Ready to boost your ROI and streamline your marketing efforts? Hoping to avoid getting sucked into the software comparison vortex?
As a small business owner or solopreneur, you’re probably already familiar with these all-in-one marketing platforms. But how do their AI capabilities stack up against the competition? Can you get a two-fer and save a few bucks with their built-in AI tools?
Let’s find out. I’ve also included user loves & gripes, though note: I’ve intentionally omitted “complicated and confusing interface” from gripes since this criticism is pretty outdated and irrelevant. (Have these people tried using Amazon Seller Central? Or Google Analytics? Or any government-run website?)
Moving on…
What are the Best AI-Powered All in One Marketing Platforms for Small Businesses?
The top rated all-in-one AI marketing platforms for small businesses are Hubspot, Systeme.io, ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp and Keap. So how does the software AI technology stack up? Let’s find out.
Top Rated Small Business All-In-One Marketing Platforms
Hubspot, the Inbound King: A Top All in One Platform
Hubspot is best known for its all-in-one inbound marketing, sales, and service platform that helps businesses attract, engage, and delight customers.
Pros: What do users love about Hubspot?
- Workflows – these automate lead nurturing, lead scoring, and email marketing to help businesses save time and improve their efficiency.
- Reporting and analytics – helping businesses to make data-driven decisions, optimize their marketing efforts, and track their return on investment.
- Hubspot’s CRM software – allowing businesses to manage their customer data in one place, ensure that sales and marketing teams are aligned, and deliver personalized experiences across all touchpoints.
- Landing pages – users find them easy to create, customize, and optimize for lead generation.
- Customer support – users rate it highly responsive and helpful.
Cons: What do Hubspot users complain about?
- Limited customizability. Hubspot offers a range of templates, but some users have reported that they can be difficult to customize.
- Cost. Hubspot’s pricing model, which is based on monthly subscriptions, can be costly for some users, especially small businesses or startups with limited budgets.
Hubspot AI Capabilities: How do they stack up?
HubSpot introduced two new AI-based tools, Chatspot and Content Assistant:
- ChatSpot is a conversational CRM bot. You’ll use chat-based commands to create a new contact on the fly, send follow-up emails, pull reports, create new segments, and more.
- Content Assistant (launching soon) allows users to toggle between manual and AI content creation to generate copy for blog posts, landing pages, marketing emails, and more.
And, a refresher on Hubspot’s features, also powered by AI to make your life easier:
- Lead Scoring and Routing: Hubspot’s AI algorithms can automatically score and route leads based on their likelihood of converting, ensuring that sales teams focus on the most promising leads first.
- Email Marketing Optimization: Hubspot’s AI can analyze email open and click-through rates, segment audiences based on behavior, and recommend content and timing to improve engagement and conversions.
- Chatbots and Conversational AI: Hubspot’s chatbots can handle basic customer service inquiries, qualify leads, and schedule appointments, freeing up sales teams to focus on more complex deals.
- Predictive Analytics: Hubspot’s AI can analyze past data to predict future trends and identify opportunities for growth, enabling businesses to make data-driven decisions with greater confidence.
- Custom Objects and Workflows: Hubspot’s AI can be customized to create specific workflows for different teams and use cases, streamlining processes and increasing efficiency.
Hubspot Pricing
I wish I could explain Hubspot pricing but it’s just too complicated. That’s my gripe. While they’re great at offering free plans and other free features with paid plans, Hubspot pricing can be prohibitively complicated. Check out Hubspot
Systeme.io as a Top All-in-One Platform – NEW! (ish?)
Systeme.io actually launched in 2018, but was exclusive to zee franche market (sorry, my French is or-ee-bluh).
What this software company has done, well, it gives me hope. They built a beast, entered the biggest software battlefield of them all, and gave everyone a reason to cheer them on with FREE access to ALL FEATURES. (I write in ALL-CAPS only when I’m excited and my mouth is gaping open in disbelief.)
So this one’s for you, entrepreneurs, bloggers, solopreneurs and small businesses.
Pros: What do users love about Systeme.io?
- Affordability, hands-down. Systeme.io gained rapid popularity with its low pricing structure – including a free ALL-INCLUSIVE version for up to 2,000 contacts. Paid plans are super cost-effective, too.
- Drag-and-drop website builder. Users can start with a customizable template or build one from scratch in just a few clicks, ending up with a stunning website that’s fully responsive on all devices.
- Sales funnels. Easy to use, high-converting funnels to drive sales and increase revenue.
- Membership site feature – unusual, right? Users can create, manage, and sell their courses or content with ease (and maybe break up with Click Funnels).
Cons: What do System.io users complain about?
- Limited customization options. Users have expressed dissatisfaction with Systeme.io’s customization options. Some wished for more flexibility in areas such as website design, email templates, and checkout pages.
- Limited integrations. Compared to its competitors, Systeme.io offers fewer integrations with third-party services and tools. This can be a drawback for users who rely on specific apps or services to run their businesses.
Systeme.io AI Capabilities: How do they stack up?
We’re not seeing front-end AI assistant capabilities from Systeme.io yet. But, here’s what they’ve got powering the back-end:
- Machine learning algorithms that optimize email open rates by analyzing the behavior of your subscribers and automatically sending emails at the best times.
- Intelligent automation that allows you to personalize your website, emails, and marketing campaigns with dynamic content that changes based on each individual visitor’s behavior and preferences.
- AI-based sales funnel tracking that monitors the performance of each stage of your sales funnel and alerts you of potential problems or areas for improvement.
- Automated lead scoring that uses predictive analytics to identify the most promising leads and prioritize them for your sales team.
- Advanced analytics and reporting that give you real-time insights into the performance of your campaigns, including click-through rates, conversion rates, and more.
Systeme.io Pricing
Thank you, Systeme.io, for doing this whole pricing thing differently. You put a smile on my face. Check out Systeme.io
ActiveCampaign as a Top All-in-One Platform: A Double-Win
ActiveCampaign has built a reputation for exceptional support and top-notch features.
Pros: What do users love about ActiveCampaign?
- ActiveCampaign users rave about the platform’s highly intuitive and user-friendly interface.
- The software’s robust automation capabilities, which allow users easily set up complex marketing campaigns and workflows, are also highly praised.
- Many users appreciate the platform’s extensive integration options, allowing them to seamlessly incorporate various third-party tools and services into their marketing stack.
- ActiveCampaign’s comprehensive data analytics and reporting features make it easy for users to track and measure the effectiveness of their campaigns and make data-driven decisions.
- Users consistently note the exceptional level of customer support provided by ActiveCampaign’s team, including quick response times and a genuine willingness to help with any questions or issues.
Cons: What do ActiveCampaign users complain about?
- Limited reporting capabilities. Some users find that the reporting features in ActiveCampaign are limited, especially compared to other marketing automation tools. Reports can be difficult to generate, and the data is not always presented in a way that is easy to understand.
- High cost. ActiveCampaign can be relatively expensive, especially for users who require access to all of the platform’s features. Some users feel that the pricing is not justified, particularly when compared to other marketing automation solutions on the market. Keep in mind their AI is pretty sophisticated and may be a worthwhile investment…
ActiveCampaign AI Capabilities: How do they stack up?
Front-end AI tools from ActiveCampaign include:
- ActiveCampaign AI: helps you write, optimize and fine-tune all kinds of content (email, social, etc.).
- Predictive Content: walks you through the process of writing a few email content variations so that each customer gets the right message. Under the “Predictive Content” umbrella are the following AI capabilities:
- Predictive sending: ActiveCampaign uses AI algorithms that analyze a recipient’s behavior and engagement history to predict the optimal time to send an email, and increase the likelihood that recipients will engage with it.
- Predictive content: Using machine learning algorithms, ActiveCampaign analyzes past content performance data to recommend the best content tailored to each recipient’s interests and preferences.
- Personalization: ActiveCampaign’s AI-powered personalization capability enables businesses to create highly customized communication for each individual by leveraging data on their past behavior, preferences, and characteristics.
More AI-powered functionality from ActiveCampaign includes:
- Lead scoring: ActiveCampaign’s AI-based lead scoring tool allows users to track and categorize leads based on their behavior and interactions with the business, making it easier to prioritize outreach efforts and focus on the most promising leads.
- Win probability: ActiveCampaign’s AI tools assess historical sales data to predict the likelihood of a deal closing and offer actionable recommendations for how to move the prospect further down the sales funnel.
- Smart automation: ActiveCampaign’s automation tools use AI to personalize workflows, improving their effectiveness and helping businesses navigate complex marketing and sales processes.
ActiveCampaign Pricing
ActiveCampaign’s pricing structure is on the complex side. Check out ActiveCampaign
Mailchimp’s “Not Just Email Anymore” All-in-One Marketing Platform
MailChimp initially gained recognition for its email marketing platform offering personalized and targeted emails to subscribers. The platform has since entered the all-in-one marketing platform space and serves over 17 million customers.
Pros: What do users love about Mailchimp?
- Customizable templates: Users appreciate the ability to create unique email templates that match their brand and style.
- Reliable deliverability: Mailchimp’s strong sending infrastructure ensures that emails reach the intended recipients without landing in spam folders.
- Powerful analytics: The software provides insights into the performance of campaigns, allowing users to make data-driven decisions and improve their marketing efforts.
- Integrations with other tools: Mailchimp integrates with a wide range of other marketing and e-commerce platforms, making it a versatile tool for businesses of all sizes.
Cons: What do Mailchimp users complain about?
- Limited automation options: While Mailchimp offers some automation features, like welcome emails and abandoned cart reminders, many users feel that the platform’s automation capabilities are limited compared to other email marketing tools on the market. Users particularly cite the inability to trigger automations based on subscriber behavior, beyond basic actions like opening an email or clicking a link.
- Price increases for larger lists: Mailchimp’s pricing model is a bit on the high side for users with larger email lists.
Mailchimp AI Capabilities: How do they stack up?
No front-end AI tools from Mailchimp yet, but here’s what powers their back-end:
- Predictive analytics: Mailchimp’s AI-powered predictive analytics tool analyzes a subscriber’s engagement history and gives you a prediction of how likely they are to engage with your future email campaigns.
- Segmentation: The AI-powered segmentation tool automatically segments subscribers based on their behavior, interests, and demographics. This allows you to send targeted, personalized emails to different groups of subscribers to increase engagement and conversions.
- Product recommendations: The product recommendation tool uses machine learning algorithms to analyze a subscriber’s purchase history and recommends relevant products in your email campaigns to increase sales and drive revenue.
- Subject line suggestion: The subject line suggestion tool uses natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms to analyze the content of your email campaign and suggests subject lines that are likely to grab your subscriber’s attention.
- Send time optimization: The send time optimization tool uses AI to identify the best time to send your email campaigns based on your subscribers’ engagement history. This tool helps increase open rates, click-through rates, and overall engagement.
- A/B testing: The A/B testing tool uses AI to help you test and optimize your email campaigns. It suggests different email elements, such as subject line, content, and call-to-action, to test and optimize to improve your email campaign’s conversion rate.
The million-dollar question when it comes to Mailchimp pricing? “How many contacts do you have?” You’ll want the Essentials plan, which includes AI functionality, and starts at $20 for 500 contacts. Check out Mailchimp
Keap’s All-in-One Marketing Platform
Keap is a cloud-based marketing software that combines various functionalities such as email marketing, lead management, and customer relationship management (CRM) into a single platform.
Pros: What do users love about Keap?
- CRM and marketing automation tools that make it a breeze to stay on top of client relationships.
- Customizability that lets users configure the platform to fit a variety of industries and workflows.
- Customer service that’s helpful and responsive. Users point out that Keap’s team is on it, whether they need technical assistance or strategic guidance.
- Analytics and reporting features that deliver detailed data insights – helpful for both tracking business performance and informing marketing and sales strategies.
- Automation that streamlines workflow and automates repetitive tasks. This frees up time for strategic initiatives and client interactions.
Cons: What do Keap users complain about?
- Limited third-party integrations. Some users find that Keap’s third-party integrations are limited, which can hinder their ability to streamline their workflow and connect different tools.
- Expensive pricing plans. Some users report that they feel like they’re paying for features they don’t necessarily need. Some users also noted that the cost of add-ons and extras can quickly add up, making the platform less cost-effective overall. But wait! Check out Keap’s AI capabilities… you might be getting a price break with these built-in AI tools:
Keap AI Capabilities: How do they stack up?
On the front end, Keap offers one powerful AI tool:
- AI Content Assistant: Keap’s AI-powered content generator helps users launch proven campaigns in minutes. Includes templates for landing pages, sales emails, customer follow-ups, social media and more.
AI-enhanced features also include:
- Smart Campaigns: Keap’s AI-powered Smart Campaigns feature allows businesses to automate their marketing campaigns based on user behavior, preferences, and other factors, which can help increase engagement, conversions, and customer retention.
- Sales Pipeline Automation: With Keap’s AI-powered sales pipeline automation, businesses can automatically prioritize leads, follow up with prospects, and manage their sales process more efficiently, which can lead to increased sales and revenue.
- Personalized Messaging: Keap’s AI-powered messaging system uses machine learning to analyze customer behavior and preferences, allowing businesses to send personalized messages that resonate with their target audience.
Keap Pricing
The nice thing about Keap’s pricing? It’s straightforward. It may not be the lowest-priced all-in-one marketing software, but look at those 2 beautiful options! Check out Keap
What is an AI-Powered All-in-One Marketing Platform?
An AI-powered all-in-one marketing platform is a software that offers all the usual marketing features, like email and SMS campaigns, social media management, CRM capabilities, automation workflows, templates for landing pages, real-time analytics, and segmentation options for targeted campaigns and notifications – PLUS AI tools that help users create and optimize content. By using a comprehensive marketing tool, businesses can save time and improve efficiency without the need for multiple software subscriptions.
Final Thoughts on All-in-One Marketing Platforms
All-in-one marketing platforms powered by AI are changing the game, with a full suite of time- and revenue-saving features to turbocharge your marketing efforts. From content assistants and other front-end tools to more complex back-end processes, these tools will only continue to evolve.
