What Are Marketing Automation Tools?
Marketing automation tools are software programs that streamline website monitoring, campaign management, ad retargeting, and other marketing processes. They reduce or eliminate the need for manual intervention, which can result in higher efficiency and fewer errors.
In 2023, research firm Ascend2 surveyed marketers to gain insight into how they use this technology.
Of all respondents, 63% said they automate email marketing activities. And 50% reported automating social media management. The next most common uses for marketing automation tools were:
- Paid advertising
- Content management
- Landing pages
- SMS marketing
- Campaign monitoring
- Account-based marketing (ABM)
- Push notifications
- Live chat
Additionally, 25% of marketers said their customer journey was "mostly" automated, and 44% said it was "partially” automated. While 10% managed to fully automate their operations in this area.
These tools have numerous benefits, from improved productivity to increased customer satisfaction. It all comes down to how you use them.
Benefits of Marketing Automation Tools
Automating marketing processes isn't just about business efficiency. It can also improve lead nurturing and boost customer satisfaction through:
- A better omnichannel experience
- Personalization at scale
- Faster response times
- Improved sales and marketing alignment
For example, say you run an online store.
When someone places an order, you can use this technology to recommend complementary products or offer a discount on future purchases.
Go one step further and leverage email marketing automation tools to send personalized thank-you emails. You can also set up automated workflows to enroll buyers in loyalty programs based on their total spending.
Such initiatives can improve the customer experience and drive repeat sales.
But that's not all.
In a 2021 survey, 49% of companies agreed that marketing automation saves time. An equal number of respondents said it enables personalized communications, and 37% saw an increase in conversion.
Out of the companies surveyed, 45% said marketing automation tools can boost efficiency and ROI. Other advantages cited were higher-quality leads, greater customer loyalty, and increased website traffic.
On a similar note, 25% of the professionals surveyed by Ascend2 felt their marketing automation efforts were "very successful." Seventy-five percent also agreed this technology makes it easier to create effective customer journey maps.
Top 13 Marketing Automation Tools by Category
To keep things simple, we’ll focus on the four main types of marketing automation software:
- All-in-one platforms
- Email marketing automation tools
- Social media marketing automation tools
- AI-powered marketing automation tools
Listed below are our top picks in each category. Let’s dive in.
All-in-One Marketing Automation Tools
HubSpot Marketing Hub
HubSpot Marketing Hub offers a full suite of tools for marketing teams, from live chat software to automated email sequences. You can also use it to create online forms, monitor website traffic, and manage your advertising campaigns—all in one place.
For example, you can set up a chat flow to connect website visitors with your marketing or sales team.
With this feature, users can automatically assign conversations to specific team members.
For instance, let’s say someone asks about a particular product via live chat. Their inquiry is redirected to the person in charge of that product line. This can improve customer response time and drive efficiency.
What We Like
HubSpot Marketing Hub provides everything you need to attract, nurture, and convert leads. Plus, you can start with a free plan that includes a landing page builder, ad management software, reporting tools, and other helpful features.
We also like its intuitive interface and the detailed instructions. You’ll see the exact steps needed to set up workflows, create email sequences, build web pages, and more.
Pricing
HubSpot’s all-in-one marketing automation platform includes three subscription plans:
- Free
- Starter: $20/month per user
- Professional: $890/month (three users)
- Enterprise: $3,600/month (five users)
Adobe Marketo Engage
Adobe Marketo Engage is an all-in-one B2B marketing automation platform with landing page templates, form editors, SEO tools, and other features.
This software program uses AI to create predictive content based on customers’ behavior, browsing history, and preferences. It also includes powerful automation tools to optimize your account-based marketing strategy and email marketing efforts.
What We Like
With Marketo Engage, you'll get the tools you need to engage potential customers across all platforms. Plus, you can automate content creation, lead routing, meeting scheduling, and other routine marketing tasks.
Its reporting capabilities are top-notch, too. B2B marketers can track campaign performance across various channels and platforms and visualize the entire customer lifecycle. And the drag-and-drop interface allows you to easily create graphs for your reports.
These features enable data-driven decisions. And can help you make the most of your marketing budget.
Pricing
Adobe Marketo Engage features four subscription plans:
- Growth
- Select
- Prime
- Ultimate
The cost of each plan depends on your database size. Adobe doesn’t display the prices on its site, so you’ll have to contact the company to get a quote.
Email Marketing Automation Tools
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign's email and marketing automation platform features over 900 third-party integrations and 800 pre-built automations. Use this tool to A/B test your email newsletters, build advanced marketing sequences, and track interactions at every stage of the buyer's journey.
Its intuitive interface and pre-built templates make it easier to create marketing emails, landing pages, and detailed reports. You can also segment your audience and send personalized content to each customer group.
What We Like
With ActiveCampaign, setting up automated email sequences is a breeze. Easily segment, manage, and update your contacts, nurture them via personalized email messages, and gain insights in real time.
Pricing
ActiveCampaign offers four membership plans that can be customized based on your needs.
For example, the Lite plan appeals to solopreneurs with up to 1,000 marketing contacts. But if you have a larger customer base, you can add more contacts to your subscription plan for an extra fee.
- Lite: $39/month
- Plus: $70/month
- Professional: $187/month
- Enterprise: $323/month
Campaign Monitor
Campaign Monitor doubles as a marketing and email automation platform, offering dozens of tools for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). It features a drag-and-drop email builder, 100+ fully customizable email templates, and real-time reporting capabilities.
Below, see how easy it is to use Campaign Monitor's email builder:
Also, users can automate just about every aspect of their email marketing campaigns, from audience segmentation to content delivery.
For example, you can set up an automated welcome email series and display dynamic content based on the user's location or other criteria. This practice allows you to personalize your marketing message, which can increase customer engagement and sales.
What We Like
Campaign Monitor's automation tools are easy to use, even for those with little technical knowledge.
On top of that, its email templates are fully responsive, so they look great on any device. They're organized by category, and you can customize them with just a few clicks.
Pricing
Choose from three pricing plans based on your number of contacts and the features you need.
If you're just getting started and have up to 500 contacts, you'll pay the base rate for any of the plans selected. The cost will increase as your list grows.
- Lite: $11/month
- Essentials: $19/month
- Premier: $149/month
Klaviyo
Klaviyo offers over 300 pre-built integrations, 100+ email templates, and 50+ signup form templates. A notable feature is its ability to automate customer segmentation based on the data collected from your client relationship management (CRM) system.
Its ecommerce email templates have a professional feel and can be customized via a drag-and-drop interface. You can also display dynamic content, such as products related to a customer's past purchases.
Apart from that, you can set up automated email series for new subscribers, existing buyers, or customers who abandon their carts. There's also the option to automate A/B testing.
What We Like
This powerful tool combines AI and automation to streamline email marketing. Crafting engaging subject lines and high-converting emails is a breeze, thanks to its AI-powered capabilities.
You can also integrate Klaviyo with your existing systems and marketing channels to get a full picture of your audience. This feature allows for more advanced targeting and highly personalized shopping experiences.
Pricing
Klaviyo features three membership plans, including a free option for users with up to 250 contacts. Just like with Campaign Monitor, you can customize your subscription based on the size of your contact list.
- Freeplan: (up to 250 contacts)
- Email: $20/month (251 to 500 contacts)
- Email and SMS: $20/month (251 to 500 contacts plus 150 SMS/MMS credits)
Omnisend
Omnisend is quite similar to Klaviyo, as both platforms appeal to ecommerce businesses.
However, Omnisend offers more customization options and features like browser push notifications and gamification tools. It also allows you to create and automate more complex workflows for a better omnichannel experience.
Users can go directly to the Automation page and select a pre-built workflow. Or, create one from scratch.
The platform also features customizable signup forms, audience segmentation tools, and professional-looking email templates.
What We Like
What we like most about Omnisend is its ease of use. Users can automate reporting, list segmentation, A/B testing, and other marketing processes with just a few clicks. Regardless of their technical know-how.
Pricing
Omnisend has three subscription plans, including a free package for businesses with fewer than 250 contacts.
- Freeplan: (0-250 contacts)
- Standard: $16/month (up to 500 contacts)
- Pro: $59/month (up to 2,500 contacts)
As mentioned earlier, you can customize your subscription plan based on your list size. If you choose the Standard plan and your list grows to 1,500 contacts, you'll pay $25/month instead of $16.
Social Media Marketing Automation Tools
Social Poster
With Social Poster, marketing teams can create, schedule, and post content across multiple social networks. Like Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and others. Our tool automates social media posting and reporting to give you more time for the core aspects of your business.
To get started, log in to your Semrush account and click “Social Media” > “Social Dashboard” from the left-side menu.
Next, click “+Create project.”
Add your domain name or a subdomain, then click “Create project.”
Semrush will redirect you to the Social Poster. To start using it, add your social media accounts.
Now, you have access to an interactive calendar where you can create, preview, and schedule your social media posts.
First, click the blue button labeled “New post.”
Then, enter the content you want to share and select the social networks where you want it to appear.
You can also preview your post on the right side of the page.
If you select several social networks, you can see what it will look like on each platform.
If everything looks good, click “Post now” or schedule for a future date. There’s also the option to save the post as a draft or publish it multiple times on specific dates.
As you make these settings, you can preview them in the calendar on the right. This feature makes it easier to stay organized and stick to a consistent publishing schedule.
There is also the option to schedule your posts in bulk. Simply click the “Bulk scheduling” icon next to the “New post” button.
After that, upload a CSV file with up to 100 posts.
This feature allows you to schedule hundreds of posts months in advance.
What We Like
Social Poster is super intuitive and easy to use, offering a lot of creative freedom. Craft and edit your posts in real time, share them across six social media platforms at once, and see what they'll look like after publishing.
There's also the option to schedule them weeks or months in advance to free up your time.
Pricing
This social media scheduling app is part of Semrush Social, which includes other tools, including:
- Social Tracker
- Social Content Insights
- Social Analytics
- Social Inbox
Our tools work together to streamline social media management, including competitor research, influencer campaign tracking, and other related activities.
Semrush Social includes a seven-day free trial. After that, you'll pay $29.99/month.
Buffer
Buffer enables you to write, share, and schedule your social media posts. You can also save your post ideas and expand on them later on.
Another helpful feature is the image editing tool, which allows you to crop or resize your pictures for different social media platforms. Plus, you can add image alt text for accessibility and SEO, create hashtag groups, and preview your posts.
What We Like
With Buffer, it’s easy to automate social media posting, scheduling, and reporting. The platform involves a low learning curve and has lots of great features. Such as a hashtag manager, link shorteners, and individual post analytics.
It also integrates seamlessly with over 30 third-party apps, including Mailchimp, Canva, OpenAI, and others. For example, connect it to Zapier to automatically send content from hundreds of other apps to Buffer.
Pricing
Buffer offers a free subscription plan with limited features. Plus three premium plans starting at $6/month per channel. The paid plans include a 14-day free trial.
- Essentials: $6/month per channel
- Team: $12/month per channel
- Agency: $120/month for 10 channels
Hootsuite
Hootsuite has similar features to Buffer but appeals to larger enterprises. Users can automate social media scheduling, create content calendars, and monitor brand mentions.
You can also use Hootsuite to manage your ad campaigns across the major social networks without leaving the app. As your following grows, you’ll see how you compare to other businesses based on industry benchmarks.
What We Like
The platform involves a steep learning curve but has pretty much everything you need to manage complex social media campaigns.
We were particularly impressed with Hootsuite's OwlyWriterAI, a tool that generates post ideas and captions based on a given prompt. It can also turn your blog posts into social media content.
Pricing
Hootsuite lets you choose from three subscription plans starting at $99/month, which are billed annually.
The Professional and Team plans include a 30-day free trial. If you skip the free trial, you'll get a 20% discount. The Enterprise plan doesn't include a free trial, but you can request a demo.
- Professional: $99/month
- Team: $249/month
- Enterprise: custom pricing
Sprout Social
With its visual interface, Sprout Social makes it easier to manage all your social media efforts in one place. It lets you monitor your posts by profile, keyword, or location, offering the insights you need to optimize your campaigns.
Here's what the dashboard looks like:
Once signed in, track the messages received across all platforms from a single inbox, which allows for faster response times. Go one step further and create chatbots to engage with your followers on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Create custom workflows, automate link tracking, and use AI to uncover emerging trends. These capabilities can take the guesswork out of social media planning while reducing your workload.
What We Like
A notable feature is Sprout's Social Media Listening tool. Powered by AI, it processes up to 50,000 posts per second, uncovering industry trends, customer and competitor insights, and other critical data. Leverage this data to create more engaging posts and keep your audience hooked.
Pricing
Sprout Social features four membership plans plus several add-ons, such as the Social Media Listening tool.
The Standard, Professional, and Advanced plans include a 30-day free trial. Users can also request a free demo of the Professional, Advanced, or Enterprise plans.
- Standard: $249/month (one user)
- Professional: $399 (one user)
- Advanced: $499/month (one user)
- Enterprise: custom pricing
AI-Powered Marketing Automation Tools
ContentShake AI
ContentShake AI can brainstorm topics, generate text, and automate market research. Use our AI-powered tool to quickly create content and repurpose your articles into social media posts.
Here’s how:
First, launch the tool from the left-hand side of the dashboard, under the “Content Marketing” tab.
Next, decide whether you want to create an article or social media post.
If you need social media content, click "Start writing" next to "Create a social media post from scratch."
Now, enter a brief description of the topic, choose a tone of voice, and select the type of post based on your marketing goals. Next, select the social networks where you'll publish your post.
Let's say you want to write an educational post on how to cut calories and then publish it on Facebook.
Add your topic, choose your settings, and click "Create post."
As you can see, ContentShake AI generated three social media posts with hashtags, images, and emojis.
Choose the version you like most or make edits as needed. For instance, remove the image, revise the copy, add links, or edit the alt description.
Select the image or text you want to modify. Then, click the appropriate editing options from the pop-up menu.
Rephrase, simplify, expand, or summarize the text by choosing these options from the pop-up menu. For instance, let's say you want to make the first sentence a bit longer. Select it and click "Expand."
ContentShake AI will expand on your first sentence, offering further insights into the topic. If you like what you see, click "Paste below."
Moving forward, select other social networks from the right-side menu to create content for each. Or choose a different topic, post type, or tone of voice.
What We Like
ContentShake AI can save you hours of research and automate the content creation process. Not only does it generate text and images, but it can also identify trending topics in your niche. The content is SEO-friendly and ready to publish.
Pricing
Our tool has a free and paid version, as well as a seven-day free trial. The paid version is $60/month and includes additional features, such as one-click WordPress publishing. Plus, it allows you to create unlimited articles and social media posts.
AI Social Content Generator
Use the AI Social Content Generator to repurpose articles and blog posts, analyze your competitors, and create fresh content in seconds. For example, it can generate quotes, memes, or images for your Facebook page.
This tool puts your content production on autopilot while providing valuable insights into its performance. It's ideal for creating social posts that drive customer engagement and generate brand exposure.
What We Like
AI Social Content Generator does a great job of keeping your social media updates fresh. Whether you want to create videos, carousels, or in-depth posts, let the app do the hard work. For example, it can generate videos from just one line of text with minimal input from you.
Pricing
This marketing automation tool costs $35/month. It includes 200 AI-generated posts, 10 minutes of voice-over, and other perks.
Sign up for a seven-day free trial to test its features.
AdCreative.ai
AdCreative.ai generates custom ads that align with your brand's personality and voice. All you need to do is share your website URL and make some basic settings.
With this tool, users can choose from a wide range of ad types and formats for different platforms. For instance, create product photo ads or text ads featuring your brand's logo and AI-generated copy.
What We Like
AdCreative.ai can boost your online presence and drive sales through visually stunning ads. Not only does it have an extensive image library, but it also offers fully customizable templates and complete ad packages.
Pricing
Monthly pricing starts at $109 and includes 100 credits, which you can spread across five brands. The app comes with a three-day free trial.
What to Look for in a Marketing Automation Tool
These business tools can streamline your marketing efforts, but each has distinct capabilities.
For instance, all-in-one marketing automation platforms can handle just about every aspect of your campaigns. These usually have built-in tools for lead scoring, A/B testing, SEO, ecommerce, and more.
A potential drawback is that you may end up paying for features you don't need. Also, all-in-one tools often involve a steep learning curve. So you may have to invest in employee training or outside help.
That said, consider the following when choosing a marketing automation solution.
Specialized vs. All-in-One Tools
Specialized software can help with specific aspects of a marketing strategy, such as content creation or social media planning. All-in-one platforms, on the other hand, offer a wide range of tools with different uses.
In general, all-in-one solutions are suitable for large enterprises. These have more complex needs than smaller companies and deal with large amounts of data. Plus, they have multiple teams and departments that collaborate on campaigns.
With an all-in-one marketing platform, large enterprises can manage their data in a centralized location. They can also connect their existing CRM and ERP systems to the platform to gain a holistic view of their marketing efforts.
But if you're a small or medium-sized business, you probably don't need all these bells and whistles. Think about what marketing tasks you want to automate. Then, choose a couple of tools accordingly.
For instance, SEO automation tools can streamline competitor analysis, reporting, website monitoring, and other routine tasks. This will give you more time to fine-tune your SEO strategy and focus on revenue-generating activities.
Features and Capabilities
Check your marketing stack to determine what you need help with.
For example, you may want to automate repetitive tasks like posting on social media or sending out surveys. Or perhaps you're looking to automate specific workflows, such as cross-selling or upselling to potential customers.
Also, think about which features are most important to you. These may include:
- User-friendly interface
- Clear navigation
- AI assistance
- Analytics and reporting
- Learning resources
- 24/7 customer support
Scalability
Look for digital marketing automation tools that can grow with your business. For instance, a scalable email marketing platform can handle increasing subscriber numbers.
The best marketing automation tools usually include several subscription plans.
Each plan targets companies in different stages of growth, from startups to enterprises with a large customer base. This means you can switch to a more compressive plan as your business evolves.
Integration Capabilities
Select a marketing automation platform that integrates with your existing systems and apps.
First, make sure it's compatible with your CRM—if you have one in place. Second, consider the following integrations, depending on which marketing tools you already use or plan to use soon:
- Email service provider (ESP)
- Ecommerce platform
- Live chat
- Enterprise resource marketing (ERP) system
- Accounting system
- Content management system
- Analytics apps
With these integrations, you'll create a single source for your data and unlock new capabilities.
For instance, say you connect your CRM to an email marketing automation platform like Mailchimp.
The two systems will continuously exchange data, leading to better insights into customer behavior. This allows for a higher degree of personalization, which can result in more effective email campaigns.
Further reading: CRM Integration: What It Is, Why It Helps, and How to Do It
Pricing
Digital marketing automation tools vary in price from $20 to $2,000+/month. The higher their complexity, the more you can expect to pay.
However, many platforms include a free trial, so try them out before committing to a paid plan.
Alternatively, start with free marketing automation tools like Zoho Campaigns, MailerLite, or SendPulse. These include a free basic plan with limited features, but you can upgrade later on.
For instance, MailerLite's free plan appeals to solopreneurs with up to 1,000 subscribers. Users can send up to 12,000 monthly emails and have access to basic automation tools, like an email builder.
Leverage Automation to Streamline Your Marketing Activities
Marketing automation software can help you get things done faster—and often better. This technology takes the guesswork out of planning email campaigns, allowing for highly personalized messages. Plus, it provides actionable insights into campaign performance.
If you want to level up your marketing strategy,try out Semrush's marketing automation tools, such as ContentShake AI and Social Poster. Our apps can help you move customers further down the sales funnel and gain a competitive advantage.