We've said it before and we'll say it again. Using a marketing automation platform is a great way to stay in touch with your contacts and nurture leads into customers. Maintaining it and following up with leads manually is time-consuming and can yield ineffective results (i.e. spending time on unqualified leads). The good news is that there are marketing automation tools out there that take the headache out of maintaining your database and take it to the next level.
There is cornucopia of options to choose from. Here's how to choose the right marketing automation platform for your business.
Make a list of what you hope to accomplish with marketing automation.
Before you can compare the various options available, it's important to understand what your goals are and how marketing automation can help get you there.
Research your options.
Hubspot: Hubspot offers many training courses that not only teach you how to use their platform, but also marketing best practices. The platform is user friendly and there are many resources at your fingertips should you need assistance. They publish many how-tos on their site and your Hubspot contact is always an email or phone call away.
Key features:
- No coding needed to develop landing pages, forms, blog articles, etc.
- Includes a CRM that works seamlessly with the marketing automation features
- Online behavior tracking
- Salesforce integration available
- Reporting capabilities
- Database for leads
- Lead scoring
- Ability to build automated workflows and automatically personalize all e-mails
- Social listening
Cons:
- Keyword tool is just ok
- A bit of a learning curve
Marketo: Marketo is easy to set up and is fairly easy to use. If offers many of the features marketers look for in lead generation and nurturing. They offer easy assistance when needs as well as a community of users to help should you have questions about the features.
Key features:
- Automated e-mails
- No coding needed to develop landing pages or forms
- Online behavior tracking
- Salesforce integration available
- Automated e-mails
- Automated e-mail responses
- Lead scoring
Cons
- No marketing lead database
- Some dislike the landing page builder
- Limited analytics
Sharpspring: Sharpspring is a good product at a competitive price.
Key features:
- Usually cheaper than other options
- Automated e-mails
- No coding needed to develop landing pages or forms
- Online behavior tracking
- Marketing lead database
- Lead scoring
- E-mail personalization
- CRM lead integration
- Lead scoring
Cons:
- No social listening
- Some dislike the landing page builder
- Building workflows is cumbersome
- CRM integration can be tricky
To further explore the features each of these has, check out this chart.
Take advantage of free trials.
Most marketing automation platforms provide some sort of free trial. Take advantage of this! They all offer a demo but that's more like a highlights reel. Many free trials can help you identify gaps in your current digital strategies and, in turn, helps you decide which platform will be the best fit.
Consult your agency partner.
If you work with or are considering working with an agency, most would be willing to talk with you (free of charge) about your goals and which marketing automation platform is a good fit for you. A good agency should also be knowledgeable in the best practices associated with marketing automation as well as marketing automation trends.
Should you decide to work with an agency, make sure they have taken any necessary courses and passed any relevant certifications offered by the platform you have chosen. Doing so will ensure that you're getting the most out of your partnership.
Choosing the right marketing automation platform is a daunting task. Make sure you're armed with the tools to make the right decision for your company. Keep in mind when you're seeing demos of each platofrm, that they want to sell you their product so they're going to hit all the high points and may or may not talk about the drawbacks or recommend a competitor who may be a better fit. Consulting with an industry expert, like an agency, can often steer you in the right direction and may bring to light some things you may not have considering.
