Marketers are constantly in search of the optimal marketing automation software for small businesses in order to streamline their operations and enhance efficiency.
These tools enable the automation of repetitive tasks like email marketing and social media management, freeing you up to concentrate on other crucial aspects of your business.
We have conducted research and created a list of the best options available for small businesses aiming to enhance their marketing efforts, including email marketing platforms and social media management tools.
Why Small Businesses Need Marketing Automation
Small businesses frequently confront the challenge of limited resources and a compact team responsible for managing all aspects of their operations, including marketing.
The industry of marketing is characterized by its constant change and involves repeating tasks like email marketing, posting on social media, running ad campaigns, and implementing onsite marketing.
Small businesses can benefit from marketing automation software as it enables them to automate repetitive tasks, freeing up their time to concentrate on other crucial aspects of their business.
Marketing automation software not only improves efficiency but also enhances user experiences by creating personalized interactions and saving time.
If you incorporate an autoresponder email series, integrate a chatbot into your website, and utilize a sales CRM tool to manage your leads and enhance the user experience, you will achieve the same results.
Email Marketing Automation Tools
- Mailchimp
With MailChimp’s automation feature, you can generate targeted emails that are automatically sent upon being triggered by a specific event, date, or activity.
Even if you are offline, you can effortlessly inform, reward, and engage your contacts through automated emails with its powerful design, scheduling, and segmenting tools.
Key Features:
- Pre-built journeys to engage with your audience and get recommendations
- Data integration from apps and web services
Advantages:
- 4/7 email & chat support
- Custom-coded and pre-built email templates
- A/B testing
- Enhanced automated customer journeys
- Predictive segmentation
- Campaign manager
There are negatives associated with this.
- 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.
The price includes a free plan with limited features, while the essential plan begins at $ 13/month for 500 contacts.
Mailchimp has been given a rating of 4.3 out of 5 on G2.
- Constant Contact
Using Constant Contact, you have the ability to establish email sequences and have them sent automatically to your contacts.
You have the ability to establish specific triggers, similar to MailChimp, so that your emails are sent out according to user actions.
Key features:
- Dynamic content personalization
- Automated communications (e.g., resend to non-openers)
- In-depth reporting, including conversion and sales
Advantages:
- 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
The disadvantages are:
- 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: To give it a try before committing, there is a complimentary 30-day trial available. The pricing for the core plan begins at $9.99 per month and is determined by the quantity of contacts.
Constant Contact has a G2 rating of 4.0 out of 5.
- Brevo
Brevo is another marketing automation software for small businesses that offers a comprehensive service for email and SMS marketing.
With Brevo, it is possible to create personalized workflows for automatic email sending. By establishing triggers, emails can be sent in response to specific actions performed by subscribers on your website.
Key Features:
- Unlimited contacts & details.
- Real-time email statistics
- Workflow editor
Advantages:
- Drag and drop builder
- Shared inbox to keep your team organized
- Transactional email
- Segmentation
- Signup forms
Drawbacks:
- The editor could be more intuitive
- Customer support could be improved
- Customer reviews mention emails not being sent though it looks like they did.
There is a free plan with unlimited contacts, and the starter plan begins at $25/month with unlimited contacts.
Brevo’s review of the G2 is 4.5 out of 5.
- Moosend
Moosend is a software that combines all marketing automation features and is user-friendly.
Moosend offers features such as A/B testing, list segmentation, user/website tracking, and email marketing, just like Constant Contact.
Key Features:
- Behavioral analytics
- Custom reporting
- 100+ integrations
Advantages:
- Unlimited emails
- Landing pages/forms
- Multi-step marketing automation workflows
- Predicted location & demographics
- A/B testing
- Email heatmap analytics
One drawback is that
- You may need more than average knowledge to set it up.
- You may get contradictive information from customer support.
The price for the Pro plan starts at $9 per month for 0-500 subscribers, and there is also a 30-day free trial available.
The G2 rating of Moosend is 4.7 out of 5.
- Mailmodo
Mailmodo is a company specializing in marketing automation software that enables businesses to generate personalized and interactive email experiences.
Mailmodo allows marketers to enhance their email marketing campaigns by engaging customers and driving conversions through its powerful features and user-friendly interface.
Key Features:
- Drag-and-drop interface to create interactive emails without coding knowledge
- Best bulk email service and transactional email service
- Dynamic content block for personalization
Advantages: Thinking systematically, restate the following statement without changing its meaning, without adding new information, and without removing any information: Pros:
- Pre-built 300+ email templates and 70+ email flows
- Integration with Shopify and other tech-stack
- Email template builder for interactive emails
- Best bulk email and transactional email service
Delineating the drawbacks:
- Limited support for non-English users
- No free plan available
Mailmodo offers a 21-day free trial, after which the Lite, Pro, and Max plans have a starting price of $39/month, $99/month, and $249/month respectively.
The G2 rating of Mailmodo is 4.6 out of 5.
- Popupsmart
Popupsmart Popup Builder is considered one of the top marketing automation software options for small businesses.
If you want a straightforward method of continuously generating email leads and increasing traffic to your products or campaigns, Popupsmart can handle the difficult tasks on your behalf.
Listed below are the main features:
- Gamified popups
- Powerful targeting features like SiteData targeting
Advantages: – The text below will be rephrased, maintaining the same meaning, without adding or removing any information.
- Outstanding analytics features
- Generating email leads and sending autoresponders to subscribers
- Promoting your products with video popups
- Collecting customer feedback and surveys
Disadvantages:
- The number of templates could be increased
There is a free plan available and if you decide to pay annually, the basic plan is priced at $32.5 per month and is ideal for marketers.
Popupsmart has a G2 rating of 4.4 out of 5.
- Tidio Chatbot
Tidio is a live chat tool that is both efficient and budget-friendly, making it one of the best options available.
With this software, you can develop chatbots that function as virtual assistants, offering round-the-clock responses to user inquiries, even when your live chat agent is not available.
Key Features:
- Live chat and unlimited conversations
- Up to 5 operators
- Email, 24/5 live chat support
Advantages:
- 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
Drawbacks:/Downsides:
- 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
There is a free plan available, and the Communicator plan’s starting price is $15.83 per month billed per operator.
Tidio Chatbot has a G2 Rating of 4.7/5 based on step-by-step thinking.
- Freechat
Freechat is a messaging tool that enables businesses to communicate with website visitors through live chat.
With the help of customization options, achieving the desired appearance becomes effortless. In just a matter of minutes, you can configure it and be prepared to engage with your customers through real-time conversations promptly.
Main Features:
- Grate user interface.
- No coding is required.
Advantages:
- Super user-friendly
- Customization options for the branding of your business
- Secure & GDPR Complaint
One of the drawbacks is that
- More messaging apps could be added
Cost: It is completely free of charge!
- Intercom
Intercom is a platform used for customer communication, enabling businesses to engage with their customers across different channels like email, live chat, and in-app messaging.
This text can be utilized for customer support, sales, and onboarding assignments.
Additionally, it encompasses functionalities such as automated messaging, management of customer data, and analysis.
Features at the highest point:
- Integration with 250+ tools
- In-product messages
Advantages:
- Get company & behavioral data
- Useful reporting dashboards
- Conversation ratings & tags
- Chat & email support
- Targeted outbound email
Disadvantages:
- Subscription management could be easier
- Constant updates and lagging can be problematic
- Admin configuration can be a bit complicated
The starting price for very small businesses is $74 per month when billed annually. The plan can be personalized by including additional features such as WhatsApp, Product Tours, and Surveys.
The G2 rating of Intercom is 4.4 out of 5.
- Manychat
With Manychat, you are able to send automated direct messages on Instagram and Facebook, allowing customers to make purchases directly through Instagram Direct Messages and Facebook Messenger.
Building a bot with Manychat’s drag-and-drop visual editor and automating interactive two-way conversations is a simple process.
Key Features:
- Integrations with 2,000+ business tools
- Segment your contacts with customer Tags
Advantages:
- 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
Here are the drawbacks:
- Analytics could be more advanced.
- Instant message delivery can be laggy sometimes.
The pricing options include a free plan that allows for engagement with up to 1,000 contacts without any cost. The pro plan, on the other hand, begins at $15 per month and increases based on the number of contacts.
The rating for ManyChat on G2 is 4.6 out of 5.
CRM Tools For SMBs
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The brand of Hubspot was established based on inbound marketing and lead generation software, which is widely recognized as the most efficient digital marketing strategy for small businesses. This strategy involves attracting potential customers by providing valuable content and personalized experiences.
The price varies and you can refer to HubSpot’s plans. The cost of the “Starter” plan is $45 per month.
One advantage is that…
- Outstanding integrations.
- Includes resources to help you learn how to use a CRM.
Drawbacks:
- Add-ons add up. Full functionality is expensive.
In order to maintain the same meaning, the text below can be rephrased step by step as follows: Zoho provides a range of software solutions for businesses of all sizes. The company offers tools for productivity, collaboration, sales, marketing, finance, and more. With its suite of applications, Zoho aims to empower organizations by streamlining processes, enhancing team collaboration, and increasing productivity. By utilizing Zoho’s software, businesses can effectively manage their operations and improve overall efficiency.
With its competitive price, Zoho offers essential features and integrations, making it PC Mag’s preferred choice for CRM software in 2021.
The price range for each user per month is between $12 and $45. Out of the various options available, the one that is favored the most is priced at $35.
Advantages:
- One-stop-shop for many small businesses.
- Includes email marketing automation and communication tools.
Drawbacks:
- Features are limited at the lower price levels.
CRM that is less annoying
This particular one lives up to its name by placing emphasis on the key characteristics that are important to small businesses.
The price begins at $10 per user per month.
Advantages:
- Easy to use.
- Good price.
Disadvantages:
- Reporting features are basic at best.
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OnePageCRM is utilized by small and medium-sized businesses in nearly 80 countries globally and offers a distinct blend of a contact management system and a productivity tool.
The price ranges from $9.95 to $19.95 per month.
Advantages:
- Action Stream and other unique features
- Simplicity (ideal for small and medium-sized businesses)
- Straightforward and affordable pricing (incl. a 21-day free trial)
Disadvantages:
- No free trial
Project Management Tools
Slack, a widely used communication and collaboration platform, allows users to simplify their work process and enhance productivity by integrating various applications and tools into one platform. With features like chat, file sharing, task management, and virtual meetings, Slack provides a seamless and efficient way for team members to stay connected and collaborate effectively. Additionally, it offers customizable channels and search functions, making it easier for users to organize and find relevant information. Whether used by small businesses or large enterprises, Slack has become an essential tool for modern workplace communication.
Slack is the best platform for project management software that most small businesses require, as it offers a simple chat feature.
The price for small to medium businesses is $6.67 per user/month, while larger enterprises seeking advanced tools will be charged $12.50 per person/month.
Advantages:
- Simple and easy to use.
- Widely adopted thanks to the work-from-home revolution.
Negatives:
- Constant notifications can be distracting but turning them off completely defeats the purpose of instant messaging. You may need to experiment to find the best way to use Slack for your team.
Trello is to be thought of by going through each step.
This is a useful tool for devising a digital marketing plan, as it is a brainstorming and project management platform centered on kanban boards.
Small teams can use the service for free, whereas “Business Class” comes at a cost of $9.99 per user per month.
Advantages:
- Enables remote brainstorming.
- A good choice for visual thinkers.
Disadvantages:
- Lacks important integrations, like billing.
Asana, a software company, offers a project management tool that helps teams track their work and collaborate effectively.
A platform that is carefully designed to ensure your team stays on track.
The price ranges from free to $24.99 per user per month.
One advantage of this is:
- The free version is enough for many small businesses.
Drawbacks:
- You probably don’t need most of Asana’s features.
Social Media Tools
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The main feature of this social media platform is social media post scheduling, along with WordPress integration. Additionally, various impressive advanced features are also provided for social media professionals.
The cost is $29 per user on a monthly basis.
Advantages:
- Perfect for bloggers who want to schedule content across social channels.
Drawbacks:
- Most small businesses don’t need advanced content calendars.
To rephrase the text while maintaining the same meaning, step by step, do not add new information or remove any information: Hootsuite
The social media online marketing tool has a post-scheduling tool along with analytics and monitoring features, allowing users to complete their tasks in just one session.
The price for one user is $49 per month, while the price for three users is $129 per month.
Advantages:
- Informs scheduling with insights and analytics.
Disadvantages:
- Hootsuite is good at a few things but not great at any one thing. You may still opt for the simplicity of Buffer even though Hootsuite has a scheduling feature.
- Pricey.
Buffer is a substance that is used to reduce the impact or effects of something.
Buffer is an excellent social media marketing tool that allows you to tweet constantly from your social media account without needing to be active on Twitter all the time. It enables you to schedule posts across all your social channels, making it possible for you to tweet 24/7.
The price is free and includes access for one user, three channels, and the ability to make ten posts per day.
Monthly paid plans range in price from $15 to $99.
Here are the advantages:
- Browser integrations make it easy to share content you find online.
Drawbacks:
- High per-user cost.
- Analytics are just okay.
Sprout Social, a social media management tool designed specifically for businesses, is an honorable mention despite its high price due to its worth.
Analytics Tools
BuzzSumo is a tool that allows users to analyze the popularity and engagement of content on various social media platforms.
Interpreting data is the key to maximizing its value. BuzzSumo allows you to perform searches to promptly find content ideas, reveal data insights, and recognize enthusiastic influencers on social media.
By providing insights to raw data, this digital marketing tool aids in identifying content opportunities and generating ideas.
The price ranges from $99 to $499 or more per month.
Advantages:
- Includes competitive insights (to help you spy on the competition).
- Helps you identify influencers in your space.
Disadvantages:
- Expensive for small businesses.
Please rephrase the text below while keeping the same meaning. Do not add new information and do not remove information. “Think systematically and methodically, reword the following text without altering its meaning.” “Kissmetrics.”
By following a step-by-step approach, you can evaluate the conversion funnel starting from when a visitor lands on your webpage till the point they complete a conversion. Rather than using traditional link tracking software to monitor your link-building activities, this tool allows you to discover potential customers and cultivate leads. It can prove to be a potent marketing tool when utilized effectively.
The cost ranges from $299 to $499 per month.
Advantages:
- Designed to give you insights that will help you get the most out of all your marketing tools.
- Goes beyond just regular click-tracking software, and allows you to group your audience into buckets according to which actions they have taken and where they are in the conversion funnel
- Example: If you are running an ad campaign on Facebook or a PPC ad you can create a funnel and view:
- everyone who clicked on the ad in the first bucket
- of those in the first bucket everyone who visited your landing page in second bucket
- of those in the second bucket everyone who bought into the third bucket
Downsides:
- Not very useful if you’re starting out and don’t have a lot of leads yet.
- If you already know who your customers are (like if you run a small-town bakery), a lot of browsing data is meaningless to you.
- It’s a tracking tool so you do need to install an additional tracking pixel on your website
- Price.
Google Analytics is a tool that allows you to analyze data step by step. You should not add or remove any information while rephrasing the text, and the meaning should be maintained.
The must-have tool in every marketer’s toolkit happens to be the best analytics tool available, and it is also free.
The cost of the item is zero dollars.
Advantages:
- Free.
- The best tool of its kind. Period.
Possible disadvantages:
- Your data is only as good as your ability to interpret it. In other words, this is not a tool for analytics noobs.
Content Marketing Tools
To maintain the same meaning while thinking step by step, the text “Brafton Content Marketing Platform” can be rephrased as follows: Step 1: Consider the Brafton Content Marketing Platform.
Brafton’s Platform simplifies the process of planning, publishing, producing, and evaluating the performance of content marketing. Its features encompass content calendars, comprehensive project management, in-app messaging, easy campaign setup, reporting and analytics, as well as a searchable content library.
To obtain information about the price, contact Brafton as their plans differ.
Advantages:
- Content marketing workflows ready on the day
- Intuitive functionality.
- Simple, and centralized, collaboration.
Drawbacks:
- It’s niche, meaning it won’t provide much value for workflows unrelated to content marketing and digital marketing. Project management is one of the strongest features of the platform.
WordPress is a platform that allows users to create and manage websites easily. It is a popular choice for creating blogs and websites due to its user-friendly interface and extensive plugin options.
WordPress is a platform that allows you to create any type of website you desire. If your intention is to create a blog that is optimized for search engines, choosing WordPress is recommended. An interesting fact to note is that 40% of websites found on the internet are built using WordPress.
The price is subject to variation based on the availability of the domain and whether or not you choose to create your own website.
Advantages:
- Better for SEO than other platforms like Squarespace.
Downsides:
- Not easy for novice users.
- Shopify is better for ecommerce shops.
When it comes to creating your own website, it is important to note that WordPress.org and WordPress.com are distinct entities. Therefore, if you are interested in building your own site, it is recommended that you opt for WordPress.org.
Google Docs is a tool that allows users to create and edit documents online for free.
You can collaborate live on written content, such as the initial draft that was used to create the article you are currently reading, for free and with convenience.
The cost is zero.
Advantages:
- Google integrations.
- Compatible with other word processing software and file formats.
Disadvantages can be listed as:
- Offline functionality is limited.
Canva is a platform that allows users to design and create various visual content such as graphics, presentations, and infographics.
For individuals who cannot afford professional graphic design, there is a drag-and-drop design studio available.
The pricing ranges from free to $9.95 per month.
Advantages:
- Easy for beginners with no design background.
Drawbacks:
- Finished designs can feel generic (because they are).
Main Types of Marketing Tools & What They Do
After discussing the most important categories of digital marketing tools, let’s now examine the meaning of these categories and explore the various functionalities of each marketing tool.
Type 1: Email Marketing Tools for Small and Medium-sized Businesses.
Email tools assist in the creation and delivery of marketing emails, as well as tracking their performance, allowing for the enhancement of open rates and conversion rates over time.
Why does email marketing carry such significance?
Are you aware that email marketing generates a return on investment of $42 for every $1 spent? This makes it the most effective allocation of digital marketing funds for the majority of businesses.
Additionally, it is the most straightforward method to engage with online customers.
- 99% of consumers check their email daily.
- 73% of millennials say email is their preferred way to interact with brands.
The ability to directly address customers on a large scale is the most evident and thrilling aspect of email.
Moreover, email offers the additional advantage of being a personalized platform that belongs to you. Through emails, you have the capability to nurture connections with your clients, promote products or services, or venture into business inquiries.
Type 2 refers to CRM Marketing Tools designed specifically for Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs).
CRM, an abbreviation for customer relationship management, is represented by a platform consisting of various tools that facilitate various marketing and sales activities. These activities encompass lead generation, lead nurturing, as well as email drip campaigns.
A well-designed CRM system will seamlessly connect with your existing marketing tools and serve as the central hub for all marketing efforts.
Type 3 refers to Project Management & Communication Tools.
Every business, regardless of its size, requires some kind of project management software to enable remote collaboration within a marketing team and implementation of ideas.
Small business owners or solopreneurs are fortunate because they can manage with the free versions of most project management tools if they have a team consisting of two or three members.
Type 4 refers to tools used in social media marketing, by employing a systematic thinking approach, reword the given text without altering the meaning, do not introduce fresh details, and do not omit any information.
With social media tools, one can continuously post and manage their social media presence, particularly by scheduling posts beforehand to ensure a consistent flow of content in their queue.
While it is not necessary to possess any special tools to be active on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Clubhouse, it can be challenging to maximize the benefits of these platforms without the aid of social media management tools.
Social Media Management Tools assist you in:
- Schedule and automate social media posts.
- Grow your following.
- Organize leads from social channels.
- Share content.
- Coordinate your social and content marketing.
- Use A/B testing to determine what’s working.
Type 5 indicates the utilization of content marketing tools for small and medium-sized businesses.
Content marketing encompasses a wide range of activities, including SEO copywriting, blogging, podcasting, and user-generated videos.
The type of content you produce relies on factors such as your business, target audience, marketing channels utilized, and your strengths or ability to hire individuals.
Content marketing tools can assist in the creation and distribution of content. These tools encompass a wide range of resources, including software for tasks such as photo editing and grammar checking. The content marketing tools referred to in this article specifically concentrate on the creation of a website and the development of basic graphics, as these are essential components for any business engaged in content marketing. Once you have established a website and a blog, you can expand your content from that foundation.
Type 6 refers to Analytics Marketing Tools. Please rephrase the text while maintaining the same meaning, step by step.
Analytics tools provide the intersection of digital marketing and data science. By utilizing analytics software, you can assess the effectiveness of your marketing efforts through numerical data and valuable insights. Additionally, this information can be utilized to target previously untapped customer segments, refine your messaging, and enhance the traffic flow to your website.
Have you ever found what you were looking for on the 8th page of Google? The reality is that if your business is on page 8 or even page 2, it will be challenging for people to discover you. SEO involves enhancing your position in Google’s search results and is both a skill and a science. Without SEO tools, it is difficult to determine your site’s ranking compared to your competitors and identify the keywords to focus on for improvement.
Even the smallest business can be more visible than its larger competitors by implementing the appropriate SEO strategy.
SEO research tools assist you in:
- Discover which low search volume keywords to include in your blog posts and web copy.
- Identify opportunities to improve your search ranking.
- Analyze what’s helping and what’s hurting your ranking.
- Compare your SEO to competitors in your field.
