The 10 Best Marketing Automation Tools and Platforms in 2024

In today's fast-paced digital marketing world, businesses need ways to enhance their marketing efforts and grow. Marketing automation tools help streamline the marketing process by automating tasks and making marketing campaigns more efficient. 

Marketing automation uses technology to automate repetitive tasks such as email marketing, social media marketing, and CRM integration. By employing a powerful tool, businesses can focus on crafting better marketing strategies and executing successful campaigns. Below are the top marketing automation tools for 2024, each with unique features, pricing, and automation capabilities that make them the best marketing automation platforms available today.

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What is Marketing Automation?

Marketing automation is about using technology to make marketing tasks easier. It helps businesses work smarter, not harder. This makes marketing more efficient and boosts the return on investment (ROI).

Key Benefits of Marketing Automation

Marketing automation brings big benefits to businesses:

• It makes workflows smoother and automates tasks
• It lets marketing campaigns be more personal and targeted
• It boosts marketing efficiency and productivity
• It helps get more leads and turn them into customers
• It gives deep insights through advanced analytics and reports
• It changes email marketing with automated campaigns and custom content

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‍Best Marketing Automation Tools

Here are some of the best marketing automation software solutions that we at Soone Agency believe are powerful and helpful for every business, whether small or large.

• HubSpot Marketing Hub: An all-in-one platform offering CRM integration, email automation, and analytics, perfect for small businesses.
• Marketo Engage: A powerful B2B marketing automation platform that specializes in lead management, automation workflows, and in-depth analytics.
• Salesforce: A B2B-focused tool that integrates CRM, enabling automated marketing campaigns and lead tracking.
• ActiveCampaign: A flexible platform designed for small businesses, emphasizing email automation and CRM features for personalized marketing campaigns.
• Brevo: A digital marketing tool that combines email and SMS marketing, along with social media automation, to reach diverse audiences.
• Drip: Focused on B2B marketing automation and eCommerce, Drip helps businesses create personalized email and SMS campaigns.
• GetResponse: An all-in-one marketing solution that includes email automation, webinars, and landing pages, catering to various business needs.
• Zoho Campaigns: A basic marketing automation tool that integrates with the Zoho suite, perfect for small businesses looking for easy email automation.
• SharpSpring: A powerful marketing automation tool known for its CRM capabilities, ideal for agencies and businesses wanting to streamline their marketing processes.

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1. HubSpot Marketing Hub

HubSpot is an all-in-one marketing automation platform designed to streamline sales and marketing efforts. It offers a robust set of tools, including email marketing automation, lead management, social media automation, and CRM integration. This makes it a top marketing platform for small businesses looking for flexible marketing automation.
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Key Features:

• Email Automation: Automated email marketing campaigns with segmentation and email templates.
  
  
• Marketing Hub Integration: Seamlessly connects with other HubSpot tools.
  
  
• Analytics Tools: Detailed insights into marketing campaigns and automation workflow.
  
  
• CRM Integration: Works with HubSpot’s CRM for better lead management.
  
  

Pricing:
- Free: $0/month

- Starter: $20/month per seat

- Professional: $890/month (3 seats included)

- Enterprise: $3,600/month (5 seats included)

2. Marketo Engage

Marketo Engage is a B2B marketing automation tool that offers powerful automation capabilities, including email marketing automation, lead scoring, and CRM integration. It’s best suited for companies that need an advanced marketing cloud platform for their marketing automation efforts.
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Key Features:

• B2B Marketing Automation: Specialized tools for lead nurturing and scoring.
  
  
• Automated Marketing Campaigns: Create complex workflows to engage prospects.
  
  
• Marketing Cloud Account Engagement: Connects with Salesforce for better sales and marketing alignment.
  
  
• Analytics: Gain insights into campaign effectiveness and lead behaviors.
  
  

Pricing:
Marketo offers 4 plans: Growth, Select, Prime, and Ultimate but the pricing is available on request

3. Salesforce

Salesforce CRM is a digital marketing automation tool designed for B2B marketing. It offers automated marketing capabilities, making it easier to manage email and social media marketing campaigns, track lead generation, and measure ROI.
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Key Features:

• Email Marketing Campaigns: Automate email workflows and segment audiences.
  
  
• Salesforce Marketing Cloud Integration: Works seamlessly with Salesforce CRM.
  
  
• Lead Management: Track and score leads to focus on high-priority prospects.
  
  
• Marketing Channels: Connects to various digital marketing platforms for unified campaign management.
  
  

Pricing: Custom pricing based on usage and team size.

4. ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is a flexible marketing automation tool designed to meet the needs of small businesses. It focuses heavily on email automation and CRM features.
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Key Features:

• Email Marketing Platform: Create automated workflows for email and SMS marketing.
  
  
• CRM and Sales Automation: Manage leads and automate follow-ups.
  
  
• Analytics Tools: Monitor email marketing efforts and campaign performance.
  
  
• Automation Workflow: Build workflows for better marketing automation efforts.
  
  

Pricing:
- Starter: $15/month starting with personalised marketing campaigns

- Plus: $49/month with access to automation and powerful customer insights

- Pro: $79/month for unlocking full omnichannel marketing automation

- Enterprise: $145/month for running campaigns at scale with enterprise-level support

- Free 14-day trial period

5. Brevo

Brevo is a digital marketing automation tool suitable for businesses seeking a combination of email marketing, SMS marketing, and social media automation.
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Key Features:

• Basic Email Marketing Automation: Schedule email and SMS marketing campaigns.
  
  
• Automation Capabilities: Automate customer journeys with custom workflows.
  
  
• Email Templates: Use pre-designed templates for quick email creation.
  
  
• CRM and Marketing Automation: Manage contacts and automate tasks seamlessly.
  
  

Pricing:
- Free: 300 emails/day with customisable email templates

- Starter: $6,33/month with no daily sending limit, no Brevo logo (add-on), and basic reporting & analytics

- Business: $13,50/month with landing pages, A/B testing, and advanced statistics

- Enterprise: custom price for advanced integrations and exclusive features

6. Mailchimp

Description: Mailchimp is a well-known email marketing tool that has evolved into a marketing automation platform. It’s best suited for small businesses needing an affordable solution for basic marketing automation.
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Key Features:

• Email Marketing Automation: Send automated emails based on user behavior.
  
  
• A/B Testing: Test different email marketing strategies to optimize performance.
  
  
• CRM Integration: Manage customer data for better-targeted campaigns.
  
  
• Marketing Software Features: Includes social media marketing and landing page builders.
  
  

Pricing:
- Free: $0/month with a limit of 500 contacts and 1 seat

- Essential: $13/month for 500 contacts and 3 seats

- Standard: $20/month for 500 contacts and 5 seats

- Premium: $350/month for 10,000 contacts and unlimited seats

7. Drip

Drip is an automation platform that focuses on B2B marketing automation and eCommerce. It helps businesses create personalized marketing strategies through email marketing automation.
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Key Features:

• Ecommerce Automation: Target customers with personalized email and SMS campaigns.
  
  
• Automation Workflow: Visual workflow builder for complex automation.
  
  
• Segmentation: Sort customers based on behaviors and purchase history.
  
  
• Social Media Marketing Integration: Manage campaigns across platforms.
  
  

Pricing based on the list size and send volume, includes 14-day free trial

8. GetResponse

GetResponse is a comprehensive marketing software solution that combines email marketing, webinars, landing pages, and CRM features. It’s an all-in-one platform designed to meet diverse business needs.
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Key Features:

• Email Automation: Create custom workflows to send automated emails.
  
  
• Webinars and Landing Pages: Engage audiences through webinars and lead capture.
  
  
• Conversion Funnels: Guide prospects through the customer journey.
  
  
• Analytics: Measure the success of your marketing automation efforts.
  
  

Pricing:
- Free: $0/month with a limit of 2,500 emails per month 

- Email Marketing: $16/month with unlimited newsletters, autoresponders and Websites & landing pages

- Marketing Automation:  $54/month with webinars, advanced segmentation and contact scoring

- Ecommerce Marketing:$106/month with abandoned cart recovery Ecommerce tracking and dedicated reporting

- Enterprise offer: $1099/month with premium priority support, dedicated IP address, single sign-on and SMS marketing

9. Zoho

Zoho is a marketing tool that integrates well with Zoho's suite of software. It's ideal for small businesses looking for basic marketing automation capabilities.
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Key Features:

• Email Marketing Solution: Automate email marketing campaigns based on user activity.
  
  
• CRM and Marketing Automation: Manage leads and segment contacts.
  
  
• A/B Testing: Optimize email content and subject lines.
  
  
• Flexible Marketing Automation: Customize workflows to suit different marketing processes.
  
  

Pricing:
- Standard: € 20/user/month with Email Insights, workflow conversion, tags and groups and Web forms

- Professional: € 35/user/month with everything in Standard + SalesSignals - Real-time notifications and process management

- Enterprise: € 50/user/month with everything in Professional + pipeline view for Emails and multi-user portals

- Ultimate: € 65/user/month  with everything in Enterprise + automation suggestions, data enrichment and enhanced storage

- 30-day free trial period

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10. SharpSpring (with Constant Contact)

SharpSpring is a powerful marketing automation tool known for its CRM and sales and marketing automation capabilities. It’s a great choice for marketing agencies and businesses looking to streamline marketing automation efforts.
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Key Features:

• CRM Integration: Built-in CRM or integration with external systems.
  
  
• Lead Management: Score and prioritize leads to maximize marketing efforts.
  
  
• Dynamic Forms: Capture lead information seamlessly.
  
  
• Automated Marketing Campaigns: Create workflows for better automation
  
  

Pricing:
- Lite: $12/month with 1 user and 1 GB storage

- Standard:  $35/month with 3 users and 10 GB storage

- Premium:  $80/month with  unlimited users and 25 GB storage

- Free 14-day trial period

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Conclusion

Marketing automation has become essential for scaling marketing efforts and optimizing every marketing campaign. The top marketing automation platforms in 2024 offer a variety of tools to help businesses automate tasks, manage email campaigns, and improve overall marketing processes. These platforms feature advanced automation capabilities that enable businesses to streamline their marketing and sales efforts while maximizing the impact of each marketing strategy.

Whether you are just starting with marketing automation or you are a larger company looking for the best marketing automation software, there are tools to meet your needs. When choosing the best automation tool, consider the unique requirements of your business, such as automation features, email marketing automation capabilities, and CRM integration. By selecting the right platform, your marketing team can effectively use marketing automation to enhance customer engagement and boost conversion rates.

By using automation software or more advanced platforms, you can better schedule your email campaigns, optimize the best time to send messages, and personalize customer interactions. Choosing the best marketing automation tools will allow you to scale your marketing efforts and gain a competitive edge in the field of marketing automation. Our experts can help you with choosing the best tool for your business so give us a call!

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FAQ

What is the best marketing automation software for small businesses in 2024?

The best marketing automation tools for smaller businessinclude HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, and Mailchimp. These platforms offer features like email marketing automation, CRM integration, and workflow automation. Each tool helps to automate tasks, streamline marketing processes, and grow more efficiently.

How do I choose the best marketing tool for my needs?

To choose the best automation tool, look at the list of marketing automation tools and consider factors like CRM integration, email marketing capabilities, and automation features. A tool that helps manage tasks across marketing and sales can be especially useful for scaling your efforts.

How can I use marketing automation tools to improve my email marketing efforts?

Marketing automation tools optimize email marketing by automating tasks such as scheduling, sending, and segmenting messages. Platforms like HubSpot and Mailchimp, which are considered some of the best email marketing services, provide automation workflows and A/B testing to ensure the best time to send emails and increase campaign effectiveness.

Why are marketing automation tools best for small businesses?

Businesses benefit from using automation tools because they save time and resources. Automation software for smaller companies can handle every marketing automation task, such as email campaigns, social media scheduling, and lead nurturing. This lets small teams focus on strategic growth.

Can you give examples of marketing automation features that help marketing and sales teams?

Examples of marketing automation features include lead scoring, automated email workflows, CRM integration, and analytics. These tools help automate repetitive tasks, improve lead management, and support marketing and sales alignment by sharing customer data in real-time.

What should I look for in an email marketing automation platform?

When evaluating email marketing automation platforms, consider features like automation workflows, CRM integration, segmentation capabilities, and support for multiple channels like email and social media. Tools that offer flexible automation options are best suited for businesses looking to optimize every marketing automation effort.

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