In this blog, I’ll share the top 5 CRM tools to simplify your marketing efforts and highlight how each CRM software can help you increase your chances of success.

Way before building Prelo, I remembered announcing my first business idea to family and friends a few years ago. While most were supportive, some pointed out that my chance of success was slim. 😥

The fact is, 90% of Startups fail – 10% of those in the very first year of business. Failure is something we all try to avoid, but never quite manage to completely ignore.

Here’s the thing: business is all about increasing your chances of success. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools play a big part in making this happen.

 

Succeeding as a Startup

Entrepreneurs have it difficult. From marketing to hiring, budgeting to funding and everything in between.

Startups and small businesses demand a substantial amount of attention from entrepreneurs, consequently denying them the required time and resources to move the business forward.

Launching a business is nothing short of hard work. So, it’s unsurprising that so many businesses fail.
The vast majority of these failed ventures share one thing: a poor marketing strategy.

Marketing has a critical role in helping businesses make it through those turbulent first few years. And it’s helped hundreds of agencies and Startups to establish themselves as profitable and successful business entities.

Keep scrolling 👇 for more on how to utilize the industry’s best marketing tools to your advantage.

 

The importance of marketing

According to Investopedia, ineffective marketing is one of the most common causes of Startup failure. In a world where consumers are overwhelmed by ads at every turn, targeted and personalized campaigns are a superpower.

Allowing you to create and maintain long-lasting, ever-present relationships with audiences, marketing is the best way to establish a brand, build your presence, and attract your target audience.

Targeted marketing has the power to scale any business from zero to a hundred, and it’s all thanks to the fantastic potential for businesses to maximize return on investments (ROIs), improve exposure, and attract more customers.

So where is the problem?

From organic to paid, inbound to outbound, marketing takes on a whole new life of its own. With complex layers to unfold, solopreneurs and founders don’t have the time to unpack it alone. Nor do they have the funds to hire an in-house marketing team to handle it on their behalf.

It’s the modern-day definition of a catch-22.

 

Cue CRM Tools

Here’s where CRM tools come in. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software helps businesses to attract new customers, boost engagement, and consequently increase customer retention rates.

With tons of automation to manage all stages of your sales prospecting process, CRM tools are a must-have solution for agencies and Startups alike.

Top 5 CRM Tools for small businesses (according to Prelo!)

1. Hubspot

Hubspot is among the most popular CRM tools on the market and for good reason. Positioning itself as both powerful and easy to use, Hubspot boasts a simplistic yet intuitive user interface that streamlines the management of all customer relations marketing strategies.

From large corporations including LG and Casio to unicorn Startups like Trello and Reddit, Hubspot is a CRM tool that supports businesses in delivering simple campaigns that win customers.

Integrating marketing, sales, service, content and operations, consequently, allows Hubspot to simplify sales outreach and makes it easy for small teams to design effective marketing funnels that enhance the customer journey.

Costs

• Basic: Free
• Starter: $45 p/m
• Professional: $450 p/m
• Enterprise: $4,500 p/m

Target Audience Percentage Usage: 63% SMBs

 

2. Zoho

Serving over 250,000+ businesses, Zoho is another example of a CRM tool created with growing businesses in mind.

Like Hubspot, Zoho provides agencies and Startups with the ability to establish an omnichannel presence and develop segmentations, as a result it creates a more effective and intelligent marketing.

With enhanced KPI tracking and predictive intelligence, Zoho is well-loved for its personalization and customization elements. By automating workflows, processes, campaigns, and customer journeys, hence allowing businesses to focus less on software and more on strategy.

Costs

• Starter: Free
• Basic: $49 p/m
• Standard: $99 p/m
• Professional: $249 p/m

Target Audience Percentage Usage: 63% SMBs

 

3. Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a CRM software that focuses on lead management and lead qualification. The tool is rated the number one CRM software for product innovation and user satisfaction consequently making it a hit for agencies and small business.

Startups and small businesses start by setting up a visual sales pipeline (marketing funnel). There are countless customization options, that allows businesses to develop personalized pipelines to match sales cycles.

Pipedrive customers can activate the platform’s AI technology as a result, they use it to track progress, review analytics, and automate routine tasks

Costs

• Essential: $14.90
• Advanced: $24.90 p/m
• Professional: $49.90 p/m
• Enterprise: $99 p/m

Target Audience Percentage Usage: 67% SMBs

 

4. Close

Close has one key goal. To support dispersed agile teams in closing more deals. It has excellent outbound prospecting functions, and the option to integrate with Prelo for its lead management capabilities, undoubtedly makes Close a CRM tool that appeals to both Startups and digital agencies.

Committed to helping Startups and SMBs grow, Close simplifies communication with streamlined data entry functions. It has a simple user interface which helps to boost productivity and increase sales, as a result solopreneurs and Startup founders can focus on growing their revenue.

The CRM tool also takes care of your sales cycle from outreach to the first contact, until the deal is finally secured.

Costs

• Starter: $29
• Basic: $69 p/m
• Professional: $99 p/m
• Business: $149 p/m

Target Audience Percentage Usage: 78% SMBs

 

5. MailChimp

MailChimp is another popular CRM tool that transitions traffic into an effective marketing funnel. It uses customizable landing pages and innovative API software to achieve this.

The great thing about MailChimp is that it allows businesses to create and deliver highly targeted marketing campaigns, therefore making it easier to create higher conversions.

With a simple user interface and a free package that sends up to 12,000 emails per month to as many as 2,000 subscribers.

MailChimp is among the most user-friendly CRM software for agencies and Startups that are dipping their toes into the world of marketing.

Costs

• Starter: Free
• Essentials: $11 p/m
• Standard: $17 p/m
• Premium: $299 p/m

Target Audience Percentage Usage: 66% SMBs

Integration with CRM Tools

Though there are many CRM tools and systems to choose from, the best are those with integration functionalities. Whether integrating your email services or calendar schedule, integrations make it easier to establish clear customer communications, develop targeted campaigns, and effectively manage all marketing activities.

Qualifying Leads with Prelo

Sales outreach is a multifaceted task that overwhelms even the most experienced marketers. Prelo makes sales prospecting and lead management simple with instant access to high-quality leads and effective development of sales pipelines in just three clicks.

Even if you are not using Close, Prelo allows you to export qualified leads into your marketing funnel, therefore removing the need for manual data entry.

Use CRM Tools to Scale your marketing

With targeted ads being twice as effective as mass marketing campaigns, a good CRM tool is a powerful weapon. CRM tools support your business in developing effective marketing strategies and significantly reduce your chances of failure.

Prelo and your CRM software can work side by side to connect your business with the relevant leads.

Tired of pitching to Startups with zero budget?

👉 Try Prelo

💡 Access to over one million qualified leads from well-funded Startups

😲 Discover Emails and Business Contacts of decision makers in seconds

🎯 Send targeted emails to well-funded Startups and 10x your revenue

Thanks for reading! Until next time, check out our blog on developing successful marketing strategies to qualify sales leads and boost agency revenue.

Until the next time.

Olu
Founder, Prelo
I tweet about helping founders win!