We note in our marketing software Buyer’s Guide that marketing software helps organizations do:

• Get new customers and visitors

• Make customers into leads that can be nurtured

• Manage a variety of marketing campaigns

• Distribute marketing and promotional materials (via email, social media, etc.)

• Get insights about your customers to improve your marketing

• Time-consuming, repetitive tasks can be automated

These features are then provided to small businesses by small business marketing software. Practice-wise, this doesn’t look any different from other marketing software; just choose which features you want and how much you’re willing to spend.;

What you need to know

Consider these other factors when picking the right small business marketing software:

• System integration. There’s no such thing as a marketing software stand alone. You can run the best marketing campaign in the world, but it won’t translate into revenue unless it’s tied to your sales process. That’s why it’s important to make sure your marketing software integrates with your other systems, especially customer relationship management (CRM) and sales force automation. Check with your vendor to make sure your marketing software will be easy to use across all sectors of your business.

• On-premise vs. cloud-based software. Although it’s a bit outdated now, some big companies house their own marketing software on-premise. It requires higher start-up costs, storage space for hardware, and IT resources for both hardware and software. The cloud will be the most common way to access marketing software for small businesses. Because it won’t require tech resources, it will also cost you less up front to get your marketing team on-boarded with the software