10 tools to boost automated marketing

Automated marketing or marketing automation was born with the intention of helping companies to streamline their marketing strategies. Through automation tools, marketing actions can be developed efficiently. The possibility of programming an action allows several actions to be carried out at the same time. It also guarantees its monitoring and subsequent analysis. Inbound marketing consists of guiding customers through the sales funnel. Carrying out this process in an automated way saves time for the marketing department staff.

To automate marketing actions, it is advisable to use a computer programme, usually a CRM or Customer Relationship Management. This tool offers different services to the company to create workflows, segment customers, store data and take care of leads through lead nurturing campaigns. Improving the customer-company relationship is essential for them to go through the different stages of the sales funnel until they become customers, and subsequently achieve customer loyalty. There are different platforms to implement automated marketing in any business. These can be all-in-one, i.e. they allow the management of different actions from a single site. There are also specialised applications for specific uses. For example, to improve SEO optimisation, do mailing or create landing pages.

Advantages of using automated marketing tools

• Optimise SEO.
• Efficiency in marketing actions.
• Increased ROI.
• Save time.
• Having a CRM that stores databases and customer information.
• Greater commercial management.

Automated marketing functionalities

• CRM.
• Lead acquisition.
• Lead nurturing.
• Automation of marketing actions.
• Landing pages.
• Social media marketing.
• Email marketing.
• Webinars and events.
• Reports and analytics.
• Remarketing.

10 digital marketing automation tools

1. HubSpot

HubSpot is an American platform considered one of the most efficient for automated marketing actions. This is because it was a pioneer in developing this application for digital marketing. It is a powerful tool that guarantees the increase of customers and sales in a business. It is designed for companies that have a high budget as it is a paid CRM. Its plans are:

• Starter: It has a monthly fee of 185 euros and 480 euros of initial configuration.
• Pro: Its fee is 740 euros per month and 2,400 euros for the initial configuration.
• Enterprise: This is the most expensive plan, but the most complete for the marketing and sales department, with a monthly fee of 2,200 euros and an initial configuration of 4,000 euros.

This CRM stands out for offering several interconnected tools that are used to manage customer relations, follow up and increase the conversion rate. For this purpose, it has marketing software that includes:

• SEO.
• Social media.
• Automation.
• Email marketing.
• Landing pages.
• Lead management.
• Website.
• Blog.
• Analytics.
• Mobile adaptation.

It also has functionalities for the sales department:

• Sidekick.
• Sidekick for business.
• HubSpot CRM.

2. Marketo

This is an all-in-one software positioned as one of the best in automated digital marketing. This is due to its wide range of features, support tools, reports and user customisation. It stands out because it is created by marketing professionals. This makes it easy to use and makes sense because it is designed to be incorporated directly into a marketing plan. Marketo offers solutions to business needs such as:

• Lead management and acquisition.
• Customer marketing (SEO, social networks).
• Customer base marketing (CRM, Webinars, events...).
• Adaptability (mobile marketing, apps).
• Email marketing.

3. GetResponse

This platform specialises in email marketing and has a delivery rate of 99.5% of users. In other words, the companies that use it guarantee that their lead capture and nurturing campaigns work. They use techniques to get rid of spam and reach the lead's inbox. Among its advantages are:

• Social media integration.
• Newsletter editing software.
• A/B testing.
• Creation of contact lists.
• Measurement tools.

4. Pardot

It is a CRM specialised in B2B in small companies, in other words, those businesses that do not consider the end consumer as a potential customer, but other businesses. These are their payment plans:

• Standard: Its fee is 1,000 euros per month.
• Pro: It is more specialised and costs 2,000 euros per month.
• Ultimate: It is the most used by companies with experience in digital marketing and its fee is 3,000 euros per month.

In spite of obtaining a series of benefits or others depending on the plan you choose, all of them have basic functionalities:

• Lead nuturing.
• ROI reports.
• CRM.
• Landing pages.
• Email marketing.

5. Autopilot

It is a marketing automation tool focused on the customer's journey through the web. Specialists can create their ideal journey without programming knowledge, just by dragging elements through the website. It offers a wide catalogue of customised templates to facilitate the company's work. It also allows the integration of external applications automating the different marketing actions. It is compatible with Google Adwords or Salesforce.

6. Active Campaign

This automation platform offers complete services for digital marketing experts. It has a high level of feedback from its users. It allows workflows to be created that facilitate the client-company relationship and to track the user's journey. Through tracking, the actions carried out by the user before, during and after making a purchase can be seen. Its highlights are:

• Email marketing software.
• Specialisation in inbound marketing.
• CRM.
• Multichannel marketing strategies.
• Design tools.
• Integrate external applications such as Shopify or Facebook.

7. Google Analytics

It is a web monitoring and analysis tool used to create tracking reports. It is integrated with Google Ads and Google Search Console. Among its advantages is the configuration of monitoring tools and knowledge of your website traffic. It helps to understand what times are recommended to carry out marketing actions, find out through which devices users consume your content and analyse the rejection rate.

8. Semrush

This platform can help to automate the services of a marketing company through different functionalities. Among them are:

• PPC Campaigns: Automates PPC campaigns by enabling advertising research tools, and integrates social media applications to give you a higher insight into your performance.
• SEO: Improves seo by tracking the position of the website, performing web audits or monitoring user interactions with the brand.
• Lead capture: Helps generate leads through marketing automation to increase visibility, credibility and traffic.
• Reports: It has the ability to create reports and analytics on the marketing strategies used, which in turn provide recommendations to achieve the desired KPIs.

9. Mailchimp

This is one of the most widely used automated marketing software. It focuses on the use of small and medium-sized companies. Its speciality is email marketing. It has a newsletter sending service that integrates with other functionalities. It also includes mailing campaign designs. It focuses on improving customer relations to achieve greater conversion and increase sales. The free version has all the essential tools to incorporate it into your business, but it has a payment plan from 17 euros per month that includes other benefits.

10. Eloqua

Oracle Eloqua software is all in one. It was one of the pioneers along with HubSpot in incorporating automated marketing into business strategies. It stands out for managing companies with high global recognition such as LinkedIn or American Express. It is easy to integrate with other software and offers a wide range of opportunities. Marketers can plan, execute and analyse their actions through a single website. It has different price plans ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 euros.