14 Best Marketing Automation Software for Small Business
Marketers are always looking for the best marketing automation software for small business to streamline their operations and increase efficiency.
These tools can help automate repetitive tasks, such as email marketing and social media management, allowing you to focus on other important aspects of your business.
In this blog post, we will be discussing the 14 best marketing automation software options for small businesses.
From email marketing platforms to social media management tools, we have researched and compiled a list of the top choices to help small businesses take their marketing efforts to the next level.
Why Small Businesses Need Marketing Automation
Small businesses often have limited resources and a small team to handle all their operations, including marketing.
Marketing is a highly dynamic industry with repetitive tasks such as email marketing, social media posting, ad campaigns, and even onsite marketing.
Marketing automation software can help small businesses by automating repetitive tasks and allowing them to focus on other essential aspects of their business.
And it’s not just for efficiency but marketing automation software also creates more personalized experiences for users and saves time.
For example, if you set up an autoresponder email series, add a chatbot to your website or use a sales CRM tool to organize your leads and improve the user experience.
Email Marketing Automation Tools
1. Mailchimp
MailChimp’s automation feature allows you to create targeted emails that send when triggered by a specific event, date, or activity.
It comes with a powerful set of design, scheduling, and segmenting tools so you can effortlessly inform, reward, and engage your contacts through automated emails, even if you are offline.
Top Features:
- Pre-built journeys to engage with your audience and get recommendations
- Data integration from apps and web services
Pros:
- 4/7 email & chat support
- Custom-coded and pre-built email templates
- A/B testing
- Enhanced automated customer journeys
- Predictive segmentation
- Campaign manager
Cons:
- On the free plan, there is only email support for the first 30 days.
- Might not be very budget-friendly.
- Users claim that the emails often end up in spam folders.
Price: There is a free plan available with very limited features. The essential plan starts at $ 13/month based on 500 contacts.
Mailchimp's G2 Rating: 4.3/5
2. Constant Contact
With Constant Contact, you can set up email sequences and send them automatically to your contacts.
Just like MailChimp, you can set up specific triggers, and your emails will go out based on user actions.
Top Features:
- Dynamic content personalization
- Automated communications (e.g., resend to non-openers)
- In-depth reporting, including conversion and sales
Pros:
- Hundreds of email templates
- Sign-up forms
- Integrations with popular tools like Shopify, WooCommerce, Canva, and Etsy
- Engagement reporting (i.e., views, clicks, etc.)
- Live chat and phone support
Cons:
- Support could be improved.
- Might be difficult to use if you technically-challenged
- The templates and design options could be more up-to-date and flexible.
Price: There is a 30-day free trial if you want to try it out first. Core plan starts at $9.99/month and its price is based on the number of contacts
Constant Contact's G2 Rating: 4.0/5
3. SendinBlue
Another all-in-one marketing automation software for small business is SendinBlue. It provides a great service for both email and SMS marketing.
SendinBlue allows you to build custom workflows that send out emails automatically. You can set up triggers to send emails based on the subscriber action on your website.
Top Features:
- Unlimited contacts & details.
- Real-time email statistics
- Workflow editor
Pros:
- Drag and drop builder
- Shared inbox to keep your team organized
- Transactional email
- Segmentation
- Signup forms
Cons:
- The editor could be more intuitive
- Customer support could be improved
- Customer reviews mention emails not being sent though it looks like they did.
Price: There is a free plan available with unlimited contacts. The starter plan starts from $25/month with unlimited contacts.
SendinBlue's G2 Review: 4.5/5
4. Moosend
Moosend is an easy-to-use, all-in-one marketing automation software.
Similar to Constant Contact, Moosend comes with features like A/B testing, list segmentation, and user/website tracking, in addition to email marketing.
Top Features:
- Behavioral analytics
- Custom reporting
- 100+ integrations
Pros:
- Unlimited emails
- Landing pages/forms
- Multi-step marketing automation workflows
- Predicted location & demographics
- A/B testing
- Email heatmap analytics
Cons:
- You may need more than average knowledge to set it up.
- You may get contradictive information from customer support.
Price: There is a 30-day free trial, and the Pro plan starts at $9/mo for 0-500 subscribers.
Moosend's G2 Rating: 4.7/5
Onsite Marketing Automation Tools
Onsite marketing automation tools are the ones that you can directly use on your website to market your service or product effectively.
5. Popupsmart
One of the best marketing automation software for small business is Popupsmart popup builder.
If you are looking for a simple way to keep generating email leads, driving traffic to your products or campaigns, then Popupsmart can do the hard work for you.
Top Features:
- Gamified popups
- Powerful targeting features like SiteData targeting
Pros:
- Outstanding analytics features
- Generating email leads and sending autoresponders to subscribers
- Promoting your products with video popups
- Collecting customer feedback and surveys
Cons:
- The number of templates could be increased
Price: There is a free plan available and the basic plan is perfect for marketers for $32.5 /mo if you choose to pay annually.
Popupsmart's G2 Rating: 4.4/5
Create a Free Popup for Your Website!
6. Tidio Chatbot
Tidio is one of the best live chat tools that are both efficient and budget-friendly.
This software allows you to create chatbots that work like a virtual assistant that answers users’ questions 24/7 even if your live chat agent is offline.
Top Features:
- Live chat and unlimited conversations
- Up to 5 operators
- Email, 24/5 live chat support
Pros:
- Team departments to direct conversations to the best assistant.
- Analytics
- Native Shopify integration
- Live typing feature to see what customers are writing before they send them
- Viewed pages to track visitors
- Live visitors list
Cons:
- There is a learning curve if you’re new in the business
- Confirmation texts might not be 100% true
- The number of integrations could be increased
Price: A free plan is available, and the Communicator plan starts at $15.83/mo billed per operator.
Tidio Chatbot's G2 Rating: 4.7/5
7. Freechat
Freechat is a live chat tool that helps businesses communicate with website visitors via messaging apps.
Thanks to customization options, you get the look you want easily. Since it takes literally minutes to set, you will be ready to interact with your customers in real-time conversations in no time.
Top Features:
- Grate user interface.
- No coding is required.
Pros:
- Super user-friendly
- Customization options for the branding of your business
- Secure & GDPR Complaint
Cons:
- More messaging apps could be added
Price: It’s totally free!
Create a Free Live Chat Box with Freechat
8. Intercom
Intercom is a customer communication platform that allows businesses to communicate with their customers through various channels such as email, live chat, and in-app messaging.
It can be used for customer support, sales, and onboarding tasks.
It also includes features like automatic messaging, customer data management, and analytics.
Top Features:
- Integration with 250+ tools
- In-product messages
Pros:
- Get company & behavioral data
- Useful reporting dashboards
- Conversation ratings & tags
- Chat & email support
- Targeted outbound email
Cons:
- Subscription management could be easier
- Constant updates and lagging can be problematic
- Admin configuration can be a bit complicated
Price: It has a Starter plan for very small businesses starting from $74/mo when billed annually. You can customize your plan with add-ons like WhatsApp, Product Tours, and Surveys.
Intercom's G2 Rating: 4.4/5
Social Media Marketing Automation
Social media marketing can bring high-quality leads to your website but it can also be time-consuming.
Luckily, there are marketing automation tools for social media that can lift the burden off your shoulders.
9. Manychat
Manychat lets you send automated Instagram direct and Facebook messages so that customers can purchase products directly from Instagram Direct Messages and Facebook Messenger.
It’s very straightforward to build a bot with Manychat’s drag-and-drop visual editor and automate interactive two-way conversations.
Top Features:
- Integrations with 2,000+ business tools
- Segment your contacts with customer Tags
Pros:
- Build custom chatbot flows
- Keep the conversation going by combining the tool with SMS and email.
- Team member seats for collaboration
- Create custom Keyword triggers
Cons:
- Analytics could be more advanced.
- Instant message delivery can be laggy sometimes.
Price: There is a free plan available to engage up to 1,000 contacts free of charge. The pro plan starts at $15/mo and scales with number of contacts.
ManyChat's G2 Rating: 4.6/5
10. Buffer
Buffer is a social media scheduling tool that is designed to schedule your content ahead of time and automate your posts for social networks, including Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, and Pinterest.
With Buffer, users can schedule posts in advance and publish them automatically at the best times for engagement.
Top Features:
- Multi-channel campaigns
- Hashtag manager
Pros:
- Custom video thumbnails
- Link shortener
- Performance overview
- Individual post analytics
- Exportable and branded reports
Cons:
- Buffer’s data may not match with the social media platforms’ data
- The scheduling tends to be unreliable
- Might be hard to understand how to use
Price: There is a free plan available if you want to try it out first. Essentials plan is for professionals who use publishing, analytics & engagement tools for $5/month per channel. For extra channels, $5/month is added.
Buffer's G2 Rating: 4.3/5
11. HootSuite
Hootsuite is a social media management platform that allows businesses and individuals to schedule and publish content across multiple social media platforms.
It also provides tools to help users manage their social media presence and engage with their audience.
Top Features:
- Professional analytics
- Customize your posts to suit each network
Pros:
- Unlimited posts
- Schedule posts in advance
- Publish them automatically at the best times for engagement
- Access to messages in one inbox
Cons:
- The support system should be improved.
- Some features are not very essential but pricey.
- Onboarding could be better.
Price: There is a 30-day free trial. The professional plan is €99/mo but you can get 20% off if you skip the trial.
HootSuite's G2 Rating: 4.1/5
Content Marketing Automation Tools
So, you have put effort and published tons of content; what now?
In order to make sure more people see and engage with your content, you’ll need to market them to the right audience.
That’s where content marketing automation tools come in.
12. Zapier
Zapier is one of the best marketing automation tools out there.
It is designed to connect two or more of your apps and software and automate different workflows.
It is an excellent way to move your content from one place to another.
For instance, you can create a “Zap” to automatically create a story on Medium or publish your content on WordPress.
Top Features:
- Supports thousands of apps and services.
- Automates repetitive tasks and saves time.
Pros:
- Customizable, with options for complex automation flows.
- Affordable pricing plans.
- You get five zaps for free in the free plan.
Cons:
- Some integrations may not be as robust as native app solutions.
- Dependent on the reliability of integrations and 3rd-party APIs.
- Glitches might be frustrating.
Price: The forever-free plan includes 100 tasks /mo. The Starter plan is for individuals with simple, multi-step automation needs for $19.99 USD/month, billed annually, including 750 tasks monthly.
Zapier's G2 Rating: 4.5/5
Sales Automation (CRM)
If your sales team isn’t closing as many sales as you would like, despite the time spent on the campaigns, sales automation tools can help you increase your bottom line. With CRM (customer relationship management) tools, you can:
- Streamline processes
- Build better customer relationships
- Increase profitability
13. HubSpot
HubSpot is a leading CRM software tool that offers a suite of all-in-one marketing.
This tool lets you organize your content and view your entire sales pipeline on a visual dashboard.
Hubspot’s Service Hub free features include:
- Ticketing
- Live chat
- Conversations inbox
- Calling
Pros:
- Track and manage multiple currencies.
- Mobile inbox.
- Automatically assign incoming chats.
- Store, track, and manage marketing event data.
Cons:
- Might be hard to set the account to function as you need.
- Some features might be confusing if you are not very knowledgeable.
Price: The Starter plan is $18/mo and includes 2 paid users. There is a fee of $9/mo per additional user.
You can also get the CRM Suite including Operations Hub Starter, Marketing Hub Starter, Sales Hub Starter, Service Hub Starter, CMS Hub Starter for $27/mo if you choose the annual subscription.
Hubspot’s Service Hub G2 Rating: 4.4/5
14. Pipedrive
Pipedrive is another CRM designed to help you prioritize and manage leads, track communications, automate repetitive administrative tasks, and more.
Top Features:
- Security alerts and rules
- Web-to-mobile calls
- Group emailing and email scheduling
Pros:
- Create visual pipelines to organize and close deals
- Pool all your leads in one place, follow up and qualify new leads
- Label and filter leads
- Chatbot and live chat
- Create and embed web forms
Cons:
- Data import might be problematic.
- The updates on pricing plans might be confusing.
- Might not be sophisticated enough for large enterprises.
Price: There is a 14-day trial if you want to try PipeDrive first
The Essential plan costs $12.50 per user per month, billed annually for businesses that want to get organized and set up simple sales processes.
PipeDrive's G2 Rating: 4.2/5
Before You Leave…
In conclusion, automation software has become a crucial aspect of modern businesses.
It helps to streamline processes, reduce manual labor, increase productivity, and save time and resources.
There are various automation software options available in the market, each with unique features and capabilities.
The best automation software depends on the specific needs of your business. However, we hope that this review has been helpful in guiding you towards finding the best automation software for your business.
Remember to carefully evaluate your needs and prioritize your goals before making a final decision.
With the right automation software in place, you can take your business to the next level of efficiency and success.
What automation software do you use?
Meet me in the comments below!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Marketing Automation Software, and How does it Benefit Small Businesses?
Marketing automation software is a tool that automates repetitive marketing tasks and helps businesses to manage their marketing efforts efficiently.
It benefits small businesses by saving time and resources, allowing them to focus on other important tasks, and providing valuable insights into their target audience and marketing performance.
2. What Key Features to Consider when Choosing Marketing Automation Software for a Small Business?
When choosing marketing automation software for a small business, some key features to look for include email marketing, social media management, lead management, analytics and reporting, and customer segmentation.
It is also important to consider ease of use, integrations with other tools, and pricing.
3. How much does Marketing Automation Software Cost for Small Businesses?
The cost of marketing automation software varies widely, depending on the specific features and capabilities you need.
Some options are free, while others can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars per month.
It is important to consider your budget and marketing needs when choosing the right marketing automation software for your small business.
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