Marketing has undergone profound changes in recent years with inbound. It centres on valuable content and experiences that people find and like. Rather than being fired at potential customers in the traditional style of marketing communication, chances are now offered to tempt visitors to rain their travel dollars onto your site. Inbound marketing has revolutionized how businesses attract, engage, and delight customers. For successful inbound marketing, the proper methods and tools are a must.
Inbound marketing software can aid marketers in content management, performance tracking, lead nurturance and long-haul client conversion. But how to choose just the right one from among so many similar systems available on the market today? This blog sorts out the top inbound marketing software for you, comparing features, pricing and where they may be used to help news content developers or marketers—ordinary human beings both—decide which system is best.
What Exactly Is Great Inbound Marketing Software?
Before the comparison: What should you be looking for in your software that will help to provide inbound marketing leads and sales—made simple?
A good platform should offer some or all of the following:
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Content management: Tools for creating, organizing, and distributing content across channels.
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Lead nurturing: Automation features that guide potential customers down the sales funnel with personalized messages.
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Analytics and reporting: A robust data dashboard providing insights into what’s working and what isn’t.
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Integration compatibility: An easy workflow with other tools like CRM software, email marketing, social media, etc.
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Ease of use: Easy-to-use interfaces and customer support are crucial. Evaluate this step during installation, not after it is up and running to go live. In particular, small businesses or teams without a full-time marketer should consider.
These features will help you trace what makes great inbound marketing software versus plain old stuff in an online guide: let complementary—some might call them conflicting—companies duke it out. Let users study. Simplify and clarify what separate the near and far from each other. However, we’ll zero in on companies A to Z another day.
HubSpot Features
It comes as no surprise that when it comes to Inbound Marketing, HubSpot is often the first company that people think of. All-in-one solutions are available from its platform, which provides features for blogging, SEO, email marketing, lead acquisition and customer relationship management (CRM). Their intuitive editor allows even beginners to build visually stunning landing pages and marketing campaigns.
Key Features:
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Content Management System (CMS)
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Marketing Automation
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Social Media Management
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Email Campaigns
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Real-time analytics
Pros
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Seamlessly integrates with other tools in the HubSpot ecosystem
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Offers a free CRM plan that’s suitable for small businesses
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Industry-leading learning resources and customer support
Cons
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Pricing scales quickly as you add features or contacts
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Steeper learning curve for advanced tools like workflow automation
Price Range
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Free CRM plan
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Paid marketing plans start at around $50 per month
Best For
Marketing teams looking for a beginner-friendly yet scalable solution that grows with their business actively seek HubSpot
Market Engage by Adobe
Marketo Engage (Adobe) is targeted primarily at large enterprises in terms of industry and product standards. It focuses mainly on marketing automation and account-based marketing (ABM), two tried and tested strategies for reaching high-value prospects.
Key Features:
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Lead scoring
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Multi-channel automation
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Campaign orchestration
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Advanced email marketing
Pros
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Excellent for personalized marketing campaigns
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Provides in-depth analytic insights
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Scales well up to enterprise
Cons
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Not ideal for small or mid-sized businesses due to cost and complexity
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Lacks a CMS for inbound marketing content
Price Range
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Custom pricing (higher than most competitors so you might want to look for other options where the budget is tight)
Best For
Large businesses
ActiveCampaign
The fourth contender on our list is Active Campaign; it’s got some hit features such as customer experience automation and strong email marketing. A good bet if you’ve small to mid-sized business which needs affordable reliable tools for different channels.
Key Features:
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Email marketing automation
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CRM with Sales Automation
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Through dynamic content personalization
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Track customer involvement
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Diverse system integrations
Pros
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Affordable pricing plans for small business users
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Workflows can be customized in a highly way that suits your needs
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Get fantastic customer support and onboarding help
Cons
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For beginners, the new user will feel the interface looks rather messy
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There’s no CMS in this platform that’s dedicated to blogging
Price Range
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The starting plans are from $29 a month
Best For
Small businesses or e-commerce brands that focus on email marketing and sales automation
Mailchimp
Originally known for its email marketing service, Mailchimp now incorporates an end-to-end UX. It’s an excellent choice for small firms and solopreneurs that want to scale up without heavy subscription costs.
Key Features:
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Email campaigns and automation
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Basic CRM
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Social media advertising and campaign management
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Reporting and analytics
Pros
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Pricing that starts genuinely lower down the scale
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The user interface is extremely easy to operate even for absolute beginners
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Ad integration with both Facebook and Instagram
Cons
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When it comes to managing content this platform is inadequate
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Compared to other suppliers, the level of automation is not advanced
Price Range
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Free plan; $13/month for paid plans
Best For
Small business owners or startup companies looking for simple and economical marketing tools
Pardot (Salesforce)
Pardot was developed by Salesforce for B2B companies that want to align their marketing and sales efforts. It makes full use of Salesforce’s CRM capability to create very targeted campaigns.
Key Features:
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Advanced automation tools
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Lead scoring and grading
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Tracking of marketing campaign ROI via Pardot’s reporting system
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Full support Sales-force CRM system
Pros
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Superb software for coordinating sales and marketing work
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Templates for email campaigning/landing page design
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An excellent set of ROI information tools reporting on investment activity
Cons
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This package is costly to get started with, especially for a smaller organization
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There are no sophisticated creative page design tools for landing design within the product
Price Range
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Starts at $1,250 a month
Best For
B2B enterprises, specializing in lead nurturing and contract negotiations for large businesses
SEMrush
SEMrush focuses mainly on SEO while also providing some tools for content marketing, which can be an increasingly dominant part of an overall marketing stack.
Key Features:
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Keyword research and rank tracking
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SEO audits and insights
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Social media management
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Content optimization
Pros
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One of the most advanced tools for SEO
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Tons of educational resources and tutorials
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Great for content creators and bloggers
Cons
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The platform can feel overwhelming to beginners
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Limited marketing automation compared to Mailchimp, Active Campaign and other services higher on this list
Price Range
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Plans start at $129.95/month
Best For
SEO heavy marketers who like to use content to attract traffic
Selecting Your Perfect Match
Finding the right inbound marketing software depends primarily on the size, goals and budget of your organization. Whether you are a small business owner looking for an affordable and one-stop solution, or an enterprise that demands advanced analytics and marketing automation tools, there is a solution out there for you.
Actionable Next Steps
Still cannot decide? Try out a free trial! Most inbound marketing software platforms will offer a 30-day trial period. Or, they may have a free version that allows limited use of features and major functions of the tool before you buy.
In addition, consider the technical capabilities of your team. A sophisticated platform loses its value if your team is struggling to use it effectively.
