Choosing the right marketing automation platform (MAP) is an important business decision that impacts your overall success. MAPs offer the potential to increase conversions, market share, customer satisfaction and reduce time to complete a sales funnel. 79% of the top companies in the world have been using marketing automation for at least 1-3 years. You can’t afford to miss out to stay relevant in the constantly evolving online business landscape.

We have narrowed down your search to 3 of the top MAPs, which are Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign, and HubSpot. You can’t go wrong by selecting any of these. The right choice depends on what features your business finds the most beneficial. In this article you’ll learn the differences between the platforms so you can make an informed decision.

Integrating a marketing platform into your business can take a significant amount of time. It would be frustrating if you found out there are serious limitations to the platform after you’ve spent months setting it up. Read this article to the end to learn the key features to avoid potential headaches down the line.

Why MAPS are worth the investment

MAPs offer a myriad of benefits that makes investing a no-brainer. However, if you’re still on the fence here are a few noteworthy reasons to invest:

Increased Profits

The automated nature of these platforms means marketing happens 24/7. Each lead travels through a highly optimized sales funnel that’s designed to squeeze out the most amount of revenue. MAPs allow 80% of businesses to increases leads and up to 77% to increase conversions. With such high odds it’s not a surprise that an increasing number of businesses are investing in MAPs.

Workflow Automation

Your conversions and sales will skyrocket once you automate your sales funnel. Once the funnel is set up, each step is executed instantly which means no manual input is required. Instead of focusing on manual labor you can work on optimizing the sales funnel.

Productivity

MAPs simplify the sales funnel allowing team members to understand their role better. The number of simple tasks that are automated is a game-changer for marketers. Instead of completing repetitive tasks that are a time sink, marketers can focus on higher-level creative activity.

Targeting

MAPs offer the tools to segment your leads based on data, which you can then market using personalized campaigns. 82% of marketers have shared that email personalization increases open rates, which means it’s likely to work for you.

How to Choose a Marketing Automation Platform

The rise of automated marketing means the number of platforms available to facilitate your company is growing. Choosing the right one can be overwhelming, but stick with these core considerations for a straightforward selection process:

Price

Shop around to see what MAPs fall within your budget. Hopefully, pricing shouldn’t be an issue when selecting a platform since the core functionality is what matters most. Pick the right platform for your business and you’ll make back the cost of investment in many multiples of the platform price.

Integrations

Ideally the marketing platform you choose is fully compatible with other platforms and tools you’ll continue using. CRM and marketing platforms need to mesh well together to avoid running into compatibility problems. You can get in touch with the customer service team of a platform to learn about what compatibility issues you might face. 

Customer Feedback

Research feedback from people that are already using the platform you’re interested in. Feedback from competitors within your industry is the most relevant. You may discover positives or negatives that apply to your own business.

Support

Integrating a new platform into the daily running of your business can be a scary thought. What if something goes wrong? Maybe sales will decrease? Reservations about making a big change are easier to overcome when the platform offers great support staff to help you overcome problems. Call customer service up before choosing a platform and give them a few basic questions. It’s a good way to find out who you’ll be working with before throwing yourself in at the deep end.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a marketing tool used for growth. It facilitates listening to customers, analysis of gathered information and acting on that information. The process is smooth and the list of features offered is impressive.

Key Features

Seamless integration with popular eCommerce platforms like Magneto, BigCommerce and Shopify means you’re unlikely to run into compatibility problems. You can also combine Klaviyo with popular social media platforms and other marketing tools.

The detailed tracking, segmentation and personalization tools allow you to craft campaigns that give you the best chance of converting. There is no need to invest in an autoresponder service since Klaviyo has got you covered.

The built-in workflows are where the real magic happens. You can set up highly optimized marketing campaigns that practically run on autopilot.

Pros

Improve Conversion Rate

The platform provides good functionality to personalize emails so each customer feels valued. The options allow for meaningful communication that contributes to a healthy conversion rate.

Great for Facebook

This is the platform to get if you’re big on Facebook. The integration with Facebook Custom Audiences tool could be a game-changer for your social media marketing efforts.

Reduces Work

The automation features cut down a lot of manual labor. Workflows can also be customized so they can integrate with processes already running in your business.

Easy to Use

The Visual Builder is beginner friendly with a small learning curve. Build templates, forms and automated workflows with ease.

Great Customer Support

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with customer support if you have questions. They answer queries responsively and in a helpful manner. 

Cons

Pricing

The lack of competitive pricing means you get better value for money with alternatives.

User Interface

Accessing some metrics can be a hassle at first. You’ll need to become familiar with the platform before you feel comfortable.

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is an all-in-one marketing tool that offers advanced automation. They have several pricing plans, but you’ll want to opt for the pro version that offers CRM integration. The platform is developed by a Chicago based company and is rated highly by most users. The platform is used in 168 countries by 85,000 businesses.

Key Features

The “Deals” feature is the standout tool that allows you to dive deep into the profile of each customer. You can add notes and setup appointments by messaging each client directly. Website messages is another handy feature where you can send messages from your website.

Email marketing is the main draw of this platform. There is a lot of functionality to create campaigns that help meet your goals. The features include drip campaigns, mobile optimized emails, auto-responders, event triggered email and subscriber management.

Customer surveys and landing pages are the biggest omissions to note from this marketing platform. You’ll need to look at alternatives if these features are a vital tool for your business.

Pros

Thorough Reporting

The mixture of page visits, geo-tracking and click-maps mean you’re getting an accurate picture of what’s going on. Higher-tier pricing plans also offer advanced tracking features when using some of the top eCommerce platforms.

Powerful Automation

There is enough functionality to automate a sophisticated marketing campaign.

Free Migration

You can get a free migration if you want to switch over from another email service provider.

Competitive Deliverability

Not every email sent arrives at the intended destination. ActiveCampaign offers competitive deliverability rates compared to similar marketing platforms.

Cons

No Free Plan

Marketing platforms are known to offer a free trial period to see if it’s the right one for you. Unfortunately, ActiveCampaign only allows you to enter through their front door with a paid plan.

Not Ideal for Simple Use

The detailed user interface and advanced automation features means it might be overkill for small businesses. The platform is better suited for medium to large businesses that require advanced functionality.

HubSpot

HubSpot was founded in 2006 by Dharmesh Shah to provide tools for SEO, web analytics, content management and social media marketing. It’s an industry-leading automation marketing platform that’s regarded as the best by some of the top companies in the world.

They provide the complete experience by catering for any marketing strategy that you’re likely to come up with. You’ll also love the training tools available free of charge. Participate in live webinars or watch recorded ones.

Hubspot offers marketing automation and free CRM software (which can be upgraded for more functionality). It’s a powerful combination that allows the biggest brands in the world to tackle the most ambitious marketing campaigns.

Key Features

The document tool enables you to collaborate with the rest of your marketing team. Important metrics can be shared and presented in a digestible manner. Documents saved into the library can then be sent to show off how your marketing is performing.

The email tracking is outstanding allowing you to monitor the progress of sales funnels. You can download an extension for Gmail, Outlook and Outlook 365. Tracking emails is advantageous because you can interact with a specific customer more effectively knowing what they have seen.

HubSpot also provides tools to create templates, which means you can create a library of templates that you keep going back to. Snippets is another handy feature that allows you to insert up to 500 characters worth of text to emails.

Pros

Constantly Evolving

Hubspot constantly releases new features to stay up to date with marketing trends. They will not let you stay stagnant as the competition around you leaps their marketing efforts forward.

Find Weaknesses

The “Find Companies” feature enables you to do background research on companies you’re targeting.

Easy integration

HubSpot is designed for straightforward integration with popular platforms. For example, if you’re already using Google Drive, Google’s Calendar, Gmail or Outlook, then you can effortlessly integrate HubSpot with those platforms.

 All-in-One

The myriad of tools offered by HubSpot means it’s the only place you need to go for all your marketing tasks. Getting all marketing tools from one vendor simplifies things.

Try Before You Buy

You get the freedom to try Hubspot out before you need to invest. It’s a hassle-free way of dipping your toes in to see if the marketing platform is for you.

Cons

Configuration Required

There is a lot of work involved to get the settings that provide the best results. This might be a positive for marketers that want a lot of customization with their marketing platform. The best way to get the most out of your HubSpot platform is to work with a Solutions Partner like Auden Digital.

Learning Curve

There is a lengthy learning curve to become familiar with all features. However, HubSpot offers plenty of training tools and a great customer service team to help.

Conclusion

Automated marketing platforms are what you make of them. You need to put in the work to learn the features and fully utilize the strengths to optimize the return on each lead. The 3 platforms mentioned in this article are all solid choices.

Klaviyo is a good choice for marketers active with Facebook’s social media marketing, ActiveCampaign is best for crafting highly customized emails and Hubspot is the choice for businesses that need an all-rounder. Hubspot offers enough functionality to deliver top results for any marketing channel you pursue.

76% of companies that implement automation marketing see a return on investment within 1 year and 44% of them achieve it within 6 months. The odds are stacked in your favor to succeed with automation marketing. So pull the trigger on a platform that meets your needs and get started.