Marketing automation and email marketing software have a different point of departure, with very different pricing<\/a> and complexities. However there\u2019s a definite trend toward marketing automation<\/a>, with pundits claiming over 80% of the world\u2019s top companies either use marketing automation tools already or plan to do so this year. <\/p>\n So we\u2019re back to our original question: What is the difference between Marketing Automation and Email Marketing software? Here\u2019s how to understand the biggest difference\u2026<\/p>\n In my opinion, the biggest distinction between marketing automation and Email marketing software (ESPs) comes down to how sales happen. Both types of solutions are used for marketing, it\u2019s how your company sells that determines which solution you need<\/strong><\/a>: A company with a dedicated sales team is more likely to benefit<\/strong> from a marketing automation solution than a retailer that relies on ecommerce for sales. <\/p>\n That\u2019s because marketing automation solutions are designed to intelligently nurture leads along until they can be handed over to a sales team. These solutions have lead scoring, and automatically push leads over to sales reps when enough of the right kinds of interactions have occurred between the prospect and the marketing\u2026when the score is \u201chigh\u201d enough to make the prospect a likely lead\u2014and in this case, we mean a sales qualified lead (SQL) vs. a marketing qualified lead (MQL)<\/a>.<\/p>\n ESPs, on the other hand, are mainly used for direct conversion. Emails might be automated and a prospect might get a different email message based on whether he looked at men\u2019s pants or women\u2019s jewelry while on a retailer\u2019s website. Emails can also be used for branding<\/a> and for information purposes too, but these are usually done as part of a marketing and therefore sales process that\u2014in the end\u2014will be a direct conversion that doesn\u2019t require a salesperson. <\/p>\n But that prospect is not getting scored as a lead because whatever sale happens will happen via the website or a brick-and-mortar store without a salesperson having to close the deal. The ESP is used to do the nurturing (sending relevant messages based on the prospect\u2019s behavior), but it\u2019s also used to get the sale. <\/p>\n In general, that means marketing automation is most often a better fit for B2B companies. B2B companies tend to have longer sales cycles and a marketing department tasked with developing and nurturing leads. This kind of company has to have enough interaction with a lead that they feel comfortable handing that lead over to sales. <\/p>\n A sales team is usually limited in its resources and timing is important while personal interaction is expensive. Lead nurturing of the kind marketing automation provides can help a sales team to be much more effective.<\/p>\n Granted there are B2C sales that are also long and drawn out, such as the purchase of a car, but we are speaking in generalities here. <\/p>\n Email service providers have increased their capabilities and some now offer more multi-channel marketing, like social media integration and SMS. Some ESPs can enable you to automate lifecycle messaging<\/a>, to change the messaging sent to a prospect based on that prospect\u2019s behavior or profile. <\/p>\n But they can\u2019t score leads (which is a big part of marketing automation), nor do they need to. Although ESPs are evolving to be more like marketing automation by adding more of that kind of functionality, they weren\u2019t designed from the start to do so. That takes us right back to the biggest difference between the two: In general, the ESP is used to make sales, while marketing automation is used to make leads. <\/p>\n Which is right for you? It starts with your goals. Choosing between a marketing automation solution and an email service provider boils down to what you need, i.e. your marketing requirements, not what they can do. If yours is a business with a sales team and a longer buying cycle that makes lead nurturing critical to your sales success, marketing automation is probably the right choice for you. If not, you should be determining what kind of email service provider will be the best fit for your business. <\/p>\n Be aware that this is not an apples-to-apples comparison. A marketing automation solution often requires a bigger financial investment than an ESP. It\u2019s also more complex, so it takes longer to implement marketing automation software and to master it. Although full-service email marketing agencie<\/a>s can be enlisted to help with this. And you need more content to make it work–lots of content that is targeted and appropriate to the recipients place in the sales cycle. <\/p>\n<\/span>Marketing Automation vs. Email Marketing Software, what is the difference?<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"email_drips_hobsons\"](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/email_drips_hobsons.jpg\")
An example of a multi-channel drip campaign flow by Hobson (source<\/a>)<\/i><\/p>\n<\/span>Marketing automation: better for B2B<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Marketing Automation vs. Email Marketing Software<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>How do you know which to choose?<\/span><\/h2>\n