Marketing Automation for Agencies: Top Tools for Scaling

Marketing automation tools help digital marketing firms scale their operations by automating workflows and fulfilling client deliverables faster.

 

With all-in-one automation tools, businesses can create scalable processes that lead to better quality work and happier clients.

 

Intelligent marketing automation platforms offer visual sales pipelines, behavior-based triggers, and custom reports leveraging audience analytics to grow their revenue.

 

In this blog post, we will look at all of the tasks that a digital agency can automate, as well as the top marketing automation tools for used by some of the best agencies.

 

True to SEOptimer form, we've spoken to some digital agency founders and marketing executives to get an idea of the types of processes they automate and the tools they use within their agency.

 

What is Marketing Automation for Agencies?

 

Marketing automation is a process that helps agencies automate their workload and increase profitability.

 

Marketing process automation extends beyond campaign management, offering features like multi-account management, centralized dashboards, and white-label reporting for easy client-specific branding.

 

It enables agencies to handle multiple clients efficiently while maintaining consistency in their marketing strategies.

 

Through powerful solutions, agencies can design, launch, and monitor campaigns based on customer histories, creating opportunities to upsell and cross-sell at key points in the customer journey.

 

Benefits of Marketing Automation for Agencies

 

Here are the primary advantages of marketing automation for digital agencies:

Boost in Marketing ROI and Efficiency

Marketing workflow automation improves ROI by handling repetitive tasks and simplifying processes.

 

It can enhance email campaigns, manage social media promotions, and optimize ads.

 

With smart automation, teams can achieve better results with less manual effort, thereby lowering costs.

 

For instance, Kelsey Stewart from Eleven89 Marketing & Design says marketing automation helps her focus on the more important aspects of growing an agency.

 

Instagram engagement, appointment reminders, and emails are the only things I currently have automated. Taking these somewhat administrative tasks off my plate allows me to focus on client work and business strategy instead of worrying if an email has been sent.

 

- Kelsey Stewart, Owner at Eleven89 Marketing & Design

Increase in Lead Volume and Quality

Automated marketing systems utilize behavioral data to create tailored campaigns that attract ready-to-buy leads, increase conversions, and enhance lead quality.

 

These systems also improve lead volume by performing accurate lead scoring and ensuring leads are highly qualified.

Personalization Across the Customer Journey

Marketing automation helps agencies provide a more customized experience through customer journey personalization.

 

Automation systems allow for the creation of cross-channel campaigns that unify customer data.

 

They also help to deliver personalized marketing messages at every stage of the buyer journey.

 

With end-to-end customer journey optimization, clients receive relevant, timely content, resulting in higher engagement and increased satisfaction.

Improved Campaign Management and Reporting

Automation centralizes campaign data in a single dashboard.

 

With features like closed-loop reporting and real-time analytics, automated platforms lets you track campaign performance easily.

 

Smart campaign management helps agencies manage multiple client accounts seamlessly and optimize their advertising efforts for better performance.

 

Many agencies I work with are still using very little automation in their reporting systems which is a real lost opportunity.

 

Reporting takes such a large amount of time, and while clients may not always read every single detail, they very much want the reports and to have the information available to them.

 

It can take hours to produce a report, and I'd predict that using more automation for these in 2025 is going to be a really important part of protecting client relationships, and the bottom line.

 

- Ali Newton-Temperley, Founder at Agency Growth Pad

Optimized SEO and Digital Advertising Management

Marketing agency automation also optimizes SEO marketing management and digital advertising efforts.

 

By automating tasks like keyword tracking and ad placement, agencies can ensure their campaigns are well-targeted and deliver the best results.

 

Additionally, automated reminders help agencies keep track of campaign performance and adjust strategies accordingly to maintain high visibility and drive traffic.

Enhanced Engagement and Interaction

Automation tools boost client engagement by automating content distribution across multiple channels.

 

Marketing agency automation can create cross-channel campaigns that use behavioral data to ensure that messaging aligns with audience needs.

 

Whether through social media, email, or advertising, agencies can enhance engagement and interaction through a people-first content approach, ensuring deeper connections with audiences and improved conversion rates.

 

Top Marketing Automation Tools for Agencies

 

Here are the most powerful marketing automation software that handles routine marketing tasks across the full customer journey:

SEOptimer

 

SEOptimer is a top marketing and SEO automation tool for agencies with Bulk Reporting and Backlink Monitoring features.

 

SEO marketing agencies can use our White-Label Reporting features to configure automated and fully customized reports. Reports can be scheduled to run daily, weekly, monthly, or a custom time range and emailed directly to the customers.

 

Also, the Backlink Monitoring tool can be used to track changes in backlinks over time. 

 

It provides a visual dashboard to monitor new and lost links, detailed reports on backlink metrics, and email summaries for easy updates.

 

Top Features:

 

• Offers an Embeddable Audit Tool to capture more prospects directly from websites. It provides value by delivering branded, detailed audit reports to prospects, and captures their contact information, which is sent directly to your inbox or CRM via Zapier.
• The Backlink Monitoring dashboard lets you see the acquired and lost backlinks with detailed metrics and data tables for in-depth analysis.
• You get customized professional PDF reports with your logo, branding, and company details. It is great for agencies looking to deliver branded SEO audits.

 

Pricing:

 

• White Label: $39/month. This includes all DIY features plus custom-branded PDF reports, multi-site crawls, and reports in 15 languages.
• White Label & Embedding: $59/month . This includes all white-label features plus embeddable audit forms for lead generation and custom form designs.

HubSpot

 

HubSpot’s marketing automation software manages complex marketing tasks, leveraging CRM data to craft customized campaigns across various channels.

 

It facilitates process automation, such as workflow creation and personalized communications, using AI-generated insights.

 

Marketers can execute targeted strategies by utilizing segmentation tools and real-time analytics to improve outreach.

 

Integrations with creative tools enhance content management, while features like automated lead prioritization and triggered notifications help teams stay proactive in nurturing prospects.

 

Saul Marquez from Outcomes Rocket, a global marketing agency serving healthcare clients, says that HubSpot adds immense value to their agency operations.

 

HubSpot has been an invaluable addition to our operations at the core, as its sophisticated email marketing with CRM integration has been excellent.

 

What truly separates HubSpot from the rest is its ability to design highly personalized campaigns that speak to healthcare professionals and decision-makers.

 

Additionally, real-time analytics on the platform have allowed us to prove ROI to our clients.

 

- Saul Marquez, Founder and CEO at Outcomes Rocket.

 

Top Features:

 

• The visual editor makes it easy to map out processes and execute actions based on user behavior, triggers, or predefined conditions.
• Agencies can create highly specific segments based on factors such as behavior, demographics, or stage in the customer lifecycle. 
• HubSpot integrates AI to support content creation, including email copy, captions, and even suggestions for new campaigns.
• The software helps marketers prioritize leads by automatically scoring them based on predefined criteria such as engagement level, actions taken, or demographic information.

 

Pricing:

 

• Professional: Starts at $800/month, includes 3 seats, 2,000 marketing contacts, and features like custom reporting and omnichannel automation. Requires a $3,000 onboarding fee.
• Enterprise: Starts at $3,600/month, includes 5 seats, 10,000 contacts, and advanced features like revenue attribution and customer journey analytics. Requires a $7,000 onboarding fee.

ClickUp

 

ClickUp automation helps enterprise-level teams supercharge productivity by automating repetitive tasks.

 

Key automation includes moving tasks to specific lists based on custom fields, applying templates when task statuses change, and notifying team members with comments at key project milestones.

 

You can execute your team's multi-channel campaigns with their all-in-one productivity platform that can also connect with over 200 tools like HubSpot, Slack, Gmail, and others.

 

Top Features:

 

• AI-powered chat to streamline team communication and collaboration in one place.
• Goals and automations to automate repetitive tasks and track progress towards primary objectives.
• Expert AI tools to generate campaign ideas, content outlines, blogs, project reports, emails, and more.
• Time tracking to monitor and manage time spent on tasks.
• Custom dashboards to gain insights with customizable project overviews.
• Sprints and project templates to manage workflows with ease and save time with ready-to-use templates.

 

Pricing:

 

• Unlimited: $7 per user/month, offering unlimited storage, integrations, dashboards, Gantt charts, time tracking, and AI compatibility.
• Business: $12 per user/month, includes everything in Unlimited, plus Google SSO, timesheets, workload management, advanced automations, and mind maps.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing for large teams with white labeling, advanced permissions, custom roles, enterprise API, and dedicated customer success manager.

ActiveCampaign

 

ActiveCampaign is an AI-powered automation platform for enterprises looking to personalize customer interactions at every stage of the buyer lifecycle.

 

The platform offers audience-centric tools for lead generation, nurturing, and conversion, enabling businesses to engage the right audience at the right time.

 

With drag-and-drop automation builders, 20+ triggers, and pre-built sales automation and engagement modules, marketing companies can easily set up personalized workflows.

 

ActiveCampaign streamlines the whole customer journey. It auto-mails personalized email sequences based on how a particular client has interacted with us in the past. We are also able to see the effectiveness of our campaigns and work out what is working and what is not without all of the tracking needing to be done manually. This tool saves us a lot of work every week by allowing us to improve our strategies and get closer to our clients.

 

- Filip Dimitrijevski, Business Development Manager at ClickVision BPO

 

Top Features:

 

• You can implement advanced conditional logic to dynamically adapt workflows based on customer behavior.
• The site & event tracking feature captures in-depth insights from customer interactions on your site or apps.
• With predictive sending, you can determine the most effective time to send emails by matching with customer activity patterns.
• Automated lead distribution, follow-ups, and pipeline management improves efficiency and leads to faster deal closures.

 

Pricing:

 

• Starter: $15/month – Includes basic automation, personalized campaigns, and 1 user.
• Plus: $49/month – Adds advanced automation, customer insights, and 3 users.
• Pro: $79/month – Full omnichannel marketing automation with predictive sending, 5 users.
• Enterprise: $145/month – Designed for large-scale campaigns, includes advanced support, enhanced CRM, and dedicated account management.

Zoho

 

Zoho Marketing Automation is designed for enterprise-level agencies, enabling them to engage customers with personalized messages at scale.

 

With a user-friendly dashboard and strong features such as lead scoring, behavioral targeting, and easy CRM integration, it simplifies all your marketing operations.

 

Top Features:

 

• You can create drip campaigns and send targeted, intuitive emails to nurture leads without needing designers or developers.
• The software lets you plan, budget, and manage all marketing activities in one place, from setting goals to tracking performance and ROI.
• You can automate and schedule SMS messages for high-intent traffic, with detailed reports for campaign performance.
• The tool also lets you schedule unlimited posts with performance reports and offers best-time predictions for optimized publishing.

 

Pricing:

 

• Professional: $29/month. The plan is suitable for growing agencies that need advanced contact management, A/B testing, and ecommerce marketing.
• Enterprise: $59/month (annually). The plan is designed for agencies with advanced needs, such as lead attribution, custom roles, and engagement pop-ups.

Constant Contact

 

Constant Contact offers an easy-to-use marketing platform for enterprise-level agencies looking to grow by building deeper relationships with their audience.

 

It provides powerful tools for email campaigns, social media posts, and customer engagement, all backed by award-winning customer support.

 

Top Features:

 

• Offers simple, AI-powered tools to create professional email campaigns.
• You can use their powerful social media integration to create and publish social posts alongside email efforts.
• They have hundreds of customizable email templates to match your brand.
• Along with tools to capture and nurture leads effectively, they also have features like SMS marketing and CRM integration to deepen buyer relationships.
• Agency partners also get limited early access to upcoming features.

 

Pricing:

 

• Standard: $35/month, designed for growing agencies with more advanced marketing tools. Includes 3 users, 10 GB storage, automations, and up to 12x your contact limit in email sends.
• Premium: $80/month, for agencies needing full automation and advanced reporting. Includes unlimited users, 25 GB storage, premium features, and up to 24x your contact limit in email sends.

Hootsuite

 

Hootsuite for agencies helps advertising companies manage their entire client portfolio using a single dashboard.

 

The platform supports automated content creation, scheduling, and message management, allowing businesses to improve efficiency and maximize their social media impact.

 

Agencies can manage 5+ users and 50+ accounts with Hootsuite Enterprise.

 

Top Features:

 

• You can manage all client accounts, posts, analytics, and approvals from a single, streamlined tab.
• The tool lets you simplify client approvals with secure, customizable workflows to ensure content is client-ready before publishing.
• AI-powered tools help you create engaging content faster and also help to generate captions and ideas. You can also integrate Canva templates for on-brand posts.
• The software manages both organic and paid social media content side-by-side for a multifaceted approach.
• You can quickly generate branded, customizable reports that showcase your impact and performance metrics.

 

Pricing:

 

• Team: $90 USD per month, supports 3 users and 20 social accounts. Has features like team roles, post suspension, a custom-branded URL, and link tracking.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing based on needs, starting at 5 users and 50 social accounts. Includes everything from the Team plan, plus advanced workflow tools, content library, automated engagement, and Hootsuite Academy training.

Buffer

 

Marketing firms can use Buffer to productively manage client social media campaigns and optimize content distribution across their marketing channels.

 

With auto scheduling, detailed analytics, and full-scale content management, Buffer helps agencies maintain complete control over client campaigns.

 

Buffer’s AI Assistant offers advanced tools for generating content ideas and repurposing posts, enhancing the productivity of marketing teams.

 

Top Features:

 

• Buffer offers quick and easy Integration with Instagram, Google Business, Bluesky, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, and more.
• The best part is the automated publishing across multiple channels with suggested hashtags.
• They have a library of click-worthy content ideas for each platform.
• You also get advanced analytics and performance reporting that you can share with clients.

 

Pricing:

 

• Team: $10/month per channel, includes unlimited team members, collaboration tools, and advanced reporting.
• Agency: $100/month for 10 channels, ideal for growing agencies, offering custom permissions, agency-friendly pricing, and scalability.

Trello

 

Trello boards are powerful automation tools for branding and advertising agencies looking to synchronize their operations.

 

The software brings all tasks and teammates together in one place. With the help of visually-empowered boards and workspaces, agencies can manage projects of any size.

 

Top Features:

 

• Offers Boards, Lists, and Cards to organize tasks and track progress.
• You can use customizable workflows to customize your project management approach based on your team's needs.
• Timeline and calendar views help agencies meet deadlines and project timelines.
• Butler automation can be used to create custom rules, buttons, and commands without any coding.

 

Pricing:

 

• Premium: $10/user/month (billed annually). Suitable for teams managing multiple projects, with features like Calendar, Timeline, Dashboard views, and unlimited Workspace command runs.
• Enterprise: $17.50/user/month (billed annually). Offers advanced security, unlimited workspaces, organization-wide permissions, and multi-board guests for large organizations.

Zapier

 

Zapier helps agencies automate workflows and optimize operations without needing developer support.

 

Marketing agencies can connect over 7,000 apps to automate sales activities, client onboarding, data management, and more.

 

The platform helps teams to quickly set up and configure workflows, improve coordination, and scale services for multiple clients with top-level security and compliance standards.

 

Sheyne Branconnier from Smile Media says that they use Zapier at their agency to automate all sorts of repeititve tasks.

 

We use Zapier to bridge gaps between various tools and platforms. It automates repetitive, manual tasks such as syncing lead forms with our CRM and updating project timelines in tools like Asana. This helps eliminate data silos and saves time so our team can focus on strategy and creativity.

 

- Sheyne Branconnier, Owner of Smile Media

 

Top Features:

 

• You can automatically trigger personalized campaigns based on lead behavior.
• The software offers client-specific workflows for each client to manage unique needs.
• AI-driven automation lets you optimize lead management, content generation, and more.
• With scalable solutions for multiple clients, the tool lets agencies grow without increasing overhead.
• All your client data is secured with SOC 2 compliance, GDPR, and CCPA adherence.

 

Pricing:

 

• Team: $69/month (billed annually) for unlimited users, shared workspaces, shared app connections, and premier support.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing available. This plan offers advanced admin permissions, annual task limits, observability, SAML SSO, and designated technical support.

Make

 

Make is a no-code marketing automation platform for fast-growing agencies. The tool visually builds, automates, and scales workflows for their business.

 

It allows marketing companies to create complex workflows using a drag-and-drop interface, with no coding required, making it accessible to various departments like sales, marketing, and operations.

 

Top Features:

 

• You can build and automate complex workflows visually, giving users full control over their processes.
• The tool lets you simplify lead management and demand generation by automating the flow of leads.
• From idea generation to publication, you can automate content workflows to ensure consistency and timeliness.
• You can also automate content generation and publishing across multiple social platforms like X, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
• The tool lets you break down silos and automate customer lifecycle workflows to build stronger relationships and retain customers.

 

Pricing:

 

• Free: No-code workflow builder, 1,000 Ops/month, access to 1,000+ apps.
• Core ($9/mo): 10,000 Ops/month, unlimited active scenarios, access to the Make API.
• Pro ($16/mo): Custom variables, full-text execution log search, priority scenario execution.
• Teams ($29/mo): Multiple teams, high-priority execution, scenario templates.
• Enterprise: Enhanced security, 24/7 support, SSO, audit logs, and advanced automation capabilities.

 

Tasks that Marketing Agencies can Automate

 

Here are the primary tasks that agencies can automate with the help of automation platforms:

1. Content Creation and Publishing

Agencies can automate content brief generation, blog topic generation, and ad copy creation to manage the content development process.

 

Automated tools also allow for content publishing across multiple platforms and social media post scheduling, ensuring consistent messaging and saving time.

2. Lead Management and Nurturing

Automation platforms help agencies manage prospects more effectively and turn them into valuable sales opportunities.

 

Through features like progressive profiling, agencies can gather deeper insights about potential customers over time, allowing for more targeted and effective customer nurturing.

 

With the right information, agencies can deliver personalized content at the right stages, guiding leads through the sales funnel and ultimately increasing conversion rates.

3.  Campaign and PPC Management

PPC campaign automation enables agencies to optimize pay-per-click ads by leveraging PPC automated bidding and automated audience targeting for better precision and efficiency.

 

Automation tools allow for doing A/B testing to identify the best-performing ads while also managing campaign performance with automated rules and report scheduling.

 

Agencies can also implement custom builds to tailor campaigns, maximizing ROI and driving better results at scale.

4. Automatic Rank Tracking

Automation in SEO allows agencies to automate organic rank tracking with ease, ensuring regular rank checks across multiple search engines.

 

With the ability to select target search engines, agencies can focus on specific platforms that matter most to their clients.

 

For instance, with SEOptimer agency rank tracking tool, you can track rankings on Google and Bing for both Mobile and Desktop devices (in over 70 countries). This allows digital marketers to analyze keyword positions, search volumes, and competitor insights.

 

The below screenshot illustrates how you can setup rank tracking for the Google search engine to monitor and track rankings on both Mobile and Desktop devices.

 

Tools like SEOptimer provide accurate ranking checks and deliver 100% white-label global ranking reports, allowing agencies to present comprehensive, branded insights to clients without manual input. 

5. SEO Tasks Automation

Automating SEO tasks helps agencies streamline keyword analysis, competitor research, and other resource-intensive activities, allowing them to focus on more strategic initiatives.

 

Marketing automation tools can handle technical SEO health checks, ensuring that websites are optimized for search engines, while keyword clustering groups related terms for better targeting.

 

Automated SEO reporting simplifies the process of delivering performance insights to clients, freeing up time to concentrate on implementing a high-level SEO strategy that drives long-term growth.

6. Drip Campaigns and Email Automation

 

Automating drip campaigns and email workflows helps agencies engage customers at the right moments, such as when abandoning a shopping cart, to boost sales.

 

By using automated emails triggered by specific actions or behaviors, like purchases or sign-ups, agencies can guide prospects through tailored funnels.

 

Date-based automations and event-driven triggers ensure that personalized messages are sent at optimal times, enhancing engagement and increasing conversion rates, all without manual effort.

 

What to Look for when Choosing Marketing Automation Tools for Your Agency

 

Finding your perfect marketing automation tool is challenging. Here are the top factors that will help you make a well-informed decision:

White-Label Features

Customized white labeling is essential for maintaining your branding. Look for features like customized reports and dashboards where you can add your agency’s logo and branding.

 

With white-label capabilities, your agency can deliver professional-looking and high-quality branded reports in a consistent style and format without any third-party tool labels.

 

For instance, SEOptimer gives agencies the ability to customize their SEO audits and reports for their clients so that it matches their agency's look and feel.

 

The below screenshot shows you how you can add your agency's logo to the report header.

 

Further customization options include:

 

• Adding your agency name, address, and other contact information.
• Customizing the fonts used in the SEO report.
• Editing the header and body fonts.

 

Looking for white label marketing solutions for your agency? Check out our post listing the top 9 white label marketing tools used by agencies.

Multi-Account Management

Efficient multi-account management is vital for agencies handling numerous client accounts.

 

Hence, the right automation tool should allow you to manage multiple client campaigns simultaneously without the need to switch between accounts.

 

Look for campaign automation solutions that offer a centralized dashboard where you can track progress, and manage client campaigns easily.

Integration with Other Tools

Choose an automation platform that integrates with your existing tech stack. It will ensure smooth data flow to simplify workflows and operations.

 

Your team can automate processes more effectively and maintain cohesive marketing strategies across different channels and tools.

 

Conclusion

 

AI-driven marketing automation software helps you scale your agency growth, optimize operations, and ensure long-term success.

 

Automation lets you manage multiple campaigns harmoniously while generating easy-to-share reports that keep clients informed and confident about your work.

 

By automating processes and delivering quality work, you can serve your clients better and allocate more time to strategic initiatives.