10 marketing automation platforms to bring your wildest scenarios to life
Comparing one marketing automation platform with another is essential when choosing which tool to use. Some features are already well known, such as the integration of landing pages on your website, or the automation of email marketing campaigns.
However, VSEs, SMEs, ETIs and large groups do not all have the same inbound marketing strategy. In this article, we explained the benefits of generating contacts through the content of your blog, and then nurturing your leads as part of a lead nurturing approach. Over and above the size of your company, the way in which leads are converted into customers varies according to different criteria, such as the nature of the B2B or B2C market, the turnover generated per lead, and so on.
In this article, appvizer provides you with a benchmark of the leading marketing automation solutions on the market. Before we look at our marketing automation software comparison, we'll give you a few useful tips to help you make your choice:
Comparison table of marketing automation platforms
Here's a summary table to sweep up all the marketing automation platforms at a glance. đź’ˇ We'll be right back with some additional video advice to show you that the right tool doesn't make the right marketer!
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 Webmecanik Automation |  ACTITO |  Plezi |  Eloqua |  Pardot |  Act-On |  ActiveTrail |  Jumplead |  Marketo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For companies with more than 1 employees | For all companies | For companies with 2 to 5000 employees | For all companies | For all companies | For all companies | For companies with more than 1 employees | For all companies | For all companies |
| See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software |
| Learn more about Webmecanik Automation | Learn more about ACTITO | Learn more about Plezi | Learn more about Eloqua | Learn more about Pardot | Learn more about Act-On | Learn more about ActiveTrail | Learn more about Jumplead | Learn more about Marketo |
3 French-language marketing automation software
Let's start our marketing software comparison with the RGPD-compliant French-language solutions. France has a lot to be proud of: on the marketing automation market, two software packages have reached maturity and are now competing with the American giants!
Actito software
Overall opinion: Actito is a Belgian marketing automation platform, one of the strengths of which is that it uses customer data to segment and predict behavioural patterns that encourage your contacts to engage with you.
Useful information for your marketing automation benchmark:
- Actito 's customers include UNADEV, Radio France, arte, the Belgian Red Cross, MisterFly, avatacar, etc. ;
- The publisher provides services to help companies deploy their solution, such as Actito support dedicated to marketers;
- The interface is available in English, French and Dutch. If you want to use marketing automation software in French, this Belgian cousin makes it possible;
- Price: on request.
Key features of the Actito marketing automation platform:
- the Actito datamart, which brings together all customer data,
- personalisation of campaigns sent
- messages sent via all channels (SMS, push notifications, etc.),
- statistics tracking,
- interoperability with MAgento, Prestashop, Microsoft Dynamics, blendr.io and Zapier.
ACTITO
The Plezi solution
General opinion on the French marketing automation software Plezi: this is B2B marketing automation software that enables B2B companies to generate qualified leads for their sales staff. Plezi's mission is to help marketers save time while structuring their digital marketing strategy.
The publisher's many resources:
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Plezi is aimed at a wide range of B2B companies, from start-ups to ETIs, such as NOVRH, Budgetbox, Groupe d'aucy, Lemonway, Deuxième Avis, Talenco, SolaireBox, Digora, Open Bee etc... Plezi is also a partner of around thirty agencies;
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Plezi has set up a Happiness Factory designed to help its customers improve their knowledge of Plezi and digital marketing, and provides a wide range of content: articles, guides, advice and FAQs;
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Plezi rates: €169/month for 1,000 contracts (Plus package), €599/month for 4,000 contracts (Star package) and €1,999 unlimited (unlimited package).
Main features of Plezi marketing automation software :
- email editor, automated newsletter,
- automation/Workflow/Scenario,
- intelligent campaigns: automated and personalised nurturing,
- social network management,
- content hosting,
- landing page and form creation (template, drag and drop editor),
- lead scoring and tracking (pages visited, clicks, downloads, etc.),
- intelligent and automatic segmentation of prospects,
- dashboards for monitoring KPIs,
- CRM synchronisation (Salesforce Sellsy, Hubspot CRM, Microsoft Dynamics, Pipedrive, etc.) and integrations (Gotowebinar, EventBrite, Slack, Intercom, Unbounce etc.).
Plezi
The Webmecanik platform
Opinions on Webmecanik are unanimous among the 60 partner agencies that have obtained Webmecanik certification: the French marketing automation software has become one of the benchmarks capable of competing with the American marketing automation giants, with an advantageous quality/price ratio.
Find out more about the French publisher's expertise:
- Webmecanik 's customers range from ambitious start-ups to major accounts: Bic, Renault, blue by Engie, Docapost, AT Internet. Agencies include Okédito, Cybelimage, Invox, Marketive and Indexel;
- Built on the Mautic kernel (an open source tool), Webmecanik allows you to configure your solution to suit your customers' usage and buying cycle, with extensive customisation capabilities;
- The interface is available in Chinese, Czech, English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Slovak and Spanish;
- The responsiveness of the support team, the FAQ and the knowledge base are much appreciated;
- Price: €400/month for up to 10,000 contacts (decreasing rate thereafter) or €100/month for up to 1,000 contacts for start-ups.
Key features of the Webmecanik marketing automation solution :
- integration of landing pages, pop-ups and forms on your website,
- campaign automation (SMS, email, autoresponders, social networks, etc.),
- IP tracking of visitors, - creation of customised scenarios,
- complete management and hosting of webinars,
- interoperability with Salesforce, Pipedrive CRM, Microsoft Dynamics, Ines CRM, Webikeo, Vtiger CRM, Sugar CRM, GoToWebinar,
- dashboard with monitoring indicators.
Webmecanik Automation
appvizer's opinion on these 3 French-language platforms
- French and Belgian publishers are now competing with the American giants. The most chauvinistic can shout "Cocorico! Simplicity, ergonomics and performance are all there.
- We also note the ongoing efforts of publishers to support their customers and popularise best practice, both in inbound marketing and marketing automation. We can only encourage them to continue along this path.
3 American monsters with optional CRM
The first marketing automation software was developed in the United States. Some publishers have enhanced their offering, either by acquiring a mature marketing automation platform or by developing it specifically to work with the software that made their name, such as a CRM. Let's continue our benchmark of marketing automation tools with these famous American giants.
Eloqua, owned by the giant Oracle
General opinion: the Eloqua solution is resolutely designed for large accounts that need to manage large databases. Oracle's solution is designed for complex environments and requires a technical approach. Deploying such a solution requires the support of an expert over a long period of time.
Let's take a look at this major player in the US marketing automation market:
- Among Eloqua's 70,000 customers are Clarks, Lacoste, Philips, JD Williams, WNS and NGA Human Resources;
- Oracle Marketing Cloud benefits from a long customer history and a community of American users, enabling it to offer a wide range of services and functions;
- The solution is available in 18 languages: French, German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, etc. ;
- Prices start at around €3,000/month for 10,000 contacts.
Key features that make Eloqua marketing software so powerful:
- a highly accurate segmentation and lead scoring tool,
- interoperability with the CRM offered by Oracle (and others),
- combination of visitor tracking with your database,
- management and optimisation of campaigns across all channels,
- customisable dashboards,
- website creation and content management,
- numerous interoperable marketing tools,
- real-time ROI tracking.
Eloqua
Hub Marketing from the famous HubSpot
General opinion on HubSpot: the company is not stingy with its advice through its FAQ, articles and white papers. Inbound marketing is its religion, and the company demonstrates this through its content marketing approach on its respective blogs.
In theory, HubSpot aims to be accessible to all types of business, from the very small to the very large. In reality, however, the technical expertise and time spent deploying the tool and mastering its many features can quickly add up to a hefty price tag, even too much for the VSE:
- Prices for Hub Marketing, a solution integrating all the marketing automation tools, start at €46/month and can exceed €3,000/month (annual invoicing);
- HubSpot also offers a wide range of paid services, including :
- a CMS to create your own website from €280/month,
- a specific tool for editing dashboards from €185/month,
- an advertising manager from €90/month,
- an inbound marketing consultancy package from €325/month (available in English only),
- a technical consulting package from €600/month (available in English only),
- a premium consulting package from €1,100/month (available in English only),
- HubSpot CRM may be free, but the rest is not.
Here's some more information on the American reference for inbound marketing:
- HubSpot's 10,000 or so clients include Stellar, Casio, BBC and Critizr. If you're looking for a HubSpot partner agency, here are a few names: La Super Agence, Gradientz, Invox, Inbound Value.
- The interface is available in English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Portuguese.
- For some marketers, HubSpot certification is a guarantee of expertise, while for others it borders on 'brainwashing'. Opinions are therefore divided.
Key features of the HuSspot marketing automation solution:
- interoperability with HubSpot CRM, but also with Salesforce Sales Cloud,
- landing pages, forms, automated email sequences,
- integrated tools for natural referencing,
- integration of Google Search Console,
- contact management
- attribution reports,
- lead nurturing and lead scoring management,
- conversational chatbots, etc.
Pardot from Salesforce for B2B
General opinion on Pardot : if you're already using Salesforce Sales Cloud CRM with great satisfaction, Pardot is the marketing automation platform to seriously consider. The completeness of the solution makes it a highly effective tool for SMEs and major accounts looking to generate a higher volume of better-qualified B2B leads.
Good to know for your marketing automation benchmark:
- Major accounts using Pardot include Michelin, Thalys, Barclays, Quiksilver, Finalcad and Amazon;
- A forum, support by chat or telephone (depending on the subscription package chosen) and on-demand training videos enable users to make the most of all Pardot's possibilities by combining it with Salesforce CRM;
- An online ROI calculator is available to assess sales potential;
- The interface is available in English only.
Prices for the 3 subscription packages available for up to 10,000 contacts (invoiced annually):
- 1,250 per month for standard marketing automation,
- 2,500 per month for advanced marketing automation,
- 4,000 per month for personalised marketing automation.
There is also a sales and marketing alignment module available for €50 per month/user, including alerts, reporting and campaign management functions.
Core features of the Pardot marketing platform :
- all the tools to automate marketing,
- integrated artificial intelligence for progressive prospect profiling,
- a fine-tuned engagement process for lead nurturing,
- a real-time alert system to interact with the right lead at the right time,
- interoperability with Salesforce CRM, Google AdWords, EventBrite and webinar tools,
- fine-tuned contact management to generate quality leads,
- collaborative features for better sales/marketing alignment,
- ROI analysis based on a range of evaluation criteria available on a dashboard.
Pardot
appvizer's opinion on these 3 American solutions
- These giants are able to offer everything: website, CRM, marketing automation software, dedicated sales tool, and so on. As a major account, if you opt for the "complete package", you should experience it as a comfort: the publisher should facilitate the various connections between all your marketing tools;
- However, you can become dependent on these giants if you put "all your eggs in one basket". Take HubSpot, for example, which lets you create your website using its in-house CMS: if you stop paying, your site disappears. A good alternative would be to retain ownership of your site, just in case you feel like changing marketing automation platforms.
4 alternative marketing automation platforms
You're now familiar with the main tools, but you'd like to complete your marketing software comparison ? Here are some other options to include in your marketing automation benchmark.
The Act-On marketing tool
General opinion on the American Act-On : this marketing automation software is designed for SMEs, with long-standing customers in the banking/insurance sector. Companies have access to a comprehensive, high-performance solution. ETIs and key accounts will find this tool limited.
What you need to know about this digital marketing tool:
- Corporate customers include VmWare, SixFlags, NYU, Celtic Bank and American Founders Bank;
- On the services side, customer support is included in the subscription price, and a resource library and videos guide new users;
- Interface language: English only.
There are two levels of annual invoicing for 2,500 contacts:
- 875 per month for 3 marketing users and 50 sales users,
- from €1,925 per month for 6 marketing users and 100 sales users.
In addition, there are integration costs.
Leading features for the marketing automation platform :
- all the features you need to create high-performance sales tunnels,
- connection with social networks, Google AdWords,
- visitor tracking,
- lead scoring tool,
- personalised messages for lead nurturing,
- A/B testing and email automation,
- an integration ecosystem for interoperability with GoToWebinar, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce and NetSuite,
- analytical features for campaign and sales performance reports.
Act-On
ActiveTrail: email marketing automation
Overall opinion of ActiveTrail: this Israeli email marketing software has proved its worth with small and medium-sized businesses, and particularly with e-commerce players, thanks to its specific connectors with Prestashop and Magento and its module for increasing the average shopping basket. The tool lets you exploit all the facets of email marketing by combining it with SMS campaigns to boost conversion rates.
ActiveTrail? Much more than just newsletter software:
- Companies using ActiveTrail include Avis, Hilton, Omobli, VISA and Crocs;
- Users have access to a learning centre to find answers to their integration or user problems, as well as support by chat, email or telephone;
- The interface is available in: English, French, German, Spanish and Hebrew.
Prices available:
- monthly email packages: from €7/month for up to 500 contacts to €21/month for up to 2,500 contacts,
- Prepaid email packages: from €19 for 1,000 emails to €69 for 5,000 emails,
- SMS packages: from €32 for 500 SMS to €168 for 3,000 SMS.
Key features for email marketing :
- landing pages, autoresponders,
- creation of email campaign scenarios,
- sending bulk emails or SMS messages,
- survey module,
- management of automated paths,
- segmentation of your contact lists,
- A/B testing, campaign reporting,
- centralisation of social networks,
- API and connectors for communication with your WordPress CMS, Google Analytics, e-commerce site (Magento, Prestashop), Salesforce CRM (partnership), Facebook lead Ads, Zapier, etc,
- an active commerce plugin to boost online shop sales.
ActiveTrail
Jumplead marketing software
Overall opinion of Jumplead: the tool offers all the simplicity and functionality that small businesses want. VSEs and freelancers who are bilingual in English and French (English interface) have a no-frills marketing automation solution that meets the needs of small businesses. But beware: if you have a large database, this tool is not suitable.
Important information about the marketing automation solution:
- Jumplead customers include: SearcherMagnet, Praecom Oy, SmartEdTech, AlayaCare, DecisionWise ;
- A knowledge base and marketing guides are available to help users understand the tool;
- Interface language: English only.
Prices :
- 49 per month for 3,000 monthly visitors to your website,
- 99 per month for 7,500 monthly visitors,
- 199 per month for 20,000 monthly visitors,
- 299 per month for an unlimited number of visitors.
Outstanding features of the digital marketing tool :
- landing pages, forms,
- automated email scenarios based on triggers,
- popup subscription window,
- segmentation of your contact lists
- lead nurturing with performance analysis,
- Live Chat integrated into your website to engage in conversation with your visitors,
- native integrations to communicate with the WordPress CMS, Zapier,
- interoperability with HubSpot CRM, Microsoft Dynamics, pipedrive, Google Contacts, Zoho CRM.
Jumplead
Marketo, the American giant acquired by Adobe
Overall opinion of Marketo: Adobe, owner of the solution, is delivering on its promise of a " multi-channel engagement platform for the fearless modern marketer ". Experienced marketers working in small and medium-sized businesses and major accounts will have access to software capable of structuring large-scale customer acquisition campaigns. But be patient: such a war machine can't be deployed in 3 days...
Here is some information about the marketing platform:
- Companies using Marketo include: Fujitsu, Roche, ca technologies, Hortonworks, bnz, Panasonic, RingCentral. If you're looking for an agency with Marketo expertise, here are a few names: Markentive, Merlin/LĂ©onard (Gold Partner), Keizerlead ;
- Webinars, demonstrations, marketers' club, blog dedicated to developers (...): Marketo has plenty of resources to help novices! User support is also excellent, with an active community sharing best practices;
- The interface is available in English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish;
- Marketo pricing: it's complicated! The publisher offers different packages for each module: lead management, email marketing, consumer marketing, customer base marketing and mobile marketing. To this you need to add installation and training costs.
Key features of the marketing automation tool :
- all the functions you need to automate your marketing,
- emails, landing pages and forms,
- all the tools you need for lead management,
- contact segmentation, A/B testing,
- multi-channel interaction with contacts (email, social networks, website, etc.),
- detection of the best opportunities,
- native integration with Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics,
- dashboard and results analysis reports.
Marketo
appvizer's opinion on these 4 alternative software packages
- Companies can have small or large teams to manage their marketing activities. We think it's a good idea to suggest some lesser-known solutions that are just as effective for both small and large organisations, so as to have as broad a benchmark as possible.
- A marketing automation project depends on the size of your organisation and your development strategy: to caricature, the choice between ActiveTrail and Marketo will be obvious. If, on the other hand, you prefer a French interface, support and contact person, it would be wiser to turn to solutions such as Plezi or Webmecanik.
6 questions to ask yourself when choosing a solution
The choice of a solution should be guided by your company's strategic objectives. The effectiveness of marketing automation will of course depend on the functionality of the software, but above all on how you use it. Here are six important criteria to consider when comparing marketing software.
1. What objectives should the solution help me to achieve?
The implementation of a marketing automation solution needs to be thought through in advance, based on your target audiences. Each sales tunnel must be adapted to your typical prospect.
Depending on your business, marketing software can help you :
- Optimise customer relations as part of a relationship marketing approach,
- Track visitors to observe their behaviour,
- generate more leads thanks to tailored email scenarios,
- detect the maturity of a lead in the purchasing process,
- better qualify your prospects so that you can refer them to your sales team,
- shorten your sales cycle,
- increase your sales efficiency and your results.
2. What features are required?
What features does the solution absolutely have to include to enable me to achieve my objectives?
For example, here is a list of essential marketing automation features:
- integration of landing pages on your website,
- connection with autoresponders
- triggers for automated email campaigns,
- sending SMS campaigns,
- an email campaign editor and manager,
- a connection with social networks,
- a dashboard with indicators for tracking performance,
- interoperability with your CRM tool to enrich the contact database,
- etc.
The solution must also enable you to comply with the RGPD.
3. Is integration with my tools possible?
Some marketers, dazzled by the multiple functions of a marketing automation platform, forget this vital question. The interoperability between the marketing automation software and your existing tools must work perfectly.
There are a few essential integrations to check, such as those that allow you to communicate with :
- your CRM software (Sellsy, Salesforce Sales Cloud, Inès CRM, etc.),
- Social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter,
- analysis solutions such as Google Analytics,
- its website and CMS such as WordPress, Drupal, Joomla,
- platforms for webinars, etc.
4. Will the software allow me to evolve?
What will my future needs be? Will the marketing platform allow me to evolve?
Here are a few criteria to check with the publisher:
- The deployment of a marketing automation solution is closely linked to data migration: it is vital to define your needs by projecting yourself into the future;
- Most publishers create an API that enables developers to customise the solution, in the same way as connectors enable communication with other software. It's a good way to evolve;
- The best software publishers evolve and survey their users in order to perfect their platform and better meet their customers' expectations. For example, a software vendor that did not enable its users to comply with the RGPD would be one to avoid.
5. Will I be well supported by the publisher?
What is the quality of service/price ratio? Can the publisher help me deploy the solution or migrate from one marketing automation solution to another ? Will I get the right level of user support?
Josélito Tirados, from the Merlin/Léonard agency, advises companies on implementing their digital strategy and improving the customer experience. He advises them to "choose a partner rather than features".
6. What are the hidden costs?
When it comes to pricing, you're naturally thinking of monthly subscription packages: this is the usual method of invoicing for SaaS (Software as a Service) software.
We would draw your attention to the following sources of cost:
- Implementation of the marketing platform,
- training your team to use the tool,
- data hosting, etc.
You need to talk to the publisher to find out what is included in the price and which services are chargeable. At the outset, it is essential to invest in the configuration and training of your staff: do you have these resources in-house or do you need to call in a technical expert?
The right tool does not make the right marketer
Automation Day is the event dedicated to marketing automation in France, where marketing managers, publishers of marketing automation platforms and agencies meet up every year.
In the following video, discover Manuel Diaz's (Emakina agency) 'no bullshit' speech in 2018, which shakes up old methods.
Get useful information to convince and apply the best methods internally:
Article translated from French