Inbound marketing and automation, go hand in hand, to be most effective, we believe, but it doesn’t have to cost the earth to implement our methodology.
Most of you have probably noticed our inbound marketing page and some of our blogs, which display our passion for inbound marketing and all things “automated”.
If you browse some of our blogs, we share our top tips and findings from using HubSpot – a marketing automation tool that actively practices “inbound marketing”, but there are other platforms out there.
Some of our clients and prospective clients just don’t have the budget for HubSpot, we get it, but they want to practice the methodology behind it, which is why we favour some other platforms too.
You can use these platforms as “beginning” first steps on the journey to HubSpot or as complete alternatives, until your financial situation changes or you have more resources, which then allow you to consider HubSpot.
Leadin
Leadin is a WordPress plug in that gathers publicly available information about each of your contacts, such as:
- What pages do your contacts visit when on your website?
- What content has your lead viewed before they filled on a particular form?
If you're looking for a brilliant tool that gives fantastic insight into your users, then this is the one for you that requires little additional work, but a useful way to see how HubSpot - or other similar software - could work for you.
Find out more about LeadIn in our blog post on the software.
SharpSpring
Automation platform SharpSpring is a great alternative to the HubSpot family of products and provides in-depth analysis and tracking too.
It integrates with the software and platforms that you're already using, providing you the opportunity to have great insight without hard work.
FrankenSpot
HubSpot themselves have recognised that HubSpot is not for everyone and come up with this ingenious solution - FrankenSpot - which we recommend!
"Some marketers don’t want to build a full inbound funnel – for example, they may want to focus on community engagement via social media without worrying about converting their followers. They would prefer the flexibility of cobbling together the specific tools they need. Other marketers prefer to save money instead of saving time by integrating free or low-cost tools, sacrificing having all of their contacts, marketing channels, and analytics in one place. We get it. And we want you to succeed."
- HubSpot [source]
FrankenSpot is a compilation of tools and products that are all free or cost-effective that come together with your WordPress website to build an inbound marketing platform, like HubSpot but basically for those on a tight budget, or as above, with specific needs.
HubSpot provides a step-by-step guide to recreating its product with various add-ons and tools - better yet you can skip the features you don't need!
For more information on the FrankenSpot package, read here, and if you'd like a product comparison of the two platforms or trial of HubSpot, speak to Thrive.
HubSpot
HubSpot is an all-singing, all-dancing marketing automation package with a series of tools that and add-ons, coming in a variety of pricing packages.
It is the leader in inbound marketing methodology and remains at the forefront of providing an effective process for lead generation and lead nurturing.
As a start-up or SME you may find 'HubSpot for Start-ups a great first step on the HubSpot ladder - find out more via this blog post.
Find out about our inbound marketing process, HubSpot retainer packages and the Thriveability Plan.
