13 best marketing agency software in 2023
April 2024
12 mins
At any point in time, a marketing agency is forced to juggle multiple projects simultaneously, each with its own set of deadlines, deliverables, and client expectations. Consistently meeting these requirements is a challenge, but the best companies have the strategy and processes to make this problematic chore manageable and fun.
Key to these processes is your tech stack. From day-to-day tasks like social media posting, email marketing, and paid advertising, down to more top-level responsibilities like performance analytics and customer management — software can help improve your internal and client-facing outcomes.
But there are hundreds, if not thousands, of software platforms catering to marketing agencies. Choosing the right one for each use case can be difficult, so we’re creating this ultimate round-up of the best marketing agency software currently available. Having trouble allocating your agency’s IT budget? Here’s everything you need to know.
Things to look for when choosing marketing agency software
Building a tech stack for a marketing agency can be a daunting task. Here’s what to consider when picking a marketing agency software:
Functionality and Features
The right tools should provide features like automation, analytics, customer relationship management, email marketing, and content management — making it easier to act on the strategies and campaigns that your agency will be engaged in.
Training and Resources
Vendors that provide comprehensive training resources, tutorials, and documentation help accelerate the team’s learning curve.
Integration and Compatibility
A cohesive tech stack is one where different software solutions can integrate seamlessly with each other, whether through open APIs, integration marketplaces, or different data formats.
Compliance and Security
Compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and robust security measures are essential to protect an agency and its clients’ data.
Vendor Support and Community
Robust support from the vendor and a strong community of users can help your team resolve issues more quickly.
Pricing and Plans
The software’s pricing structure should align with your estimated budget while covering all the necessary features.
13 best marketing agency software in 2023
Marketing agencies use various tools across various campaigns and strategies. Here’s a detailed overview of the best marketing agency software platforms based on common use cases for agency creatives.
Workflow automation: Marketo
Marketo, part of Adobe, is a robust marketing automation platform designed to aid businesses in engaging with acquiring, nurturing, and retaining customers more effectively. It centralizes marketing efforts and focuses on key functions like email marketing, audience segmentation, landing page creation, and measurement of marketing efforts.
Key features
Cross-channel marketing: Engage with audiences across various channels, including email, social media, and more.
Audience segmentation: Segment audiences based on various criteria to tailor marketing messages and campaigns.
Landing pages and Forms: Create and test web and mobile-responsive landing pages with a drag-and-drop designer.
Campaign reporting and Insights: Analyze the performance of marketing campaigns to gain insights and make data-driven decisions.
Advanced dynamic content: Deliver personalized content dynamically based on audience behavior and preferences.
Pricing
Marketo offers a tiered pricing structure with four four plans: Growth, Select, Prime, and Ultimate. These plans progressively offer advanced features, from core marketing email, segmentation, and automation in the Growth plan to premium attribution features in the Ultimate plan.
Storage collaboration: LucidLink
LucidLink operates a cloud-based storage collaboration platform that facilitates real-time collaboration among creative teams at marketing agencies, regardless of their geographical locations. It’s designed to work seamlessly, providing immediate access to new assets and project changes in a shared workspace.
Key features
File management: Eliminate the hassle of sending files, syncing, downloading, and versioning confusion. LucidLink provides agencies with a unified dataset that becomes a single source of truth and enables distributed teams to work as though they are in the same location.
Zero-knowledge encryption: LucidLink’s zero-knowledge encryption model ensures that only customers with the correct authorization can access their data. Data is encrypted both in transit and at rest, so that not even LucidLink employees can access them.
Various storage options: Different plans come with different storage options including Wasabi, IBM, or bring your own storage provider.
Workflow automation: Enable seamless real-time collaboration that paves the way for workflow automation involving creative platforms like Adobe Creative Cloud, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, etc.
Pricing
LucidLink presents three pricing tiers to cater to different storage needs: Basic Filespace (20 TB per month), Advanced Filespace, and Custom Filespace for higher storage demands. Additional users beyond the initial five are charged at $10 each per month. Explore LucidLink’s offerings with a 14-day free trial.
Inbound marketing: HubSpot
HubSpot is a dynamic inbound marketing platform designed to scale alongside your business, whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or a large enterprise. It encapsulates marketing, sales, customer service, and operations tools to create a complete inbound-focused tech stack.
Key features
Ads software and Google ads: Utilize CRM data to create highly targeted ad campaigns and leverage CRM and web analytics data for more effective Google Ads campaigns, driving more leads to your business.
Exit Intent forms: Transform website visitors into leads with customizable popup forms requiring no coding.
Blog software: Publish compelling blog content that fuels traffic and conversions, equipped with integrated blogging tools.
Marketing analytics and dashboard software: Evaluate the performance of your marketing campaigns with built-in analytics, reports, and dashboards, providing a clear picture of your ROI.
Pricing
HubSpot’s inbound marketing platform offers a range of plans: a free tier for beginners or those on a budget, a $18 per month Starter tier for small businesses, an $800 per month Professional tier for established companies, and a top-tier $3,600 per month Enterprise tier with advanced features.
Team communication: Slack
Slack helps marketing teams streamline communication by allowing users to brainstorm ideas, organize timelines, and execute campaigns. It also enhances collaboration with external partners, offering a faster and more secure alternative to email.
Key features
Channels: Create dedicated messaging spaces for different projects, teams, or topics.
File sharing: Share files and documents directly within the chat interface.
Apps and integrations: Streamline work by integrating Slack with over 2,200 other services like Google Drive and Office 365.
Workflow builder: Automate routine actions and communication, saving time for more strategic work.
Pricing
The Free Plan provides basic features with some restrictions, while the Standard (or Pro) Plan, priced between $6.67 to $8.75 per user per month, offers more functionalities with fewer restrictions. The Business+ Plan, priced between $12.50 to $15 per user per month, adds extra features, and the Enterprise Grid comes with custom pricing designed for large enterprises with complex needs.
Project management: ClickUp
ClickUp is a cloud-based collaboration and project management tool for marketing agencies of all sizes. It transforms quarterly plans into daily wins by connecting marketing roadmaps directly to the tasks driving them. With ClickUp, marketing teams can organize strategy documents, brainstorming sessions, and campaign calendars alongside daily tasks.
Key features
Collaboration tools: Including ClickUp Docs, Whiteboards, assigned comments, and built-in Chat view.
Proofing and annotation: Simplify the review process and gather feedback directly on individual tasks.
Customizable views: Leverage over 15 highly customizable views to visualize tasks and projects.
Communication tools: Keep internal teams and clients in sync with built-in communication features.
Pricing
ClickUp has four plans: Free Forever (basic for personal use), Unlimited ($7/user/month with unlimited storage), Business ($12/user/month with advanced features), and Enterprise (custom pricing with additional advanced functionalities).
SEO analytics: Ahrefs
Ahrefs is a robust SEO toolset, widely recognized for its extensive index of live backlinks and intuitive user interface. Catering to a broad spectrum of SEO needs, from keyword research to competitive analysis, Ahrefs provides comprehensive insight into SEO metrics, which can be crucial for devising your digital marketing strategy.
Key features
Site explorer: Explore any website’s backlink profile and organic search traffic with this feature, empowering you to analyze your strengths and areas for improvement.
Keywords explorer: Discover extensive keyword suggestions and deep insights into the keyword difficulty and search volume.
Competitive analysis: Delve into competitors’ SEO strategies, uncovering their organic keywords, backlink profiles, and even PPC keywords to devise strategies to outperform them.
Pricing
Ahrefs offers tiered pricing, ranging from the $99/month Lite plan for freelancers to the Standard and Advanced plans for small businesses and agencies. The Agency plan is designed for larger organizations, and Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, a free version, provides basic site audit and explorer tools for budget-conscious users.
Appointment scheduling: Calendly
Calendly is a widely utilized appointment scheduling software that simplifies the process of arranging meetings and appointments. It’s known for its straightforward user interface and robust functionality, enabling users to set their availability, share scheduling links, and allow others to book time effortlessly.
Key features
Group and Collective event types: Facilitate 1-to-many or 2-on-1 meetings efficiently, catering to different meeting dynamics.
Multiple calendar integrations: Sync with multiple calendars to avoid double bookings and ensure accurate availability.
Customizable branding: Personalize the booking links and page branding to maintain consistency with your brand identity.
Automated event notifications: Send automated reminders and reconfirmation requests to ensure all participants are well-informed.
Pricing
The Free plan offers basic scheduling, unlimited meetings, and automated notifications. Upgrade to the $10/month Standard plan for advanced features like group event types and multiple calendar integrations. The $16/month Team’s plan adds reporting and CRM integrations. Custom solutions are available with the Enterprise plan.
Social media marketing: Buffer
Buffer is a social media management platform designed to assist marketing agencies in driving meaningful engagement and results on various social media channels. The platform supports a range of social media networks, allowing users to publish, manage, schedule posts, and interact with their audience from a unified dashboard.
Key features
Multi-platform support: Manage and schedule posts on various social media platforms, including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
Post scheduling: Plan and schedule your posts in advance to maintain a consistent posting schedule.
Engagement management: Interact with your audience and respond to comments directly from the platform.
Performance tracking: Monitor the performance of your social media campaigns and measure engagement metrics.
Pricing
Buffer offers a Free Plan for basic social media management, while the Essentials Plan at $6/month/channel adds advanced analytics and reporting. The Team Plan, $12/month/channel, enhances collaboration with unlimited user access. The Agency Plan starts at $120/month for 10+ channels, combining features from Essentials and Team Plans.
Client invoicing: QuickBooks
QuickBooks, developed by Intuit, is a popular invoicing and accounting software solution that caters to small to medium-sized businesses and freelancers. It provides a platform for managing invoices, expenses, and other accounting needs in a streamlined and organized manner.
Key features
Batch invoices and expenses: Create, edit, and send multiple invoices faster, aiding in better organization and time management.
Custom access controls: Control who has access to your data and create custom permissions for different user roles within your organization.
Workflow automation: Automate workflows and set reminders to save time, mitigate risks, and improve cash flows.
Pricing
The Simple Start plan, initially $30/month (discounted to $15/month for the first three months), provides basic invoicing and accounting. The Essentials plan, discounted to $30/month for the first three months and priced at $60/month, includes bill management and time tracking for growing businesses. Each plan comes with a free guided setup by a QuickBooks expert.
Influencer outreach: BuzzSumo
BuzzSumo stands as a premier content-focused influencer marketing tool, providing critical insights into content performance across the global landscape. Catered to publishers, brands, and agencies, it integrates with popular platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit to analyze content, influencers, and trending news stories.
Key features
Cross-platform search: Swiftly scan across Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to unearth pertinent influencers and content.
Influencer analysis: Delve into influencers’ likes, loves, and interests to better understand their impact.
Influencer alerts: Receive notifications when influencers publish content, enabling prompt reactions.
Export data: Seamlessly export BuzzSumo data to CSV or Excel files for further analysis.
Pricing
BuzzSumo’s pricing includes the $199/month Content Creation plan for individual marketers, the $299/month PR & Comms plan for agencies, and the $499/month Suite plan for larger marketing teams. The Enterprise plan, billed annually at $999/month, is tailored for large brands with robust influencer marketing needs.
Graphic design: Canva
Canva is a user-friendly graphic design solution, minimizing the time spent managing creative assets and letting agencies focus more on building innovative campaigns from pitch to launch. It can be used to create all kinds of marketing collateral.
Key features
Multi-format design tool: Design various marketing materials, including social media graphics, videos, presentations, event posters, charts, and printed items.
Drag-and-drop interface: Easy-to-use drag-and-drop design interface for creating and editing designs.
Template variety: Access to a wide range of professional marketing templates.
Custom fonts and elements: Utilize custom fonts, frames, shapes, and icons to create unique designs.
Pricing
Canva’s Free Plan is great for individuals or small teams starting with graphic design, providing access to over 250,000 templates, 5 GB of cloud storage, and basic photo and graphics tools. For advanced design capabilities, Canva offers Paid Plans starting at $12.99 per user per month, with additional features and premium assets.
AI content creation: Writesonic
Writesonic is an AI-driven writing and image generation platform aiming to accelerate content creation processes significantly. It’s likened to a “Canva for writing,” facilitating the easy creation, editing, and publishing of a variety of content types, including blog articles, ads, landing pages, eCommerce product descriptions, and social media posts.
Key features
Speedy content generation: Produce various types of content on any given subject in less than 15 seconds.
AI and Human-like writing : Generates engaging content that doesn’t appear artificially created.
Image generation: Besides text, it also supports image generation, though the details on this feature are sparse.
Pricing
Writesonic’s Free Plan allows up to 10,000 words monthly with GPT-3.5, ideal for individuals or small teams. For higher word counts, the Small Team Plan starts at $13/month for 100,000 words. The Freelancer Plan at $16/month and the Enterprise Plan, beginning at $500/month, offer unlimited words.
Customer relationship management: Copper
Copper is a CRM software tailored for agencies, especially in advertising, marketing, and creative domains. Particularly well-suited for Google Workspace users, it’s designed to centralize relationships and streamline the management of contacts, deals, and communications.
Key features
Organize contacts: Centralize all relationships in one place using Google Workspace.
Automate tasks: Set up recurring tasks and notifications to stay on track with all your correspondences.
Track deals: Set up pipelines to manage deal flow effectively and track potential clients in the sales funnel.
Get reports: Create customizable reports that provide insights into business performance.
Pricing
The Basic Plan, $25 to $29 per user monthly, fits small businesses with Google Workspace integration and a 2,500 contact limit. The Professional Plan, $59 to $69 per user monthly, caters to growing businesses with a 15,000 contact limit, workflow automation, and bulk email templates. The Business Plan, priced $119 to $129 per user monthly, is for scaling businesses with unlimited contacts and advanced marketing tools.
How LucidLink impacts agency growth
By leveraging the right tools, agencies can gain insights into customer behavior, optimize their marketing spend, and improve overall ROI. A streamlined software stack also enhances collaboration within the agency and with clients, ensures compliance with data protection regulations, and adapts quickly to the changing digital marketing landscape.
LucidLink is a storage collaboration platform designed for marketing agencies working with large files and requiring immediate feedback loops. Empowering your entire team to streamline their current workflow with a shared file storage and access solution that acts like a local drive eliminates the need for downloading and uploading files or jumping back and forth between calls to offer feedback.
Want to take LucidLink for a spin? Sign up for a 14-day free trial to see how it benefits your agency’s workflow.