There are tons of different tools you can use. You probably already have an email autoresponder that you use to automate your email marketing. But what about other types of marketing automation?
Let’s take a look at some of the best tools.
InfusionSoft
http://www.infusionsoft.com
InfusionSoft is generally consider to be the ultimate in marketing automation tools, because so much is built right into the system. It has a bit in customer management service, marketing automation from lead capture to follow up with personalized communications based on email sends, opens, clicks, and even payment history, sales automation, and even the ability to be a complete e-commerce system.
The biggest problem for the average user is price. It starts at a whopping $199 per month for the “Essentials” package, which includes CRM and marketing automation, but not sales automation or e-commerce, and goes up to $2,999 for the one-time package called “Kickstart Pro”. It’s just a bit too pricey for the average marketer, and is more tailored for companies that are already successful and just looking to expand.
HubSpot
http://ww.hubspot.com
HubSpot also has CRM, marketing automation, and sales automation suites, but again, it can be quite pricey. Their basic marketing package starts at $200 per month, but that is billed annually, which means you need to invest a few thousand upfront to get started. Their software is packed with features and very highly reviewed, but it might be outside the average marketer’s budget.
SalesForce
http://www.salesforce.com
SalesForce is an extremely powerful package that has a number of different apps to help you automate your marketing. They have one of the most robust overall systems, with more features than just about any other platform.
Their plans start at a reasonable $25 per month, but again, that is billed annually, so it can still be quite expensive if you’re just starting out. Their most popular package is $150 per month, billed annually.
Buffer
http://www.buffer.com/app
If you’re looking to automate your social media, Buffer is a great place to start. They have a free level that will let you have one account per social media site and up to 10 scheduled posts per profile, but Pinterest is not included. If you want to post to Pinterest, or manage multiple accounts, you’ll need to pay at least $10 per month, or more if you have a lot of accounts to manage.
Buffer posts to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram, and let’s you schedule posts to drip to your social media throughout the day to help you get the most possible attention.
It also has other great features, such as analytics, link shortening and tracking, and a tool that will help you determine the optimal timing for your posts to get the most attention.
HootSuite
http://www.hootsuite.com
HootSuite is very similar to buffer. It will let you schedule posts, has analytics, allows social sweepstakes, and much more. They post to the same networks as Buffer, but don’t seem to include Pinterest in their “Core Networks” list.
Like Buffer, they have a free level, and regular plans start at $9.99 billed annually, or $14.95 billed monthly.
LeadPages
http://www.leadpages.net/products
If you build a lot of landing pages, using a system like LeadPages can save you a lot of time. LeadPages has a ton of built-in templates to make it easy to create the type of pages you want in a snap, and their pricing is reasonable, starting at $25 per month for the Standard package.
Instapage
http://www.instapage.com
Instapage is an alternative to LeadPages. They have a host of amazing features, including HubSpot integration, email integration with MailChimp and Constant Contact, marketing automation integration, and drop-in pixel tracking.
They start at just $29 per month when billed annually.
Many of these tools have free trials. Don’t take a trial until you’re ready to put it to good use, because you won’t get another chance. But when you’re serious about automating your marketing, grab a trial or two and see what these systems can do for you.