Marketing automation tools are designed to simplify and automate routine marketing activities, such as sending emails, managing social media posts, scoring leads, and segmenting customer data. They help marketers work smarter, not harder, by leveraging technology to deliver personalized experiences to customers at scale.
The real power of marketing automation lies in its ability to deliver personalized experiences to your customers. By analyzing data and customer behavior, these tools ensure that the right message reaches the right person at the right moment, boosting engagement and driving conversions.
In this article, we’ll explore the top 10 marketing automation platforms for medium-sized businesses, highlighting their features, benefits, and how they can transform your marketing strategies.
Table of Contents
- Do You Need a Marketing Automation Tool?
- Choosing the Right Marketing Automation Platform for Mid-Size Businesses
- 1. Iterable
- 2. HubSpot
- 3. Emarsys
- 4. Klaviyo
- 5. Omnisend
- 6. SharpSpring
- 7. GetResponse
- 8. Act-On
- 9. Zoho Campaigns
- 10. Brevo
- Closing Thoughts
Do You Need a Marketing Automation Tool?
Many mid-sized businesses struggle with the decision to implement a marketing automation platform, unsure of whether they truly need it or if they’re ready to use it.
However, the benefits of leveraging marketing automation go far beyond mere convenience.
Here are 5 reasons why integrating a marketing automation platform should be a priority for your business:
- You Have a Growing Marketing Team: Implementing a marketing automation platform can streamline tasks and amplify your team’s productivity. However, it’s important to note that automation complements marketing expertise — it doesn’t replace it.
- You’ve Identified Successful Marketing Channels: Marketing automation tools are ideal for scaling proven marketing strategies. Before adopting automation, ensure you have identified effective marketing channels that resonate with your audience. Automating ineffective channels won’t magically improve results; instead, use automation to amplify what’s already working.
- You Struggle with Lead Management: A marketing automation platform simplifies lead capture, nurturing, and conversion. If you find it challenging to track and follow up with leads effectively, automation can provide the necessary structure and efficiency to optimize your lead management processes.
- You Need Personalization at Scale: Marketing automation enables personalized communication based on customer behavior and interactions. If you’re looking to deliver relevant content and experiences to your audience at scale, automation is key to achieving this level of personalization.
- You Want Data-Driven Decision Making: Marketing automation platforms offer advanced analytics and reporting capabilities that provide insights into campaign performance and customer behavior. If you’re committed to making informed decisions based on data, automation can empower you with the insights needed to optimize your marketing efforts.
Choosing the Right Marketing Automation Platform for Mid-Size Businesses
Mid-size businesses require solutions that are powerful yet adaptable to their specific needs. Selecting the best marketing automation platform for a mid-size business involves various aspects like scalability, price, and analytics features.
Here are some essential factors to consider when selecting the perfect platform:
Scalability and Flexibility
Mid-size businesses need a marketing automation platform that can scale alongside their growth. Look for a solution that offers flexible pricing plans and customizable features to accommodate evolving marketing strategies and expanding customer bases.
Pricing
Consider the pricing structure of the marketing automation platform in relation to the value it delivers. Look for transparent pricing plans that align with your budget and provide the features and support your business needs.
Integration
Mid-size businesses often rely on a suite of tools for various business functions. Choose a marketing automation platform that integrates seamlessly with your existing CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system, e-commerce platform, analytics tools, and other business applications.
Analytics and Reporting
Look for a platform that provides advanced analytics and reporting features, allowing you to track campaign effectiveness, monitor customer engagement, and measure ROI (Return on Investment). Comprehensive insights enable continuous optimization of marketing strategies and allocation of resources based on actionable data.
Ease of Use
Choose a solution with an intuitive user interface that simplifies navigation and campaign management. A user-friendly platform reduces the learning curve for your team, enabling them to create and execute marketing campaigns efficiently without extensive technical expertise.
Support
Select a marketing automation platform that offers comprehensive customer support and provides training resources. Mid-size businesses may require assistance during implementation, troubleshooting, and optimizing platform usage. Look for tools that provide responsive customer support, including live chat, phone support, and knowledge base resources.
1. Iterable
Iterable is a powerful marketing automation platform designed to help medium-sized businesses engage customers through personalized and multichannel campaigns.
It offers a suite of tools that empower marketers to create and optimize targeted messaging across email, mobile push notifications, SMS, and more.
Let’s take a closer look at what makes Iterable a great choice for medium-sized businesses:
Omni-Channel Campaigns
Iterable allows marketers to create seamless, personalized campaigns across multiple channels. Whether it’s sending tailored emails, triggering mobile push notifications based on user behavior, or reaching customers via SMS, Iterable provides the flexibility to deliver consistent messaging.
Dynamic Content
With Iterable, marketers can create dynamic and personalized content that resonates with individual recipients. The platform supports dynamic email content, allowing for personalized product recommendations, user-specific offers, and real-time updates based on customer actions.
Audience Segmentation
Iterable offers audience segmentation tools that allow marketers to target specific customer segments based on demographics, behaviors, preferences, and more. This ensures that each message is tailored to the unique needs and interests of the audience.
Analytics and Insights
Iterable provides comprehensive analytics and reporting features to track campaign performance, monitor engagement metrics, and gain actionable insights. Marketers can optimize their strategies based on real-time data and make data-driven decisions to enhance ROI.
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Iterable is well-suited for medium-sized businesses looking to enhance their marketing efforts through personalized and targeted campaigns. It caters to companies that value multichannel communication and want to deliver relevant messaging to their audience at scale. Iterable has user-friendly interface and advanced automation capabilities that also make it an ideal choice for marketers seeking to optimize engagement and drive growth.
2. HubSpot
As a comprehensive inbound marketing and sales platform, HubSpot offers a wide range of tools for marketing automation, customer relationship management (CRM), content management, and analytics.
HubSpot is ideal for the mid-market, looking for an all-in-one marketing solution that combines automation, CRM, and content management capabilities. Additionally, HubSpot is suitable for both B2B and B2C companies, offering flexibility and customization to meet diverse marketing needs.
Hubspot offers versatile options to enhance marketing strategies:
Marketing Automation
HubSpot’s marketing automation capabilities enable users to create personalized workflows for email marketing, social media, and more. It allows for easy segmentation of contacts based on their behavior and interactions with your brand.
CRM Integration
Fully integrated HubSpot CRM system allows businesses to manage their contacts, deals, and pipelines in one place. This integration ensures seamless communication between marketing and sales teams, leading to better alignment and collaboration.
Content Management
With HubSpot’s content management system (CMS), users can create and optimize web pages, blog posts, and landing pages without any coding knowledge. The platform also provides tools for SEO optimization and content analytics to help improve visibility and engagement.
Analytics & Reporting
HubSpot provides robust analytics and reporting features that allow users to track the performance of their marketing campaigns, website traffic, and sales efforts. It offers customizable dashboards and real-time insights to help businesses make data-driven decisions.
3. Emarsys
Emarsys’s comprehensive approach to marketing automation, combined with its focus on scalability, personalization, and user experience, makes it a compelling choice for mid-size businesses seeking to accelerate growth and achieve marketing excellence.
Here’s why mid-size companies should consider Emarsys:
Personalization Engine
Emarsys is equipped with a powerful AI-driven personalization engine that enables marketers to create hyper-targeted campaigns based on individual customer behaviors, preferences, and purchase history.
Omni-Channel Marketing
The platform connects email, mobile, social media, and web channels, allowing marketers to create personalized experiences for customers across multiple platforms.
Automation Workflows
Emarsys offers advanced automation capabilities to streamline marketing workflows. Marketers can create complex automation sequences based on triggers and actions, ensuring timely and relevant communication with customers.
Unified Customer View
Emarsys provides a unified view of customer data, consolidating information from various touchpoints. This comprehensive view enables mid-size businesses to better understand customer interactions and deliver targeted messaging.
4. Klaviyo
Klaviyo specializes in email and SMS marketing, tailored for businesses looking to optimize customer communication and drive revenue.
It’s particularly popular among ecommerce brands and medium-sized businesses seeking advanced email marketing capabilities. Klaviyo also suits companies seeking a user-friendly platform with powerful automation and segmentation capabilities to drive sales and increase customer loyalty.
Key features include:
Ecommerce Integration
Klaviyo seamlessly integrates with popular ecommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento, allowing businesses to leverage customer data to personalize marketing campaigns and drive sales.
Behavioral Targeting
The platform enables sophisticated behavioral targeting based on customer interactions and purchase history. Marketers can send timely, personalized messages triggered by specific actions, such as abandoned carts or product views.
Advanced Segmentation
Klaviyo offers powerful segmentation tools that enable marketers to create highly targeted audience segments based on demographics, behaviors, and engagement levels. This helps deliver relevant content and offers to different customer groups.
Email Automation
Klaviyo excels in email automation, allowing marketers to set up automated email sequences, drip campaigns, and personalized newsletters. The platform provides A/B testing capabilities to optimize email performance.
Analytics and Reporting
Klaviyo provides robust analytics and reporting features, offering insights into email performance, revenue generated, and customer engagement metrics. Marketers can track campaign effectiveness and make data-driven decisions.
5. Omnisend
Omnisend is designed to elevate customer engagement and drive sales for ecommerce businesses. Unlike traditional email marketing tools, Omnisend focuses on omni-channel communication, allowing businesses to reach customers through email, SMS, push notifications, and more.
Omnisend is great for mid-size companies aiming to increase customer engagement and sales through personalized campaigns.
The platform has its own key features:
Omni-channel Campaigns
The platform enables businesses to combine email, SMS, push notifications, and other channels into unified campaigns. This approach ensures consistent messaging across touchpoints, maximizing customer interaction.
Ecommerce Integration
The platform also integrates seamlessly with popular ecommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, allowing businesses to leverage customer data from their online stores to deliver personalized and targeted marketing campaigns.
Automation Workflows
Omnisend allows businesses to set up triggered workflows based on customer behavior. Thus, Omnisend’s automation capabilities help streamline marketing processes and drive conversions.
Advanced Segmentation
Omnisend provides advanced segmentation tools that enable businesses to create highly targeted audience segments based on behavior, purchase history, and demographics. This ensures that marketing messages are relevant and impactful.
Dynamic Content
With Omnisend, marketers can create dynamic and personalized content blocks within emails and messages. This allows for individualized product recommendations, personalized offers, and real-time updates tailored to each customer.
6. SharpSpring
SharpSpring is a powerful tool designed to empower mid-size businesses with efficient and effective marketing automation solutions. These functions make SharpSpring an excellent choice for mid-size businesses. Additionally, it’s ideal for businesses looking for advanced automation features without the high costs of medium-level platforms.
Automation Tools
SharpSpring provides a set of automation tools to automate marketing tasks such as lead nurturing, email campaigns, and customer follow-ups. This helps mid-size businesses save time and resources while maintaining personalized communication with prospects.
CRM Integration
SharpSpring also offers seamless CRM integration, allowing businesses to manage customer relationships and track interactions in one platform. This integration improves collaboration between sales and marketing teams, leading to more efficient lead management and conversions.
Lead Scoring
The platform includes lead scoring capabilities to prioritize and identify qualified leads based on engagement metrics. This helps mid-size businesses focus their efforts on prospects most likely to convert, improving overall sales effectiveness.
Campaign Management
SharpSpring’s campaign management tools allow businesses to create, execute, and monitor marketing campaigns across multiple channels, including email, social media, and landing pages.
7. GetResponse
If you’re searching for an all-in-one marketing platform to streamline your email marketing, automation, and customer engagement, GetResponse is your ultimate solution.
It offers a wide range of features beyond email campaigns, making it a versatile choice for mid-size businesses. With GetResponse, you can seamlessly manage client projects, automate reporting, and deliver exceptional email campaigns — all from a single, intuitive platform.
Email Marketing
GetResponse provides a range of email marketing tools, allowing businesses to create engaging campaigns, automate email sequences, and segment contacts for targeted communication.
Landing Page Builder
The platform includes a user-friendly landing page builder with customizable templates to create high-converting landing pages for lead generation and promotions.
Marketing Automation
GetResponse offers powerful marketing automation capabilities, enabling medium-sized businesses to automate workflows, nurture leads, and deliver personalized experiences based on customer behavior.
Webinar Hosting
GetResponse stands out with its integrated webinar hosting feature, allowing businesses to host live and on-demand webinars to engage prospects and customers effectively.
8. Act-On
Act-On is built specifically for mid-size businesses aiming to elevate their lead nurturing and marketing tactics. What makes Act-On exceptional is its focus on customizable features tailored to meet the specific needs and growth trajectories of individual businesses.
Automation Workflows
Act-On allows mid-size businesses to create and automate personalized marketing workflows tailored to their specific needs. This includes lead nurturing sequences, behavior-based email triggers, and campaign automation to streamline marketing processes and drive engagement.
Lead Scoring & Segmentation
The platform includes advanced lead scoring and segmentation capabilities, helping businesses identify and prioritize high-quality leads for targeted campaigns and personalized communication.
Social Media Integration
Act-On integrates with major social media platforms, enabling businesses to manage and track social campaigns alongside other marketing efforts for a unified approach.
User-Friendly Interface
Act-On’s intuitive user interface makes it accessible for mid-size businesses to manage and execute complex marketing campaigns without requiring extensive technical expertise.
Act-On is suitable for both mid-size businesses and large enterprises, but it is particularly well-suited for mid-size companies. While Act-On offers powerful marketing automation features that can scale to meet the needs of larger enterprises, its pricing, ease of use, and focus on mid-market customers make it a popular choice among mid-size organizations.
9. Zoho Campaigns
Zoho Campaigns is part of the Zoho suite and provides email marketing and marketing automation tools tailored for small to mid-sized businesses. It’s known for its user-friendly interface and affordability, making it accessible for growing companies.
If your business is looking to optimize marketing efforts and achieve growth through email campaigns, take a look at Zoho Campaigns.
Email Campaign Creation
Zoho Campaigns simplifies the process of creating and sending professional-looking email campaigns. It provides customizable templates, drag-and-drop editors, and scheduling options to optimize campaign delivery.
Contact Management
The platform allows mid-size businesses to manage and segment their contacts effectively. Users can organize contacts based on demographics, behavior, and engagement levels to send targeted and personalized campaigns.
Automation
Zoho Campaigns offers automation features that enable businesses to set up workflows triggered by specific actions or events. This includes welcome emails, follow-up sequences, and drip campaigns to nurture leads and maintain customer engagement.
A/B Testing
The platform supports A/B testing of email campaigns to experiment with different subject lines, content variations, and send times. This helps mid-size businesses identify the most effective strategies to improve email engagement.
10. Brevo
Brevo, formerly known as Sendinblue, offers a suite of tools tailored for mid-size businesses seeking to enhance customer communication and drive growth. The platform’s flexible pricing plans and scalable features make it a practical solution for mid-sized businesses looking to maximize their marketing efforts and achieve measurable results.
Brevo offers a range of solutions for businesses, including tools for email marketing, SMS campaigns, and automation workflows:
Email Marketing
Brevo simplifies email campaign management with customizable templates, drag-and-drop editors, and scheduling options. Businesses can create engaging email campaigns and segment their audience for targeted messaging.
SMS Marketing
The platform enables businesses to send personalized SMS campaigns to reach customers directly on their mobile devices. This feature is particularly effective for engaging with customers in real-time and driving immediate actions.
Marketing Automation
The Brevo platform offers automation workflows to streamline repetitive tasks and nurture leads based on customer behavior. Businesses can set up triggered sequences for welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, and more.
CRM Integration
Brevo integrates with popular CRM systems, allowing businesses to synchronize customer data and track interactions across platforms. This integration facilitates better lead management and personalized communication.
Closing Thoughts
Choosing the right marketing automation tool for your mid-size business is a strategic decision that can significantly impact your marketing effectiveness and business growth.
We hope our comprehensive list of reviewed marketing automation platforms provides insights to help you make an informed decision in selecting the perfect platform. Each of them has its own unique strengths and capabilities to support your marketing objectives.
