribution reporting (like understanding what influenced contacts to become MQLs, SQLs, etc.).

Since your team uses a custom lifecycle stage property, HubSpot’s default attribution tools may not work out-of-the-box the way you need. But there are a few ways to work around this and still get the insights you’re after.

1. Track Last Form Submission via Custom Properties

Since your main conversion points are forms (event sign-ups, downloads, etc.), you can:

  • Create custom properties like:

    • Last Form Submitted (Name)
    • Last Form Submission Date

  • Use a workflow to update those properties each time a contact submits a form.

    This way, you maintain a record of the most recent touchpoint at all times.

2. Create a timestamped property when contacts become an MQL

  • Add a property like MQL Date (Custom) — and use a workflow to set this date when your custom lifecycle property changes to MQL.
  • This will give you a fixed point to compare “what form was submitted right before they became MQL.”

3. Use Activity Logs (if needed for audit/history)

While HubSpot doesn’t allow direct attribution reporting based on custom lifecycle stages, you can export form submission activity logs by contact and filter by:

  • The form name
  • The submission date
  • The MQL date (from your custom property)

This lets you analyze things historically, even outside the platform, for deeper insights.

If that helps, feel free to mark this as the solution so others can find it more easily!