Marketing automation helps marketers to execute tasks more efficiently and to free up time and resources. It will help you to target leads in your contact database and send them relevant content based on their behavior, so that you continue to educate them and try to answer their questions to their problems. One of the main benefits is keeping you from marketing to someone who isn’t actually interested. The tool you use to achieve this should be integrated with your inbound strategies to generate and nurture leads through the buyer’s journey and prepare them for your sales team. 
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Which marketing automation tool is right for you will depend on the size of your company and marketing team, as well as which features are most important to you. Are you only looking to schedule emails and segment your contacts? Are you also looking to automate your social media and manage your content? There are plenty of options, so you will definitely find the one that works best for your team. If all of this sounds good to you, here are 15 tools we recommend that you check out.
Six of the industry-leading vendors for marketing automation software are:
- Eloqua
- Pardot
- HubSpot
- Marketo
- Ontraport
- Infusionsoft
Small to medium sized businesses should consider HubSpot, Infusionsoft, or Ontraport.
Larger businesses should consider Marketo, Pardot, or Eloqua.
Eloqua is one of the well-known software options, with capabilities for segmentation, campaign management, lead scoring, event marketing and webinars, revenue and lifecycle tracking, with a heavy focus on email automation, and integrates well with other Oracle products. However, you can’t A/B test your landing pages without a workaround process.
Salesforce’s Pardot is a popular choice for computer software companies, and is primarily used for marketing automation, with a sales focus. Since it is owned by Salesforce, they are fully integrated. Features include sales intelligence, email marketing, lead nurturing, website visitor tracking, and ROI reporting. It receives positive reviews for being user-friendly.
HubSpot is a broad functioning inbound marketing software and the star when it comes to content management. Features include blogging, SEO, website, social media management, and analytics capabilities. It receives points for its built-in CRM, and modern, easy to use interface. It's a fully integrated platform to keep all of your marketing tools in one place.
One of the most popular choices for mid-sized businesses with a solid user interface for creating smart campaigns. Marketo receives high customer ratings, and includes lead management, landing pages and forms, A/B email testing, web pages personalization options, and new mobile features. It integrates with Salesforce, and provides comprehensive analytics.
Ontraport is an all-in-one platform with features that include lead capture tools, email, SMS messages, postcard automation, web page building, and a WordPress integration. It can be a little complicated to learn how to use the program, but receives high marks for customer service.
Infusionsoft is a great option for small businesses that have a brick and mortar store and eCommerce. Features include an email broadcast tool, CRM, lead nurturing, automated workflows, eCommerce and payment tools.
Other Options
Act-On has an awesome, cloud-based user interface that is quick to learn. The platform specifies that it is built for marketers, not engineers.
LeadSquared in one of the most affordable options available, at $125 a month for the basic features. It is easy to set up and provides good value.
BuzzBuilder Pro is a tool focused on lead nurturing and generation with a database of email templates, and includes notifications of when an email is read or your website is viewed.
Customer.io is a solution for email marketing that features triggered emails and detailed analytics on open-rates and conversions.
Up-And-Coming
Hatchbuck: A streamlined CRM and email marketing tool designed for small business.
Autopilot: Email marketing and CRM automation that is easy to set up based on the buyer’s journey.
ThriveHive: An option for business owners with little marketing background that provides suggestions to help build marketing strategy.
Kahuna: Software designed for mobile-focused automation, including geo-targeting and push notifications.
Salesfusion: A platform focused on the bottom of the sales funnel that integrates with your CRM to create email campaigns.
Marketing automation will help you to streamline your efforts and nurture leads in a way that provides them with highly personalized and helpful content. The right tool will make all the difference.
This can all get very confusing and we completely agree! Contact us and we will work with you to figure out which platform is best for you.
