Social sector organizations continue to rely heavily on digital communication as a central element of their marketing strategies. The relatively low upfront investment in a digital communication tool and ease by which mass communication can be sent often make up for low conversion rates. But, the market is saturated with options ranging from the very simple (and inexpensive) to the extremely complex (and not-inexpensive). In this post we will look at two of the most common tools we encounter in the market: Mailchimp and Pardot.

Mailchimp is a widely used, web-based, marketing platform. It can be leveraged as a stand-alone solution or with Salesforce integration. Despite its email-specific reputation, Mailchimp has expanded to include additional marketing services such as social posts and ads. The tool is designed to help small organizations promote, sell and grow their audience through digital communications such as emails, promotions and newsletters.

Pardot is a marketing automation system used by organizations with sophisticated marketing needs (e.g. connecting marketing activities and the sales pipeline). Pardot is a more complex tool and a larger investment. As a result, organizations often start with Mailchimp for Salesforce. Here, we will discuss an ideal use case for Mailchimp, some of its features, and when an organization should consider switching to the more robust Pardot.

Small Business Marketing Platform

Many organizations start with Mailchimp. With a low price point and an exceptionally user-friendly interface it can be “up and running” very quickly. The ideal use case for Mailchimp is an organization interested in:

• Easy-to-use templates that create engaging and informative newsletters
• Alerts (e.g. last minute calls to action for advocacy and philanthropy)
• Groups and tags for audience segmentation
• Event promotions and invitations
• Subscription forms for lead generation
• Audience behavior insights (e.g. opens, clicks) and ROI reporting

Mailchimp, at its core, is a marketing tool that works best with linear communication. It is not designed to accomodate more sophisticated patterns of communication (e.g. welcome series, or stewardship plans). It may be part of a larger solution, but Mailchimp alone cannot provide the robust functionalities needed to meet those requirements. For many small to mid-sized organizations Mailchimp will remain their tool of choice and serve them well. However, as an organization grows, either in size or scope, they may find themselves outgrowing Mailchimp.

Outgrowing Mailchimp

Successful organizations become all too familiar with growing pains. Being awarded a new grant or launching a viral campaign is an exciting, but complex time. Such aggressive growth can create the immediate need for an organization’s systems to do more – requiring new functionalities or the ability to manage a larger amount of information. Mailchimp, that worked well for sending out a monthly newsletter does not have the capability to sync all constituent data into Salesforce or allow users to create complex constituent journeys. A growth organization should periodically assess their systems to identify if they have outgrown their current solution – and marketing tools like Mailchimp are no different.

The first step in assessing a system is identifying what the requirements are. For example, a common requirement for growing organizations is obtaining and managing an influx of new data and information. Collecting the data is a good place to start – if an organization would like to collect multiple data points from constituents they should consider using an application or form. The form functionality on Mailchimp acquires only basic information, and cannot be used for more advanced purposes like event registration. Additionally, if an organization is interested in syncing data beyond contact information and interests, than they should consider the following:

• Only a limited number of fields sync between Mailchimp and Salesforce
• Group and tag data does not sync from Mailchimp to Salesforce
• Mailchimp subscribers are not connected to an ‘original’ campaign
• No continuous real time sync to Salesforce
• Activity information from Mailchimp is limited on Salesforce

If after a full assessment an organization decides that Mailchimp meets their needs – and will for some time – than they should continue to use the Salesforce-integrated tool. If they realize that their marketing needs have become more sophisticated, or that constituent information has exceeded Mailchimp’s capabilities, than it may be time to invest in a new solution.

Next Step: Pardot

Pardot is a marketing automation system that enables an organization to attract, convert and retain constituents. It is a native Salesforce application that offers the ability to  automate complex marketing journeys. The heart and soul of the Pardot application is its advanced email marketing and lead scoring capabilities.

An experienced partner can implement Pardot within a few days, which allows for basic use of the tool with initial set up and configuration. This permits organizations to send and report on email marketing campaigns. The tool, however, has such opportunity for growth that it can expand far beyond email communication – including automating messages based on a constituent’s actions. And, its intuitive interface makes for an easy transition despite its ability to handle complex marketing tasks.

When deciding on a new marketing system, organization’s should remember their list of requirements: how does a tool like Pardot compare in the areas that are needed most? If one of the key requirements was for the data to bilaterally sync with Salesforce than Pardot forms and applications can be generated to collect information. The data can then be connected with Salesforce through customizable data sync options, including a selection of Salesforce fields. The way insights are used in the system is also important. Users can grade and score prospects, make data-driven decisions throughout the constituent journey and provide in-depth reporting across all digital marketing efforts. Currently, Pardot offers the most Salesforce integration options of any marketing automation platform:

• Default and custom fields sync with Salesforce
• Continuous, bilateral sync between Pardot and Salesforce
• Pardot activity information displayed on lead and contact records in Salesforce

Summary + Conclusion

The first step in choosing the right solution for an organization is always to identify requirements and assess their current systems. If an organization finds that Mailchimp is still meeting their needs – and based on their growth strategy will continue to do so – than it may not be time to invest in another solution. Mailchimp is a widely-used inexpensive tool for small to midsize organizations and provides an easy, albeit simple, integration with Salesforce. As a native Salesforce application Pardot is simple to setup and configure, but is designed to handle complex automations and carries a much higher price tag. If an organization is experiencing growth, especially if that growth is occurring quickly, than they should consider Pardot as an investment in the future of their marketing efforts.