The 15 best marketing automation tools to use in 2024

Have you ever received an email sequence from a brand after downloading one of their e-books? Then, you probably interacted with one of its marketing automation tools without even knowing.

But what is marketing automation? And how can you choose the best tool for your business?

In this article, we discuss the definition, importance, and implementation of the marketing automation process, along with tips on how to choose the right solution for your company. Let’s begin.

What is marketing automation?

Marketing automation is the use of software and technologies to streamline, automate, and measure marketing tasks and workflows. It allows you to increase operational efficiency and grow revenue faster by reducing the time and effort required for repetitive tasks. 

You can automate key tasks such as email cycles, social media posts, customer relationship management (CRM) updates, SMS marketing cycles, and contact management. This allows you to deliver personalized and timely messages to your audience, enhancing customer engagement and improving conversion rates.

In the image below, we’ve illustrated a simple marketing automation flow to help you get an idea of the process:

Choosing the right marketing automation tool

Choosing the right marketing automation tool is crucial for streamlining your strategy and improving operational efficiency in the long run. Here are the key factors to consider.

• Ease of use: Look for tools with an intuitive interface and a straightforward setup process to reduce the learning curve.
• Integration: Ensure that the tool is compatible with your existing suite of solutions to achieve seamless integration.
• Features: Evaluate the range of automation capabilities, including email marketing, social media management, and CRM integration.
• Pricing: Consider the cost-effectiveness and available pricing plans to ensure that they fit within your budget.
• Support: Check the availability and quality of customer support services, including schedules and channels.
• Trial or demo: Request a personalized demo to understand how the tool fits your specific needs and ask any relevant questions.

By considering these aspects, you can choose a marketing automation tool that fits your current needs and supports your business as it grows. Take your time to research, test, and evaluate different options before making a decision.

The 15 best marketing automation tools in 2024

Choosing the right solution for your business also means familiarizing yourself with what’s on offer. Here are the top 15 marketing automation tools on the market right now.

1. HubSpot

Image source: hubspot.com

HubSpot is an all-in-one marketing, sales, and service platform designed to help businesses attract, engage, and convert customers through a unified suite of tools.

• Features: Comprehensive email marketing, social media management, lead nurturing, CRM integration, and detailed analytics.
• Best for: Small to medium businesses (SMBs) looking for an integrated marketing, sales, and service platform.
• Pricing: Ranging from free with basic features to tiered packages starting at $20/seat/month for marketing, scaling up based on functionalities and seats. 
• Unique selling point: An intuitive and user-friendly interface combined with robust CRM capabilities, ideal for integrating marketing and sales efforts seamlessly.

2. Marketo

Image source: nation.marketo.com

Marketo is a marketing automation platform designed to help businesses drive engagement and generate leads through personalized marketing campaigns and advanced analytics.

• Features: Email marketing automation tool, lead management, consumer marketing, customer base marketing, and mobile marketing.
• Best for: Enterprise-level businesses seeking robust and scalable marketing automation solutions.
• Pricing: Available upon request, with four tiers (Growth, Select, Prime, Ultimate) that scale depending on functionality and number of users. 
• Unique selling point: Advanced lead management and analytics capabilities, providing deep insights and precise targeting for complex marketing campaigns.

3. Pardot

Image source: appexchange.salesforce.com

Pardot is a B2B marketing automation solution by Salesforce that empowers businesses to create, deploy, and manage online marketing campaigns with ease.

• Features: Lead scoring and grading, email marketing, return on investment reporting, CRM integration, and automated workflows.
• Best for: B2B companies looking for seamless integration with Salesforce CRM and robust lead management features.
• Pricing: Salesforce subscription starting at $25/user/month + marketing automation package starting from $1,250/month.
• Unique selling point: Deep integration with Salesforce CRM, making it ideal for businesses already using Salesforce for their CRM.

4. Mailchimp

Image source: blog.coupler.io

Mailchimp is a popular email marketing and marketing automation platform designed for businesses of all sizes to create, send, and analyze email campaigns.

• Features: Email marketing automation tool, landing pages, social media ads, customer journey builder, and detailed analytics.
• Best for: SMBs and startups seeking an affordable and user-friendly marketing automation tool.
• Pricing: Free with basic features or tiered subscriptions starting at $13/month for 500 contacts. A pay-as-you-go plan is also available with various credit packages.
• Unique selling point: An easy-to-use platform with a generous free plan, making it accessible for businesses with limited budgets.

5. ActiveCampaign

Image source: activecampaign.com

ActiveCampaign is a comprehensive marketing automation and CRM platform that helps businesses create powerful email marketing campaigns and automate their sales processes.

• Features: Email marketing, marketing automation, CRM integration, sales automation, and advanced reporting.
• Best for: SMBs looking for a powerful blend of email marketing, automation, and CRM capabilities.
• Pricing: Tiered plans starting at $15/month.
• Unique selling point: Combines robust marketing automation with CRM and sales automation, providing an all-in-one solution for managing customer relationships.

6. Zoho Marketing Automation

Image source: zoho.com

Zoho Marketing Automation is a versatile platform that helps businesses automate their marketing efforts across multiple channels, such as email and social media.

• Features: Email marketing, social media management, lead nurturing and scoring, web analytics, and marketing automation workflows.
• Best for: SMBs seeking an integrated marketing solution that works seamlessly with other Zoho products.
• Pricing: Tiered plans (Standard, Professional, Enterprise) starting at $12/month for 10 users. 
• Unique selling point: Integration with the Zoho suite of business applications, allowing for a comprehensive and cohesive approach to marketing, sales, and CRM.

7. Ortto

Image source: ortto.com

Ortto is a visual marketing automation platform designed to help businesses automate customer journeys and marketing workflows with an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface.

• Features: Visual customer journey mapping, email marketing, SMS marketing, CRM integration, and analytics.
• Best for: Businesses seeking an intuitive, visual approach to automating customer journeys and marketing campaigns.
• Pricing: Free trial available, then tiered plans (Professional, Business, Enterprise) start at $509/month. 
• Unique selling point: A highly visual and intuitive drag-and-drop interface for creating and managing automated customer journeys, simplifying complex workflows.

8. GetResponse

Image source: getapp.co.uk

GetResponse is an all-in-one online marketing platform that offers various tools for email marketing, landing pages, webinars, and marketing automation.

• Features: Email marketing, landing page builder, webinar hosting, marketing automation, and CRM integration.
• Best for: SMBs and entrepreneurs looking for a comprehensive suite of marketing tools in one platform.
• Pricing: Basic email marketing plan for $16/month, marketing automation plan for $54/month. 
• Unique selling point: Combines email marketing with webinar hosting and landing page creation, making it a versatile tool for diverse marketing strategies.

9. Textmagic

Textmagic is a business text messaging service that helps companies automate notifications, alerts, reminders, and SMS marketing campaigns.

• Features: SMS marketing, text scheduling, two-way messaging, email-to-SMS, and reporting.
• Best for: Businesses of all sizes needing reliable SMS communication for marketing, customer service, and internal notifications.
• Pricing: Pay-as-you-go pricing model, with costs starting at $0.049/SMS, depending on the destination.
• Unique selling point: A straightforward and efficient SMS marketing platform with flexible pay-as-you-go pricing that helps businesses maintain consistent and direct customer communication.

10. Klaviyo

Image source: klaviyo.com

Klaviyo is an advanced email marketing and automation platform tailored for e-commerce businesses. Its goal is to help drive sales through personalized marketing efforts.

• Features: Email marketing, SMS marketing, advanced segmentation, dynamic data integrations, and detailed analytics.
• Best for: E-commerce businesses looking to leverage customer data for highly personalized and targeted marketing campaigns.
• Pricing: Free plan with basic features, then Email plan starting at $45/month and Email and SMS plan starting at $60/month.
• Unique selling point: Powerful data-driven marketing automation and segmentation capabilities, enabling highly personalized customer interactions.

11. Drip

Image source: drip.com

Drip is an e-commerce CRM and marketing automation platform designed to help online retailers build personalized customer experiences and drive sales.

• Features: Email marketing, e-commerce CRM, customer segmentation, detailed analytics, and SMS marketing (only in the US).
• Best for: Online retailers aiming to enhance customer engagement and increase sales through personalized marketing.
• Pricing: Free trial available, then $39/month. 
• Unique selling point: Powerful CRM and marketing automation tools tailored specifically for e-commerce that help businesses deliver personalized customer experiences to boost sales.

12. SharpSpring

Image source: sharpspring.com

SharpSpring is a comprehensive marketing automation platform that provides robust tools for lead generation, customer relationship management, and campaign management.

• Features: Email marketing, CRM integration, social media management, landing page creation, and analytics.
• Best for: SMBs and digital marketing agencies looking for an all-in-one marketing automation and CRM solution.
• Pricing: Starts at $449/month for 1,000 contacts and scales depending on number of contacts. 
• Unique selling point: Combines powerful marketing automation with an integrated CRM, offering a cost-effective solution for businesses and agencies alike.

13. Omnisend

Image source: omnisend.com

Omnisend is a marketing automation platform focused on omnichannel marketing, helping businesses create integrated campaigns across email, SMS, and other channels.

• Features: Email marketing, SMS marketing, automation workflows, segmentation, and omnichannel campaigns.
• Best for: E-commerce businesses looking to engage customers through multiple channels and create cohesive, integrated marketing campaigns.
• Pricing: Free plan with basic features, then plans start at $16/month. 
• Unique selling point: Seamless integration of email and SMS marketing with other channels, providing a unified platform for creating omnichannel campaigns.

14. Brevo

Image source: developers.brevo.com

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is a user-friendly marketing automation platform that offers a range of tools for email marketing, SMS campaigns, and customer relationship management.

• Features: Email marketing, SMS marketing, marketing automation, CRM, and advanced analytics.
• Best for: SMBs seeking an affordable, easy-to-use platform for multi-channel marketing.
• Pricing: Free plan available with basic features, then plans start at $9/month. 
• Unique selling point: Combines ease of use with robust multi-channel marketing capabilities, making it an ideal choice for businesses looking to streamline their marketing efforts.

15. Keap

Image source: keap.com

Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) is a comprehensive CRM and marketing automation tool designed to help small businesses automate their sales and marketing processes.

• Features: Email marketing, CRM integration, sales automation, appointment scheduling, and e-commerce capabilities.
• Best for: Small businesses and solopreneurs looking for an all-in-one platform to manage customer relationships and automate marketing and sales.
• Pricing: Tiered plans (Ignite, Grow, Scale) starting at $249/month. 
• Unique selling point: Combines powerful CRM and marketing automation tools with e-commerce capabilities, providing a holistic solution for small businesses.

Benefits and challenges of marketing automation

Implementing a marketing automation strategy is a process that involves a unique set of benefits and challenges. Have a look at the image below to see what they are: 

To reap the benefits of this strategy and overcome its challenges, make sure to train your staff in advance on the marketing automation tools they will use. Set clear goals for the implementation and start out with simple flows, adding complexity as you progress. In this way, you will see improvements across the board in no time. 

Conclusion

Choosing the right marketing automation tool for your business is the first step toward growth. By considering factors such as ease of use, integration, features, pricing, and customer support, you can easily find a solution tailored to your company’s needs.

Investing in the right platform will enhance customer engagement, reduce task repetitiveness, and boost revenue, which means your business will be covered in all key areas. Take advantage of the newest technologies and find your path to success with marketing automation.