Discover folk - the CRM for people-powered businesses
With a lot to do, on top of limited resources and time, small businesses must leverage technology to streamline operations and stay competitive. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems combined with the right marketing automation are essential tools in your tech stack that can help small businesses manage customer interactions, automate marketing tasks, and ultimately drive growth. In this blog post, we will explore the best CRM and marketing automation solutions for small businesses on the market.
What is marketing automation?
Marketing automation refers to the use of software and technology to automate repetitive marketing tasks. This includes email marketing, social media posting, ad campaigns, and more. By automating these processes, businesses can save time, increase efficiency, and provide a more personalized experience for their customers.
What marketing automation features should be available in a CRM?
If you want to choose a CRM with strong marketing automation capabilities, look for the following features.
- Email marketing automation: Allows for automated email campaigns, follow-ups, and personalized communication.
- Lead management: Helps track and manage leads through the sales funnel.
- Social media integration: Enables automated posting and engagement on social media platforms.
- Analytics and eeporting: Provides insights into campaign performance and customer behavior.
- Segmentation: Allows for targeted marketing based on customer demographics, behavior, and preferences.
- Workflow automation: Streamlines business processes and reduces manual tasks
Now that you know what marketing automation software to look for in the CRM systems you want to consider, let's unpack the best CRM software on the market.
4 Best CRM and marketing automation for small business
We know all too well the hustle small businesses face daily and what their busy marketing teams have to juggle. So we've shortlisted the following CRM systems that can help you boost your marketing efforts and streamline your marketing processes. Our list is full of different options for small business owners including a popular CRM, an all-in-one CRM with powerful marketing automation and more.
1. folk
Best for: Customization and simplicity
folk is a CRM designed to be highly customizable, making it an excellent choice for small businesses that need a tailored solution without complexity.
Key features
- Automated lead capture through social media including LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X
- Import LinkedIn search lists directly into your folk CRM
- Turn engagement on LinkedIn into warm leads without having to manually copy and paste contact data
- Mail merge and sequences, allowing for email marketing automation for important email marketing campaigns
- Lead and pipeline management
- Contact management and real-time contact sync
- AI assistance
- Social media automation and integrations
- Multiple marketing campaigns management
- Template library
Pros
- Workflow automation: Social media lead generation and automation that helps you capture lead data.
- Collaborative: Good for marketing team looking in a small business looking to work closer with sales teams.
- Customization: Highly adaptable to specific business needs, allowing for personalized setups.
- User-friendly: Simple, intuitive interface makes it easy for small teams to adopt and use.
- Affordable: Competitive pricing is ideal for small businesses on a budget.
- Automation of repetitive tasks including de-duplication
Cons
- Reporting isn't available in folk yet but it's coming soon.
Price and plans
You can try folk for free with a 14 day free trial. After that, a monthly or annual subscription plan is as follows.
- Standard: $20 per user, per month
- Premium: $40 per user, per month
- Custom: Starts from $60 per user, per month
2. HubSpot CRM
Best for: Free forever plan with basic marketing automation tools
HubSpot CRM is one of the most mature CRM systems on the market. Making it a popular CRM amongst small businesses thanks to its free-forever plan. The catch is, if you're looking for marketing automation work that is feature-rich, a lot of useful ones are gated behind their steep price plans.
Key features
- Email marketing and automation
- Social media management
- Sales pipeline management
- Analytics and reporting
Pros
- Free version: A free tier with essential features is great for small businesses.
- Basic marketing automation tools including email marketing, forms, watermarked live chat function, ad management and mobile optimization.
Cons
- Watermarked features such as their live chat bot may be a deterrent for branding.
- Limited use cases for busy marketing teams that need a CRM with useful marketing functions to boost their efforts.
- Cost: Advanced features and premium tiers can be expensive.
- Complexity: Can be overwhelming for small teams without technical expertise.
Price and plans
HubSpot has a dedicated marketing hub packed with marketing tools. An annual subscription plan is as follows.
Marketing only
- Starter plan: Starts from $15 per user, per month.
- Professional: Starts from $800 per user, per month
- Enterprise: Starts from $3,600 per user, per month.
3. Keap
Best for: Small businesses with a big budget
Keap is a basic traditional CRM designed to help small businesses grow through automated sales and marketing processes.
Key features
- Email marketing automation
- Sales pipeline management
- Appointment scheduling
- Payment processing
Pros
- Automation: Strong focus on automating repetitive sales and marketing tasks.
- Support: Excellent customer support and comprehensive onboarding resources.
Cons
- Learning curve: Can be complex to set up and learn.
- Price: Higher cost compared to other CRMs, which may be a barrier for very small businesses.
Price and plans
An annual subscription plan is as follows.
- Ignite: Starts from $249 per 2 users, per month. For up to 1,500 contacts.
- Grow: Starts from $329 per 3 users, per month. For up to 2,500 contacts.
- Scale: Starts from $499 per 5 users, per month. For up to 5,000 contacts.
4. Nutshell
Best for: Lightweight CRM
Nutshell offers a simple CRM solution focused on growth with lightweight marketing automation tools.
Key features
- Contact and lead management
- Sales automation
- Email marketing tools
- Automated lead capture through lead forms, landing pages and social media
Pros
- Ease of use: User-friendly interface that is easy to set up and navigate.
- Customization: Offers flexibility to adapt to specific business requirements.
- Automation: Choose from custom automations or use their automation builder that allows you to use tried-and-tested proven automations.
Cons
- More sales-heavy with some marketing features.
- Fewer integrations compared to other advanced CRMs.
- Feature rich price and plans may not be suitable for small businesses on a tight budget.
Price and plans
An annual subscription plan is as follows.
- Foundation: $16 per user, per month.
- Pro: $42 per user, per month.
- Power AI: $52 per user, per month.
- Enterprise: $67 per user, per month.
3 best marketing automation software for small business
Designed to do all the heavy-lifting so that busy teams can avoid having to manually copy and paste data and switch context to capture information. folk's tech stack does it all and comes free with your folk CRM.
It includes:
1. folk X
Best for: Lead generation and workflow automation
folk's Chrome extension stack is best for busy marketing functions looking to streamline their workflow and boost their lead generation efforts across multiple social media platforms.
Key features
- Save time with templates: Access your conversation templates from across the web.
- Lead capture from across the web including social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.
- Upload in bulk from LinkedIn search
- Set next steps as you prospect without switching context
2. LinkedIn listening tool
Best for: Notifications about high value leads LinkedIn activity, so you can follow-up at the right time.
folk's LinkedIn listening tool was designed to help you keep track of an important lead's social media activity. So that you can reach out at the right time and adapt your pitch perfectly.
Key features
- Get lead updates by email
- Get notifications for new posts so you can cut through the noise
- Know when your leads get promoted so you can reach out at the right time
- Know when your leads move to a new company so you can adapt your pitch
3. LinkedIn comment exporter
Best for: turning your engagement into warm leads
folk's LinkedIn comment exporter turns your engagement into warm leads. So that you don't have to waste time manually copying and pasting contact information. It's perfect for inbound campaigns, and Founder-led sales strategy.
Key features
- Extract a list of people who have liked or commented on a specific post in 1-click.
- Use for your own content to identify people who are engaging with your socials, or follow brands and thought leaders in your space.
- Activate your list of warm leads with folk CRM in moments and create a custom pipeline view.
Conclusion
Choosing the right CRM with marketing automation capabilities that can do the heavy-lifting for you is crucial for small businesses looking to streamline their workflow and drive growth. folk stands out as one of the best all-in-one CRMs for small businesses due to its high level of customization, simplicity, and affordability. Their powerful Chrome extension tech stack, build specifically for folk users to help them streamline their workflow will help small businesses on a budget avoid having to invest in multiple marketing automation platforms. Try folk today, free.
More resources
- 5 examples of social media outreach strategies
- How to improve your founder led sales strategy
- How to build a centralized contact database
Discover folk - the CRM for people-powered businesses
