Finding the right marketing automation software for your business is not that easy. It is of course important to compare how different tools work, but there are many more factors to consider. You also have to think about the size of your company, the technical setup, the support of the provider, or the scope for growth of the tool.
In addition, you should not just think about finding the best software when starting a business, but regularly. It’s important to critically evaluate your current tool every few years or after major milestones such as a business expansion. Then it is important to assess whether the tool still fully meets all company requirements or whether other software is more suitable and supports the further development of the company.
What factors have to be considered?
First and foremost, the question of technical setup arises: Should it be an on-premise or a cloud solution? And which integrations or interfaces are necessary? In terms of functionality, many tools differ in their focus or strengths. An example: Social media maintenance is possible via both BSI CX and HubSpot, but HubSpot is clearly ahead and can not be beaten in terms of usability. If you have shortlisted two software and would like to take a closer look at some functions, it is advisable to request demo versions of both.
Setup and support are often underestimated factors: Costs and availability of both aspects can vary widely depending on the provider. In addition, you should review the licensing models of providers regarding your flexibility and growth opportunities. The next level of the licensing model should match your company's growth forecasts or goals so you don't have to switch providers again in 1 to 2 years.
First insight – the strengths of popular marketing automation providers:
HubSpot Marketing Hub
- features/strengths: highly commended for their usability, CRM included, intuitive user interface, easy social media integration & maintenance, smart content for email shipment & website, account-based-marketing, adaptive tests, automated lead-scoring
- costs (example): starter (min. 1.000 contacts): from 41 € / month (0,05 € per contact)
- further information
Mautic
- features/strengths: open source software, bulk mailing without limits incl. reporting, drip-marketing incl. A/B-testing, multi-channel communication, contact analysis & contact management incl. points system
- costs/contact: 0 €
- further information
BSC CX
- features/strengths: map customer journey, real-time interaction with customers, increase customer experience, generate and qualify leads, usage of artificial intelligence, a combination of offline and online measures for digitalization
- costs (example): S-edition (from 3000 CHF / month)
- further information
Salesforce Pardot
- features/strengths: lead & opportunity management, CRM for an additional charge (Salesforce Sales Cloud), real-time personalization and dynamic content for websites & emails, Pardot Add-On Einstein Analytics, Pardot Add-On Engage (Sales Alerts & Drip-campaigns)
- costs (example): Growth (min. 10.000 contacts): 1.250 € / month (0,13 € per contact)
- further information
Do you want to know more about marketing automation software as well as the different functions and providers? Our marketing experts will be at your service.
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