[Last updated: May 1, 2016]
Marketing automation is as necessary as it is complex. We understand that and have compiled all of the top programs to help you figure out which one is best for business, depending on your size. Our top choices this year go to Act-On, HubSpot, and Marketo for small, medium, and enterprise companies respectively.
Best for Small Business: Act-On
Overview: One of the most powerful and easy to use options for marketing automation on the market. A bit of a hefty price tag in comparison. Act-On is used in small (0-50 employees), medium (51-1,000 employees) and enterprise companies (1,000+ employees).
Summary: Act-On makes it easy to watch your leads from the initial interaction all the way through the sales process. It accomplishes this goal with it’s simple to learn interface. Marketing newbies and pros alike will be able to use all of the features to maximize ROI. “One man shows” and small teams can use it as well as a large marketing/sales team, which gives it a unique value compared to others on our list. The price may cause concern for businesses with a tight budget, starting at $600/mo. It’s a straightforward, all-inclusive model that doesn’t charge “a la carte” fees, and is worth it if utilized correctly.
Read our full Act-On review here.
Best for Mid-Size Business: HubSpot
Overview: Perfect if inbound is the primary driving force behind your leads. Free and low-cost plans available for smaller companies. HubSpot is used in small (0-50 employees), and medium companies (51-1,000 employees).
Summary: HubSpot gives more value away for free than any other company in our list or the entire industry. The freebies are awesome, and the paid software is dynamite for your revenue. If inbound marketing is your thing, this is the choice you’d lean toward. Content management is a breeze and the interface helps you extend your natural reach. That said, integration issues and a focus on inbound B2B marketing may leave some wanting a more versatile solution. E-commerce and direct to consumer businesses may need something different, but if your model is heavily based on content and lead gen, look no further.
Read our full HubSpot review here.
Best for Enterprise: Marketo
Overview: Build a large, effective and complex sales machine. Not necessarily for beginners. Marketo is used in small (0-50 employees), medium (51-1,000 employees) and enterprise companies (1,000+ employees).
Summary: Marketo is a beast of an automation system. Geared more toward large teams, it allows businesses to build incredible and complex systems that can be sorted quickly, analyzed in detail, and even cloned to create similar campaigns. It may function at a high-capability, but it’s not hard to learn. A drag and drop menu editor will allow you to personalize what you deem important to look at. Being able to see every personal and automated interaction with leads can help you close more deals now and fix potential funnel problems for the future. Ideal for big business but smaller ventures can utilize the software just as easily to create an incredible marketing structure.
Read our full Marketo review here.
Best Value Option: Ontraport
Overview: A fantastic value for the price vs. features offered. Keep track of the entire sales process for a single (affordable) fee. Ontraport is used in small (0-50 employees), medium (51-1,000 employees) and enterprise companies (1,000+ employees).
Summary: There aren’t many downsides to Ontraport. Low price, full-service integration options, and powerful automation tools. Not only is their “basic” plan a value, but the “pro” and “team” plans are reasonable as well. Its automation is more than just lead management. Every aspect of communication within your business model can be set up on repeat if it’s something you want to do. The interface is a bit outdated and isn’t as easy to take in as we’d like, but it’s not a huge downer. Too many options to mention here, but definitely worth taking a look at no matter what stage of business you’re operating in right now.
Read our full Ontraport review here.
Number 5: IBM – Silverpop Engage
Overview: Great for setting up sequences and marketing campaigns that get into your leads’ minds using behavioral marketing. Highly effective, but comes with a high sticker price. Silverpop is used in small (0-50 employees), medium (51-1,000 employees) and enterprise companies (1,000+ employees).
Summary: Personalization is important to a lot of business models, but getting that data isn’t easy. Silverpop is IBM’s take on marketing and it’s a powerful tool to gain insights on how your leads think. Behavioral marketing is a science, and the tools that can track all the info you need are in this software. Unfortunately, extracting that intel is cumbersome with the current interface. The problem is the advanced nature of the data, and deciphering it takes a bit of time to master. If you need something fast and malleable, there are other options. However, if you are deep into the behavior of your leads; Silverpop is the best there is.
Read our full IBM – Silverpop Enrage review here.
Number 6: Oracle Eloqua
Overview: Create advanced lead generation and conversion campaigns with targeted content in an easy to use interface. Inbound/SEO marketers may find it limiting, but enterprises should take notice. Eloqua is used in medium (51-1,000 employees) and enterprise companies (1,000+ employees).
Summary: Intended for large organizations with multiple marketing channels, different products, and intricate marketing campaigns. Eloqua allows your marketing team to develop “dynamic content” that can be triggered based on the decisions leads make within your setup campaign. Those campaigns are relatively easy to setup with a visual interface that helps plot out the content in the most effective drip patterns. Once your campaigns are set, you can automatically qualify and score leads with various factors such as geography, age, and others to let the sales team know when an SQL opportunity occurs. 2000+ reports mean that none of the data gathered will be lost. Smaller operations will want to pass, but if you have a team dedicated to your funnel, Oracle could have the tools that take them to the next level.
Read our full Oracle Eloqua review here.
Number 7: Hatchbuck
Overview: Possibly the best option for small businesses on a strict budget. Easier to use than most and just as powerful. Hatchbuck is used in small (0-50 employees), and medium companies (51-1,000 employees).
Summary: Phenomenal pricing and packed with value, Hatchbuck is perfect for small budget business. Similar to higher priced options, you’ll be able to manage and track leads and see exactly how they became customers (or didn’t). Personalized segmentation and campaigning mean you can nurture leads through your funnel any way they need it. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of integration options. If social media is a crucial part of your lead management puzzle, or you need a custom landing page builder, Hatchback may not be worth the low price tag. It is a useful tool that delivers a lot to bootstrapped small businesses.
Read our full Hatchbuck review here.
Number 8: SalesFusion
Overview: A refreshingly different pricing model based solely on contacts. All features are included in a single plan which allows you to move leads easily from marketing to sales. SalesFusion is used in small (0-50 employees), medium (51-1,000 employees) and enterprise companies (1,000+ employees).
Summary: The gap between the marketing team and sales person is known to loose leads and cost sales for many businesses. Salesfusion has a great system that bridges the gap. It’s an inbound focused system that has a large amount of data and functionality. Once visitors make a decision to jump into a funnel, you’ll be able to track their every move. These insights alongside their tools will help you create a consistent and repeatable path to revenue. Salesfusion does take some time to get used to and can be a bit cumbersome to learn. Complex, Jason Bourne style tracking meets straightforward pricing. If that sounds like something you want, this could be your software.
Read our full SalesFusion review here.
Number 9: Pardot
Overview: Effective product created by the Salesforce CRM brand. Cost is a bit steep, but integration is seamless. Pardot is used in small companies (0-50 employees), medium (51-1,000 employees) and enterprise companies (1,000+ employees).
Summary: Salesforce is the best known CRM on the market, and while other marketing automation tools allow integration, it’s more comfortable for some to keep the tools they use simple. Pardot is the B2B arm of the overall machine and allows you to see every step your leads take from a 1000 foot view. Powerful landing pages can be created quickly and help promote content to move prospects down the funnel with customizable tools like locked content. Emails can be ordered and segmented to help deliver the right message to the right crowd and the software allows you to track the entire path a lead takes on the inside. As far as the downside, social integration could be better and seems outdated. If you are a B2B currently using other Salesforce tools, this seems like a natural option. Budget-hunters and social marketers will find better tools to suit their needs.
Read our full Pardot review here.
Number 10: InfusionSoft
Overview: Deep segmentation and advanced lead nurturing for businesses with fewer contacts and high priced products. Infusionsoft is used in small (0-50 employees), and medium companies (51-1,000 employees).
Summary: Infusionsoft is known as one of the most in-depth, and complex tools in the marketing automation world. If used correctly, it could feel like you have another person working for your marketing team. The high-level features set this service apart. You can automatically capture and label the leads coming in, and with the impressive segmentation capabilities, you’ll be dripping valuable content that turns more people in your funnel into customers. Unfortunately, InfusionSoft doesn’t have responsive emails, a huge problem in the mobile age and this alone could turn you off. Even with this decent drawback, there are few tools on the market that can match the deep tracking and control this one delivers.
Read our full InfusionSoft review here.
Number 11: Greenrope
Overview: Great versatility and function, but comes with a steep learning curve. Is used in small (0-50 employees), medium (51-1,000 employees) and enterprise companies (1000+ employees).
Summary: Greenrope is one of our more affordable options, and does offer the full list of available features with every plan. Enterprise companies may look for a more prominent name, but small/mid-sized businesses who want tons of ability without paying a 4-figure/mo price should consider this option. Getting to know this software will take time. There are dozens of features, hundreds of moving parts and the interface is a large bite to chew, at first. If you have worked with other automation software before and want something new to help you track your leads, it would be easy to hit the ground running. However, if you (or your marketing team) aren’t the best at learning new tech, a simpler option can be found.
Read our full Greenrope review here.
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