at Financial Technnology Year
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Features in Marketing Automation Systems
for Business Development and Marketing
Platforms that enable targeted digital marketing campaigns, drip email programs, content distribution, and lead nurturing for prospective clients with compliance-approved materials.
We ask vendors to mark their product against our feature list. It is not available for all products and in some cases we have derived data from publicly available sources. The list of features follows. Vendors can add a further 10 key features of their own.
Analytics & Reporting
Comprehensive insights into performance of marketing, campaigns, lead funnel, and ROI analysis.
- Attribution Reporting
- Tracks which touchpoints drive conversions.
- Custom Report Builder
- Flexible creator for ad hoc or bespoke reports.
- Customizable Dashboards
- User-defined dashboards for quick overview of KPIs.
- Exportable Reports
- Downloadable in common formats (PDF, CSV, XLS).
- Funnel Analysis
- Visualizes where leads drop off and progress through stages.
- Number of Standard Reports
- Quantity of built-in, ready-to-use reports.
- ROI Calculation
- Shows financial return for each campaign and channel.
- Real-Time Analytics
- Live reporting on activities, leads, and campaigns.
- Scheduled Report Delivery
- Automated distribution of reports to stakeholders.
Campaign Management
Features to plan, create, execute, and analyze multi-channel marketing campaigns.
- A/B Testing
- Ability to test multiple variations of campaign elements.
- Approval Workflows
- Campaign content and flow requires approval from designated team members or compliance.
- Campaign Performance Analytics
- Detailed reporting on campaign results and engagement.
- Campaign Scheduling
- Plan and schedule in advance when campaigns are delivered.
- Contact List Management
- Organize and maintain campaign recipient lists.
- Drip Campaign Automation
- Automated delivery of campaign sequences based on time or user actions.
- Event-Based Triggers
- Launch or alter campaigns based on client behaviors (e.g., website visit).
- Multi-Channel Campaigns
- Support for email, SMS, social media, and other channels.
- Number of Concurrent Campaigns
- Maximum campaigns that can run simultaneously.
- Personalization/Tokenization
- Dynamic insertion of personal or firm-specific info into campaign content.
- Template Library
- Ready-made templates for common campaign types.
- Unsubscribe/List Hygiene Tools
- Managing opt-outs and keeping the email list current.
Client Engagement Tracking
Capabilities to monitor client activity, preferences, and touchpoints across the advisory journey.
- Communication Frequency Analytics
- Monitors how often clients are contacted.
- Document Engagement Analytics
- Tracks when client-facing documents are opened or read.
- Event Attendance Tracking
- Monitors registration and participation in webinars, seminars, etc.
- Interaction History
- Chronological log of all communications and meetings.
- Survey/Feedback Tools
- Collects client satisfaction or NPS scores.
- Time to Initial Response
- Average response time from lead inquiry to first contact.
- Website Activity Tracking
- Tracks prospect/client visits and behaviors on firm sites.
Compliance & Security
Features to ensure adherence to industry regulations and safeguard sensitive client and firm data.
- Anonymization/Pseudonymization Tools
- Ability to depersonalize data when required for compliance.
- Audit Trail
- Comprehensive log of all changes and user actions.
- Consent Management
- Tools to track and manage user marketing preferences and consent.
- Data Encryption
- Encryption in transit and at rest for all sensitive data.
- Data Retention Policies
- Controls over how long data is stored or archived.
- FINRA/SEC/GDPR Compliance Tools
- Support for major financial and privacy regulations (logging, archiving, disclosures).
- Role-Based Access Controls
- Granular controls for user access to features and data.
- Secure Data Export
- Options for encrypted download of client or marketing data.
- User Authentication
- Multi-factor authentication and secure login options.
Content Management
Functionality to store, organize, and distribute firm-approved marketing or advisory content.
- Approval Workflows
- Content must be reviewed/approved before use.
- Content Expiry/Retention Settings
- Automatic management and archiving of outdated content.
- Content Library
- Central repository for marketing collateral, templates, disclosures, etc.
- Integration with Client Portals
- Ability to publish or share content directly to portals.
- Personalized Content Distribution
- Delivers specific content to target segments or individuals.
- Search and Tagging
- Quickly locate and filter content by tags, categories, keywords.
- Version Control
- Tracks changes and access to documents over time.
Email Marketing
Specialized features for crafting, sending, and optimizing targeted email communications.
- Bounce Management
- Automatic handling of hard/soft bounces and removal from future sends.
- Deliverability Tools
- Built-in checks to maximize inbox placement and sender reputation.
- Dynamic Content Blocks
- Conditional display of email sections based on user data.
- Email Previews
- Preview how email appears across devices and clients.
- Email Throttling
- Controls volume/rate of outbound emails to avoid spam filters.
- Open/Click Tracking
- Monitor who opens or clicks emails.
- Responsive Email Design
- Templates and previews optimized for mobile and desktop.
- Rich Email Editor
- Drag-and-drop or WYSIWYG editor for email creation.
- SPF/DKIM/DMARC Authentication
- Supports modern email authentication standards.
- Send Time Optimization
- Automatic selection of optimal send times for highest engagement.
Integration Capabilities
Connectivity with other software systems, portals, and sources of client/firm data.
- API Availability
- Public or partner APIs to support customization and other integrations.
- CRM Integration
- Native or API connections to customer relationship management platforms.
- Calendar Integration
- Integration with calendaring tools such as Outlook or Google Calendar.
- Contact Synchronization
- Two-way sync with contact books or directories.
- Custodian/Portfolio Platform Integration
- Direct connection to financial data or portfolio management systems.
- Number of Supported Integrations
- Quantity of third-party tools with available native integrations.
- Webhooks
- Real-time event-driven integrations with external systems.
- Zapier/Connector Support
- Works with integration platforms for non-technical automation.
Lead Management
Tools and capabilities to capture, track, nurture, and segment leads throughout the prospecting and client lifecycle.
- Automated Lead Assignment
- Automatically routes leads to appropriate sales or advisory staff.
- Custom Lead Fields
- Ability to define custom data fields for unique attributes.
- Duplicate Detection
- Identifies and manages duplicate lead entries.
- Import/Export Leads
- Bulk import and export of lead data in various formats (CSV, Excel, etc).
- Lead Capture Forms
- Customizable web forms to capture lead information directly into the system.
- Lead Enrichment
- Automatically adds supplemental data to lead profiles (e.g., financial background, demographics).
- Lead Scoring
- Assigns scores to leads based on engagement or quality criteria.
- Lead Segmentation
- Ability to group leads for targeted communications based on attributes and behaviors.
- Lead Source Tracking
- Tracks where and how a lead originated.
- Number of Leads Supported
- Maximum volume of leads the system can manage.
- Real-Time Lead Notifications
- Instant alerts when new leads are captured.
Scalability & Performance
Capacity to support growth in firm size, users, clients, and marketing volumes without degradation.
- API Call Rate Limit
- Maximum API calls supported per second/minute.
- Auto-Scaling Infrastructure
- System can dynamically expand resources based on usage.
- Bulk Data Handling
- Support for large lists, imports, and batch campaign actions.
- Cloud Hosting
- Is the platform hosted in a scalable cloud environment?
- Concurrent User Capacity
- Maximum number of users that can be active at the same time.
- Data Storage Limit
- Maximum size of data that can be stored.
- Performance SLAs
- Documented guarantees on speed and reliability.
User Experience & Accessibility
Ease of use, accessibility, and flexibility for both clients and staff.
- Accessibility Compliance
- Supports standards for screen readers and accessible navigation.
- Browser Compatibility
- Works on all major browsers without loss of functionality.
- Customizable User Interface
- Users can adapt layout, dashboards, and key settings.
- Mobile App Availability
- Is there a native mobile application for advisers and/or clients?
- Multi-Language Support
- User interface and communications available in various languages.
- System Uptime
- Average percentage of time system is available during a year.
- User Training Resources
- Guides, videos, or embedded help for staff onboarding.
Workflow & Automation
Automated journeys and task flows triggered by pre-defined rules and client actions.
- Conditional Logic
- Branch automations based on user actions, profile data, or events.
- Delay and Wait Steps
- Ability to specify time delays or wait for completion before advancing.
- Error Handling
- Options to manage failures in automations (e.g., fallback steps).
- External Triggers
- Initiate automations based on events in other apps (via integration).
- Internal Notifications
- Triggers for staff via email, SMS, or in-app alerts.
- Re-usable Workflow Templates
- Pre-built automation flows for common use cases (e.g., onboarding).
- Task Assignment
- Automatically assigns follow-ups or next actions to team members.
- Workflow Builder
- Visual design tool to create and modify automations and sequences.
- Workflow Reporting
- Analytics to monitor and optimize automation effectiveness.