Certified Marketing Software – The Ultimate Guide to Selecting the Best Program

If you’re looking for a solution that will help you grow your business while staying organized as well as save you both time and money, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of choosing and comparing the top marketing software programs available today.

Why Use Software To Market Your Business?

Organizing your business’ marketing efforts and being able to access them from anywhere via the internet are among the reasons why so many entrepreneurs are turning to software to streamline their marketing operations. According to HubSpot Blogs research, 66% of business owners say that being able to access information about their marketing efforts from any device is the biggest benefit of software.

Marketo offers a cloud-based marketing suite of products that can all be accessed from a single platform. It offers a variety of features that can help you develop and execute a marketing strategy to grow your business. One of the things that sets Marketo apart from other similar marketing software products is that it was built from the ground up to seamlessly integrate with your existing platforms and systems (e.g. Salesforce, Pipedrive, HubSpot, and other CRM or CMS platforms). This means that it will work seamlessly with your existing email marketing, sales, and customer engagement platforms (just to name a few).

Because so many businesses are now relying on software to carry out their marketing operations, it’s become rather crowded field with countless options. We’ll help you navigate the myriad of choices and find the most suitable marketing software for your needs.

How Do I Choose The Best Marketing Software For My Needs?

Before you begin your search, it’s essential to have clearly in mind what you’re looking for in a marketing software program. There are five main features that you should consider when selecting the right tool for your business.

First and foremost, you’ll want to look for a marketing software that can help your business grow. A large number of marketing software products on the market today focus on growth hacking, keyword research, and analytics. To best of our knowledge, HubSpot is the only marketing software platform that provides a full-blown marketing management console (i.e. creating campaigns, analyzing results, and optimizing future campaigns).

The second most important factor to consider is the price. You want to find a marketing software that will fit your budget. Consider the fact that you’ll be using the product every day, and the more feature-rich the software, the more likely you’ll run into problems (e.g. performance and stability issues, crashes, etc.). Lastly, you’ll want to look for a marketing software that offers a seamless integration with your existing platforms and systems. As we’ve already established, your business’ marketing operations will become more efficient and less redundant if everything is connected and integrated seamlessly.

Keep in mind that there are numerous tools out there that can help you grow your business. What set HubSpot apart was in the customer support that they provided as well as the ease of implementation. For those reasons, we believe that HubSpot is a great choice for businesses looking for a marketing software that can streamline their operations and help them grow.

To learn more, read on.

What Should I Look For In A Marketing Tool?

The following are some of the things to keep an eye out for when searching for a marketing software solution.

Firstly, make sure that the software you’re considering purchasing is reputable and has a good standing among other customers. Because so many businesses are now relying on software to manage their marketing operations, there are many platforms that claim to be the best (or one of the best) marketing tools available – but in reality, they might not be the case (e.g. the software was not tested by the company who claims it was build by them, etc.).

The second most important factor to consider when selecting a marketing tool is the scope of the tool. A marketing tool that provides you with integrated marketing analytics is much more beneficial than one that only provides basic email marketing functions. Consider the fact that marketing analytics allows you to slice and dice your data in numerous ways to better understand your performance and make decisions based on exact metrics (e.g. how many email subscribers opened my email marketing campaigns, how many clicked on my call-to-actions, etc.).

The third most important factor to consider when selecting a marketing tool is customer support. A good product review site will list various customer support hours along with the quality of the support (e.g. is it a live chat support or an email support service, etc.).

The fourth most important factor to consider when selecting a marketing tool is the cost. Just because a product is affordable doesn’t mean it’s bad. It simply means that you can afford to be picky about the features you want and need. You don’t want to waste your precious marketing budget on things you don’t need.

The last but not least important factor to consider when selecting a marketing tool is the quality of the tutorials (or instruction manuals) that come with the product. The more detailed and informative the tutorial, the better. This will help you get the most out of the software and avoid any nasty surprises once you’ve started using it.

To learn more, ask yourself these questions:

Does The Software Have Good Reviews?

The reviews that you read about the product you’re considering buying will give you a great indication of whether or not it’s worth your time and money. To best of our knowledge, UserTesting.com and User Reviews.com are two of the most reputable review sites that cover various topics related to software. You can use either one of these review sites to find all the necessary information you need about the product you’re considering buying (e.g. features, pricing, reviews, etc.).

As we’ve established, good reviews are a great indicator that a product is worth pursuing. However, on the flip side, bad reviews can also help you find a better alternative. This is because there are many good products out there that have been poorly reviewed. You simply have to know where to look.

Knowing where to look for good reviews can also help you avoid purchasing a product that doesn’t deliver as promised. As a rule of thumb, if you’re planning to purchase a product that you’ve never heard of before, take the time to do some research by reading reviews and/or visiting the manufacturer’s website to get more information. This will help you make the right choice and avoid any unpleasant surprises once you’ve started using the product.

Does The Software Have A Live Chat Support?

A live chat support is one of the best things that can happen to a business that relies heavily on software to run its operations. Not only does it provide instant and direct access to agents who can help you with any question or issue you might have, but it can also be a great resource for finding solutions to any problems you might encounter.

To best of our knowledge, HubSpot provides the best combination of features and functionality when it comes to marketing software with a live chat support. What makes it even better is that its agents are some of the most knowledgeable people you’ll find anywhere in tech support when it comes to digital marketing and SEO. This is because they work directly with the software’s developers to ensure that all the features they’ve asked for are added and implemented into the product.

The downside to having a live chat support is that it can become rather crowded. Just imagine, if you have 1000+ email subscribers, sending out live chat requests to your agents can become rather tiresome and overwhelming. You might also end up with several “noisy neighbors,” who are all trying to get your attention by pinging you with repeated questions or requests for help.

That’s why it’s important to have a chat room where only your most important and relevant chats take place. Setting up a space solely for important discussions and leaving regular chats for email correspondences will help you keep things organized and ensure that you don’t end up with an information overload due to lots of unrelated chat requests.

Does The Software Have An Email Support?

The email support that you’ll find in most marketing tools is rather limited in its capabilities when compared to a live chat support. What’s more is that a vast majority of email marketing solutions available today are not all that easy to use or lacking in features. Purchasing an email marketing program that’s easy to use and has all the features you need is probably the best route to take. This will save you both time and money, and ensure that you don’t have to look elsewhere for help (i.e. hire additional help to handle your email marketing).