We compare two of the most powerful customer relationship management platforms in the world: HubSpot and Marketo. Read to find out which is best for your business!
Before we compare features and functions, let’s discuss what a marketing automation platform is and its key benefits. A marketing automation platform is a software service that automates various recurring marketing tasks like email campaigns, social media posts, and advertisements.
There are many benefits of having a marketing automation platform, including:
If you’re interested in learning more about what a powerful marketing automation platform can do for your business, schedule a complimentary marketing automation evaluation with one of our expert team members.
Whether you’re a mid-sized eCommerce company or an enterprise SaaS provider, you should look out for these four key elements when choosing a marketing automation system:
Perhaps the most critical element of any marketing automation solution is its usability. No matter how sophisticated a system might be, if your team has trouble using essential functions, they will be less likely to use the system and your operations will suffer.
Customer support is essential to your marketing automation implementation success. As with any new tech solution, there is a learning curve to overcome when getting started with marketing automation and problems will arise. Effective and affordable customer support when you need it is a non-negotiable.
Your marketing automation solution needs to have a robust toolset capable of attracting, engaging, and nurturing qualified leads. Your automation solution should seamlessly integrate with your sales and customer success strategies.
Pricing is a tricky element to pin down, as marketing automation prices vary widely based on implementation, functionality, features, number of users, and extras. The main thing to consider when looking at a marketing automation solution is to choose an option that will provide you with the most value for your current budget, with the ability to scale as you grow.
Deciding Between HubSpot and Marketo
HubSpot’s Marketing Hub is a complete marketing automation platform that can be easily integrated with sales, customer success, and CRM data. Marketo, on the other hand, is an email-focused marketing automation tool that provides lead nurturing based on tight CRM integration.
So, what are the main differences between HubSpot and Marketo, and how do you decide which platform is right for you? To help you answer these questions, let’s look at who these platforms are for, compare their key elements, review software features, and discuss some pros and cons.
This end-to-end marketing automation software uses the inbound marketing methodology to help users create, publish, and track marketing materials. Marketing Hub was built for growing businesses of all sizes to streamline and unify their marketing processes.
This customizable marketing automation system centers around the lead nurture concept to help businesses capture and convert qualified leads. Marketo was built for mid to enterprise-level companies looking for targeted marketing automation capabilities.
Marketing Hub is very easy to use, with intuitive dashboards, straightforward workflows, and simple integration processes.
Ease of Use
Marketo is fairly easy to use; the user interface can be difficult to navigate.
HubSpot’s vast online community and knowledge base allow users to access a variety of free resources. Dedicated one-on-one support is available through online chat, phone, and email.
Customer Support
Marketo claims to offer support through phone, email, online chat, and other community resources, but our previous clients have stated that these resources are often unreliable.
HubSpot features a robust app ecosystem, easy integration capabilities, and dashboards can be customized.
Flexibility
Marketo lists hundreds of integration partners across multiple industries for easy integration.
HubSpot offers multiple free plans, including HubSpot CRM, Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, and Service Hub plans start at $45 per user, per month.
Pricing
Marketo does not reveal pricing for it's tiered plans.
Dashboards work perfectly for small-midsized businesses.
Analytics & Reporting
Limited analytics and reporting functionality; manual set up can take time.
Marketing Hub connects seamlessly to CRM for powerful lead management.
Lead Generation
Strong lead management; only available after CRM integrations.
Streamlined processes with strong documentation capabilities.
Workflows
Streamlined processes with strong documentation capabilities.
Marketing Hub has a simple, streamlined UI that makes navigating the platform a breeze.
User Experience
Marketo has a relatively complex interface; users need more time to learn.
Marketing Hub set-up is straightforward and quick.
Set-Up
Set-up takes time and expertise.
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Ease of Use |
Marketing Hub is very easy to use, with intuitive dashboards, straightforward workflows, and simple integration processes. |
Marketo is fairly easy to use; the user interface can be difficult to navigate. |
Customer Support |
HubSpot’s vast online community and knowledge base allow users to access a variety of free resources. Dedicated one-on-one support is available through online chat, phone, and email. |
Marketo claims to offer support through phone, email, online chat, and other community resources, but our previous clients have stated that these resources are often unreliable. |
Flexibility |
HubSpot features a robust app ecosystem, easy integration capabilities, and dashboards can be customized. |
Marketo lists hundreds of integration partners across multiple industries for easy integration. |
Pricing |
HubSpot offers multiple free plans, including HubSpot CRM, Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, and Service Hub plans start at $45 per user, per month. |
Marketo does not reveal pricing for it's tiered plans. |
Analytics & Reporting |
Dashboards work perfectly for small-midsized businesses. |
Limited analytics and reporting functionality; manual set up can take time. |
Lead Generation |
Marketing Hub connects seamlessly to CRM for powerful lead management. |
Strong lead management; only available after CRM integrations. |
Workflows |
Streamlined processes with strong documentation capabilities. |
Streamlined processes with strong documentation capabilities. |
User Experience |
Marketing Hub has a simple, streamlined UI that makes navigating the platform a breeze. |
Marketo has a relatively complex interface; users need more time to learn. |
Set-Up |
Marketing Hub set-up is straightforward and quick. |
Set-up takes time and expertise. |
The Importance of Integrations
As we dive deeper into the digitalization of business operations, integrations are becoming an essential component of marketing automation.
Companies today are typically dependent on many different SaaS tools, from workplace collaboration software to sales enablement apps. If your marketing automation platform doesn’t connect to important business apps, your information won’t be centralized, and you’ll be struggling to keep up with a disparate system.
No matter which marketing automation platform you choose, Vonazon will get you fully connected. Our team of specialists has experience integrating hundreds of different applications with various marketing software. Whether you’re looking to get started with a native integration or need to integrate a custom app, our world-class API integration services will help connect your preferred platform without the commitment of a complete migration.
When it comes to choosing between HubSpot and Marketo, the decision isn’t black and white. Overall, HubSpot is a fantastic platform for marketing automation enablement. The platform’s streamlined and intuitive interface allows team members to access what they need and gain insight into the entire marketing funnel. Plus, when utilizing all the HubSpot products together, your marketing and sales functions will be fully aligned with one source of data truth. However, if you’re interested in a powerful email automation platform for your enterprise-level team, Marketo might be worth the investment. You’ll need to assess your business needs and budget carefully to decide which marketing automation platform suits your interests.
Vonazon: Your Integration and Migration Experts
Regardless of which system you are using, you need to work with a partner who can connect your business to the software that matters most. That’s where Vonazon comes in.
With over 15 years of experience implementing customized integration and migration strategies for thousands of clients, we know how to connect your system with custom APIs for a unified experience. Our specialists have worked with every major marketing automation, CRM, and SalesTech platform and have experience managing even the most complex integrations and migrations. Whether you’re switching platforms or looking to integrate all your business apps into a system, our expert team will ensure you’re fully connected. Speak to one of our implementation experts to start planning your data moving journey.
Our Inbound Marketing Services
As a full-service marketing agency, we provide winning inbound methods tailored to your specific business goals. We help you create expert campaigns that will generate qualified leads, nurture these leads through the buyer's journey, and drive sales.
Generating traffic takes work. Our team has the necessary strategies to get you noticed.
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You shouldn’t have to choose either or. We help you capture high-quality, high-volume leads.
Marketing and sales must work together. Our team streamlines your pipeline to fuel sales.
Nurturing leads the right way takes skill. We show you how to optimize your marketing funnel.
The proof is in the data. Our team helps you enhance reports so you can data with KPIs.
Our expert team can assist your company in getting the most out of your marketing automation platform. What's included in your complimentary evaluation:
- 30-minute discovery call
- In-depth evaluation of:
🔴 Contact lists & buyer personas
🔴 Lead management & scoring
🔴 Folder structure
🔴 Email management
🔴 Landing pages
🔴 Form management
🔴 Campaign reporting
- One-hour results & recommendations call
Marketing exists to help support sales. We carry this fact with us throughout our work, recognizing that the solutions we provide as an agency must be valuable, measurable, and provide a positive impact on our partner’s ROI.
Our growing team of skilled marketers makes it our mission to proactively improve our partners’ businesses. Through consistent research and joyful collaboration, we work together to help you grow. Marketing isn’t just our job; it’s our passion.
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