What is the best marketing automation tool for a B2C e-commerce business? - jimmymanalel
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jjohansson
Which CRM software are you using?

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jimmymanalel
Currently we dont have a CRM. I am about to go with Hubspot. What do you think
about Hubspot CRM for a B2C Business.

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jjohansson
The most important consideration with marketing automation is data
integrity/accuracy. If you have a CRM, then the biggest risk to data
corruption is the integration between marketing automation <> CRM. The main
cause of data corruption are the rules governing how data is mapped back/forth
between the systems (dupe records, incorrectly overwriting/losing data, etc).

For example, "John Doe -- jdoe@gmail.com" exists in your CRM, but the customer
submits a form on the site using "John L. Doe -- jldoe@company.com". Even
though it's the same person, it could create a duplicate record if the rules
are based on the email address or name.

Alternatively, the rules could be based on a cookie containing a unique ID.
But this can also be problematic when multiple people use the same computer,
the customer uses different devices, or the device has high security settings
that mess with cookies.

Because of this, the best marketing automation system should integrate
seamlessly with CRM, which means you purchase CRM + marketing automation
__from the same vendor __. Do not trust third party integrations!! I 've seen
firsthand the nightmare of fubar data this creates.

HubSpot marketing automation is excellent for small/midsize business (I've
used them before, and it's a solid product). The main downsides to HubSpot:

\- Costs will grow as your database grows. This can get out of hand quickly if
you have decent volume.

\- Their unique website visitor <> contact mapping rules is based on a cookie
ID, which can be problematic in B2B settings (but not as important in B2C,
where devices are shared less often)

I haven't personally used HubSpot CRM, but I would go with them for data
integrity reasons. Their CRM is tightly integrated with their marketing
automation, which will limit data risks. Plus the CRM is free.

Hope that helps.

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jimmymanalel
Thanks for sharing those insights and information. Do you have any
recommendations for a good CRM + Marketing Automation tool other than hubspot.

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jjohansson
If you can afford it, Salesforce is the best. Beyond that, I'm not familiar
with any worth using.

