The default contact birthday property in HubSpot is a text field (not a date), so it can't be used properly in Workflows and other tools. However, you can create a custom date property and use it anywhere within the system.

In this article, you will find a step-by-step guide on how to operate with a date-centric Birthday property in HubSpot.

How to create a date property in HubSpot

  • Open your HubSpot account and click the settings icon in the main navigation bar.

  • In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Properties.

  • Navigate to the Select an object dropdown menu and click Contact properties.

  • Click Create property.

  • Fill in Object type, Group, and Label and click Next.

create new property

  • Define the field’s type as Date picker and click Create.

date picker

You have successfully created a custom Date property.

Add a birthday field the default view

In HubSpot, you can customize fields displayed in the left-side menu of objects. You can add the Birthday field to the default view, so you will see it each time you open the record.

  • Open your HubSpot account and click the settings icon in the main navigation bar.

  • In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Object => Contacts.

  • Go to the Record customization tab, click Choose properties for default sidebar and the click Edit.

record customization

  • Use the search bar to look for the Birthday field.
  • If necessary, change its position within the section and click Save.

You have successfully added a new Birthday property to your contact’s default screen.

contact preview

Create a Center on date workflow

One of the use cases for the Birthday field is sending automated emails with greetings. The logic is simple: HubSpot checks the current date, and if it matches with a property value, the system performs any action (i.e. Send an email).

  • Navigate to Workflows and click Create workflow.

  • Click Start from scratch (1) and select Contact-based (2).

  • Click Contact date property (3) and select Birthday (4).

worflow initial setup

  • On the Workflow page, set up a Delay of your choice (1). It indicates when the workflow is going to perform an action.

  • Click a plus icon to add an action (2) and set up one of the options (3). As we are going to send a Happy Birthday email, we select Send an email. Select one of the automated emails and click Save.

worflow details

  • Click Review and publish to review your workflow settings.
  • Set up the Re-enrollment criteria, so the contact will re-enroll in the workflow multiple times (i.e. multiple years).

re-enrollment

  • Click Turn on.

Now on each birthday, the contact will receive a Happy Birthday email. Want to get the most out of HubSpot? Check out our HubSpot Onboarding and Re-Onboarding services