Marketing software integration technology has changed the way most businesses sell. The right solutions simplify, automate, and optimize workflows, supporting scale, and providing measurable value in every process.
But despite the quantum advances in SaaS over recent years, marketing tech still has its challenges. Integration continues to be a barrier in some cases. Having to constantly jump between applications means that somewhere along the line, balls will be dropped, opportunities will be missed, and money will be left on the table.
It’s a SaaS World, We Just Live in It
Today’s businesses rely on third-party SaaS solutions to drive value and grow their company at scale. The “why” is quite simple. Process automation makes our lives easier. Adding new capabilities brings in more business. Connecting our customer-facing world enables omnichannel solutions. Plus, it’s far less costly to add a third-party SaaS than it is to create a native app from scratch or purchase on-premise software packages, licenses, and all the tech support you’ll need to keep it going.
Cloud solutions are reliable, they’re more secure, and they’re easily scalable. Getting buy-in is easy because the interfaces are very user-friendly. And you’ll start to see benefits like enhanced productivity and cost-reduction almost immediately.
Here are just a few more reasons SaaS rules:
- Lightning-fast deployment. SaaS solutions are fully realized and require minimal configuration, so once they are connected and integrated into your system, you can start to use them right away.
- Cost reduction. Hardware and software are expensive. Moving to a subscription model makes your software costs predictable and reduces the strain on IT to maintain it.
- Scale like crazy. Since SaaS lives in the cloud, you don’t have to worry about managing on-premise server space to support rapid growth or scale back. The provider takes care of all that.
- Stay current. Upgrades and updates are pushed out automatically and are included as part of your subscription. You won’t pay extra, and you don’t have to worry (as much) about security issues or vulnerabilities.
- Replace manual processes. Manual processes are rife with error and inefficiency. Need we say more? Who’s got time for that!
- Integrations. SaaS enables integrations, which is how you’ll achieve maximum value in every business process. An integrated stack breaks down silos, democratizing data, and reducing the amount of time you spend working with information coming in from disparate applications.
Companies Today Rely on SaaS
The average company today relies on SaaS for about 80 percent of their software needs. Microsoft and Salesforce lead the pack for market share, but there are literally thousands of options out there. The problem is, the more solutions you have in your stack, the more complicated and siloed your workflows become – unless they are integrated.
Ideally, you want to build your stack using the best solutions for your needs, which often requires sourcing from multiple vendors. Unless you’ve somehow managed to identify a single software package that does everything you need it to do, you need all your systems to talk to one another. Integration solves this problem neatly, connecting everything in your stack to a central platform so you can extract maximum value from each individual solution.
When all things are integrated, your entire operation is more powerful than the sum of its parts, and nowhere is this more relevant than it is with marketing software.
Seamless Integration Is a Must-Have When Choosing a Marketing Solution
So now that we know how critical integration is in today’s SaaS-dominated business landscape, let’s talk about how integration should be top-of-mind when you’re vetting and choosing marketing software.
According to marketing technology guru Scott Brinker, integration is the top pain point among marketers and has been for as long as marketing software has existed. You love your cutting-edge tools, but you hate that they’re not on speaking terms.
Marketers have spoken, and developers have listened. Integration is now more important than price, operating costs, and overall features. It even edges out user-friendly UX, although that finishes in a close second. After all, if you have the option to choose third-party solutions based on individual feature performance, an all-in-one platform is not necessary.
Top vendors in this space today prioritize integration, so that’s what you need to look for in a solution. It’s not enough that they have one or two integrations with apps you already use; they should offer a depth of integrations that open up new possibilities for you. With more than 10,000 potential solutions to choose from, a lackluster integration inventory should be your sign to keep looking.
Why HubSpot Rules the Marketing Software Integration Space
Currently, HubSpot is the top marketing automation solution in the world. It outperforms others in its class for many reasons, but its depth of integration puts it in a class all its own. Not to mention HubSpot’s security and reliability.
As a best-of-breed marketing platform, HubSpot has a list of integrations so deep it would be genuinely odd if the apps you use and all the ones you’ve been thinking about weren’t on it. Since their integration process is seamless, user-friendly, and code-free, you won’t have to waste a moment of your time researching, pricing, and connecting it all.
HubSpot currently offers more than 500 integrations, and new ones are coming on board each month. Better still, you know that if an app is integrated with HubSpot, it is seen as among the best in its class. This makes your research all the more efficient, as you’ll have a comprehensive list at your fingertips, grouped into categories like automation, analytics, CRM, social, lead generation, and more.
Read About HubSpot Security & Reliability
Elevating Marketing Software Integration with Operations Hub
HubSpot launched Operations Hub, a new Hub that syncs and cleans data between HubSpot and 25 other apps built in, create programmable automation and bots within HubSpot, and more. This is a major development in that no other CRM has so many built-in data syncing features, starting at a cost of FREE.
Data Sync by HubSpot
This new feature continues to put HubSpot above others. While many CRMs offer data syncing, typically throw an add-on module or a 3rd party service like Zapier, none provide real-time data syncing between outside systems built-in to the CRM like HubSpot has.
With Data Sync by HubSpot included in Operations Hub starter at no charge, sync data in real-time to 30 different apps, built right into HubSpot. including:
- Microsoft Outlook/Exchange 365
- Microsoft Dynamics 365
- Google Contacts
- Active Campaign
- Zoho
- Zendesk
- Keap (Infusion Soft)
- Sugar
- Freshdesk
- Mailchimp
- Constant Contact
- iCloud
- Oracle NetSuite
- Pipedrive
- Intercom
- Airtable
- Ring Central
- Aircall
- And more!
If you want to sync custom properties, you’ll need to upgrade to Operations Hub Starter ($50/month).
Salesforce users, Salesforce syncing has been available for several years already in Marketing Hub Enterprise.
Contact Gate 39 Media to learn how to get data!
What Your Integrations Can Do
Marketing software integration systems align your teams, breaking down silos and democratizing data so that everybody has what they need to get the job done. Processes become more efficient and data more meaningful as it can be viewed as part of the whole.
In the ongoing effort to align sales and marketing, this should be of interest as it will reduce timelines and help your teams accomplish more.
Plus, if you connect a tool to your stack and find that it’s not working for you, it’s pretty simple to drop it or swap it for something else. Integrations make it easy to try out and assess the value of new tools, too. For example, you could connect an app, take advantage of its free trial period, and if it doesn’t work, nothing’s stopping you from moving on. You won’t have to call support, talk to a sales rep, or waste IT hours, because it’s all self-managed.
Final Thoughts
You likely have plenty of apps in your stack that need integrating. And if you’re a HubSpot user, you’re already ahead of the game. However, if you are just building your marketing stack, we hope these insights will give you something to think about.
An integrated marketing stack makes it possible to do more, do it better, and have all the data at your fingertips to tell you how it’s all coming along. As with any investment of time, effort, or money, you should only integrate apps that solve problems for you.
If you would like to learn more about Data Sync and how HubSpot integrations can improve your workflows, we’re here to help. Reach out today, and let’s talk about your goals, or book a personal HubSpot demo.
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