Marketing automation tools are a crucial part of any successful nonprofit organization’s strategy. They help streamline communication, engage donors, volunteers, alumni, and ultimately increase fundraising efforts.

Whether you believe that those who aren’t on the organization’s marketing team have no purpose for marketing automation. Marketing absolutely does equal engagement. Continue reading if you appreciate the notion of automating tedious, time-consuming processes so your team has more time to work on projects that actually put their combined expertise to use.

Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Account Engagement are two popular marketing automation tools available in the Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud that offer facilitator features and benefits. But which one is right for your organization?

In this blog, I’ll explore the key factors to consider when selecting a marketing automation tool and help you make an informed decision between Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Account Engagement.

Here are some tips for finding the best tool for your nonprofit, with a focus on utilizing Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Account Engagement:

The first step in choosing a marketing automation tool is to define your organization’s goals. What your company requires from marketing automation technology should be your top priority. Are you required to send certain donor groups tailored emails? Do you want to schedule posts on social media? Are you interested in observing the behavior of website visitors? As a beginning point for your study, make a list of your priorities. What do you want to achieve with this tool? Is it to increase fundraising, improve donor engagement, or streamline operations? Once you have a clear understanding of your goals, you can begin evaluating tools based on how well they meet these needs.

Look for marketing automation tools that offer robust features overlapping with your goals and requirements, such as email marketing, social media management, and analytics.

You are able to automate tasks like emails, forms, landing pages, and nurturing programs using Salesforce’s marketing automation technologies. These channels of communication are essential for maintaining contact with your constituency through regular, timely outreach. They can also be deeply challenging to do individually. Salesforce offers Account Engagement (formerly Pardot) and Marketing Cloud as two solutions for marketing automation. Both provide you the ability to maintain communication with your connections without having to spend all day writing emails and posting messages, but each has certain advantages.

What if the assessment of your organization’s needs for marketing automation does not end in a clear choice between Account Engagement and Marketing Cloud, but instead directs you to ask, “Can we use both?”.

Account Engagement may be the best option for some organizations’ first marketing initiatives, such as lead nurturing and engagement, while Marketing Cloud may be the best option to keep up connections with converted stakeholders. Some organizations, especially big ones, could be strong candidates for using Marketing Cloud to present themselves to their constituent audiences and then relying on lead nurturing tools provided by Account Engagement.

Your marketing automation tool should integrate seamlessly with other systems and tools your nonprofit uses. Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Account Engagement both integrate easily with Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, allowing for easy access to all your data.

A marketing automation tool should be easy for staff to use, even if they are not experts in marketing or technology. Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Account Engagement offer intuitive interfaces and user-friendly workflows, making them suitable for staff with varying levels of technical expertise.

Finally, consider the level of support available with your chosen marketing automation tool. Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Account Engagement both provide comprehensive support options, including online tutorials, forums, and direct support from their teams.

By following these tips, you can find the right marketing automation tool for your nonprofit, which will help streamline your operations, improve donor engagement, and increase your fundraising efforts.