If you’re looking for a marketing automation tool, then you may be wondering which one is better: Braze or Salesforce? Both are great tools that can improve your business’s conversion rates. However, there are some differences between the two that might make it easier to choose for your company. Let’s take a look at the key features of each program and how they compare!
What is Braze?
Braze is a mobile marketing automation platform. It helps businesses send personalized messages to customers using data from the company’s apps, as well as customer relationship management (CRM) systems and other sources.
Braze is one of many tools for marketers looking to automate their messaging with customers on mobile devices, email, and social media.
It’s also one of few that integrate with Apple and Google devices, as well as web browsers like Safari and Chrome. It can be paired directly with users’ mobile apps to track their activities in the app so messages are more personalized for each user.
What is Salesforce?
Salesforce is a CRM solution for businesses. It was founded in 1999 by former Oracle engineers, who wanted to create an affordable CRM platform that small and medium-sized companies could benefit from.
The main purpose of using Salesforce is to get organized with customer information all under one roof without having to use multiple systems. Salesforce also offers a free plan so small and medium-sized businesses can test out the software before committing to it long term.
Using Salesforce will allow businesses to be more organized with customers, which means faster service for their customers and less time spent working in multiple systems. Since all data are stored under one system, there is much better visibility into all customers and leads which will help companies successfully create lead generation strategies.
Pros of Braze
Braze is a lightweight, robust platform that can be customized for your specific needs.
Braze is a simple and user-friendly platform that can be easily customized by marketers according to the individual needs of each client’s business model. It also offers many solutions, such as creating an environment that provides necessary data in real-time—something which Salesforce doesn’t do.
It is fast and easy to use, allows you to track user data in real-time, and offers the ability to customize emails as well as other marketing material based on each individual’s actions within an app or mobile website. This will help your business grow exponentially by using Braze’s integrations with the Gmail ads platform so that you can reuse your existing email lists and send highly personalized emails.
Pros of Salesforce
Salesforce’s pros are that it has a massive amount of functionalities for CRM, marketing automation, and analytics. It also is the leading tool in all these categories which means you will have access to advanced features.
Another pro is that it’s easy to use and implement. It also includes a CRM for free which you will likely need if you are using their marketing automation tool. This makes it easy on the wallet because you won’t have to pay extra for CRM software. Finally, they offer many different types of plans which makes it easy to pick something that works for your business.
Salesforce is also a very trusted and known tool, making it reputable and you feel safe using the product. Also, they have great customer support because many people trust this company so much already. That means if you get stuck, you can contact their team for help.
The final pro is that it offers many integrations with other companies which makes this a very powerful tool to use in the marketing technology space. It also offers an API so you can build additional integrations if needed. This gives marketers a lot of flexibility when it comes to finding a tool that best fits their business goals.
Braze vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud Features Comparison
This comparison will focus on Braze and Salesforce in terms of overall features, pricing, integrations offered by both companies.
In this article, we will compare key functionalities from two leading marketing automation tools-Braze vs Salesforce.
Braze is a new player in the market but it has gained popularity among marketers with its simplicity and effectiveness when it comes to marketing automation.
Salesforce is an old player in the market but it has gained popularity due to its large number of users.
Ease of Use
Ease of use is important in marketing automation because it makes it easier for users to interact with the software. It is also more likely that individuals will continue using an application if they find its interface easy to use, especially since many other applications may be competing for their attention.
Ease of use relates to customer success and support as well – these are both key factors in whether or not an individual will continue to use a product.
Braze’s ease of use relates to the fact that it is a mobile-based application, so many of its features are simplified because they have been optimized for mobile phones.
Some features that make Braze easier to use compared to Salesforce are its simplified Dashboard and ability to only send messages through mobile phones (which makes it easier for individuals to respond).
Salesforce has more advanced functionality and requires a longer learning curve – however, this may be beneficial if an organization already has sales or marketing teams that are experienced with Salesforce.
Salesforce is web-based, so it can be accessed from anywhere. It also offers more comprehensive reporting and customer analytics than Braze does, which many businesses may find useful.
In terms of ease of use, Braze is the winner because it has more streamlined features than Salesforce. However, many businesses may find Salesforce’s additional functionality useful and thus prefer that platform over Braze.
Templates
Templates are pre-made pieces of content that can be sent out at certain times or by triggers. Most marketing automation tools use templates, which are great for saving time and energy while crafting your communication strategy because you don’t have to start from scratch every single time. The most common type of template is email, but you can also utilize marketing automation tools for creating other types of templates like landing pages and webinars.
Blaze’s Templates are quite simplistic, but they do offer a few different types. There are templates for emails and SMS messages, as well as some pre-made ad creative. You can also create your custom email template which is nice if you want to add an extra touch of personalization on occasion.
Braze has some robust templates that allow you to personalize the content with a lot of different types of information. You can include customer attributes, merge tags for dynamic data, and even personalization variables that allow you to pull in things like users’ names based on their email address or phone number. That way your emails always look nice and personalized!
Salesforce’s templates are pretty standard, and there aren’t very many of them. You can create a template for an email or SMS message (though they’re not as customizable as Braze’s), but that’s about it. For most people, this won’t matter much, though if you want to personalize your communication then Salesforce is probably the wrong choice.
In terms of templates, Braze and Salesforce are pretty similar. They both offer email templates, though Braze’s gives you more customization options like merge tags for dynamic data. When it comes to SMS messages, there is not much comparison because only Braze offers that option in their marketing automation tool!
Customization
Customization is important in marketing because it allows marketers to design and launch campaigns that are specific to each client. Customization is a feature that helps marketers improve their marketing efforts. For example, if a company has two different brands they will need to design separate campaigns for each brand’s audience and this is where customization comes into play because it allows the marketer to change specific aspects of the automation process for each campaign.
Braze’s customization is highly advanced. It is one of the most customizable automation tools on the market today, allowing marketers to engage their entire audience throughout different stages of engagement. They can even offer automated messages for specific events such as registration or purchase completion within a campaign’s funnel(s).
Braze’s customization features can be applied to all kinds of automation including re-engagement, lead nurturing, or even one-time messages. Marketers are also able to schedule automated email campaigns for specific timeframes and can choose from a variety of templates that correspond with different events within the campaign funnel(s).
Salesforce has customization capabilities which are also very valuable but they do not have the same level of customization as Braze. This is because they only focus on one type of marketer which is sales-focused marketers, so Salesforce’s automation will not have the flexibility that a marketing manager needs to design custom campaigns for their audience or specific events within each campaign funnel.
Salesforce does have a few different features that allow marketers to design automated email campaigns. For instance, they can set up automation with triggers based on lead scoring rules or specific events within the campaign funnel which will trigger an event and send out personalized messages accordingly. They also offer some integrations for marketing automation tools such as Pardot, Marketo, and Eloqua.
However, these marketers are mostly limited to just customizing the emails that they send out. They cannot design specific campaigns for each client or audience which makes it difficult if a company has multiple brands with different audiences because then their automation would be very one-dimensional.
In terms of customization, Braze is the better marketing automation tool because marketers can design fully customizable campaigns that can be applied to all kinds of audiences or different events within each campaign funnel. This allows their audience(s) to receive highly personalized messages throughout various stages of engagement which ultimately leads to higher conversion rates and improved ROI for clients.
Salesforce does have customization capabilities but does not have the same level of customization as Braze. This is because they only focus on one type of marketer which is sales-focused marketers, so Salesforce’s automation will not have the flexibility that a marketing manager needs to design custom campaigns for their audience or specific events within each campaign funnel.
Customer Support
Customer support is the process of managing and handling customer service issues. It is a crucial part of any marketing campaign because it can directly impact your brand’s reputation, which will determine how much revenue you generate from each sale. Let me explain…
When customers make purchases online or offline they may have one or more questions before completing their purchase. These questions could be related to a product or service, the purchase process itself (shipping & returns), billing information, etc.
In these instances, customer support from both your marketing automation tool and your e-commerce platform should be connected so that questions can easily be transferred between them without any interruption for the customer. This is an example of how marketing automation can help improve customer support.
Braze’s customer support is automated and can be found under the ‘Support’ section of your Braze account. It is always free to talk with a member of their team, which makes it very accessible for customers who may need additional guidance or troubleshooting to complete their purchase(s).
Salesforce’s customer support cannot be accessed within Salesforce itself but rather requires a portal login. Salesforce does offer live chat with their team but it is only available during business hours and can cost your company up to $50 per month for the service (depending on the package).
Braze excels over Salesforce in regards to customer support. Customers know that they can contact a member from Braze anytime and for any reason, which makes them feel more confident in their purchasing decisions. If you are looking to streamline your Customer Support process then it is worth considering an alternative marketing automation tool other than Salesforce.
In terms of customer support, Braze is the clear winner over Salesforce. Customers know that they can get in touch with a member from Braze any time, which makes them more confident about completing their purchase(s). If you are looking to streamline your customer support process then it is worth considering an alternative marketing automation tool other than Salesforce.
Integrations
Integrations are vital in any marketing automation platform because the more marketing channels and tools you can use together, the better. Your customers are on multiple digital platforms; they need to be reached in each of them with relevant content that’s personalized for their needs. Integrations can also be used to share information across different marketing automation platforms so you can create a more cohesive experience for your customers.
Creating integrations through various channels, including webhooks and APIs, provides organizations with greater flexibility in how they connect their systems. It also enables organizations to integrate systems that are built by different developers.
Marketers can create meaningful experiences across channels through integrations, leading customers down a more personalized path based on their behaviors and preferences. This also helps reduce the noise of irrelevant marketing messages or content being sent out into the world. Integrating platforms also provide the opportunity to collect more data on customers, which can help inform campaigns down the road.
Braze’s integrations are much more robust than Salesforce. Braze offers integrations with 17 different marketing channels, including email providers like MailChimp and Marketo as well as digital advertising platforms such as Facebook Ads and Twitter Ads. SalesForce only has a handful of integrations that aren’t even built by the company itself. For example, its integration for Google Adwords is built by Adobe. SalesForce does, however, offer an integration with Marketo that can be used to manage marketing automation and ad campaign information.
Salesforce’s integrations feature is much more limited than Braze. SalesForce offers integrations with nine different marketing channels, including email providers like MailChimp and Marketo as well as digital advertising platforms such as Facebook Ads and Twitter Ads.
Braze’s integrations are far superior to that of Salesforce. Braze offers integrations with seventeen different marketing channels, including email providers like MailChimp and Marketo as well as digital advertising platforms such as Facebook Ads and Twitter Ads. SalesForce only has a handful of integrations that aren’t even built by the company itself, for example, its integration with Google Adwords is built by Adobe.
In terms of integrations, Braze is far superior. It offers a greater range of integrations and they’re all built in-house by Braze, whereas SalesForce only has a handful, most of which aren’t even built by the company itself. For marketers, this is an important factor to consider when choosing the right marketing automation tool for your business.
User Interface
The user interface is how users interact with a website. The user interface can be designed to look good and it should run smoothly, but there is more than just aesthetics at play here. A great user interface allows the targeted customer to receive information about your product in an effective way that keeps their interest while avoiding distractions or confusion.
The user interface of Braze is clean, simple, and targeted. The information that is presented is concise which allows the user to take action without getting distracted or overwhelmed by too much confusing data at once.
The user interface of Salesforce has a lot more information at once so it can be difficult for customers to find things or know where to go next without getting frustrated. The design elements are not cohesive and sometimes seem haphazard.
Marketers can use both interfaces to get their message across effectively, but they need to know what kind of customer they are targeting before choosing which platform will work best. The more streamlined interface of Braze makes it easier for customers that do not want pages upon pages of information or are not as familiar with the internet. The interface of Salesforce is advantageous for marketers that need to present a lot more data to make their point clear, but they can’t expect everyone who visits their site will stick around long enough to find all the valuable content if it’s cluttered together without any organization.
The user interface of Salesforce on the other hand can be overwhelming since it doesn’t allow for as many succinct views into the customer’s information. It may require more time from the user to get the info that they need which can be frustrating for them. It’s harder for users to take action with Salesforce since it requires more information gathering before taking any steps forward.
Although both tools are effective, Braze has a cleaner and simpler interface allowing customers to digest their data more easily. This allows users to take more action with less hassle which is better for the user experience of the customer and helps them get what they want faster.
In terms of the user interface, Braze has a more streamlined and easy-to-digest interface which makes it better for the user experience. Salesforce, on the other hand, is not as helpful in terms of directing customers through their process quickly and easily but can offer marketers access to different kinds of data with ease depending on what their marketing goals are.
The user interface comparison between Braze and Salesforce has proven that Braze is better for the customer and allows them to take more action with less hassle. This makes the user experience of using Braze much better than Salesforce which can be frustrating and time-consuming at times depending on what kind of data you need.
Channels
Channel is a tool that allows marketers to create messages and send them out across different online channels. It can be used to schedule posts for different social networks, from Twitter and Facebook to Instagram.
Channels is an important feature because it allows marketers to coordinate and automate their outreach across multiple platforms.
Braze’s channel feature is very similar to that of Salesforce. Both allow users to schedule posts across multiple social media platforms. However, they go about it in different ways—Braze allows you to create one post which is then automatically sent out on the desired channels at designated times while Salesforce requires marketers to upload individual files for each channel and time zone.
In addition, both platforms allow users to customize the message being shared on each channel—from text updates to images or videos. To stand out from competitors online marketers need their outreach messages across all channels to appear unified and equally well-tailored for each platform.
Braze has more than 25 channels while Salesforce only offers 12.
In terms of channels, Braze is a more robust platform with many features and channels compared to Salesforce because it allows you to schedule messages across more social media platforms.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is a form of direct marketing in which organizations send emails to their consumers, often containing advertisements or other sales promotions. It can be sent out by email or through newsletters. It is important because email is an inexpensive and direct way to communicate with customers.
Braze’s email marketing is a great way to send out promotional emails and newsletters. You can use their A/B testing feature which will allow you to test different email templates for what is best received by your customers. It also lets you create upsells, which means that it’s easy to cross-promote products within Braze itself – this helps encourage users of one product to buy more and get users of other products.
Salesforce’s email marketing is a quick way to send out promotional emails or newsletters, but it doesn’t have the same A/B testing features that Braze does. It also only has product recommendations in one direction – for example, you can recommend people buy certain apps within Salesforce, but you can’t, for example, recommend they buy a subscription to your CRM program. It’s also not as easy to create up-sells in Salesforce – while it is possible, it takes more work and there isn’t an option that allows you to easily cross-promote products within the system itself.
In terms of email marketing, Braze is more powerful and user-friendly than Salesforce. It’s a great way to promote your products, while also being easy to use and allowing you to create upsells of different types of products within the system itself.
Mobile and Desktop Platform
Mobile and desktop platforms are important because they are the types of devices that people use to view content. These platforms also have different features, so marketers must make sure their marketing software can support them both.
Mobile platforms allow users to access information quickly while on the go via a smartphone or tablet.
Desktop platforms allow users to access information quickly while sitting at a desk via a computer. They also have larger screens, which allows for more content on one page to be shown. However, they can sometimes cause issues with scrolling since there is no touchscreen functionality like mobile platforms.
The mobile and desktop platforms of Braze are more limited than Salesforce. It only offers mobile access to apps and websites, while the Desktop Platform is absent for Braze.
Braze allows users to access information quickly while on the go via a smartphone or tablet by offering only a mobile platform. If they have a computer or tablet, users can also access information quickly while sitting at a desk via the website and app on both platforms.
Salesforce allows users to access information quickly while sitting at a desk via a computer. They also have larger screens, which allows for more content on one page to be shown. However, they can sometimes cause issues with scrolling since there is no touchscreen functionality like mobile platforms.
The mobile and desktop platforms of Salesforce are both supported by its Marketing Cloud software suite. Both of these platforms allow marketers to reach customers via their phones or computers with ease through this powerful toolset that keeps them up-to-date on current customers and potential new ones.
In terms of mobile and desktop platforms, the Braze marketing automation tool is far less powerful than Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud. While it can only be accessed via mobile devices, the Desktop Platform does not exist at all for Braze users. In terms of power and convenience, this means that those who use a computer to access information will have an inferior experience as they won’t even have the ability to access the Braze software. The Salesforce Marketing Cloud suite, on the other hand, offers powerful features for both mobile and desktop platform users with its rich feature set of marketing tools that marketers can use to reach out to customers through various channels via their mobile devices or computers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you decide which is the best for your team, user base, and budget?
In terms of teams, between Braze and Salesforce, Salesforce is more flexible for handling enterprise-level teams because it’s the best-known tool in the space. Of course, Braze has spent years developing its complex platform to handle enterprise needs as well, but you may have a harder time convincing the leadership of your small startup that this is worth sticking with over Salesforce.
Both tools are great at handling a wide range of user needs, but Salesforce is the more robust solution in terms of features. However, both tools offer flexibility to meet various business goals and requirements with ease.
In addition to all these factors, you’ll need to consider your budget when choosing between Braze and Salesforce because they are not equally priced solutions. Braze is cheaper.
What are some alternatives?
Aside from Braze and Salesforce, another alternative automation tool is LiveHive.
LiveHive is an all-in-one platform that brings together marketing, sales, and customer data to provide marketers with the tools they need for effective engagement.
The LiveHive’s powerful analytics engine analyzes every action of each user in real-time so you can learn who did what, when; how frequently; and where—across multiple channels like email, mobile, web, and social.
This allows you to create personalized messages that leverage the knowledge of each lead’s company size, industry, behavior on your website or app—and even their level of engagement with previous messages.
Another alternative automation tool is Intercom. Intercom is a customer communication platform for small businesses.
It unifies data, processes, and conversations across your business to help you deliver better experiences at every stage of the buyer journey. It’s also one of few tools that have built-in support for both web push notifications (via API) as well as SMS messaging capabilities through their open API—meaning it can be configured to send SMS messages in addition to standard email notifications.
Thirdly, there is Drip. Drip automates the process of sending emails based on user behavior and helps you build truly automated campaigns that can have an immediate impact on your business’s bottom line. And since it’s built around email marketing, you can send beautiful email newsletters and drip campaigns to your customers.
Fourthly, there is Hubspot. It is an all-in-one platform that brings together marketing, sales, and customer data to provide marketers with the tools they need for effective engagement (similar to LiveHive).
Is Braze-Salesforce integration possible?
Yes, Braze and Salesforce can be integrated. You can use an integration such as Zapier to connect both tools so that your marketing automation tool will update the CRM with new leads whenever a brand-new lead is added in the former. All of this happens without anyone having to manually sync data from one platform into another now and then.
How does this integration work?
There are four steps involved in getting Braze and Salesforce integrated: first, you create your Zapier connection between both platforms; second, you link up your unique API keys for each service so they can communicate with one another; third, you select which Salesforce fields will be updated in Braze when a new lead is added to the CRM; lastly, you choose what information from that newly-added lead should appear on your Braze profile.
Conclusion
Between Braze and Salesforce, the best marketing automation tool is Salesforce.
Salesforce has a great variety of powerful features and integrations to help you launch your marketing automation campaign right away.
Salesforce also has better customer service and a more reliable platform.
Although Braze is cheaper, Salesforce will be the best marketing automation tool for most people in most cases.
Braze is an excellent choice if you’re looking for highly automated drip campaigns that will send messages based on user actions or inaction, but it lacks some necessary tools like lead scoring and custom fields which are useful for managing larger marketing automation campaigns.
Finally, Salesforce is better than Braze because it’s more established and well-known in the industry–you’re getting what you pay for when buying any service or product, but especially a technology solution like this one.
Additionally, even though both these services offer an excellent free trial period, Salesforce offers a more generous 30-day free trial period.
Salesforce can be expensive to scale, so if you have low traffic or modest goals, Braze might work better for you financially in the long run even though it’s pricier upfront.
However, most companies will do best with Salesforce as their marketing automation platform.
