Eloqua is a Ferrari, Marketo a Lamborghini
What do you think about Eloqua vs Marketo?
This is a popular question that people have been asking me for years so I am writing a blog post with a more full answer since usually I am only able to explain for 60 seconds in person.
The answer is… both are “good” …it depends! And alot of people are biased including myself. (I lean to the system that I am best at). Though I am less biased than most people since I have used Eloqua, Marketo and Pardot.
Marketing Automation Automates Processes. Before making technology choices, think about how well you have defined your demand generation processes. None of these softwares happen automatically. You need to build decent processes and bring in great people to build, optimize and support them.
For most people Marketing Automation is too much, and their Ferrari will stay the garage forever till they get a consultant or hire someone that knows what they are doing.
Eloqua and Marketo are better than Pardot and Silverpop
The Race is on – Who will win?
Marketo is clearly the best at marketing themselves in the marketing automation space. (yes, hubspot is higher in google trends). But this does not mean they have the best product.
Eloqua is mainly aimed and best for the enterprise, they have been around the longest. Marketo sweet spot is one grade below. Pardot and Silverpop are the low budget startups less than 200 people usually
If Pardot and Silverpop were a car, they would be a Toyota and Nissan they mainly are after the small companies. They provide a very good price to value ratio.
The same reason most people don’t drive to work in a Ferrari or Lamborghini. A Toyota (Pardot or Silverpop) is good enough to get the job done and at a lower burn rate.
So Pardot and Silverpop can be better for your company, than Marketo or Eloqua, depending. You cannot compare a Ferrari or Lamborghini to a Toyota. The person with Marketo or a Lamborghini is paying $120k+ and you are only paying $30k. Less Features, Less Speed, but still gets the job done and gets you to your office every morning.
And sometimes being in the Toyota is the best solution for your company. Especially if you less 200 people. Alot of the times people buy Marketo and expect the software to solve their problems, but they just use it to send emails, and nothing really good is “automated.” They should have went with Pardot or Silverpop as the learning curve is lower, since there is features and steps compared to Eloqua
General Thoughts on Marketo Vs Eloqua
Cost: Marketo Cheaper and Negotiates, Eloqua more expensive doesn’t negotiate.
Analytics: Marketo is a little more in advanced in analytics
Speed: Eloqua is Faster than Marketo by far, when segmenting, making database changes
Popularity: Eloqua in big companies IE Linkedin – Marketo is used by venture funded alot.
Customer Support: Eloqua > Marketo – since really good phone support
Training: Eloqua University > Marketo University – Does cost more though
Making Changes: Marketo is faster in making changes, really depends on your skill though.
Email Sending: Marketo is Conceptual, Eloqua is visual whiteboard – in email campaigns.
CRM: You can make tweaks in the CRM from Marketo, so Salesforce fans like Marketo more
Ease to Use: Marketo is easier to use than Eloqua has more steps IE Cloud Connector
Quitting MA: People leave both Marketo and Eloqua and go elsewhere since they are unhappy. Changing your Marketing Automation system is painful and expensive to go elsewhere. Which is why your 2nd contract costs a lot more in Eloqua and Marketo.
Gartner Magic Quadrant
Additional Resources: Gartner Magic Quadrant Report
