Pardot is a B2B marketing automation tool that helps businesses manage campaigns, engage leads, and drive sales. In 2022, the name was changed to Marketing Cloud Account Engagement but is still within the Salesforce family. While designed for B2B, some B2C companies also find it useful.
Salesforce also offers Marketing Cloud Engagement, primarily serving B2C companies that deal with multi-channel marketing campaigns. However, it is also beneficial for B2B companies.
In this guide, we will talk about the Salesforce Marketing Cloud vs Pardot pros and cons, pricing comparison and integration differences. We’ll also show you how to choose what best fits your company!
Key Differences Between Pardot and Marketing Cloud
While Pardot and Marketing Clouds share some features, they serve different business needs. Let’s examine the main distinctions:
1. Buying Cycle
- Pardot is best suited for businesses selling high-value products or services with long sales cycles and multiple decision-makers.
- Marketing Cloud is ideal for businesses with shorter sales cycles, larger customer volume, and smaller transaction values.
2. Industry Fit
- Pardot works well for professional and financial services and software companies.
- Marketing Cloud is ideal for industries like retail, travel, and beauty, where there is high customer engagement.
3. Technology
- Pardot has a user-friendly interface that is manageable by certified specialists.
- Marketing Cloud also includes more sophisticated tools that require specialized knowledge for managing and integrating the data.
4. Capabilities
- Pardot focuses on lead generation, automated campaigns, and detailed prospect tracking.
- Marketing Cloud is part of the broader marketing features of Salesforce, such as customer journey, email, social media, and data analytics.
5. Marketing Channels
- Pardot is primarily centered around email marketing and lead nurturing with limited cross-channel capabilities.
- Marketing Cloud enables the multi-channel marketing of your advertisements, including social media, SMS, and display.
Pros and Cons of Salesforce Marketing Cloud vs Pardot
Let’s explore the pros first.
| Pardot | Marketing Cloud |
| Seamless Salesforce CRM integration | Ideal for B2C marketing, supporting multiple channels |
| Easy-to-use workflows for setting up campaigns | Advanced data management for better customer segmentation |
| Detailed lead tracking to optimize engagement | Variety of marketing modules tailored for different strategies |
| Strong email marketing tools with A/B testing and analytics | Integration with Salesforce for real-time campaign updates |
| Lead generation features that convert prospects into sales-ready leads | |
| ROI tracking for data-driven decisions |
Now, it’s high time to discover the downsides of each of the tools.
| Pardot | Marketing Cloud |
| High cost with annual contracts and no free plan | Complex setup, requiring specialized knowledge |
| Limited social media capabilities compared to Marketing Cloud | Social Studio retirement in November 2024, reducing automation for social media marketing |
| Variable pricing based on features and add-ons |
Overview of Pardot & Marketing Cloud Capabilities
After reading the differences, pros, and cons of Pardot and Marketing Cloud, the next step is to look into each platform’s capabilities.
Let’s explore this topic to help you choose which solution works best for your business goals.
Pardot (Marketing Cloud Account Engagement)
- Create high-quality landing pages and forms
- Segment prospects using dynamic lists
- Optimize email campaigns with automation and templates
- Automate lead engagement with real-time tracking
- Integrate webinars, surveys, and SMS
- Receive live alerts for key prospect interactions
Marketing Cloud (Marketing Cloud Engagement)
- Customize email campaigns with AI-driven personalization
- Use SMS and mobile push for better audience engagement
- Create customer journeys integrating multiple marketing channels
- Leverage ad platforms like Google and Meta for targeted campaigns
Pricing Comparison
Cost is another important factor associated with each platform.
Basically, pricing varies based on features, automation levels, and analytics capabilities. Let’s break down the pricing structure for both solutions.
Pardot (Marketing Cloud Account Engagement)
- Growth – $1,250/month: Basic marketing automation and insights.
- Plus – $2,750/month: Advanced automation, cross-channel marketing, and analytics.
- Advanced – $4,400/month: AI-driven tools and secure infrastructure.
- Premium – $15,000/month: Comprehensive automation with predictive analytics.
Marketing Cloud (Marketing Cloud Engagement)
- Professional – $1,250/month: Personalized messaging and AI-driven content.
- Corporate – $4,200/month: Automated multi-channel marketing and AI optimization.
- Enterprise – Custom pricing: Real-time big data analysis and advanced segmentation.
Integration with Salesforce
Choosing the right marketing automation platform isn’t just about what’s included and how much you’re paying. It’s also about how it could fit into your existing tools, particularly Salesforce.
Because Pardot and Marketing Cloud operate within the Salesforce ecosystem, understanding how they work together can facilitate the flow of data and automation.
Here’s a closer look at how each platform
Pardot Integration
- Works with Sales Cloud, integrating with Leads, Contacts, and Opportunities.
- Supports third-party integrations with tools like HubSpot, Zoom, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Marketing Cloud Integration
- Functions as a separate platform, using connectors for bidirectional data sync.
- Ideal for businesses needing advanced automation beyond Salesforce CRM.
Case Studies: How Businesses Benefit
Case 1: Campaign Tracking and Social Media Scheduling
- Challenge: A U.S. software company struggled to track inbound leads and manage social media posts.
- Solution: Routine Automation implemented Pardot’s Google Analytics Connector and LinkedIn automation.
- Results: We improved campaign insights, automated audience segmentation, and a 17% increase in conversion rates.
Case 2: Email Nurture Campaigns for a Healthcare Company
- Challenge: The company needed to improve the Marketing Cloud setup for better email engagement.
- Solution: Routine Automation has designed personalized templates and automated Journey Builder workflows.
- Results: We increased campaign efficiency, reduced manual work by 37%, and improved workforce allocation.
Final Thoughts: Which One Should You Choose?
In conclusion, we would like to say that your decision should be based on your industry, budget, and marketing requirements.
If your B2B company is more focused on lead management and sales alignment, Pardot is ideal for you. At the same time, the Marketing Cloud is more for marketers who want the power of cross-channel engagement and automation.
At Routine Automation, we specialize in Salesforce development solutions tailored to your business needs. Feel free to get in touch on how Pardot or Marketing Cloud can take your basic marketing to the next level with us.
