Choosing the Right Marketing Automation Platform: Integration and Openness

ActiveCampaign: Open and Connected CX Automation Platform

In a recent appearance on the Software Spotlight podcast, we had a chance to meet with marketing automation expert Xiaofei Zhang of ActiveCampaign. This article will explore everything you need to know to Choose the proper marketing automation platform integration for your business. Xiaofei is the head of platform and strategic partnerships at ActiveCampaign. The ActiveCampaign solution is a customer experience automation platform to help businesses build meaningful customer connections. At its core, ActiveCampaign focuses on being an open and integrated platform that connects to the existing tools businesses use.

As Xiaofei said:

“We are a platform company first and foremost. So that means that we not only have really robust native features that allow you to do that, but we integrate well with all the other solutions in the market.”

ActiveCampaign aims to provide an open platform that makes it easy for developers and companies to build on:

“What we do is we aim to build an open platform. So any developers or companies, it makes it really easy for them to build because ultimately we want the customers to bring their favorite tools to the platform.”

This allows businesses to connect ActiveCampaign to the other tools they already use rather than needing to replace them.

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Streamline Workflows with Advanced Automations

When you log into ActiveCampaign, you get an overview of critical data, upcoming campaigns, and automations. The sidebar provides access to core functionality like building campaigns, sending emails, and more.

App Studio and Integrated Ecosystem

A key part of ActiveCampaign's open platform is App Studio, which provides the developer tools to build apps natively integrated with ActiveCampaign.

As Xiaofei explains:

“So partners who build through App Studio, which is the developer tooling that we built. So that's how you build natively onto ActiveCampaign. So a CX app is an organic part of our automation builder. So you can use data from your partner app in the automation.”

The App Studio ecosystem provides over 900 integrated apps that businesses can leverage within ActiveCampaign automations and workflows.

Benefits of Connecting Tools with ActiveCampaign

Rather than needing to replace existing tools, ActiveCampaign focuses on connecting them:

“I'm sure, yeah, running your business, you have a lot of tools you already use that you don't want to switch, but you want to integrate with the others.”

As Michael Bernzweig of Software Oasis states:

“Absolutely, and I think that that's what's exciting about, or one of the things that drew me to the solution is the fact that there are just hundreds of applications that are integrated and you know it's really less a matter of saying, you know, picking or choosing, but how does everything play together nicely and is it, designed to work together and I think seeing I think you had 800 or 900 different applications and that's just crazy. And that's fantastic.”

By integrating tools rather than replacing them, ActiveCampaign provides businesses with a connected ecosystem that works seamlessly. Automations can incorporate data from multiple apps to trigger actions across tools.

ActiveCampaign delivers an open and integrated platform that connects the tools businesses already use. This benefits businesses by connecting rather than replacing existing tools for a unified CX automation stack.

We believe that when selecting a marketing automation platform, focus on finding a solution that aligns with your business goals, integrates with your existing tech stack, and provides the specific features and capabilities your team needs to execute successful campaigns. elevationmarketing has a similar thought on this.

Focus on Openness and Integration

ActiveCampaign stands out in the marketing automation for its commitment to building an open, integrated platform. Rather than locking users into its proprietary tools, ActiveCampaign makes connecting to many other applications easy.

This integration-focused strategy aims to let users bring their favorite tools into the platform. As Xiaofei, who leads ActiveCampaign's partnerships team, explained:

“We are a platform company first and foremost. So that means that we not only have really robust native features that allow you to do that, but we integrate well with all the other solutions in the market.”

Over 900 Integrated Apps and Counting

The ActiveCampaign Apps page includes integrations across categories like CRM, ecommerce, payments, social media, and more. Over 900 marketing automation platform integrations are available for ActiveCampaign to fit into any martech stack. Some examples include:

• Shopify – synchronize ecommerce data
• Salesforce – connect CRM data
• Postmark – send transactional emails
• Slack – send alerts and notifications

Built for Developers – ActiveCampaign's App Studio

ActiveCampaign built a developer platform called App Studio to facilitate third-party integrations. As Xiaofei explained:

“What we do is we aim to build an open platform. So any developers or companies, it makes it really easy for them to build because ultimately we want the customers to bring their favorite tools to the platform.”

Through App Studio, external developers can build apps that integrate natively with ActiveCampaign's platform. These integrated apps can then be used directly in ActiveCampaign's automation builder to trigger workflows.

Connecting Tools Rather Than Replacing Them

ActiveCampaign's focus on integration allows users to connect their existing tools rather than forcing the adoption of an entirely new stack.

As Bernzweig noted, businesses often already have tools in place that they want to keep using:

“I'm sure, yeah, running your business, you have a lot of tools you already use that you don't want to switch, but you want to integrate with the others.”

ActiveCampaign facilitates this by providing easy integrations to tools users already rely on.

Automating Cross-Tool Workflows

With so many integrations available, ActiveCampaign opens up possibilities for cross-tool workflows and automation. As Xiaofei noted:

“So example would be, oh, a form submission came from Facebook lead ads. Oh, add this contact onto my list in ActiveCampaign, but oh, trigger a alert in Slack to notify your sales team. or update this record in this other system. So like that's how it really comes together is, I think I like to say, if you can't automate it, it doesn't exist.”

Rather than siloed tools, ActiveCampaign enables seamlessly connected experiences. Marketing automation platform integration with ActiveCampaign provides a unified view of the customer lifecycle across your tech stack.

The Platform That Plays Well with Others

ActiveCampaign stands out for its commitment to openness and integration in the marketing automation space. Rather than forcing the adoption of proprietary tools, ActiveCampaign provides an impressive breadth of integrations and developer options to connect the other tools businesses rely on. This integration-first strategy provides flexibility and facilitates sophisticated cross-tool automation.

Conclusion

Integration and openness should be key considerations when selecting a marketing automation platform. As the article discusses, ActiveCampaign distinguishes itself by providing an open, integrated platform rather than a closed proprietary system. With over 900 app integrations and developer tools like App Studio, ActiveCampaign easily connects other tools businesses rely on. This integration focus delivers flexibility, enabling users to leverage their existing martech stack.

Rather than forcing the adoption of an entirely new proprietary suite of tools, ActiveCampaign integrates with what users already have. Incorporating data and triggering actions across multiple integrated tools facilitates sophisticated cross-channel automation. For businesses seeking an automation platform, ActiveCampaign's commitment to integration and openness provides a powerful way to unify systems and create a seamless, connected customer experience.

Sign up for a free trial of ActiveCampaign today.

Watch our edition of Software Spotlight featuring ActiveCampaign. Host Michael Bernzweig interviews Xiaofei Zhang of ActiveCampaign to discuss the Chicago-based marketing automation company's founding in 2003 and impressive growth. Zhang details how ActiveCampaign transitioned to a SaaS model in 2016, kickstarting tremendous expansion to over 150 million in revenue and 800 employees globally today.