With more and more marketing automation software systems coming into the market place, choosing the right one can be a tough decision. Before making an investment into a system, it is advisable to first determine the needs of the business as picking the wrong one can be very costly, both in time and money. Understanding the way in which various marketing automation platforms work and choosing the right one for your company can improve your lead conversion rate, by an average of 53% according to a recent marketing automation survey.
In order to make a decision about the best marketing automation platform, it generally helps to list out your organisation’s needs and what objectives you wish to achieve across the entire organisation, by switching or starting on a new marketing automation platform. And remember to ask the sales teams questions and perhaps for referrals from similar businesses already using the platform. Some questions you may want to think about are:
- Can it be integrated with your current CRM system?
- How is its SEO / keyword analytics compare to others?
- How long does it generally take to set up the system?
- How soon can you expect to start seeing the benefits of using the platform?
- What is the average ROI of the platform?
- Can you speak to other businesses already using the platform?
The list of marketing automation platforms available today is endless. Below we have listed out the top 4 rated marketing automation tools:
- Marketo: A leader in digital marketing software and solutions. It is a platform that has consistently rated the #1 marketing software solution. Reviews say Marketo is ‘easy to use, innovative, [and a] great community’
- Oracle Eloqua: Enables marketers to plan and execute automated marketing campaigns while delivering a personalized customer experience for their prospects. Reviews state that it is a ‘powerful marketing automation tool’
- HubSpot: Is an inbound marketing software platform that helps companies attract visitors, convert leads, and close customers. One reviewer said ‘I have been in digital marketing since 2000, and HubSpot is my favorite tool!’
- Pardot: The official B2B marketing automation app from Salesforce. By using this marketing automation platform, clients have improved conversions by 300% within months. One reviewer said ‘Pardot is the only marketing automation tool that has managed to live up to the hype’
Once you have your shortlist of potential marketing automation systems, always seek out other users to find out how they are finding the system, what the capabilities are and any problems, so that you can make the best decision for you. Eighty percent of marketing automation users saw their number of leads increase, and 77% saw the number of conversions increase. Salesforce Pardot have also created a helpful ROI calculator to help you see what automation can do for your company: http://rod.cx/1MNOdwq
If you are looking for a marketing automation professional or are interested in hearing what marketing automation role we currently have available then contact the ROD team on 020 8123 7769 or email rod@resourceondemand.com and one of our team will be happy to help.