# Best Marketing Automation Software ## How Many Marketing Automation Software Products Does G2 Track? **Total Products under this Category:** 506 ### Category Stats (Jul 2026) - **Average Rating:** 4.42/5 (↑0.01 vs Jun 2026) The average rating of products in this category, based on all submitted ratings - **Top Trending Product:** RESUL (+1.16%) - Among all products in this category, RESUL recorded the largest rating increase compared to last month _Last updated: July 24, 2026_ ## How Does G2 Rank Marketing Automation Software Products? **Why You Can Trust G2's Software Rankings:** - 30 Analysts and Data Experts - 92,900+ Authentic Reviews - 506+ Products - Unbiased Rankings G2's software rankings are built on verified user reviews, rigorous moderation, and a consistent research methodology maintained by a team of analysts and data experts. Each product is measured using the same transparent criteria, with no paid placement or vendor influence. While reviews reflect real user experiences, which can be subjective, they offer valuable insight into how software performs in the hands of professionals. Together, these inputs power the G2 Score, a standardized way to compare tools within every category. ## G2 Grid® for Marketing Automation Software ![G2 Grid® for Marketing Automation Software plotting products by satisfaction and market presence](https://www.g2.com/categories/marketing-automation/grids.png?focus%5B%5D=364&focus%5B%5D=1934&focus%5B%5D=43119&focus%5B%5D=20732&focus%5B%5D=88175&focus%5B%5D=22329&focus%5B%5D=18316&focus%5B%5D=3644) Highlighted products: HubSpot Marketing Hub, ActiveCampaign, Insider One, Braze, Attentive, Klaviyo, Customer.io, and Omnisend. Underlying data: [Grid® JSON](https://www.g2.com/categories/marketing-automation/grids.json?focus%5B%5D=hubspot-marketing-hub&focus%5B%5D=activecampaign&focus%5B%5D=insider-one&focus%5B%5D=braze&focus%5B%5D=attentive&focus%5B%5D=klaviyo&focus%5B%5D=customer-io&focus%5B%5D=omnisend) **Sponsored** ### Stannp.com Send personalized postcards, letters, and self-mailers to customers globally with production centres in US, Canada and Europe. Trigger automatically by your CRM, by customer behavior, or sent as one-off campaigns. We make direct mail as easy to manage as email and equally powerful. Replicate your email strategies with Direct Mail like: \* Recovering abandoned carts with personalized postcards \* Winning back churned customers with targeted offers \* Triggering transactional notifications and renewal reminders automatically \* Running seasonal campaigns to specific customer segments \* Complementing email and paid ads with a physical touchpoint that cuts through Built To Fit Your Existing Stack: Stannp.com integrates with HubSpot, Klaviyo, Zapier, and Make, so you can trigger direct mail from the tools you already use, without rebuilding your workflows. For teams who want full control, a powerful REST API enables custom automations and high-volume programmatic sending. Trusted, Secure and Compliant: Stannp.com is ISO 27001 certified, HIPAA compliant, and ICO registered, making it a reliable choice for businesses handling sensitive customer data across regulated industries including healthcare and financial services. US mailings are processed through a USPS CASS-certified platform; UK mailings as a Royal Mail approved provider. Both ensure address accuracy and maximum deliverability. Simple Enough For Marketers Powerful Enough For Developers: Whether you're uploading a list and sending your first campaign in minutes, or building automated multi-step journeys through the API, Stannp.com scales to how your team works. Live mail tracking, campaign reporting, and ROI measurement are built in from day one. Trusted by over 85,000 businesses across the US, UK, and Canada. Over 1 billion items sent since 2014. [Visit website](https://www.g2.com/external_clickthroughs/record?secure%5Bad_program%5D=ppc&secure%5Bad_slot%5D=category_product_list&secure%5Bcategory_id%5D=36&secure%5Bchosen_at%5D=2026-07-27T22%3A36%3A52Z&secure%5Bdisplayable_resource_id%5D=36&secure%5Bdisplayable_resource_type%5D=Category&secure%5Bmedium%5D=sponsored&secure%5Bplacement_reason%5D=page_category&secure%5Bplacement_resource_ids%5D%5B%5D=36&secure%5Bprioritized%5D=false&secure%5Bproduct_id%5D=49450&secure%5Bresource_id%5D=36&secure%5Bresource_type%5D=Category&secure%5Bsource_type%5D=category_page&secure%5Bsource_url%5D=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.g2.com%2Fcategories%2Fmarketing-automation%3Ffacet1%3Dstartup&secure%5Btoken%5D=903a09a6b225ccad0aa878ce175b6925c8701d7d935e259eee4557762e92c727&secure%5Burl%5D=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.Stannp.com%2Fus%3Fsource%3DG2&secure%5Burl_type%5D=custom_url) ### [Insider One](https://www.g2.com/products/insider-one/reviews) Insider One is the #1 platform that brings everything marketing and customer engagement teams need in one place so they can reach their peak potential and become unstoppable. With AI at its core and an integrated Customer Data Platform (CDP), Insider One unites data, personalization, and journey orchestration across the most extensive set of natively supported channels, including WhatsApp, SMS, Email, Web, App, and Site Search. Insider One provides the ultimate vendor experience, proven in fifteen industries and more than 30 countries for more than a decade, to help teams be first, be focused, and be progressive, redefining what it means to lead in customer engagement. Trusted by 2,000+ customers, including some of the world’s most loved brands like Samsung, L’Oréal, Unilever, Allianz, ING Group, Toyota, Singapore Airlines, and GAP, to accelerate growth, build customer love, and become a market leader. Loved by customers, recognized by analysts, Insider One is the only vendor recognized as the #1 leader in all the capabilities marketing and customer engagement teams need, including AI, Customer Data Management, Cross-Channel Journey Orchestration, and Personalization, offering brands unrivaled product excellence within a single consolidated platform. Accolades include: Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide AI-Enabled Marketing Platforms for Enterprise Companies 2025 2025 Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Personalization Engines #1 Customer Choice: 2025 Gartner Voice of the Customer for Personalization Engines Leader in the Forrester Wave for Experience Optimization Platforms, Q4 2024 The Gartner Customers’ Choice for Multichannel Marketing Hubs in 2025 The #1 G2 Leader in 11 categories, including CDP, Personalization Engines, Mobile Marketing, Customer Journey Analytics, SMS Marketing, WhatsApp Marketing, eCommerce Search, and eCommerce Personalization, with a perfect 100/100 user satisfaction score. Today, Insider One is powered by 1,500+ team members representing 50+ nationalities across 30+ offices. The company is woman-founded and predominantly women-owned, with 70% of senior executive roles, including the CEO, CMO, CHRO, and CFO, held by women. Through initiatives such as 100 Cities, 100 Projects, Young Engineers Club, SheCodes, and SheLeads, Insider One continues to expand its positive impact across global communities, driving opportunities, inclusion, education, and equity for this and future generations." **Average Rating:** 4.8/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 1,396 #### How Do G2 Users Rate Insider One? - **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?:** 9.4/10 (Category avg: 9.0/10) - **Customization :** 9.5/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10) - **Performance and Reliability:** 9.5/10 (Category avg: 8.7/10) - **Workflow Capability:** 9.5/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10) #### Who Is the Company Behind Insider One? - **Seller:** [Insider One](https://www.g2.com/sellers/insider-one) - **Company Website:** https://useinsider.com - **Year Founded:** 2012 - **HQ Location:** Global - **Twitter:** @insiderone (1 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/insiderone/ (1,530 employees on LinkedIn®) #### Who Uses This Product? - **Who Uses This:** Digital Marketing Specialist, Marketing Manager - **Top Industries:** Retail, Apparel & Fashion - **Company Size:** 46% Medium, 28% Small #### What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Insider One? _AI-generated summary from verified user reviews_ ##### Pros - Users find Insider One's **ease of use** beneficial, allowing for quick campaign edits and improved customer engagement. - Users highlight the **enhanced customer engagement** strategies of Insider One, facilitating personalized and timely interactions across channels. - Users value the **personalization features** of Insider One, enhancing customer engagement and driving conversions effectively. - Users value the **high engagement capabilities** of Insider One through personalized messaging and timely product recommendations. - Users praise the **proactive support** from Insider's Customer Success team, enhancing their experience and providing strategic insights. ##### Cons - Users find the **learning curve steep** due to numerous features, making initial setup and optimization challenging. - Users face a **difficult learning** experience due to the complex setup and steep learning curve of Insider One. - Users find the **time-consuming setup** process for campaigns and surveys to be a significant drawback. - Users face a **high learning curve** with Insider One, needing time to familiarize themselves with its features. - Users report that **integration issues** with Insider One require significant time, resources, and technical expertise to resolve. #### What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Insider One? **["Complete and intuitive platform, with fast and efficient support"](https://www.g2.com/survey_responses/insider-one-review-13036694)** **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars _— Arlete M._ [Read full review](https://www.g2.com/survey_responses/insider-one-review-13036694) **["Insider One unifies data and channels with a truly fluid Journey Orchestration"](https://www.g2.com/survey_responses/insider-one-review-13037392)** **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars _— Gabriel A._ [Read full review](https://www.g2.com/survey_responses/insider-one-review-13037392) ## FAQs About Marketing Automation Software Generated using AI Last updated: June 15, 2026 ### Which marketing automation software maintains data sync integrity with leading CRM platforms across your organization Based on G2 reviews, several products are repeatedly mentioned for CRM-connected workflows and cleaner cross-team visibility. - [HubSpot Marketing Hub](https://www.g2.com/products/hubspot-marketing-hub) — unified CRM and campaign visibility. - [ActiveCampaign](https://www.g2.com/products/activecampaign) — simple Salesforce integration and CRM workflows. - [Braze](https://www.g2.com/products/braze) — syncs outreach with Salesforce and Snowflake. - [Klaviyo](https://www.g2.com/products/klaviyo) — strong Shopify data sync and segmentation. ### How does teams use marketing automation software for complex sales cycles without custom development effectively According to verified users, teams use marketing automation software to reduce handoffs and keep long buying journeys organized through automated nurture flows, lead routing, reminders, segmentation, and CRM-linked activity tracking. Reviews repeatedly describe using workflows to guide prospects from first touch through qualification, follow-up, and onboarding without depending on engineering for every campaign change. Users also value having campaign, contact, and engagement history in one place so marketing and sales can work from the same context. The main theme across recent reviews is operational efficiency: fewer manual tasks, better lead visibility, and more consistent follow-up across longer B2B-style journeys, even when teams are lean or support multiple channels. ### What are the best marketing automation software platforms for B2B SaaS demand generation Based on G2 reviews, these products are frequently associated with B2B workflows, lead management, and demand generation execution. - [HubSpot Marketing Hub](https://www.g2.com/products/hubspot-marketing-hub) — lead nurturing and lifecycle visibility. - [ActiveCampaign](https://www.g2.com/products/activecampaign) — surprisingly easy complex B2B workflows. - [Adobe Marketo Engage](https://www.g2.com/products/adobe-marketo-engage) — scalable lead scoring and nurturing. - [Oracle Eloqua](https://www.g2.com/products/oracle-eloqua) — complex B2B campaign orchestration. ### What are the most important features in marketing automation software According to verified users, the most important features in marketing automation software are workflow automation, segmentation, lead nurturing, campaign tracking, and reporting that connects activity to customer engagement. Reviews also repeatedly highlight CRM connectivity, email campaign management, landing pages or forms, lifecycle management, and audience targeting as core buying criteria. For more advanced use cases, users value multichannel messaging, journey building, AI-assisted content support, and integrations that reduce manual data movement. Across the recent review set, buyers consistently point to one core outcome: the best platforms help teams centralize contacts, automate repetitive work, and make follow-up more relevant and timely without relying on multiple disconnected tools. ### How do teams use marketing automation for lead nurturing G2 reviewers mention using marketing automation for lead nurturing by creating triggered email sequences, follow-up reminders, and segmented outreach based on customer behavior. Common examples in recent reviews include nurturing prospects after form fills, reacting to page visits or campaign engagement, automating onboarding and re-engagement messages, and routing qualified leads to sales with more context. Users also describe using workflows to reduce manual follow-up and keep communications consistent across the funnel. The recurring takeaway is that marketing automation helps teams maintain always-on nurture programs, personalize outreach more effectively, and keep leads moving without losing track of engagement history or relying on one-off manual tasks. - ‹ Prev‹ Prev - 1 - [2](/categories/marketing-automation?facet1=startup&order=g2_score&page=2#product-list) - [3](/categories/marketing-automation?facet1=startup&order=g2_score&page=3#product-list) - [4](/categories/marketing-automation?facet1=startup&order=g2_score&page=4#product-list) - [5](/categories/marketing-automation?facet1=startup&order=g2_score&page=5#product-list) - … - [33](/categories/marketing-automation?facet1=startup&order=g2_score&page=33#product-list) - [34](/categories/marketing-automation?facet1=startup&order=g2_score&page=34#product-list) - [Next ›Next ›](/categories/marketing-automation?facet1=startup&order=g2_score&page=2#product-list) Spotlight Categories [Marketing Analytics Tools](https://www.g2.com/categories/marketing-analytics) [Digital Adoption Platforms](https://www.g2.com/categories/digital-adoption-platform) [Contact Center Quality Assurance Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/contact-center-quality-assurance) [Sales Performance Management Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/sales-performance-management) [Online Backup Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/online-backup) Similar Categories - [Account-Based Marketing](/categories/account-based-marketing) - [Affiliate Marketing](/categories/affiliate-marketing) - [App Store Optimization](/categories/app-store-optimization) - [Audience Intelligence Platforms](/categories/audience-intelligence-platforms) - [B2B Services Review Platforms](/categories/b2b-services-review-platforms) - [Blogger Outreach](/categories/blogger-outreach) - [Book Marketing Tools](/categories/book-marketing-tools) - [Brand Intelligence](/categories/brand-intelligence) - [Consumer Insights Platforms](/categories/consumer-insights-platforms) - [Consumer Video Feedback](/categories/consumer-video-feedback) - [Content Curation](/categories/content-curation) - [Content Marketing](/categories/content-marketing) - [Conversational Marketing](/categories/conversational-marketing) - [Conversion Rate Optimization Tools](/categories/conversion-rate-optimization-tools) - [Customer Data Platform (CDP)](/categories/customer-data-platform-cdp) [Browse Marketing Automation Themes](/categories/marketing-automation/themes) ![Alanna Iwuh](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Alanna Iwuh") A Researched and written by [Alanna Iwuh](https://research.g2.com/insights/author/alanna-iwuh) Updated July 10, 2025 Marketing automation software helps businesses streamline and scale their marketing efforts by automating campaigns, workflows, or tasks across multiple channels. These platforms serve as a centralized marketing database to enable teams to create segmented, personalized, and timely marketing experiences for customers or prospects based on customer interaction data. These marketing automation tools should ideally support omnichannel marketing engagement across email, SMS, WhatsApp, social media, direct mail, digital advertising, and more. A key component of marketing automation tools is the ability to create highly personalized journeys based on user behavior, preferences, and lifecycle stage. By leveraging dynamic content, segmentation, and behavioral triggers, marketers can tailor messages to individual users in real time. This level of personalization improves engagement and conversion rates by reaching customers through the right channel at the right time. Marketing automation products often integrate with [customer relationship management (CRM) software](https://www.g2.com/categories/crm), [customer data platforms (CDP)](https://www.g2.com/categories/customer-data-platform-cdp), [social media management software](https://www.g2.com/categories/social-media-mgmt), [e-commerce platforms](https://www.g2.com/categories/e-commerce-platforms), and [account-based orchestration platforms](https://www.g2.com/categories/account-based-orchestration-platforms). While marketing automation tools do include [email marketing](https://www.g2.com/categories/email-marketing) features, products in G2's Marketing Automation category are excluded from the Email Marketing software category, which houses tools that primarily address automation in the email channel. To qualify for inclusion in the Marketing Automation category, a product must: - Automate two or more of the following workflows: email, social media, SMS, and digital ads - Provide advanced email marketing capabilities including A/B testing, spam filter testing, scheduling, segmentation, and detailed performance reporting - Act as a central marketing database for marketing information and interactions - Allow dynamic segmentation of marketing campaign targets - Contact targets across multiple channels after specific actions, triggers, or periods of time - Generate forms and landing pages to collect prospect information - Provide analytics and reports that track the entire lifecycle of a campaign, including ties to revenue and campaign return-on-investment (ROI) - Provide personalization features to tailor marketing campaigns based on customer behavior - Integrate with sales or marketing software such as CRM, CDP, or e-commerce platforms - Not be categorized in the email marketing software category — products must cater to multiple channels, including email marketing Top Tools at a Glance | | CRM-connected marketing automation | User Review "All-in-One Hubspot with Seamless Integrations and Invaluable CSM Support" | | | Customer journey automation for email-led campaigns | User Review "Efficient Automation with Solid Support" | | | Omnichannel lifecycle messaging | User Review "Smooth sailing" | | | E-commerce email and SMS automation | User Review "Easy-to-Use Platform for Email Marketing Automation" | | | E-commerce email and SMS campaign setup | User Review "Omnisend Streamlined Our Client Communications with Fast, Powerful Automation" | * * * Show More * * * ## How Do You Choose the Right Marketing Automation Software? ### What You Should Know About Marketing Automation Software ### What is Marketing Automation Software? Marketing automation software allows companies to optimize their marketing strategy by automating marketing tasks such as email marketing, social media posts, and lead generation. The automation of these tasks is made possible by creating an automation workflow. A workflow serves as the path that triggers one marketing task after another. An example of this would be when a new customer creates an account on your website, which triggers a welcome email to be sent out to them. Once that welcome email is triggered, product announcement emails are sent, then sale announcement emails, and so on. Each step in the workflow is prompted automatically by a previous step, so no one has to do each step manually. The workflow can then be shaped around any marketing task, whether that is social media management, lead acquisition, or A/B testing. With this in mind, marketing automation software is not a one-off function that can be automated for years on end. Workflows must be manually updated so the marketing material remains relevant and engaging for customers. While the actual function of email marketing can be automated, the content of the email must be updated with current offerings, company updates, or other relevant information. Key Benefits of Marketing Automation Software - Measure campaigns to optimize, justify, and prioritize initiatives - Reduce time spent administering marketing programs and completing tasks - Improve close rates with timely and relevant engagement - Boost brand and messaging consistency across campaigns and channels via templates and standards - Shorten sales cycles with quicker response times - Customize marketing to each customer’s needs - Create scheduled and automated activities for around-the-clock engagement without manual effort ### Why Use Marketing Automation Software? Marketing automation tools allow you to spend more time focusing on creative solutions while increasing your close rate and improving the quality of your leads. This software helps develop your business and lets you focus on more pressing aspects of day-to-day functions. For starters, you will be able to reduce your staffing costs by a considerable amount; lead nurturing and marketing campaigns can be run automatically instead of manually, enabling your business to potentially send thousands of personalized emails a day without lifting a finger. This type of automation also helps your sales activity dramatically by improving your lead management and prioritization, which usually results in a better ROI. In addition, marketing automation tools hold your marketing and sales teams accountable for their performance with concrete data points, giving you the ability to adjust and improve your business strategies. Key Business Problems Solved with Marketing Automation Software - Create more targeted, well-informed content - Provide overall message direction based on customer data - Customize messaging across a customer base - Personalize messaging without manual entry - Reduce staffing and labor costs ### Who Uses Marketing Automation Software? Small businesses and large enterprises alike can benefit from marketing automation software. If you are a small business, you can directly benefit from marketing automation tools without having to increase your headcount, which can be especially important for companies with a small workforce and limited hiring capital. While the initial setup requires an investment of time to customize your platform, the overall result will be a significant decrease in tedious marketing tasks and a more effective sales cycle. From a small-business perspective, it’s exceedingly important to be effective and intentional with the finite amount of resources at your disposal. Marketing automation tools will allow your staff to make the most out of the hours allotted to them, freeing up time for creative solutions instead of repetitive tasks. These tools can optimize your staff’s time, allowing for a more effective business strategy. **Marketing teams —** Marketing automation tools allow marketing teams to automate tedious tasks, organize workflows, and collect more customer data. By automating marketing tasks like email marketing, lead generation, and digital advertising, marketing teams save plenty of time and are able to focus more time on analyzing their data. Spending more time with this data results in a more effective marketing strategy. **Sales teams —** Marketing automation software allows sales teams to leverage marketing data to identify qualified leads, analyze customer sentiment, and establish better communication with customers. When sales teams understand what leads have expressed a major interest in the product, they can reach out to customers based on actual data and turn cold calls into warm calls. With marketing automation data, sales teams can also be notified when the best time is to reach out to their leads. If leads are on a pricing page, this can trigger an alert to a sales rep to reach out to that lead and talk them through the product offering. **Content managers —** Content managers can use marketing automation software to automate the content publishing process. This allows content marketing teams to schedule posts for the most effective times during the day, which can drive more visibility for their content. ### Kinds of Marketing Automation Software Marketing automation software is an umbrella term for any software that allows companies to automate or streamline their marketing efforts to improve operational efficiency and increase revenue. With this in mind, many tools that businesses use on a day-to-day basis contain marketing automation functionalities, including CRM and email marketing tools. However, while many tools provide marketing automation, these products may vary in their focus and breadth of features. Below are some of the different focuses you may find in a marketing automation solution: **Inbound marketing automation —** Inbound marketing automation is designed for marketing teams that focus more on content management. This usually translates to teams that write blogs or post social media content to attract new customers. Within inbound marketing, some examples of tasks that can be automated include marketing analytics, reputation management, social media monitoring, and sales lead generation. The automation of these aspects frees up time for marketers to analyze the customer data and make informed decisions on how to improve marketing strategies. **Lead management and nurturing automation —** With lead management and nurturing automation, sales teams can automate the process of acquiring and qualifying leads based on which are most likely to convert. This is particularly useful for sales teams, as users capable of setting parameters for what constitutes a qualified lead. This may be when prospective customers visit your product page three times, or it may be when they only come once. You get to decide when the automation tool triggers a sales notification that will alert sales reps to reach out to qualified leads and close a sale. With this tool, sales reps can save plenty of time by focusing on only the most qualified leads. **Pricing automation —** E-commerce websites and online retailers can use pricing automation tools to close more sales. If a customer has come to your website and has been browsing a certain product multiple times, then it is very likely that they are considering buying that product. With pricing automation, retailers can automatically drop or raise prices based on interest or repeated product page visits. This allows retail sites to close more deals by offering customers a price point that they are willing to settle on. **B2B (business to business) vs. B2C (business to consumer)** — Both B2B and B2C companies can experience value from using marketing automation software to send more personalized, timely, and relevant messages to consumers. B2B and B2C businesses do, however, have differing needs that must be met from this type of software. First, B2B companies have considerably longer buying cycles, and the decision process involves more steps. Additionally, B2B buying decisions are not typically made by just one individual; there are often numerous decision-makers that conduct extensive research before making a purchase. Meanwhile, B2C consumers typically make decisions on an individual basis and generally make buying decisions faster than B2B consumers. These differences impact a business’ marketing strategy, the channels in which they reach their consumers, and the types of content that get automated. Consequently, B2B and B2C companies consider marketing automation software features differently. B2B companies leverage marketing automation software to assist in nurturing their leads throughout the sales cycle and look for features like integration into their CRM, lead scoring, and high-quality data (i.e., no duplicate contact records). B2C companies focus on the customer journey and making data-driven, predictive recommendations for products or services, typically requiring features such as retargeting, retention marketing, and personalized cart and browse abandonment messages. Since B2C companies typically experience a shorter sales cycle, personalization of their websites and messaging is of utmost importance; the marketing automation software they choose to implement typically needs to integrate with e-commerce sites. In contrast, while nurturing their leads, B2B companies use marketing automation software to send educational and event-based emails to increase brand awareness. Finally, the channels in which B2B and B2C companies reach their consumers differ. Both B2B and B2C businesses rely on email marketing, but B2C businesses often use other channels as well. That being said, they often look for marketing automation software than can support automation with other channels, including SMS, push notifications, and social media messaging. ### Marketing Automation Software Features **Email marketing —** One of the main functions of marketing automation software is the automation of email marketing. For example, once a customer signs up for your company’s newsletter, marketing automation takes over and can start sending out email marketing campaigns based on events, online activities, and lead scores. Email marketing functions also automate the personalization and branding of marketing emails. This way, each email that gets sent out is a personally addressed letter to whomever signed up for your newsletter. A final important function of email marketing automation is managing email deliverability.This ensures inbox delivery and includes opt-in management, bounce handling, unsubscribe processing, suppression lists, email preview, spam checking, link validation, and delivery monitoring. This way, businesses can focus on analytics and profit rather than manually attending to every customer need. **Social media marketing —** Marketing automation software allows businesses to automate the process of managing a social media campaign, which can increase customer engagement and visibility for your brand or product. With automation tools, you can schedule automated posts such as polls, sweepstakes, and referral programs. Then, marketing automation software can evaluate the customer sentiment of your posts by measuring likes, comments, replies, and retweets. Not only does this help raise brand awareness, but it also allows users to see how their brand is being perceived. **Lead management —** Using marketing automation software to manage leads is one of the most effective ways to attract new customers. With lead scoring and grading features, marketing automation software can automatically qualify and score leads based on demographics, as well as prospect online behaviors like recency and frequency. Additionally, businesses can automate drip marketing campaigns that send relevant messages over time, based on prospect behaviors and predefined campaign steps. Automated [behavior tracking](https://www.g2.com/categories/marketing-automation?filters%5Bverified_features%5D%5B%5D=108&utf8=%E2%9C%93) then tracks which emails a prospect opens and clicks, what web pages they visit, and what keywords they use. All of these lead management tools allow businesses to collect and analyze prospect data without having to do the leg work of manually assessing each customer lead. **Advertising automation —** Marketing automation tools can lead customers down the sales funnel by automating when leads see certain advertisements. If customers are revisiting a product page multiple times, this triggers your marketing automation software to present the customer with product advertisements based on where they are in the sales funnel. If they are strongly considering buying the product, then this might trigger a sales advertisement, or if they have been looking at competing products then this might also trigger an advertisement from your website. This helps to keep your product visible so customers always consider purchasing your product, even when they are considering another product as well. **Workflow management —** Workflow management automates a process that typically requires intervention by several different users due to its series of steps. Administrators can write rules to determine who, and when, a user needs to complete a step. This also includes notification of users when they need to take action, which creates one fluid workflow that is meant to lead customers through the sales funnel, all the way from awareness to purchase. **Mobile marketing —** To supplement both email and social media marketing, marketing automation tools also have the capability of automating mobile marketing. Users can communicate with customers by sending out push notifications, wearable device notifications, or Apple Wallet and Google Pay notifications. This way, even when apps or websites aren’t open, you can still send mobile notifications so customers are alerted with sale alerts, product announcements, new features, etc. Many marketing automation software tools will also offer the following features:  - [Social media engagement capabilities](https://www.g2.com/categories/marketing-automation/f/social-media-engagement) - [Social media advertising capabilities](https://www.g2.com/categories/marketing-automation/f/social-media-advertising) - [Event/webinar marketing capabilities](https://www.g2.com/categories/marketing-automation/f/event-webinar-marketing) - [Search tracking and optimization capabilities](https://www.g2.com/categories/marketing-automation/f/search-tracking-and-optimization) - [SEO/keyword analytics capabilities](https://www.g2.com/categories/marketing-automation/f/seo-keyword-analytics) - [Social listening capabilities](https://www.g2.com/categories/marketing-automation/f/social-listening) - [Budgeting capabilities](https://www.g2.com/categories/marketing-automation/f/budgeting) - [B2B capabilities](https://www.g2.com/categories/marketing-automation/f/b2b) - [B2C capabilities](https://www.g2.com/categories/marketing-automation/f/b2c) - [Online Behavior Tracking capabilities](https://www.g2.com/categories/marketing-automation/f/online-behavior-tracking) ### Trends Related to Marketing Automation Software **Interactive email marketing —** Email marketing is one of the most-used features in marketing automation software. Although marketers can reach a wide scope of customers by automating thousands of promotional emails, most of those emails don’t provide any brand interaction or personalized content. With this in mind, email marketers are looking to make more personalized and interactive media content in each email. This may include animated GIFs, promotional videos, games, quizzes, etc. ### Potential Issues with Marketing Automation Software **Over-automating —** One of the common pitfalls of using marketing automation software is over-automation, when companies fall under the misconception that marketing automation software is a fix-it-all solution that you can “set and forget." Marketing automation, like many other innovative technologies, works better with human expertise and management. This means consistently monitoring workflow automation in order to reflect new offerings from your business. ### Software and Services Related to Marketing Automation Software [**CRM**](https://www.g2.com/categories/crm) **—** Retaining and developing relationships with new and old customers is paramount for any growing business. As such, it’s important that your marketing automation tool integrates with a CRM. By integrating these two together, you can have a one-stop shop for marketing analysis and customer data. Not only can you view customer information such as name, address, and company info, but you can also view important marketing information such as which pages they visit, the duration of those visits, and which products they are most interested in. Furthermore, since marketing automation software automatically scores leads based on how likely they are to convert into a customer, it’s important to have your leads and customer information in one place so sales and marketing teams can team up on strategizing how to close a sale. Aside from closing new deals, marketing automation can also reignite interest in old customers by sending out drip email campaigns. If your marketing automation software is integrated with your CRM, you can identify all your old customers and send them content periodically in the hopes of reattracting them to your brand. Ultimately, the coupling of your CRM and marketing automation will also bring you the clearest view on which marketing initiatives are attracting new customers and which ones are not. This will enable your company to track ROI in real time and provide insight into making smarter business decisions based on concrete customer data. [**Project management**](https://www.g2.com/categories/project-management) **—** Project management software assists employees, administrators, and teams in managing team goals and long-term projects, as well as coordinating individual tasks. Since marketing automation revolves around creating workflows, it’s important to visualize all of the necessary steps that must be completed before creating an automated workflow. With a project management tool, marketing teams can collaborate and pull assets together to create one streamlined marketing campaign. [**Social media advertising**](https://www.g2.com/categories/social-media-advertising) **—** It goes without saying that more and more people are being both informed and influenced by products that are advertised on social media. With Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter being some of the most visited websites in the world, marketers must make their brand visible across these channels in order to stay competitive. Integrate your marketing automation software with social media advertising software so you can automate the process of buying, managing, and placing social ads.