A marketing CRM system is a critical software for businesses in any niche. It presents a central database through which you can manage your clients and prospects.

These CRM systems make it easier for your teams to collect user information, manage relationships, and collaborate across departments simultaneously.

There are multiple CRM systems available on the market today. However, not all of them provide the solutions that your business needs.

This article will show you what critical components to look for in any CRM system you want to purchase.

CRM systems use marketing automation that helps your employees work faster and more efficiently. They can program the system to handle repetitive relationship-building tasks like sending emails.

That way, your staff can focus on more core elements of your marketing campaigns.

Marketing CRM systems help you to serve your customers better. They are a large pool of data about your audience, which can be helpful in segmentation and customization.

Since your team "knows" the customer through the data available, they can anticipate and cater to their specific needs. In turn, this boosts conversion rates and customer loyalty.

Unlike manual methods like Spreadsheets, marketing CRMs can provide valuable insights into your lead generation and nurturing campaigns. Such data then helps you determine which elements of your funnel you may need to fix to generate better results.

What To Consider When Choosing A Marketing CRM System

1. Third-party Integration

A software that can seamlessly integrate with other systems you already have will save you tons of money and time. You will not need to reset all your current systems to be able to use the CRM.

Instead, you should opt for systems that are compatible with your particular tools and would be easy to implement. 

Some integration you would need include:

• Email integrations with common apps like Gmail, outlook, among others
• Sales and order information synchronization
• Social media integration so you can easily manage social media interactions as well.

 Whereas simple and seamless integration is the way to go, some helpful tools may require IT help to sync them. In such a case, it helps to purchase systems that come with support services.

2. Customer Service

When choosing a marketing CRM system, you must go with a company that provides excellent aftersales services. 

Businesses often purchase comprehensive tools and are not able to utilize them immediately. Sometimes, you may have to hire new personnel or even settle for using a fraction of the system's capabilities.

Therefore, additional customer service is a critical element that should drive your decision.

Issues such as system integration, new features and updates, company-wide training, among others, are all aspects that can take up time and resources if handled in-house. However, with expert help from the seller, it makes for a smooth experience.

3. Customization

Since no two businesses are the same, neither should your marketing CRM system be. So, when choosing a CRM system, it is best to opt for those you can customize to suit your business's unique needs.

Businesses vary based on size, industry, customer base, etc. So, your marketing CRM should be able to work within your context. For example, a beauty-based company may not have the same customer management needs as a marketing agency.

The best CRMs would allow you to choose features to include in your systems or customize certain elements. In some cases, these would need plugins and other add-ons as well.

NB; Purchasing a customizable marketing CRM ensures that you only pay for a system that you can fully utilize, which is cost-effective in the long run.

4. Reporting And Analytics

Whereas almost all standard CRM systems offer analytics and reporting tools, not all of them are comprehensive.

You want a system that gives you both basic customer analytics data and other vital details that can help your decision-making all through the marketing process.

Furthermore, you also need a fully equipped CRM with segmentation tools and customer behavior data, among others. 

The more data the system provides you, the better. Key reports such as the number of leads, sales generated, etc., can be straightforward. But to create data-based solutions, you need more. Look out for reports like:

• Sales team performance/ per lead

• Stages of customer conversions

• Lead engagement and lifetime journey

• Email engagement data direct from the system

More details will give your teams a comprehensive understanding of your customer journeys, which helps them draft better strategies.

5. User-friendly System

You must pay attention to the usability of your chosen marketing CRM software. Especially if you are new to CRM software, you want to go for software that your staff can start using with ease. 

Analyze the software's user interface and see if it is intuitive with easy-to-navigate buttons. The tools shouldn't involve a steep learning curve that would deter some members from using them effectively.

Furthermore, you want to check if your marketing and sales teams can customize the system to suit your business needs with just basic training. If you have to hire extra services to use or customize the software, it is probably more costly than the benefits.

6. Email Integration

Emails are an essential part of lead nurturing, especially for B2B businesses. However, creating, sending, and tracking emails on a large scale can be highly repetitive and tedious.

So, any marketing CRM system you choose should include some email integration to make this process as smooth and effective as possible. 

Email integrations in your CRM system enable you to run effective drip campaigns and email sequences. Multiple email features can also help your staff follow up on leads, create and access templates, etc. All these features increase your efficiency and productivity. 

Therefore, with a tool without them, you may have to spend more to access these features.

7. Customizable Workflow Automation

A great marketing CRM system should enable you to customize and automate your funnel workflows fully. It should allow you to set up custom rules and triggers that run your activities to help your team work faster.

For instance:

• When a visitor fills a contact form, your system is triggered to send them a welcome email and follow-up emails after a week.

• When salespeople close a deal or win a client, top management is automatically notified. 

• When a potential customer abandons a cart for a given period, the system automatically sends a follow-up email with an offer.

Such automated workflows make your team more effective and can help increase leads and conversions. 

SharpSpring CRM

SharpSpring offers one of the most comprehensive CRM systems out there. With a SharpSpring CRM, your business gains access to all the above critical features and more at cost-effective rates. Such include:

Visitor tracking: You know where your visitors come from and can track their behavior on your site.

Sales automation features: You can run lead nurturing sequences with ease.

Lead scoring: You can track your visitors and identify sales-qualified leads.

Email integration: You can sync Office 365, Outlook, G Suite, and others to ease communication.

Scheduling: Book and meet with potential customers and prospects more seamlessly, among others.

Conclusion

The process of choosing the right marketing CRM for your business can be challenging. However, with these features above in mind, you can find software that gives you value for money.

SharpSpring CRM is one such software that is excellent for any type of business.