Fellow marketers, you have been tasked with finding the best marketing automation software for your company. But, don't worry; you've got this! We’ve all been there, and we are here to point you in the right direction to ensure you make the best possible decision to meet your company’s goals and initiatives. 

Our approach to attracting and maintaining new business will continue to evolve as the world becomes more digital and competitive. Gear yourself up with the right inbound marketing platform that will allow you to transform the way you market to your target audience, boost brand awareness, generate leads, achieve customer delight, and streamline your sales process.

Your task - to find the right platform that will help your team achieve long-term success through an effective marketing automation process. HubSpot and Salesforce's Pardot are two popular choices across the nation. But, how do you choose? Let’s dive into an in-depth analysis of HubSpot vs. Pardot so you can decide which is the best option for your company.

HubSpot vs. Pardot: Customer Support

One of the biggest issues many people run into, but few think about before signing up for a contract is the level of customer service. Today, we love knowing the answer to something quickly, right? Well, it's no different when it comes to marketing systems. Trust us - no matter how reliable a marketing automation software company says their platform is, you will certainly run into some sort of snag at some point. That's why having a team of experts you can call on the phone or chat with via live chat is an important resource to have when you need a quick solution. This is especially true for someone new to the marketing automation world. 

When it comes to the level of customer service between HubSpot vs. Pardot, there are some big differences. Pardot has a lot of things, but timely customer support is unfortunately not one of them. In my experience, if you run into a workflow problem, template issue, or need a quick fix, you will most likely be disappointed with the response rate.

HubSpot, on the other hand, has a live chat bot feature, which is there anytime you need it. Why is this important? We all feel the sense of urgency when it comes to solving problems quickly and looking to publish a landing page on the fly without the added stress of a delayed publish date. HubSpot also offers a customer service phone line for customers to call for assistance. HubSpot representatives are typically extremely helpful and provide a quick solution whenever possible. 

 Reporting Capabilities

You’ve spent months building out social media tactics and executing your campaign strategies for the year, but how are you tracking your success? The key to getting to the heart of the perfect formula for accurate reporting is ensuring sales and marketing speak the same language – one should feed into the other. If a year goes by and you are not seeing results, you may want to dive further into your analytics and reporting capabilities. You could change how you work on a daily basis and ensure you have no wasted efforts. Work smarter, not harder... always!

Depending on how in-depth you are looking to get with your analytics, Pardot is a solid choice. Two of Pardot's biggest differentiators is the ROI marketing dashboard and detailed insights into your leads. It’s important to note, that Pardot’s B2B marketing analytics dashboard is an add-on feature, not a standard asset.

Keep in mind - a complete dashboard will not happen overnight, and it will take you some time for this process to be a well-oiled machine not just for your marketing team, but for your sales department as well. This is true for both Pardot and HubSpot's reporting features. Reporting takes time. It's as simple as that.

Every organization tracks ROI benchmarks differently, so make sure you are focusing on what your team needs the most. Whether it’s social media, trade show marketing, campaign progress, etc., the data needs to be tracked and measured appropriately.

Pro Tip: Regardless of which system you choose, deciding on what you specifically want to measure and deciding that from the beginning will get you where you want to go from a reporting perspective.

Let's take a closer look at the differences and similarities between HubSpot vs. Pardot's reporting capabilities. 

What both do best:

• Tracking campaigns 
• Lifecycle stages 
• Campaign reporting 
• Lead capturing

What HubSpot does best:

• Create marketing campaigns 
• Customer retention 
• Customizable lead qualifiers 
• Custom event-based and revenue reports

What Pardot does best:

• Lead insights
• Customer journey
• Visitor reports
• Dashboards 

Sales Process

• One of the most important things to consider with your chosen marketing automation software is whether or not it works in tandem with your sales process. This could be a big deciding factor in whether you go with HubSpot or Pardot.

• HubSpot offers a high-level overview of lead conversions, pipeline stages, and campaign performance. The dashboard is also customizable, which helps measure success and keep track of the sales process. HubSpot also continues to ramp up its sales dashboard to stay ahead of the competition.

• Pardot is a good choice as well with its flexible sales system, ROI tracking, and lifecycle stages. When comparing HubSpot vs. Pardot, you really can't go wrong, but the size of your organization may help tip the scales. Although HubSpot can easily support a large organization's needs, Pardot is definitely popular amongst larger companies. But again, both systems are fantastic marketing and CRM tools. 

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HubSpot vs. Pardot: Campaigns 

Creating and successfully executing campaigns involves offering the right content. And whether it's a blog, email, etc., your content needs to be easily customizable. Specifically, when we talk about campaigns, we typically associate a lot of those efforts with customizable email offers, conversion offers, and landing pages.

If you are like us, someone who loves to build creative templates and appreciates the ease of “drag and drop” features, HubSpot was made for you. Pardot, on the other hand, is not so user-friendly with creating email templates. But, if you do choose Pardot, here's a piece of advice - if you don’t have a developer on hand, you will most likely need to purchase a Pardot template, which means more money.

HubSpot wins when it comes to offering customizable options. From creating and optimizing blogs, landing pages, web content, CTAs, and SEO – this marketing automation software is your best choice. Here are a few key features you can expect with HubSpot: 

• Easy-to-use templates 
• A wide selection of email marketing templates 
• Social media account connections

Decision Time!

HubSpot vs. Pardot - we've broken down the differences and told you the positives that come along with each platform, so what will it be? As a HubSpot Platinum Certified Agency Partner, we are obviously huge advocates for HubSpot and can help answer any questions you may have when you work with us for your digital marketing efforts. Drop us a line anytime! 

If you do choose HubSpot for your marketing automation software, great choice!  👏 But, to make sure you're making the most of your account, download a copy of our free checklist and see which 21 HubSpot tools you need to check out!