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Marketing Automation Vendor Comparison Guide
+1-703-624-7285
www.definitive-results.com
@DefintvResults
Implementing Marketing Automation Software
Before purchasing lead management software it is vital to understand what each one offers and which features best suits
your company’s needs. Consider the size of your company, your business needs, number of product lines, customer
relationship management/sales force automation systems you currently have and the number of marketing channels that
you wish to employ in the future. All of these details will help you to select the software to best fit your company’s
needs and help you to exceed your marketing goals.
Questions to Ask Yourself before Selecting Your Marketing Automation Software
Before selecting your marketing automation software it is important to evaluate your organization’s business needs, staff
capabilities, management support, and financial resources. Use these questions to begin the process:
1. What kind of marketing automation toolset do we need? Marketing Automation is not a one size-fits-all solution;
it’s important to find the right fit.
2. What are your goals? It is develop your goals for your marketing automation system.
3. Does management support this purchase? It is important to have an executive sponsor to secure the proper
support.
4. Do we have the internal skill set and necessary staff? To maximize your ROI, internal staff will need training and
a willingness to develop and execute new business processes.
5. How will we measure success? Set benchmarks that will help you evaluate your progress and the success of the
automation.
6. Have we realistically assessed the cost? Some marketing automation platforms are inclusive, while others
feature an array of add-on tools and services that can significantly increase costs.
Oracle/Eloqua Marketo HubSpot Silverpop Infusionsoft Pardot Salesfusion
Adobe
Marketing
Cloud
Cost
Starting at
$2,000/month and
increases with # of
contacts and
marketing users
Starting at
$895/month,
increases with
additional
functionality
Starting at
$200/month for 100
contacts, increases
with # of contacts
and functionality
Not Available
Starting at
$199/month (2,500
contacts) to
$379/month (10,000
contacts)
Starting at
$1,000/month for
up to 10,000
contacts, increases
with functionality
Starting at
$950/month for
10,000 contacts,
increases with
added functionality
and contacts
Consists of 6
solutions with
different pricing;
package pricing not
available
Training (cost)
Add-on.
Pricing
approximately
$2,500 for all-
access-pass to
Eloqua University
Included
$500 for Basic
accounts, $2000 for
Pro and Enterprise,
$7000 for advanced
training
Not Indicated
Add-on. Pricing
starts at $1195 for
Core Course at
Infusionsoft
University
Weekly instructor-
led group training
sessions included at
no cost; customized
training packages
start at $500 for 2
hours
Pricing not
indicated, but on-
site, classroom and
online training
available
Not indicated
Year Founded 1999 2006 2006 1999 2001 2007 2006 Acquired Neolane in
2013
Publicly Held
Company Yes Yes No IBM Company No Yes No Yes
Target Customer Large Company Medium to Large
Company
Small to Medium
Company
Medium to Large
Company Small Company Medium Company
Small to Medium
Company
Medium to Large
Company
Integration with
CRM
Native integration
with Salesforce,
Oracle/Siebel CRM,
and Microsoft
Dynamics CRM,
custom integration
with other CRMs
possible
Native integration
with Microsoft
Dynamics CRM and
Salesforce,
additional
integration with
Netsuite, Oracle
and SugarCRM
available
Native integration
with Salesforce and
Zapier, custom
integration with
other CRMs
possible
Salesforce,
Microsoft Dynamics
CRM and Netsuite
Internal CRM
capabilities
included;
integration with
external CRMs not
indicated
Native integration
with Salesforce,
Sugar CRM,
Netsuite, Microsoft
Dynamics CRM
Native integration
with Microsoft
Dynamics CRM,
Salesforce, Sage
CRM, Saleslogix,
Sugar CRM, custom
integrations
possible
No native
integration
available; custom
integration possible
Campaign
automation X X X X X X X X
Event
Management X X X Not indicated X (integrated app) X X Not indicated
Oracle/Eloqua Marketo HubSpot Silverpop Infusionsoft Pardot Salesfusion
Adobe
Marketing
Cloud
Response
Management X X X X X X X X
Lead Opportunity
Management X X X X Not indicated X X Not indicated
Lead Nurturing
Automation
Qualification
X X X X Not indicated X X Not indicated
Lead
Prioritization X X X X Not indicated X X Not indicated
Lead Scoring X X X X X X X Not indicated
Dynamic
Campaign
Modification
X X X X Not indicated X X X
Behavioral
Tracking X X X X X X X X
Email Marketing X X X X X X X X
Management X X X X X X X X
Email Tracking X X X X X X X X
Personalized
Emails X X X X X X X X
Pipeline
Reporting X X X X Not indicated X Not indicated Not indicated
Personalized
Email Promotions X X X X X X X X
Data Cleansing
and Verification
(How)
Intuitive contact
management
tools to merge and
de-duplicate
groups of contacts
Automated lead de-
duplication, merging
and augmentation
Not Indicated Not Indicated Not Indicated Not Indicated Not indicated Not indicated
Website Tracking X X X X X X X X
Oracle/Eloqua Marketo HubSpot Silverpop Infusionsoft Pardot Salesfusion
Adobe
Marketing
Cloud
Marketing
Analytics X X X X Not Indicated X X X
Reporting and
Analysis Types
• Marketing
database growth
• Closed-Loop
Reporting
• Email metrics,
with response
and performance
analysis
• Campaign
opportunities and
performance
• Website traffic
• Program Analyzer
• Ad Hoc Reports
and Analysis
• Opportunity
Influence
Analyzer
• Revenue Cycle
Model
• Success Path
Analyzer
• Revenue
Analytics
• Marketing
Channel Analytics
• Full-funnel
Analytics
• Revenue
Reporting
• Lead Source
Reporting
• Program
Reporting
• Email analysis
with open and
click-through
rates
• Social reach
• Campaign
analysis
• Closed-Loop
Reporting
Analytics
Connector
• Lifecycle
Reporting
• Paid search
reporting
• Advanced email
reporting
• Campaign ROI
• Closed-Loop
Reporting
• Web analytics
deliverability
reporting
• Engagement
metrics
• Marketing
attribution
• Campaign ROI
• Budget and
cost reporting
ROI Analysis X X X X Not Indicated X X X
Webform
Integration X X X X X X X X
Microsite-
Landing Page
Builder
X X X X X X X Not indicated
Search Engine
Optimization X X X X X X X X
Clients
Thomson Reuters,
McAfee, Rosetta
Stone, Siemens,
Sony, Comcast
Citrix, McKesson,
Samsung, Canon,
Intel, Chrysler
SEERHealth, Bell
Performance,
Paranet, Abbyy
Mazda, Honda,
Condé Nast
The Wall Street
Journal, Forbes,
Entrepreneur,
ZDNet
EzeCastle
Integration, Mzinga,
Emory Healthcare,
Demand Metric,
Data Sync
IBM, Konica
Minolta, Heathrow
Airport, Marketing
Republic
Condé Nast,
redbox, Symantec,
Scottrade, NBC
Universal,
Travelocity, Lenovo,
Sony
Marketing Automation System Summaries
Eloqua, the centerpiece of the Oracle Marketing Cloud, is a leader in modern marketing solutions for B2B and B2C
organizations. Eloqua’s innovative marketing automation and revenue performance management solutions help
marketers to target the right buyers, easily execute campaigns, get the best leads to sales, and deliver the highest
return on your marketing investment.
Eloqua automates core marketing processes, such as lead capturing, lead scoring, list segmentation, email
marketing, campaign and event management, and routing leads to sales. Open connections to dozens of apps,
systems and data sources transform your marketing efforts in a digital age. Eloqua’s highly powerful reports and
dashboards provide access to revenue and campaign performance data, and demonstrate marketing’s influence on
qualified sales leads, pipeline and ROI.
Marketo is a web-based marketing automation software system designed to help sales and marketing professionals
automate the marketing process and collaborate more closely throughout the sales cycle. Marketo gives you the
power and flexibility to quickly launch highly targeted campaigns across your marketing channels, in order to
generate more revenue with less manual effort.
Marketo features automated email marketing, lead nurturing and scoring, social marketing tools, landing page and
form builders, web visitor tracking, search marketing, sales intelligence, CRM integration, and marketing analytics.
Marketo is consistently rated as very easy to use by customers and industry analysts alike.
HubSpot is an inbound marketing software platform that helps companies to attract visitors, convert leads, and
close customers. HubSpot brings your entire marketing funnel together, resulting in more control over an inbound
marketing strategy that actually works.
As a marketing automation tool, HubSpot excels at lead management, email marketing, CRM integration and
marketing analytics. However, HubSpot is not just a marketing automation tool – the all-in-one platform includes
applications to manage blogging, SEO, social media, CMS and landing pages.
Silverpop is a digital marketing software company that is focused on helping marketers transform the customer
experience to increase engagement and drive revenue. Silverpop enables marketers to take action on customer
behaviors in real time, deepen brand loyalty, and automate highly personalized interactions.
Silverpop’s email marketing and marketing automation features include automated campaigns, lead scoring, web
tracking, landing pages and forms, CRM integration, A/B testing, advanced segmentation and multi-channel
messaging. Real-time reporting and analytics, including pipeline and open revenue reports, allow marketers to
instantly identify how much revenue their marketing efforts are contributing to sales.
Infusionsoft is designed specifically for smaller businesses, and features cutting-edge marketing and sales
automation functionality in affordable packages.
Infusionsoft combines contact management, marketing automation and e-commerce in one system. Marketing
automation tools include campaign automation, email marketing, landing page and web form builder, web activity
monitoring, multimedia marketing, marketing reporting and social lead generation. Lead scoring and distribution,
opportunity management and sales reporting are managed by the inbuilt CRM.
Pardot is a full-featured marketing automation tool that for mid-size B2B organizations. Pardot’s platform helps
marketing and sales teams work together to generate and qualify sales leads, shorten sales cycles, and demonstrate
marketing accountability.
Tools for sales teams include real-time sales alerts, CRM integrations, prospect tracking and analytics, lead scoring
and grading, and a Data.com connector. Marketing features such as lead nurturing, lead capture forms,
segmentation, automated campaigns, social posting and profile lookup, intuitive landing page builder, progressive
profiling, easy to use email tools, and comprehensive reporting, make Pardot a leader in marketing automation.
Salesfusion is built on a CRM database, and can integrate at a deep level with customers’ installed CRMs.
Salesfusion is powerful yet cost effective, and helps marketing teams by giving them all of the latest technology to
generate demand and leads for your sales team.
Key features of the platform include comprehensive ROI reporting, email marketing tools, lead nurturing, email
testing, behavioral targeting, surveys, microsites, web lead capturing, lead routing, web analytics, web visitor alerts,
lead scoring and profiling, event management, social analytics and publishing, campaign management, and several
native CRM integrations.
The Adobe Marketing Cloud combines analytics, social marketing, media optimization, targeting, web experience
management, and cross-channel campaign management, in one integrated system. The Cloud is a complete set of
solutions, including Adobe Analytics, Adobe Target, Adobe Social, Adobe Experience Manager, Adobe Media
Optimizer, and Adobe Campaign, as well as real-time dashboards and a collaborative interface, marketers are able
to combine data, insights and digital content to deliver the optimal brand experience to their customers.
Capabilities include real-time web, social and mobile analytics, segmentation, email testing, rule-based targeting,
automated social campaigns, digital asset and web content management, search engine marketing, and cross-
channel campaigns.
User Reviews
(Reviews sourced from www.softwareadvice.com)
Ben from DENTSPLY, July 2014
Reporting and analytics are difficult; campaigns are easy. Eloqua University is vital. Expect a steep learning curve.
It's a mature product with good features. The email creation tool is primitive (we design in Dreamweaver instead),
and email delivery analytics are limited. The account rep, success coach, professional services, and tech support
are all great. Best of all is the Topliners Community bulletin board of fellow Eloquans. It brought us into a new
era of one-on-one marketing. The ability to track a customer by name and deliver knowledge of what he or she is
interested in is new and exciting to us. We are converting all of our submission forms (including a Facebook form)
to Eloqua-enabled.
Francesca from Code Mitte, February 2013
Eloqua is a complete tool, something more than sending emails or automating emails. I can easily get the ROI in
the Eloqua reports and dashboards, and I can see the entire lead cycle, from the marketing source to the
revenue, and the performance of each single assets in each step of our sales cycle. Thanks to the Eloqua sales
enablement tools our sales team is now aware of all leads, online activities, and can prioritize them. Eloqua has
many functionalities … so it is important to take advantage of them, especially if you want to see the return of
the investment!
Marilyn from Cincom Systems, December 2012
I could not effectively do my job without Eloqua. Eloqua allows me to make smart marketing decisions based on
proven outcomes. I can better enable both my sales and marketing organizations with tools provided. We are an
aligned strong global organization because of Eloqua.
Brande from Advanced Micro Devices, August 2012
I've had the fortune of using Eloqua at the last two organizations that I've worked for. Both organizations had
unique data storage programs and therefore integration was of great importance. I've been very pleased with the
ease of the integration and the incredible support that we received in both cases from the Eloqua team.
Krista from SurePayroll, July 2012
I have been using Eloqua for over a year now to manage my B2B email marketing and nurture campaigns. I can't
imagine a more useful or easy-to-use tool. From the day we implemented Eloqua, we had full support from their
team of experts who walked us through everything from implementation to best practices. Eloqua has their own
University and certifications that help you advance your knowledge of both the product and marketing.
Michelle from NComputing, September 2014
The user interface makes it easy to find your way around. It's also a great tool if you need to scale the number of
users to execute campaigns with the cloning capability. Marketo helps us execute our campaigns and manage
our lead management process. The performance can approve somewhat. Some days, the Marketo instance can
be extremely slow! Customer support is great if you get a good rep, but some reps are not knowledgeable at all.
It's a very powerful tool, and the user interface makes it very easy to use. Some of the capabilities are not
customizable, but Marketo has done a great job of gathering feedback from customers and adding those features
into their product roadmap. I highly suggest using Marketo if you have several users that need to run campaigns.
Marketo makes it very easy to clone programs to leverage global campaigns.
Laura from DMI, August 2014
It's challenging, but that's because it's so powerful. There are multiple ways to do just about everything, so that
can make it confusing, but there's also not much it can't do. It's very powerful and provides more functionality
than our last ESP vendor by a tremendous margin. It's great. Big companies use this platform, and you can
quickly tell why. Marketo's support folks are determined to solve whatever issue arises. They take ownership and
won't give up until it's done. The product itself is tremendously powerful, and the Marketo support engineers are
friendly, knowledgeable, and dogged about finding the best solution for whatever difficulty you're having with the
system. The initial ramp-up time to learn the program is pretty intense. For the first couple of months that we
had Marketo, I didn't like it very much at all. Check out industry reviews. Marketo and Eloqua are the top two in
the field, and I think Marketo edges out Eloqua on platform design and options available.
Mike from Textron Aviation, August 2014
It was built by marketers for marketers, but it still requires a fair amount of programming and coding
knowledge to leverage its full potential. It meets our needs very well. We have a complex group of products
and services globally. The system continues to evolve and improve. Marketo has a fantastic partner
program to enable unique functionalities should you need them. Customer support is okay, but it's not one
of their strong suits. I like its easy-to-use interface and its seamless integration with Salesforce. There are
additional charges for each new add on, and sometimes it can feel like you are getting gouged. Marketo is
a very powerful tool when used correctly. If you only have strategies and processes for doing email blasts,
it's too much for you. Marketing automation requires an investment in people and technology if it is to be
used correctly and fully.
Jackie from LI-COR, June 2014
It is pretty easy to use, and you can train additional users in minimal time. There are some features that
we still want, like the calendar and better workspaces. It works well most of the time. They are always
trying to improve their product and make it better for customers. Customer support is very helpful in
helping you find the solution to your problem. They have a great community site as well. It is pretty easy to
use; they continually try to make updates and improvements. Look for the program that best fits your
needs, as it will be very difficult to switch if you ever want to.
Konrad from Contact Clould, February 2013
The system will work wonderfully 80% of the time but the other 20% of the time system breaks down (workflows
won’t work, wont capture valuable leads, will spam lists despite a suppression list, etc.). The development team is
always working on it, but this can take 48+ hours with no communication and really no explanation.
Michelle from Lil’ Shoppa, February 2013
I decided to sign up for their free trial of the software, with an understanding that I would be eligible for the $200
a month subscription. I spent 2 weeks going through and setting up lots of CTA's, landing pages and blog posts,
all so I could test the software's functionality. Unfortunately in step 3, I hit a roadblock. The task was to set up
workflows for auto emailing, however this feature was restricted in trial mode. I couldn't proceed to the final step
"analyzing and nuturing leads" without sending the emails. I called customer support and lodged a ticket. I called
my contact who was supposed to guide me through the trial - no response. I waited another week before calling
again to sign up for the subscription, out of fear of losing all the work/data I had set up during the trial. I left
numerous messages and still no response. Finally, my trial ended, all the CTA buttons, links to landing pages,
offers and blog posts were broken and disappeared. I began the laborious job of removing all the code and fixing
my site back to the way it was.
A couple days later I finally get a call from Hubspot. Despite the terrible customer service, I was still wanting to
sign up as to not be left in the lurch. It was then that they informed me, my e-commerce site was not eligible for
the $200 a month subscription.
Lawrence from New York Parking Ticket LLC, September 2012
I am an early adopter and a crusading "true believer" for all things Hubspot because it literally changed my life. …
Hubspot blew the competition away with the quality of their product and extraordinary customer care. I followed
the Hubspot blueprint and watched our website traffic increase from thirty-five visitors per month to 4000 visitors
in only three months. It exploded from there. I've watched Hubspot become an industry juggernaut, yet still
remain humble and treat its customers like family. If your business is looking for the best and still growing
inbound marketing software on the market today along with unsurpassed customer service, check out Hubspot.
You'll be glad you did.
Cory from Tracey Road Equipment, September 2012
I have been a Hubspot customer for about a year and a half now and couldn't be happier with our success with it.
Great product. We have been able to generate hundreds of new leads that we would not have received without it.
Very satisfied!
John from CPW, June 2012
Silverpop is a well-integrated piece of software that has allowed our business to grow. Reasonable pricing across
the board and we have had very little in the way of technical issues. Support requests can be quite slow to get
picked up. However, Silverpop is a strong option for any business regardless of their size.
Max from Leadstream UG, June 2012
In Silverpop we found the partner we needed to reach our customers’ expectations. They help us to deliver state-
of-the-art communication. They have a strong solution with sophisticated features. To be honest, this is what we
can expect from solutions these days. What we can't expect and this is where the real difference is: The people
there are great, have passion, and it's above average knowledge and engagement. People make a project happen,
so well done Silverpop Team.
Irwan from BHQ, June 2012
Silverpop has been an excellent company to work with. From on boarding to account management, and customer
support. Good people with a solid business mind set. Great marketing platform and always improving!
James from FreestyleXtreme, May 2012
The problem we've had with other email marketing platforms is languages. Our site is in 8 different languages and
15 different currencies, meaning we send a lot of different emails! We've been really pleased with Silverpop,
having switched from another emarketing supplier. The transition was quick an easy, and the guys in the support
team were super helpful, even considering some of the ridiculous questions we had!
Great guys to work with and it's a fantastic piece of software. Our open rates have definitely improved, and we're
seeing a better click through rate too - all you can ask of an email-marketing platform!
Jonathan from Cox & Cox Mail Order Ltd, May 2012
Silverpop is a very strong system with excellent functionality, usability, and segmentation capability. All this
combined with good pricing. We consider them to be a valued partner who innovates regularly and continues to
enhance their offering. Silverpop is highly recommended.
Niall from ACCO Brands, May 2012
I have worked with the team at Silverpop in 3 different roles and organizations with the latter two being the
driving force behind bringing them in. I think this serves as testimony to their capabilities, service, and all round
determination to deliver client success. I would thoroughly recommend them and have done so on many
occasions. Silverpop is an excellent system with the service and knowledge to back it up.
Kevin from Xcell VIP, September 2014
The navigation is easy and it doesn't take long to get familiar with most of the functions. The software serves as
a full-time employee once you get it up and running. The quality and value are both very good. Additionally, it
seems to be very stable. We have been happy with the attention they provided. However, we would like more
coaching in the kick start program over a longer period. It provides intuitive functions that help you layout plans
and execute those plans. The contact manager searches for people and companies separately, and that is
sometimes frustrating. Look around and make Infusionsoft one of your last choices to review.
Stephen from JDT International, LLC, September 2014
It did not take us long at all to upload contacts and begin using the software. This product rates highly in
meeting our needs. We have learned to build campaigns that suit our individual business needs. They have done
a great job of developing this product to be intuitive and easy to use for all users. We can find no fault with the
support we have received during the initial start and today as we continue to explore how to use the software to
expand our business. Once you get the hang of this software, it is powerful and can really help a company
capture and maintain it clients. We are excited to start a new selling cycle and have the ability to use this
amazing tool to assist us in keeping track of contacts/leads and more importantly, helping us close deals. The
ability to tell your story that best suites our business is very important. The vendor has a great library of
information to pull from if you need help with the software or coming up with campaigns. The ability this
software has to deliver to an inbox is higher than competitors. The vendors support team is helpful. The video
tutorials are amazing and provide insights on how to use the software and build a successful campaign.
Patricia from CQ Network, September 2014
The buttons are labeled in an easy-to-understand manner. The help links are good, and there's live help available.
The product easily allows us to manage all of our contacts and campaigns. Almost everything runs smoothly all
the time. It provides a lot of functionality. The customer support is awesome; someone is always available to
help! It's easy to navigate, and there's lots of help. Sometimes, the pages are a little slow loading, but other
than that, the website runs smoothly. Always use the Live Chat when looking for help. The respondents are very
informative.
Mark from Harvest, July 2014
Looks are very deceiving. It's fancy and clean-looking, but it's actually far less comprehensive, connected, and
intuitive, as well as more complicated, than a variety of other options. It doesn't meet our needs at all. It's
older, slower, and less intuitive with more moving parts. This is the worst part. They acted nice, but they did not
seem to be based on the needs of people seeking this type of solution. For a product this critical to your
business, you cannot afford to partner with someone who doesn't really seem to care about you, especially when
there are better options available. There's nothing I like. It's more expensive, more complicated, and less user-
friendly by far than so many other quality companies and software options. There is nothing to like here, if you
are one who actually shops for options. Their customer service is horrible. They don't seem to care about
actually delivering honest business value. It's amazing they charge the prices they charge. Only non-shoppers
would choose them. I made a big mistake starting down that path. The upfront promises did not match with the
back-end experience, and we felt like we were slowly trapped into dollars and time which would have been far
better spent toward other products and organizations.
Geri from Scout Exchange, September 2014
The user interface is big, easy to read and easy to follow. The one thing missing is customizable reports. This
would let me cover all of the email programs, drips and list emails in one report for the month. Generally,
reporting in-depth is not out of Pardot. It would still need to come from your CRM. It does what it promises. It's
never down and never misses a send. It keeps lists clean. They have good support. Support knows what they are
doing. They will escalate if it is a question for a deeper expert. Answers are timely (though chat on the higher
levels is the BEST). It's easy to use and learn. It works and does what is says it will do. The customer support is
good, but if you don't have a high level package, you have to wait for a response instead of a live chat. However,
their turn times are good. Get under the hood. Have them show you how to build a drip program.
Jasmine from Healthcare Success, September 2014
It's extremely easy to figure out. They have great implementers who walk you through the software from top to
bottom. The functionality is perfectly suited to our needs. It's not too robust, and one or two people can manage
all of the marketing materials. It has a beautiful interface. I'm very happy with the ease of use. Sometimes the
(support) turnaround time exceeds 24 hours. Other times you can chat with someone live. However, their library
of knowledge makes things easy to figure out on your own. I love the ease of use of Pardot, as well as the
functionality. It also seamlessly integrates into our CRM, which was a huge plus. The responsive templates they
provide was a huge bonus. Also, the dynamic content features made my life as a marketer a lot easier.
Unfortunately, the support is only available by chat for certain tiers. You have to upgrade in order to get phone
support. Sometimes I was able to figure out a problem on my own before support came back to me, which ended
up being a little time consuming. Lay out all your needs and check them off as you see the software fits them.
Isabelle from MERX, September 2014
There are instructions every step of the way, and the knowledge base helps, as well as attending the live
webinars that are regularly scheduled. It meets our needs perfectly; however, we have a lot of demands on our
various databases, so sometimes that's the challenge. But the challenge is more from our end. It's well-designed
and keeps improving on a regular basis! Every time I've reached out to customer support, the response is quick
and very helpful. It does what it said it was going to do and what I expected it to do. For the most part, I'm
happy with everything, other than a few small details that I suggest they try. For instance, when I'm working in an
email template, I'd like to see the title of the email I am working in at the top so that I know where I am. I have
suggested it on the Ideas site, and knowing Pardot, I'm sure at some point, it will come up! They have very good
response to customer suggestions and feedback! Don't be afraid! It has a bit of a learning gap, but once you've
passed that hurdle, you're good to go.
Bob from ADI, June 2014
It's fairly easy to pick up. Webinars and online training help a lot. Better social media listening metrics. More
intercession with Other marketing tools like surveys. Fairly solid with reasonable uptime. Build is quality. Very
little buggy issues. Being able to chat online with support is helpful. Follow up is acceptable. I like the ease of
use with Salesforce. There are great training options. It tends to hang when you run automation rules. It can be
tough to get answers to some application questions. Have a hard look at Marketo, but consider this if you are
using Salesforce.
Samantha from First Reef, June 2014
Excellent user interface with an intuitive dashboard. Perfect for SMBs. Lots of capabilities to ease into.
Software is clearly developed with the end user in mind. Whether by phone or email, there is always a
knowledgeable (and friendly!) support team member to guide me to my solution. Efficient/informative sales staff
and excellent customer training and support. We were late to the marketing automation game, but Salesfusion
has improved our sales pipeline, aligned our sales and marketing departments, and allowed us to efficiently
nurture leads very quickly! Salesfusion delivers the same services as the more expensive marketing automation
vendors at a more manageable cost. Training is tailored to your company's specific needs, and I feel the same
love as a customer that I did as a buyer.
(Following reviews sourced from www.g2crowd.com)
Jennifer C, September 2014
The best part of Salesfusion are the people we work with through support and product questions. We receive
answers immediately and the person helping us is interested in getting us to the end goal of the project and not
just answering a one of question. Follow through is key and SF has mastered it. It's hard to think of something
we dislike, but perhaps the reason we haven't started our lead scoring process yet is that it was difficult to set up
the rules for it and get a good understanding of how to track the scores and see them convert. We could use
help in this area if anyone at Salesfusion has time to work with us on this!
I would fully recommend the 30 day risk-free trail. During the process, we had a chance to use the platform, fully
integrated with our CRM, to run test campaigns from. We used it for a few email sends and tracked the results
without ever being committed. This was a game changer in deciding which automation platform to choose.
Rachelle G, September 2014
Great product that is extremely robust, but my absolute favorites is how awesome their customer service is.
Every single question is answered and they always follow up to make sure that you don't have any other issues.
They host great events to make sure that you really are getting the most out of the system and they listen to
how you would use the product so that you're using it to align with what your needs are.
Always plan your integration and keep your CRM team in the loop. Make certain you have sales and marketing on
the same page with expectations.
Ryan W, September 2014
The best thing about Salesfusion is the ability to tailor nurture campaigns based on specific actions or knowledge
that you already have about the user. It allows us the ability to speak directly to what the user may want so they
aren't flooded with messaging they don't care about.
Some of the interface is clunky and HTML designing is the easiest for our look and feel - something that I'm not
well-versed in at all. Other than that, I don't have the content to fully utilize the tool, but that's an internal issue!
Definitely shop around, you'll find that Salesfusion offers the best bang for the buck. It's also a growing tool. Even
in the short time I've been using it (less than 1 year), I've seen some great changes and there are more changes
to come!
(Reviews sourced from www.g2crowd.com)
Michael N, March 2014
Adobe Campaign has great customization and control over the customization. It exposes the code behind almost
all of it's processes and allows a knowledgeable developer a deep expandability not seen in other tools. In many
other tools, the customization is limited to what the developers have available for options or plugins. In Adobe
Campaign, you have the ability to configure nearly everything. If there is a process that is too complex for a
business user to do with the tool, well you can create new forms and menus for them to interact with that can
automate and streamline a previously difficult process. I also like how the process of creating campaign
workflows and deliveries is very straightforward. The real time, drag and drop style canvas is very intuitive for
business users to grasp. With very little training or experience they can create very segmented email deliveries.
Usually when a tool offers exceptional flexability and customization there is a natural downside; a high learning
curve and low ease of use. A user who solely has marketing experience will have a hard time doing advanced
things. In today's instant gratification, hide the backend, guide-you-by-the-hand application environment, it can be
frustrating for these users to have to lean on a more technologically advanced user or even a developer or Adobe
Professional Services. You need to have the right staff around you to maximize and understand the potential of
this tool. This is a tool for a knowledgeable team that knows what they want and desires the capability to expand
the platform for the coming years.
Administrator in Computer Software, March 2014
Its usability, functionality and the fact that you don't need any background of programing language is a big help,
also its layout make it easy to built an email or a registration form. Its analytics is pretty accurate and its report is
user friendly and efficient. The fact that Adobe is involved in acquiring neolane will probably improved even more
the application.
The features such as the right side table column where the table are not very flexible in terms of dimensions,
typography and the flash interactivity that cannot be incorporated. the huge issue is the email proof "looks fine
on neolane" with own url... but as soon as we receive a test via outlook the table, font size picture location is
modified... needs improvement when we do a test via Outlook. what you create on neolane layout is not the same
as seen on outlook. I"m sure those issue will be resolved with the implication of Adobe's background.
User in Hospitality, March 2014
Neolane's "umbrella" CMS platform is very convenient, especially for major businesses. Neolane has the
functionality to manage both direct mail and e-mail in one system which enables offers, variables and triggers to
be better streamlined. Inputting customer and content data is an easy process. The system can use the data to
create unique offers or guest experiences. In addition, Neolane has been acquired by Adobe and will be renamed
Adobe Campaign in the future. Despite it's range of features, it does not excel at one specific component. The e-
mail functions are not as intuitive as other platforms that specialize only in e-mails and likewise for the direct mail
functions. Though there is a plethora of customizations and options, even simple tasks has to be set up
individually and can be time-consuming. The GUI can be difficult to navigate and many of the drop down menus
and checkboxes are dated and prone to errors. The platform feels too open-ended in its current state. It's a
double-edged sword because though it is easy to set up unique customizations, a single mistake can cause the
campaign to have errors. Thankfully, the Support team does a good job helping with many of the problems.
User Interface Screenshots
