A majority of companies use advertising automation instruments these days — the truth is, research cite round 56% of businesses presently use the know-how, and that quantity continues to develop.
Whereas marketing automation software program can assist corporations improve effectivity by streamlining their workflows, there are such a lot of choices to select from, full of various options with varied options and use instances.
I’ll assist you minimize by means of the noise to search out the highest advertising automation platforms, highlighting what they do and the way they can assist your group.
On this article, I will cowl:
What are advertising automation instruments?
Advertising and marketing automation instruments use software program to automate repetitive advertising duties.
Some platforms solely supply e mail actions, drip sequences, and CRM updates. Others could assist with lead scoring, gross sales lead rotation, SMS, and extra.
Automating your advertising duties can benefit your business by increasing overall efficiency and allowing you more time to work on high-level projects.
For example, you can use marketing automation tools to collect valuable data that can be used to create more personalized marketing campaigns and increase conversion rates.
How I Tested the Best Marketing Automation Software
Every marketing automation platform offers different benefits and features, making it a challenge to narrow down the best option for your business.
That’s why I tested several options for you. Here’s what I looked for when testing the best marketing automation platforms.
Ease of Use
I don’t know about you, but I’m a visual person. If an interface looks confusing, I’m hesitant to dive in. That’s why I look for simple interfaces that indicate the tool is easy to use.
I look for tools with a simple interface that will guide me through the platform when I first use it. It’s also helpful if the platform includes an easy-to-access knowledge base so I can dive deeper into how a feature works when I need help.
Integrations
Marketing automation tools that integrate with your existing tools are essential.
The whole point of marketing automation platforms is to help you save time by making tasks seamless. This is made possible when everything in your tech stack connects.
When testing the best marketing automation platforms, I looked for software with a library of integrations. In my experience, the more app integrations available, the better connected the platform is.
Price
This can be subjective to your budget and business size, but price is still a factor I considered when reviewing these tools.
Tools that offer more features and support can command a higher price simply because they can help you reduce the number of tools in your tech stack.
If you’re just getting started with automation and want to see if you can benefit from one of these tools, it’s also helpful to look for ones that offer free trials. A free trial — or better yet, a free forever plan — lets you experience what the platform offers without fully committing.
The Best Marketing Automation Tools
- HubSpot Marketing Automation
- Sender
- ManyChat
- MailModo
- SureTriggers
- LeadSquared
- SendPulse
- Moosend
- Bardeen.ai
- Omnisend
- EngageBay
- Ontraport
- Brevo
- ActiveCampaign
- SPP
- Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement
- Keap
- Marketo
- GetResponse
- Drip
Here, I’ve cultivated a list of marketing automation tools to help you sort through your options and feel confident choosing the best solution for you and your team.
1. HubSpot Marketing Automation
HubSpot’s advertising automation performance is without doubt one of the strongest instruments on this checklist by way of options. In response to the G2 Grid for Marketing Automation, it is also one of the fashionable by way of buyer sentiment.
In fact, HubSpot has a full progress suite that features gross sales software program, advertising software program, and help software program, which all combine routinely with HubSpot’s CRM.
For my part, the mixed impact of getting all your knowledge and progress exercise in a single place can unleash tons of artistic automation prospects that might be troublesome or inconceivable if you happen to used separate instruments.
As a standalone, HubSpot‘s advertising automation performance consists of an easy-to-use visible board the place you possibly can craft easy or extremely refined conditional workflows.
I’ve discovered it may well take time to grasp the instrument (you’ll scale up extra shortly with the assistance of HubSpot Academy), however when you get a grasp on it, the artistic prospects are limitless.
You’ll be able to arrange easy e mail checklist autoresponders or construct a wise and sophisticated community of guidelines designed to focus on particular customers with the precise proper e mail, live chat, web site expertise, and extra.
Principally, HubSpot’s automation instruments go far past email, so you possibly can scale your progress and spend much less time on repetitive duties.
Value: HubSpot’s e mail and kind advertising automation instruments are free. Paid versions of Marketing Hub, which begin at $15 per person/month, supply elevated entry and options.
Do you know? 57% of HubSpot Advertising and marketing Hub prospects noticed a rise within the variety of leads generated with their advertising campaigns. Check out our whitepaper for extra insights into the enterprise worth of Advertising and marketing Hub (identical to this one).
2. Sender
Sender is a high e mail and SMS automation instrument that’s reasonably priced for small and rising companies. It has every part you want for profitable campaigns, from a easy drag-and-drop e mail builder to in-depth analytics and a heatmap.
I like Sender as a result of you possibly can develop your e mail checklist with high-converting pop-ups, customise pre-made e mail templates, and make use of an e mail design builder to create high-converting emails.
As soon as your e mail is prepared, you possibly can create automated workflows with out a trouble and ship the appropriate message to the appropriate viewers utilizing sensible segmentation.
Once I examined Sender, I appreciated that I may get began immediately without cost. Establishing my first workflow (as proven above) was additionally very simple and included pop-ups that guided me by means of the method.
Value: Sender has a Free Without end plan that gives many premium options for as much as 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails monthly. Paid plans begin round $15 monthly.
Finest for: With its emphasis on e mail and SMS automation, Sender is finest for ecommerce manufacturers.
3. ManyChat
Advertising and marketing automation is not nearly e mail. Think about automating a few of the most repetitive conversations you could have with prospects on different platforms.
ManyChat capabilities as a chatbot that may just do that on Fb Messenger, Instagram Direct Messages, WhatsApp, and SMS.
I feel ManyChat is nice as a result of you possibly can construct a bot in minutes with its templates and easy-to-use interface. Plus, the data you study your customers could be synced to your CRM and different instruments.
Value: ManyChat presents a free month-to-month plan that enables engagement with as much as 1,000 contacts through Instagram Direct Messages, Fb Messenger, and WhatsApp. Extra entry and options can be found by means of ManyChat’s paid plans, which begin at $15 monthly.
What I like: I’m an enormous fan of utilizing templates to avoid wasting time and mind energy. With ManyChat, you need to use one in all their many templates or its AI assistant to generate automated messages.
4. MailModo
Mailmodo is a one-step e mail advertising resolution platform. It means that you can create and ship AMP-powered interactive emails with out coding.
I like that you need to use their drag-and-drop template editor to construct e mail templates with interactive widgets that give your emails app-like performance.
In case you don’t need to construct one from scratch, you possibly can select one from their template library, which incorporates templates for varied use instances.
Mailmodo additionally has a visible buyer journey editor that follows the identical drag-and-drop idea, making establishing e mail automations a breeze.
For instance, you possibly can arrange automations that ship an e mail after a hard and fast interval or by situation, like when a buyer opens an e mail, clicks on a hyperlink, or submits a response.
These workflows are simple to arrange and extremely customizable to your wants.
Mailmodo’s different options assist you to section your subscribers dynamically, arrange ship time optimization to ship emails on the most optimum time, check totally different variations of the identical e mail earlier than sending, and look at the efficiency of your e mail campaigns in a dashboard.
Mailmodo additionally presents AI-powered options, similar to its AI topic line generator, AI content material generator, and an AI template creator.
Value: Mailmodo has three pricing plans: Lite ($39/month), Professional ($79/month), and Max ($159/month). Every plan means that you can ship emails to 2,500 contacts, with month-to-month ship limits that improve with every plan tier.
What I like: Free trials had been one of many options I seemed for when testing these advertising automation platforms, so I used to be excited to see that Mailmodo presents a free 21-day trial interval.
5. SureTriggers
SureTriggers is an automation instrument that optimizes workflows and simplifies enterprise procedures.
The plugin assists within the automation of repetitive processes, the discount of guide errors, and the enhancement of productiveness in your WordPress web site.
I feel its skill to combine with different CRM and advertising instruments makes it easy to automate quite a few processes and increase productiveness.
SureTriggers is a helpful resolution for corporations of all sizes desirous to optimize their advertising automation efforts because it consists of options like customized workflows, automation triggers, and reporting.
It additionally presents an efficient and user-friendly resolution for automating repetitive operations like lead administration, customer support, and e mail advertising within the area of selling automation.
By automating these processes, customers could save working bills, improve lead era, and increase buyer interplay, all of which contribute to raised advertising outcomes.
Value: SureTriggers presents a free ceaselessly plan for one WordPress web site. Paid plans begin at $9 monthly.
Finest for: SureTriggers is designed for WordPress web sites, making it a distinct segment resolution for the WordPress community of plugins and instruments.
6. LeadSquared
LeadSquared is a one-stop resolution for gross sales execution and advertising automation.
You’ll be able to seize leads throughout varied campaigns and sources, observe their exercise, and even section them based mostly on demographics for a focused strategy to advertising.
The omnichannel platform helps you contact base with leads over e mail, WhatsApp, SMS, social media, self-serve portals, and extra.
As soon as you propose to scale your advertising efforts, you possibly can arrange automated and trigger-based workflows to make sure constant outreach throughout platforms.
LeadSquared additionally means that you can arrange dashboards and in-depth, real-time stories for insights into marketing campaign efficiency.
Value: The advertising automation suite is obtainable in 4 tiers:
- Important for $150.
- Fundamental for $400.
- Commonplace $1,200.
- Enterprise for $2,500.
What I like: The perfect half concerning the emails and touchdown pages on LeadSquared is that they require no code, which is handy if you happen to’re a much less technical marketer like me. The pages could be utterly custom-made with an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor.
7. SendPulse
Having began out as an e mail advertising service, SendPulse regularly developed right into a full-scale advertising automation platform with quite a lot of channels to succeed in present and potential prospects.
Established manufacturers and small companies alike can construct extremely personalised message flows that mix emails, chatbots, and SMS notifications.
I discovered the visual chatbot builder itself to be very versatile because it permits customers to create chatbots for Fb, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Viber. It additionally helps ChatGPT integration, which is able to make the chatbot much more human-like.
Value: SendPulse gives a month-to-month free plan. Paid plans begin at $8 monthly.
What I like: SendPulse is an all-in-one platform that even presents a web-based course builder. In case you’ve thought of monetizing your information or utilizing programs for lead era, this platform might be an important choice.
8. Moosend
Moosend is an e mail advertising automation platform that caters to varied industries, together with ecommerce, SaaS, and businesses.
The automation feature makes use of superior web site monitoring and triggers that assist you to ship the appropriate e mail marketing campaign to these in your contacts who’re desirous about a selected services or products.
For instance, you possibly can arrange a cart abandonment sequence to focus on potential prospects who left their purchasing carts with out making a purchase order.
In my expertise, amassing and managing buyer knowledge can turn out to be useful as you need to use it to craft product suggestion campaigns based mostly on product views.
This knowledge additionally means that you can create detailed stories of the marketing campaign’s progress and the customers’ exercise so you possibly can optimize the effectiveness of your promotional messages.
Value: Moosend presents a 30-day free trial, so you possibly can strive before you purchase. After that, Professional plans begin at $7 monthly.
Finest for: One among my favourite elements of testing Moosend was seeing its agency-side options. Moosend can act as a private shopper administration hub the place you possibly can work on a number of shopper tasks from one place. Plus, it comes with customizations, making this an important choice for businesses.
9. Bardeen.ai
Bardeen is an AI automation instrument that optimizes workflows. With Bardeen.ai, automation is now so simple as texting a pal.
Bardeen helps streamline your workflow with AI, whether or not you could hold your CRM clear and up to date, personalize outreach campaigns, or synchronize knowledge throughout varied instruments your inside group makes use of.
What I like finest about Bardeen is that it’s a Chrome extension. This made it simple to get began and join it with my present workflow immediately.
The flexibility to combine with different CRMs like HubSpot and over 100 other integrations makes it simple to automate quite a few processes and increase productiveness.
Bardeen is a helpful resolution for corporations of all sizes trying to optimize their advertising and gross sales automation efforts. Getting began is straightforward, with 1000’s of ready-to-use automation templates to select from.
Value: Bardeen presents a free ceaselessly plan, whereas a Skilled plan begins at $10 monthly.
Professional tip: Bardeen is a Chrome extension, so that you have to be a Google Chrome person to reap the benefits of this workflow instrument.
10. Omnisend
Omnisend is an omnichannel advertising automation platform constructed for ecommerce. Providing highly effective automation workflows, you will get began shortly with pre-built templates that hold on-line retailers in thoughts.
With Omnisend, you possibly can add a number of channels throughout the identical automation workflow: e mail, SMS, Fb Messenger, push notifications, and extra.
I like that Omnisend additionally makes use of a user-friendly visible builder and templates, which make creating workflows, types, touchdown pages, pop-ups, and emails fast and simple.
Value: Omnisend presents a free plan with primary e mail advertising automation that’s finest fitted to small companies simply beginning out. Medium- to larger-sized companies will most probably profit from Omnisend’s paid plans, which begin at $16 monthly.
What I like: Whereas I wasn’t in a position to see too many options accessible since I don’t have an ecommerce store (most options required me to attach my store earlier than I may discover), I like Omnisend’s interface. It’s organized and simple to grasp, which makes establishing workflows much less intimidating.
11. EngageBay
EngageBay is one other advertising automation platform designed particularly for small- to medium-sized companies.
This software program presents a variety of options, together with e mail advertising, social media administration, and web site chat.
Different commendable options, in my view, embody drag-and-drop builders for touchdown pages and emails, A/B testing, SMS advertising, push notifications, deserted cart retrieval and reminders, autoresponders, and canned responses.
Value: EngageBay presents a free plan for small companies, in addition to three superior paid plans that scale with your corporation wants, beginning at $12.74 per person/month.
What I like: I like that EngageBay presents a free plan, making it simple for small companies to get began with automation, even with a restricted funds.
12. Ontraport
Not like different advertising automation instruments, Ontraport is a enterprise automation software program particularly designed for entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and small companies.
Whereas it has CRM and advertising automation performance, I recognize that it additionally has a number of different options to run and develop a small enterprise, together with, however not restricted to, e mail advertising, touchdown pages, reporting, and ecommerce.
One of the crucial priceless issues Ontraport presents is its deal with reporting and insights. Whereas some instruments is usually a little bit of a black field, Ontraport offers you a transparent have a look at the efficiency of your campaigns.
Value: Although Ontraport doesn’t have a free plan, it does supply a free 14-day trial with every of its 4 paid plans. Pricing for Ontraport’s primary plan begins at $24 monthly, which incorporates limitless e mail sending and drag-and-drop advertising automation.
Finest for: Entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and small companies.
13. Brevo
Previously SendinBlue, Brevo is a digital advertising platform that options well-liked automation software program fitted to each newbie and superior entrepreneurs.
With Brevo, you possibly can design mobile-friendly e mail campaigns both from scratch or by means of customizable templates. You too can run SMS campaigns from Brevo. Superior options embody reporting and lead scoring.
Value: Brevo presents a fairly spectacular free plan, which incorporates primary advertising automation performance, limitless contacts, and as much as 300 emails per day. Paid plans begin at $25 monthly.
What I like: Brevo presents different software program, similar to gross sales and conversations platforms, plus a CRM, so you possibly can seamlessly combine your tech stack.
14. ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is an built-in e mail advertising, advertising automation, and small enterprise CRM.
ActiveCampaign‘s strongest level is its highly effective and versatile advertising automation performance. I feel it’s one of the complete options in the marketplace, and its deliverability is also rated as top-of-the-line available in the market.
I’ve discovered that this in all probability isn‘t one of the best instrument for learners or these with low technical capabilities, because it takes a bit extra effort and time to study. However once you do study the platform, it’s fairly highly effective.
Value: ActiveCampaign presents a 14-day free trial. Paid plans begin at $15 monthly.
What I like: ActiveCampaign’s top-rated deliverability charges are an important promoting level if you wish to make sure you get into your prospects’ inboxes.
15. Service Provider Pro’s Form Builder
SPP has a strong kind builder that means that you can construct lead-generation types, amongst different issues. Create contact types and embed them on their web site, share them with leads through the direct hyperlink, or embed a chat bubble on one in all your touchdown pages. As quickly as the shape is submitted, a ticket is created in your shopper portal, permitting your group to heat the lead-up.
One of many highly effective issues about SPP’s kind builder are the conditional guidelines: you possibly can show totally different fields based mostly on the choice customers make in choice group fields, drop-downs, or different parts inside the shape. This lets you make the lead era types very focused and particular, rising the conversion price.
Value: Paid plans begin at $99 monthly.
Finest for: Rising lead era and buyer conversion.
16. Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement
Previously referred to as Pardot, Salesforce Advertising and marketing Cloud Account Engagement is a cloud automation resolution that largely serves enterprise shoppers which have the technical sources and time to study the platform.
It has a ton of options that automate communication to present contacts, from CRM integration to e mail advertising, lead nurturing, and an ROI reporting performance to ensure your campaigns are working.
You’ll be able to observe all interactions in your web site and construct predictive lead scoring based mostly on the parameters you set. All of this helps enhance marketing efficiency and take away wasted effort and time out of your gross sales group.
I ought to be aware that whereas it’s extremely highly effective, this software program will not be as accessible or reasonably priced for smaller companies or entrepreneurs as there may be not a free plan or trial.
Value: Plans for Advertising and marketing Cloud Account Engagement begin at $1,250 monthly.
Finest for: At its steep value level, this advertising automation platform is finest for enterprise corporations.
17. Keap
Keap (previously referred to as Infusionsoft) has been round since 2001 and has helped 1000’s of entrepreneurs ship on leads, income, and buyer acquisition targets.
Keap actually prospers within the small enterprise and solopreneur crowd, and in my expertise, I’ve observed it has a fairly refined person base.
You’ll be able to arrange comparatively complicated choice timber relying on which lead magnet somebody indicators up for, what number of (and which) emails they open and click on, or different contact property knowledge.
As Keap‘s options proceed to evolve, long-time prospects could choose Keap’s Max Traditional plan since it’s most just like Infusionsoft’s authentic platform.
Value: Keap presents a free 14-day trial and three totally different paid plans based mostly on buyer wants, beginning at $249 monthly.
What I like: Keap’s options are finest for small companies that want built-in gross sales and advertising automation.
18. Marketo
Marketo was based in 2006 as a advertising automation software program firm. It was later acquired by Adobe and included into its enterprise advertising cloud.
The Adobe integration implies that, if you happen to use Adobe Analytics for knowledge measurement and Adobe Goal for experimentation and personalization, you will have a strong enterprise advertising automation and optimization suite.
The instrument is usually geared towards enterprise prospects — it’s kind of out of vary for many small enterprise homeowners.
Value: Adobe doesn’t supply a free trial or plan for Marketo. Since Marketo’s plan costs are decided by your database dimension, you will have to succeed in out to the gross sales division for a quote.
Finest for: In case you already use different Adobe merchandise, this might be a seamless instrument so as to add to your tech stack.
19. GetResponse
GetResponse is advertising automation software program with many alternative layers and options. Its reasonably priced E-mail Advertising and marketing plan consists of primary autoresponders, templates, and an inventory dimension of 1,000 contacts.
GetReponse’s extra premium plans embody highly effective options like drip campaigns, contact scoring, event-based automation, ecommerce monitoring, and extra.
Normally, I discovered this software program simple to make use of. You may sometimes discover good outcomes from the instrument, though it really works finest with the less complicated options, like e mail newsletters. It could possibly grow to be trickier to work with the platform if you happen to plan on implementing sophisticated conditional logic and advertising automation.
Value: GetResponse presents a free 30-day trial. Paid plans begin at $19 monthly.
Professional tip: GetResponse presents a reduced plan — 50% off month-to-month plans — for nonprofits.
20. Drip
Drip is without doubt one of the few advertising automation instruments on this checklist that’s primarily targeted on ecommerce advertising automation.
It gives one of many extra “open” platforms, claiming that it performs effectively with “just about any advertising technique you need to put in movement.”
Moreover, I discovered e mail to be one in all its strengths. Some e mail advertising and automation options embody limitless e mail sends, pre-built workflows, and multi-channel advertising.
Value: Although Drip doesn’t have a free plan, it does supply a free 14-day trial. Paid plans are based mostly in your variety of e mail contacts and begin at $39 monthly.
What I like: Drip excels in personalization and analytics. General, I discovered it to be a strong instrument for ecommerce advertising automation.
How one can Select the Finest Advertising and marketing Automation Software program
A extra area of interest advertising automation product could also be higher for SMB and B2C environments, however B2B and enterprise corporations might have a platform with wider functionality.
Listed below are some key areas to contemplate as you consider advertising automation software program merchandise to decide on the one which’s best for you:
1. Decide your funds and enterprise wants.
If automation’s advantages could be summed up with one assertion, it’s this: It would make you extra environment friendly, so you possibly can deal with the duties you get pleasure from and which have the best return.
With that in thoughts, you’ll need to consider the value as you think about functionality.
For SMBs and B2C organizations focusing totally on e mail, a scaled-down system may be enough. Nevertheless, with extra superior wants, enterprise (and thus increased ticket) software program is extra cost-efficient in the long term.
I like to recommend you select a supplier that is fairly priced however may also develop with you as your wants change. In spite of everything, lowering bloated operations is important to scaling successfully.
2. Consider the software program’s ease of use.
Automation is not a easy factor to implement, so be sure the interface of the software program will work with you, not towards you. See if yow will discover screenshots of the UX or demo the software program so you possibly can decide if it seems to be easy and simple to navigate.
Automation could be technical, so I recommend in search of suppliers which have strong information bases, tutorials, and different buyer help choices.
3. Discover analytics and reporting choices.
You may need to have the ability to measure the success of any drip campaigns you could have working, so be sure your automation software program will hold observe of the metrics that matter most to you.
In B2B and enterprise environments with many stakeholders, you may additionally want superior reporting skills similar to personalised dashboards or automated reporting through e mail.
For instance, HubSpot’s marketing analytics software permits you to arrange customized dashboards to observe something from web site visitors analytics to e mail signups, top-performing income sources, and extra.
4. Analysis integrations.
How effectively does the advertising automation software program play together with your present stack? Integrations assist you to handle knowledge and get extra out of your instruments.
Professional tip: You’ll find our essential apps for marketers in HubSpot’s App Market.
5. Think about potential limitations.
Some automation software program platforms could restrict the variety of actions in a month or the database dimension you are allowed.
Going into any analysis, I recommend you know the way many contacts you could have, what number of emails you ship on common, and what you need the software program to attain.
It will forestall you from underestimating the price of your automation software program.
6. Request a demo.
Earlier than making a closing choice, think about reaching out to every supplier’s gross sales group to request a demo or join free trial presents.
Making an attempt out a advertising automation instrument before you purchase it may well assist you decide which options finest serve your wants.
Getting Began With Advertising and marketing Automation
There are tons of choices for advertising automation software program. It is all about selecting the best one for your corporation functions, funds, and technical experience.
Need one thing extremely highly effective and limitless? It could find yourself costing extra and taking effort and time to study. The cheaper choices, by comparability, may need too restricted a scale.
In the end, it is a trade-off that you could weigh for your corporation.
Editor’s be aware: This put up was initially revealed in April 2019 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.
