Comparison Of Marketing Automation Solutions

The use of marketing automation software has grown enormously in B2B. The marketing automation software market is increasing from 500 million euros in 2016 to 5.5 billion euros in 2020. Also, the number of marketing automation solutions on the market constantly increases. Increase. Faced with such a proliferation, it cannot be easy to choose.

Are you currently looking for a marketing automation solution but having trouble deciding? In this article, we provide you with our comparison of the best solutions on the market. We will focus on nine software: Plezi, Webmecanik, Pardot, Marketo, Eloqua, Hubspot, ActOn, Active Campaign and SendinBlue.

Reminder: Marketing Automation Software, Definition

Marketing automation software allows you to automate marketing campaigns. In addition to massively profiling visitors to a website and collecting detailed information on prospects, such solutions will enable them to mature and then transmit these “hot” leads to the sales teams. Essential for implementing an inbound marketing strategy in B2B, marketing automation solutions are THE device to deploy within your company to boost your conversion rate.

American Marketing Automation Publishers For SMEs/ETIs

Hubspot, A Complete Solution

It was Hubspot that introduced the concept of inbound marketing in 2006. It is, therefore, one of the oldest players on the market. In addition to marketing automation, Hubspot offers a CRM, an integrated blog and the ability to create websites.

Main Features

Landing pages, forms, content personalization, automatic emails, A/B tests, contact management, segmentation, tracking, analysis tools, integrated website creation, social network management with publication planning, CTA, management ROI, Sync with Salesforce, Email Tracking, Advertising Tools, SEO Tools, Blogging Tools, Content Optimization, Email Templates, Email Scheduling, Workflows, Document Tracking, Meeting Scheduling, Sales Automation, Event Management leads.

Prices

Hubspot offers three formulas.

Starter from €41/month for 1,000 contacts (be careful, this formula does not include the automation part);
Proform €740/month for 2,000 contacts;
The company pays 2944€/month for 10,000 contacts.

Our Opinion

Hubspot is attractive since it offers many features and a pleasant interface. On the other hand, the budget to devote to it can quickly fly away if you have a large number of contacts and if you want to complete the initial offer with additional options, often paying. The complexity of certain functionalities can also be a hindrance for companies with small marketing teams.

Pardot, Consider If You Use Salesforce

Pardot software by Salesforce can be considered a marketing automation solution, mainly if you use Salesforce CRM. Salesforce being the CRM market leader, it was inconceivable for the publisher to be absent from the marketing automation market. Developed in 2012, the Pardot software makes it possible to become one with the already offered CRM tool. However, this marketing automation solution remains quite complex to use. Also, other marketing automation software often offers interfacing with SalesForces.

Main Features

Lead nurturing, automatic lead assignment, real-time alert, lead qualification, forms and landing page, search campaigns, A/B testing, content and email adaptation, automated workflows, dynamic and personalized campaigns, reporting, and data visualization tools.

Pricing

Pardot offers three plans, all of which can include up to 10,000 contacts.

Growth formula from €1,250/month for the standard solution;
Formula Plus from €2,500/month for the advanced solution;
Advanced formula from €4,000/month for the personalized solution.

Our Opinion

This software suits ETIs/SMEs using Salesforce CRM. Communication between the tools is facilitated and makes it possible to feed Pardot from the information held by Salesforce. However, this solution remains complex and expensive for startups or SMEs.

Act-On, The Integrator Par Excellence

Act-On arrived after Market and Hubspot in the marketing automation market in 2008. This software is relatively easy to use and can integrate with third-party systems (CRM, analytics, BI, etc.). For example, this tool easily integrates with CRMs such as SalesForce, Microsoft Dynamic, Netsuite…

Main Features

Email marketing, sponsored links, social networks, landing pages, forms, lead nurturing, lead scoring, automated workflows, visitor tracking, segmentation, A/B testing, reports and analytics, CRM tools integration, platform integration, web events…

Prices

Act-On offers two formulas.

Professional plan: from €802/month for 2,500 contacts;
Company plan: from €1,782/month for 2,500 contacts.

Our Opinion

This software is still not very present in the Indian market but is still a player to consider for your marketing automation software choice. Be careful, however, if you have many contacts: prices can climb quickly.

High-Performance India Solutions For SMEs And ETIs

Among the many American players in the marketing automation market, two Indian solutions stand out for their performance.

Plezi, Content Above All

Plezi, a Indian player in marketing automation, was born in 2015. As a bonus, this SaaS marketing automation software has all the necessary functionalities with the intelligent campaign. Making it a point of honor to promote content, Plezi’s approach is Inbound marketing oriented. Easy to use and quick to deploy, this solution is quick to learn and enjoys pleasant navigation thanks to a clean and straightforward interface. You should also know that Webconversion is a Plezi partner agency.

Main Features

Content management (segment, centralize, analyze), emailing, innovative campaign, dynamic and intelligent forms, creation of landing pages, social network management, email campaigns, sponsored links, CTA, targeting, lead management, lead scoring, lead tracking, automated newsletter, drip marketing, data analysis (content, emails, channels, conversion), CRM integration… The latest generation of personalized workflows has also entered the list of features Plezi offers. This will allow you to create adaptable scenarios according to the activity of your leads by automating the successive sending of emails.

Prices

Plezi offers three formulas.

Stark from €299/month within the limit of 1,000 contacts;
Iron from €499/month within the limit of 1,000 contacts;
Company, price on request for a tailor-made offer based on your needs.

Our Opinion

If we were to award the prize for the most intuitive interface, Plezi would undoubtedly take first prize. Plezi is a tool well-suited for SMEs/ETIs and has all the needed features. The plus: the Indian support team is very available! Complete and ergonomic, Plezi undoubtedly offers the best quality/price ratio on the market.

Webmecanik, The Other India Software To Consider

Created in 2012, Webmecanik was the first authentic India publisher of marketing automation software. Even if it does not have as many features as American players such as Hubspot or Marketo, all the essential elements are available there. This software also allows you to benefit from a good quality/price ratio on the market regarding the number of contacts.

Main Functionalities

Identification and tracking of visitors, creation of forms, editing of landing pages, publication of content on social networks, contact management, scoring and triggers, contact segmentation, lead management, email editor, multichannel communication (email, SMS, web and mobile notifications, pop in, tweet), campaign generator, workflows, sending programming, dashboards, reports, CRM integration, account-based management.

Rates

€400 per month for 10,000 contacts.

Our Opinion

The tool’s advantage is its attractive price positioning. The possibility of creating multitudes of workflows for nurturing scenarios (although these are not always very easy to set up for an SME without the support of a specialized agency) is also intriguing.

Software For Key Account Companies

Marketo, The Marketing Automation Giant

Launched in 2006, the Marketo marketing automation software is a giant on the market since it is one of the most popular and efficient. Its price is relatively high, mainly because of the many costs added to the monthly subscription. This tool will then be more suitable for large accounts. Marketo enjoys a historical reputation that explains its success with companies, even if its interface is rather complex.

Main Features

customer engagement engine, lead scoring, segmentation, lead nurturing, account overview and profiling, search engine optimization, emails, landing page, forms, social marketing, events, webinars, A/B testing, business intelligence, digital advertising, web personalization, predictive content, integration with CRM tools, campaign reports and dashboards, marketing calendar, etc.

Pricing

Pricing is not available on the Marketo website. However, our feedback shows they are slightly above the average prices other marketing automation software publishers charge. Marketo offers four plans with different functions: Select, Prime, Ultimate and Enterprise.

Our Opinion

Marketo has various and varied functionalities and possibilities. However, the cost rises quickly when you want to integrate additional contacts into the solution. In reality, this software is more designed for large groups and ETIs, corresponding perfectly in functionality and budget.

Oracle Eloqua, The Historical Software

Oracle Eloqua software was created in 1999 and was acquired in 2013 by Oracle, hence its name. It is one of the oldest marketing automation solutions on the market. It is relatively better suited to large account companies because it is a heavy and complex software that requires a lot of experience if you want to avoid getting lost in the many features it offers. Given its complexity, it is necessary to be accompanied and use training for marketing teams to use it efficiently.

Main Functionalities

Customer segmentation, personalization of campaigns and messages, lead tracking, a combination of disparate data, ROI management, creation of cross-channel campaigns, lead scoring, campaign optimization, dashboards, real-time information, content management, and lead management.

Starting Price

€2,000 to €4,000 per month for a maximum of 10,000 contacts

Our Opinion

Oracle Eloqua is a powerful toolbox, but this software should only be considered if you work with large databases and substantial internal resources.

Software For Small Budgets

ActiveCampaign

The last American solution, a much more modest ActiveCampaign, should seduce some. Its price is much lower compared to the previously offered options, and the features are still there. Several packages are offered, each more enriched with options than the previous one. You will therefore have no trouble finding the formula that best suits your needs. Moreover, you can avail yourself of a 14-day trial offer to better understand the software.

Main Features

site tracking, tracking of contacts and their actions, scoring and tags per contact, automation workflows, A/B testing, help center, reports and analysis, integrated CRM tool, email management, responsive design, etc.

Pricing

ActiveCampaign offers four plans.

Lite, from $25 per month;
Plus, from $49 per month;
Professional, from $129 per month;
Business, starting at $229 per month.

Note: These rates allow you to manage 1,000 contacts. Adding contacts incurs additional charges for each plan.

Our Opinion

It is interesting to benefit from a CRM tool and Marketing Automation. The price is also attractive but for a low number of contacts. Therefore, paying attention to this point before taking out a subscription is necessary to assess your needs as accurately as possible. Also, there is only an English version, which is always good to know. It is still a perfectly suitable solution for an SME new to marketing automation and does not have a huge budget.

SendinBlue, The Small-Budget Startup

Sendinblue is a startup created in 2012 in Paris, already with offices in the United States and India. It offers different packages, from the most basic to the most complete, to adapt to everyone’s budget and needs. Know that you can benefit from a free version to test the service, even if you cannot use the tool in all its power. For marketing automation, we recommend the Premium offer at 49 euros per month to access all the valuable features, which remains a low price compared to other software.

Main Features

Unlimited contact import, segmentation, customizable forms, landing page editor, scenario editor, monitoring of pages visited, real-time statistics, email and SMS personalization, A/B Testing, responsive design editor, email and telephone assistance, integration of many external software (WordPress, Shopify, etc.).

Prices

SendinBlue offers three formulas.

Lite, from €19 per month for 10,000 monthly emails;
Premium, from €49 per month for 20,000 monthly emails;
Company, personalized quote.

Our Opinion

An emailing solution offering marketing automation features, SendinBlue, can be interesting for startups or VSEs / SMIs embarking on marketing automation with a limited budget. The features presented are suitable for a price that defies all competition; a free version even allows you to test the service without any constraints.

Building on their success, more and more marketing automation tools are on the market today. Before embarking on implementing a marketing automation solution, you will therefore need to take the time to identify the one that best suits your needs and your use.

To do this, do not hesitate to perform a benchmark of the different solutions but also to request demos to benefit from an overview of the tool and select the one that suits you best! To find out more about marketing automation, don’t hesitate to call on our marketing agency and download our white paper “Gain efficiency with marketing automation”!