Great for an agency, but trying to get clients involved is next to impossible.

We joined the SS family mainly as a means of sending automated drip marketing emails on behalf of our clients, which it does well. We also like being able to see the life of every individual lead directly within the program. It lets us know where our strongest leads lie and where we need to do better. All in all, it gets the job done despite the interface headaches we frequently encounter.

Pros

There are a lot of features. Almost too many, actually. I can't imagine a company that could possibly use all of them successfully. Regardless, it's nice to know the option is there if a situation arises in which a certain feature becomes useful. My favorite function/feature has to be the lead tracking system. I love being able to see every interaction each lead has with my client's business. The automated actions on top of that in response to customer interaction is the main reason we use the software. It makes drip email campaigns a breeze. I like that it tracks conversions as well (although you have to set it up to do so which isn't necessarily the easiest process ever). All in all, though, it does the job we need it to do.

Cons

The SharpSpring system is VERY non-intuitive for non-marketers (and heck, even for marketers sometimes). There are just too many ways you can screw up and have to start an email, action, or workflow completely over again. We have several clients who we act as their entire marketing department for and trying to get their sales representatives to use the system the way it's intended is next to impossible. They just don't understand it or even it's purpose, even after we've done training after training after training with them. We've even had SS support do training directly with them, to no avail. I ended up creating my OWN versions of step-by-step tutorials for our clients just to make things easier to understand.

The other major drawback is it's way too easy to get "blacklisted" (aka hit spamtraps and honeypots), which I realize is a problem with email marketing in general, but SS doesn't have enough safeguards in place for preventing this type of situation. We have one client who likes to import their email lists in from an on-site wifi sign-on system, which inevitably leads to poor list quality regardless of how many safeguards (email weed-out) parameters we put in place ourselves. Getting on SS's blacklist is pretty much the worst thing that can happen because you still have to pay for the service even though you can't use it until your un-blacklisted, which can take a while.

Lastly, their email-design interface is terrible and trick to navigate.

SharpSpring is YES for my company, e-Intelligence.in

I recommend to use the software as it: Provides customized reports and other features that fit your marketing needs Comes with powerful features of marketing automation with easy functionalities Offers cost-effective pricing plans Updates itself continuously Combines with most CRM, eliminating the concerns of the type of hosting platform Gives amalgamation of functions in one platform for delivering marketing results, lead conversions, and easy ROI measurement However, you need to spare some time to understand the software’s deliverables. But they offer free webinars to help you to understand the tool.

Pros

SharpSpring is an automated marketing platform with features of third-party CRM integration, universal CMS compatibility, fully integrated call tracking, landing pages, blog builder and much more. It provides unlimited users for all plans, unlike its competitors. What it says vs. what it delivers: It says: It offers behavioral-based email automation with “after-the-click” tracking for personalized messaging. Yes, it delivers: With the feature, we were able to identify the cost of a lead. It also helped to decrease the unaddressed customer complaints It says: It offers in-depth analytics with statistics of clicks, bounces, and deliveries. It also enables to track the visitor’s conversions, the life cycle of a lead – from click to attending social events. No, it does not deliver: The reports and analytics are not in detail, though they provide the performance of campaigns. It misses the specifications on minute details of the strategy. It says: It offers customization in every feature such as customized conversion forms, buyer personalities, reports and much more. Yes, it delivers: My team at e-Intelligence were able to customize the tool for lead preferences, campaign performance, and email automation

Cons

Nothing that I can think of! I suggest making the most of this tool for your marketing needs. You can overlook minor glitches as they are not affecting the tool’s performance to a large extent.

SharpSpring is a phenomenal marketing automation platform.

SharpSpring is a superior marketing automation platform, with a very intuitive interface and offer the kind of support we have rarely seen in tech companies. They have worked harder to earn and keep our business than any other vendor we've ever worked with.

Pros

SharpSpring is a sleek system that offers outstanding tools for marketing automation. We researched a lot of platforms ranging from free to $1000s before going with SharpSpring. They have just the right amount of features that makes it the most useful for all of our clients, leaving off the bells and whistles that would inflate the price.

Their interface is top-tier which makes using their system a breeze. The dashboard gives you a comprehensive look at everything you're running. Moving around the system is super simple and they make it easy to jump to different areas when you're building a sales program. I'd urge you to check out all the features on their website because there are too many to list, but I can say that what they have offered us is unbelievably comprehensive.

We've also taken full advantage of their support which is outstanding. They have always been knowledgable and very friendly. Moreover, they won't let you off the phone until they are sure that the problem has been resolved! They also offer FREE continuing education programs like webinars to help make you more proficient at their program.

SharpSpring is a superior marketing automation platform, with a very intuitive interface and offer the kind of support we have rarely seen in tech companies. They have worked harder to earn and keep our business than any other vendor we've ever worked with. You would do yourself a giant favor to give their system a test drive.

Cons

I was not prepared for the steep learning curve that is required to take full advantage of this platform. I was a bit discouraged at first by everything there was to learn but I realized it's part of working with such a comprehensive platform. It's like moving to a new town and trying to figure out all the roads and highways. I don't know if that's really a con but it is something you must be aware of. You're going to need to spend some serious time learning it but once you do, navigating the system easily becomes second nature.

SharpSpring is the number one Marketing Automation Platform for small to mid-sized digital agencies.

We are a small boutique digital marketing agency based in the UK. We spent six months researching all the marketing platforms available. It was vital to have 24/7 support available within the fees payable, favourable fee rates for an agency of our size (which did not require upfront annual payment), the option to have access to support within GMT timelines for our UK clients and last but not least a marketing automation provider who were developing new features on a near-quarterly basis. We decided that SharpSpring and their team would provide all of these features and benefits. We commenced our inbound integration mid-2016, and the integration ran extremely efficiently with amazing support within GMT timeline availability. The support since and the new features constantly being added without any impact on fee rates have made the decision to choose SharpSpring, the absolute correct choice for our company. They have over delivered every step of the way for our company. Their team are highly knowledgeable, patient and supportive. I would not choose any other platform now we are with SharpSpring.

Pros

The SharpSpring Marketing Automation Software provides the following features and benefits that make it a stand out product for my business;
1. The 24/7 support incorporated into the monthly fees; Ensuring no surprises down the line.
2. No requirement to pay fees annually upfront.
3. New landing page feature.
4. Blog page feature.
5. New integration with the Litmus test.
6. Link up with Zapier integration to allow connection to hundreds of 3rd party software providers with the Zapier integration and SharpSpring APIs.
7. Training platform library; In-depth and with video availability to walk through processes. This along with 24/7 support, in my opinion, are the two most important features out with cost of course which set SharpSpring apart as the right platform for our boutique digital marketing agency.

Cons

1. Monthly fees in dollars do not convert via local UK sterling currency rates, unlike other US marketing software providers. You pay in £ sterling the same monthly fee as in US $ dollars.
2. Email builder while it is satisfactory it could be even more user friendly.

SharpSpring won me over from HubSpot

A couple of years ago our agency was a relatively happy HubSpot customer. We sold inbound services via HubSpot to our web development clients most often, but it was a hard sell and required a certain client profile to be successful. The most important aspect of an inbound client for us was deep pockets! Why? Simply because of the cost of the HubSpot platform. If a client had sufficiently deep pockets, AND was convinced of the business validity of inbound marketing versus traditional methods, the full court press was on. To give HubSpot credit, they got very involved in the client sales process and they provided a lot of tools to aid agencies in the inbound sales process, BUT, all of that comes at a cost. A significant cost. While HubSpot gets a lot of credit for pioneering the inbound marketing platform space, they have become, in this agencies opinion, a bit bloated over the years. What we mean is that they provide so much it is sometimes difficult to choose what is most important to push and provide for each client. The net effect is, however, that whatever your client does want to do, Personas, email marketing, automation, web site development, contact list management etc., it's all included. So what's the downside? Their strength is their biggest weakness. No matter how little or how much of HubSpots resources you use, the cost is the same. Of course there are tiers of cost, but even the lowest tier is roughly ten times the cost of SharpSpring. So use a little, pay a lot. Use a lot, pay a lot. Now we at CX3 Group don't necessarily sell on price, however, if the tools that you bring to the table for your clients are less expensive, but still as, or more, effective, it gives the agency a lot of flexibility when customizing various packages to promote. While generally content with HubSpot back in the day, we are extremely pleased with SharpSpring. Approaching our two year anniversary with them we take every opportunity to sing their praises, and it's NOT just about pricing. While SharpSpring is a fraction of the cost, of HubSpot (& others) the features it includes are all the features we ever really used with HubSpot. That is to say, we are paying for what we use, and not paying for anything that sits in the cupboard looking pretty, but we don't need. If I had more space here I'd go into the newest features that SharpSpring has rolled out over the past 6 months. Suffice it to say, we're a very happy and satisfied SharpSpring client! -CX3 Group

Pros

Cost vs. benefit. Has all of the features our clients want or need, without a bunch of stuff we have to pay for that they don't need.

Cons

It's a struggle to find something I don't like, but if it was one thing over the past two years, it would be the lack of support on the sales side for our clients. More customized training and presentations for client side would be great.

Great Marketing Automation With a Solid Support Team

I've been using SharpSpring for just about under a year in this time, I've recommended it to just about every marketer I've worked with. Typically, marketing automation software has only been usable by large and mid-size organizations due to the high cost of both the software and the expertise in operating an inbound marketing campaign. SharpSpring costs only a fraction of competing tools like HubSpot, Pardot, Marketo, etc., but it offers all of the core features of these platforms and has a few of its own features, like a built-in customizable CRM, that make it a great fit for just about any marketing team. There aren't any serious downsides or tradeoffs with SharpSpring vs the more expensive platforms. The customer service team is always very attentive and transparent about bugs and fixes, and SharpSpring has made a series of significant upgrades even during the time I've been using the platform. If you're used to using some of the other platforms I mentioned, some pieces of SharpSpring might initially feel less polished. But, once you look under the hood and start working with the platform, everything is there in a pretty intuitive layout. Highly recommended for marketing & sales teams.

Pros

The core marketing automation functionality in SharpSpring is excellent. If you're looking for Visitor ID tracking, better email communication, personalization, a landing page builder, or a CRM, SharpSpring is definitely worth a look.

Even though it's a "soft" feature, it's worth noting that the customer service team has been great to work with. I've been able to give my clients solid timelines for when to expect a fix or help.

Cons

The email and landing page builders are solid, but they lack some of the intuitive features that you might get from a dedicated email service provider like Campaign Monitor or Mail Chimp. There might be a few things you'll miss migrating over from one of these platforms, though nothing important for obtaining the same end results.

Making great progress with SharpSpring

I've used a couple of different Marketing Automation platforms in the past. Marketo briefly and Act-On for a couple of years. I switched to SharpSpring around 6 months ago when I set up my own marketing agency. Really happy with how its going. OK - its obvious that SharpSpring is a smaller company. I come across the occasional feature that could do with some refinement. But overall its fair to say I love SharpSpring. Top features from my POV... Ease of use - The separation of Tasks and Workflows seems to make this a much simpler product to use than Act-on. Easier than Marketo as well - though its about 3 years since I used that. The templates provided for rapidly building landing pages are excellent. The new personas feature is brilliant when combined with "Dynamic content blocks" (which you can use on landing pages as well as Emails. The built in CRM is a huge advantage and is perfect for BDM teams or smaller companies. Obviously if you can make do without a full-featured CRM like Salesforce, you'll save thousands $$ by switching to a simpler product like SharpSpring. (I used to use Act-on integrated with Salesforce and that was an absolute pig.) Cost - SharpSpring is much less expensive than Act-On and Marketo. You get unlimited users on their standard license plans - so you're not penalised for spreading use across Marketing, BDMs and Sales folk. So features - not a problem. I've found the training / on-boarding satisfactory and the ongoing technical support is fast and personal.

Pros

Ease of use, good templates, built in CRM (although you can integrate with 3rd party CRM if you need.) Cost saving compared to competing products - especially if you can dispense with a full-fat CRM like Salesforce which is bloated and over priced for SME market in my opinion.

Cons

Occasional glitches. Sometimes you have to refresh the page to see the result of a change that you have made. For example - the number of members in a list - can take a few minutes after saving the query to report a true number. But you soon learn to live with minor issues like this.

An Invaluable Tool, Though Not Perfect

We've been using SharpSpring for nearly a year at our agency, and have used almost every feature of it (SalesForce integration, automated workflows, API for custom reporting, full-on CRM, etc.). We love SharpSpring. In fact, in the past few months, SharpSpring has been responsible for helping us close nearly one million dollars in new business. As a B2B tool, the fact that we can see what businesses are browsing our site and reach out to them even if they don't submit a form is invaluable, and worth 10x cost. Every client we bring in gets put on the platform, and it's an indispensible part to growing their business. We are able to verify leads which instills confidence in our reporting, but also helps us evaluate the quality of leads and ROI through lead scoring and campaign assignments. We've used SharpSpring as white-labeled companion and even migrated some clients over to use it as their CRM. It's extremely versatile. SharpSpring's breadth of tools means you could be using it for a year and still not have used some of its features to the fullest of their ability (Dynamic Emails, Dynamic Web Content), and that's great... but it is also the cause of some frustration, as they sometimes rush out products to tout they have a new product, but that product will still feel very "beta" in nature. When dynamic landing pages were introduced we tried to use it for two weeks, and there was a bug that would wipe out whatever changes you made. We eventually abandoned using that tool, but came back several months later and it worked as it should have. The flip side of this is that SharpSpring is constantly working to improve. It is not a platform that rests on its laurels. You can also submit a feature or improvement to their team directly. Anytime we have had an issue, Customer Support has been great. Their agents have resolved our numerous issues quickly, whether its answering a quick implementation question or testing bugs for a larger issue. Overall, SharpSpring has been an integral tool to both our agency's growth but our clients' growth. And, though new tools sometimes feel buggy, we can easily overlook it due to the value it provides us.

Pros

Being able to leverage anonymous web user data to create actionable insights way before they fill a form out is invaluable. For an agency/B2B company, it is the most reliable new lead generator of any tool out there.

Cons

New features roll out and feel like they should still be in beta. It has a few quirks like a lack of global date range filter that don't necessarily hinder reporting/analysis but are a slight inconvenience.

Sharpspring is a terrific marketing automation tool that provides great value

Our experience with Sharpspring has been great. A trememdous value for our company that has already shown us ROI. Our company uses Sharpspring for both marketing automation and as our CRM tool. Specifically, Sharpspring is allowing us to target prospects in our database to fill top of the sales funnel with prospects, as well as allowing us to nurture specific prospects based on their engagement with us. Depending on an action a prospect takes, we can serve up the appropriate response automatically to further cultivate this person. In addition, we are able to use the analytics the system provides to better help us understand which marketing activities are working and which ones are not

Pros

It is easy to use. There is a learning curve, but it is not that steep. The list building logic and workflow logic just makes sense, and I think this is where Sharpspring shines. SharpSpring's support was critical to our success in getting started, as getting started truly is the hardest part. The responsiveness from their support team is also incredible. If you are not looking for all the bells and whistles that you ultimately won't use, Sharpspring is a true value.

Cons

The improvements I would like to see in Sharpspring centers around the contact management part of their solution. We have sales people that are using the system as their CRM and some basic features like searching, segmenting, and sorting are not available to a person in the sales person role permission.