Key Differences Between HubSpot and Pardot Marketing Automation Platform

Marketing automation platform has quickly become the support system of many a company’s primary customer relationship management solutions since it complements and integrates with customer relationship management.

Unlike the industry for enterprise CRM – in which there is a wide diversity of opinions about the perceived value of various marketing software solutions – the market for marketing automation software has a number of close competitors that offer high-quality services.

For a business looking for inbound marketing software to end their marketing woes, there are a lot of options to look out for. The major ones are HubSpot and Pardot, with Marketo and Eloqua not far behind. HubSpot and Pardot – both equally likable – have some significant differences between them that set them apart. Marketers should consider these differences before making their final decision.

Buying A Marketing Automation Platform: Comparison between Hubspot and Pardot

1. Website Hosting

Hubspot users can deliver a more personalised experience to the leads on their websites, as they can consolidate all online marketing efforts into one. Through Hubspot’s Content Management System (CMS), companies can generate smart content, allowing them to modify the content that customers view when they visit the website, depending on their preferences. For example, if a lead returns to the site and we know what industry they are currently working in, we can customize the content they view on the website to refer to that particular industry.

However, Pardot does not offer the service of a Content Management System. Moreover, for companies with their websites hosted on WordPress, Pardot offers a WordPress plugin so users can insert content based on a lead’s details (i.e. industry, location, lead score, etc).

2. Creating Calls-to-Action

One fundamental difference between Pardot and HubSpot when utilising lead generation tools is the ease of use when it comes to calls-to-action.

Call-to-action are the buttons or text-based images that are used to grab the attention of website visitors and direct them to the landing pages for form submission.

In Pardot, if a user wants to create CTAs, then they must be set up outside the software coupled with tracking URLs to measure actions. On the other hand, HubSpot lets users set up and segment various CTAs within the app. This feature could be very beneficial for tracking a user’s journey through the site to see which CTA buttons are performing well.

3. Reporting Tools

Pardot provides a complex life-cycle report showcasing the trickle-down effect of website visitors, prospects, marketing-qualified leads, sales-qualified leads, and customers. Pardot users can measure the average amount of time it takes to convert leads throughout the sales cycle to help identify pain points.

While HubSpot provides comprehensive reports, the platform lacks the same complex view. HubSpot platform allows users to access various reports; navigation on the platform is intuitive and encourages each user to take note of various reports. For example, under the source report, HubSpot users can view which source generates the most website visits and the number of new contacts produced during any given period.

Within the email tool, HubSpot users can access click maps for all the emails sent. The email click map helps HubSpot users to know which links and CTA buttons receive the highest number of clicks. Thus, the email click map provides marketing teams with a deeper understanding of their target audience and the type of content that resonated with them the most. In addition to tracking sales process through HubSpot CRM, the tool gives companies access to track individual contacts that are transacting, as well as view all interactions with emails, the number of website views, and form submissions within each contact’s profile.

Platform Highlights

HubSpot

• User Interface
• Content Generation Tools
• Social Media Integration
• Lists & Workflows
• Lead Scoring
• Reporting

Pardot

• Fast & Clean User Interface
• Organizational Structure
• Tracking & Custom Redirects
• Automation Rules
• Custom Fields & CRM Syncing
• Prospect Activity Breakdown
• Email Deliverability

Room For Improvement:

HubSpot

• Organizational Tools
• Application Speed
• Visitor Activity Details
• Custom Fields & CRM Syncing

Pardot

• Reporting
• Content Creation Tools

Conclusion

HubSpot and Pardot are two different marketing automation platforms; with Hubspot focusing more on the Inbound Marketing. Both are unique in implementation but the firms that are looking for an all-in-one solution to manage their inbound, outbound, social media marketing efforts and websites will find Hubspot as a perfect Inbound Marketing Automation tool.

To sum it up, a business must carefully evaluate the requirements and needs before selecting the inbound marketing software and committing to a platform that will likely become the best tool for their business.