Boost Customer Loyalty and Drive Referrals with These 13 Dynamic Community Software Platforms

Did you know that customer-centric companies are scoring 60% more in profits compared to those who aren’t customer-focused? Hell of an impact, wouldn’t you say?

We think so. That’s why we’re leaning towards believing this approach isn’t just an idea anymore—it’s here to stay. So, here’s the deal: If you’re looking to build a solid customer base and boost your referrals, community software might just be the ace you need up your sleeve. ♣️

In this blog, we’re serving up some heavy hitters in community software, loyalty, and referrals. Take a few minutes, and you might just find a great fit for your current business model.

These platforms are presented in no particular order. ⬇️

Khoros

Khoros lets you craft unique digital experiences for your audience. Streamlining social campaign management, it has never been easier to foster a thriving community and attract a larger audience to your brand. With countless customer interactions occurring across your communication channels, Khoros can assist you in swiftly collecting valuable feedback and gaining insights. Learn more about Khoros on G2.

G2 Score: 4 out of 5 stars

inSided

inSided was recently acquired by Gainsight. This platform is known as a customer success community software platform, which integrates an online community with a user-generated self-service knowledge base. The result is a platform that boosts customer engagement and satisfaction. By reducing incoming questions by 50%, the platform gives back valuable time to your customer success team. Discover why users love Gainsight (formerly inSided) on G2.

G2 Score: 4.4 out of 5 stars

Bevy

For community events, Bevy provides a community software platform equipped with all the necessary tools to help you organize, promote, and host your dream event. With enterprise-grade analytics, you can gain insights into your customers, enabling you to create an impactful customer-to-customer (C2C) community. Whether you’re planning in-person or virtual events, Bevy lets you transform your brand advocates into community leaders. Explore the Bevy community events platform by visiting G2.

G2 Score: 4.8 out of 5 stars

Slack

If your company uses an internal messaging system, you probably already know Slack. Tailored for virtual connections among employees, Slack enables team members to engage in instant messaging. Think of it as a professional version of Discord. With integrations available for a wide and continually expanding array of tools used daily by your team, Slack has the potential to enhance team coordination. Learn more about Slack by checking them out on G2.

G2 Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Circle

Circle’s distinctive features enable you to integrate the strength of community with your content. Leveraging video content, Circle lets you and your users establish live streams, chat rooms, event venues, discussion boards, and various other interactive elements, fostering a distinct fusion of content and community. Whether you’re a brand, a coaching community, a membership group, or any other entity, Circle is your solution for crafting a great community experience. Explore the full array of features Circle has to offer on this page.

SaaSquatch

SaaSquatch is a loyalty and referral software designed specifically for SaaS tech companies. This versatile tool integrates with your website or app, meeting your customers right where they are. Within the software, your customers can refer others, unlock rewards, manage VIP programs, and enjoy a range of other features. SaaSquatch empowers you to craft a highly customizable brand experience that encourages customers to refer others through a rewarding system. Explore the advantages of SaaSquatch on G2.

G2 Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Zuberance

Zuberance is a comprehensive word-of-mouth marketing agency. Their expertise lies in enhancing your ratings on third-party websites through SEO-friendly reviews composed by happy customers who have transformed into advocates. With a suite of advocate analytics, answers, referrals, and other resources, Zuberance is your partner in expanding your business through the influential channel of word-of-mouth marketing. Check out Zuberance’s word-of-mouth marketing on G2.

G2 Score: 4.4 out of 5 stars

Tribe

Tribe, now known as Bettermode, lets you expand your content creation efforts, delivering SEO-friendly content primed for effective social sharing. Managing your online community is made simple, ensuring member safety and safeguarding your brand’s reputation. Tribe also integrates with various third-party tools to blend into your tech stack. Explore the multitude of benefits offered by Bettermode on G2.

G2 Score: 4.6 out of 5 stars

Yotpo

Yotpo specializes in eCommerce marketing, using a connected data layer to deliver valuable insights. These insights allow your team to make informed, data-driven choices that enhance engagement, increase sales, and elevate customer value. Yotpo facilitates reaching your customers wherever they may be through SMS alerts, reviews, and user-generated content. Dive deeper into Yotpo’s extensive feature set by exploring their G2.

G2 Score: 4.3 out of 5 stars

Higher Logic

Higher Logic is a platform created to facilitate the creation of a thriving community where your customers can make connections not just with your brand, but also with one another. Depending on your specific needs, Higher Logic provides versatile solutions ranging from handling member payment structures to curating user-generated support materials. The flexible structure of Higher Logic’s offerings helps to simplify customer engagement. Explore further insights into Higher Logic’s capabilities on G2.

G2 Score: 4.3 out of 5 stars

Zendesk

Zendesk offers a straightforward (yet powerful) software solution for customer support. Through Zendesk’s cross-channel support capabilities, your customer success team can deliver the assistance your audience needs—fast. Zendesk integrates with your most frequently used apps like Slack, JIRA, Shopify, and more. As a customer-centric CRM, Zendesk is purpose-built to promote stronger relationships with your customers. Explore the awesome tech provided by Zendesk on G2.

G2 Score: 4.3 out of 5 stars

Salesforce

As a prominent CRM platform, Salesforce has achieved widespread recognition. And understandably so. By automating various tasks and offering support for lead management, pipeline forecasting, and beyond, Salesforce empowers sales representatives to respond swiftly to leads. Leveraging data insights into customer interactions, you can craft more robust and finely targeted marketing campaigns to engage your buyers effectively. Explore additional ways in which Salesforce can enhance your customer engagement by visiting them on G2.

G2 Score: 4.3 out of 5 stars

Final Thoughts

The goal of using one of these platforms is to turn those happy customers into your brand’s most enthusiastic advocates. With these great tools, your existing customers can step up and provide user-generated customer support, and even the newcomers can quickly build trust with the seasoned ones. The end result? A happy, engaged group of consumers. 😎

If you want to dive deeper into the world of (proven) customer martech, we’ve got you covered. Check out our curated customer marketing landscape featuring over 80+ vendors across 12 marketing categories.

Upgrade Your Customer Marketing Tech Stack with These 9 Versatile DIY Tools

We recently released our 2023/2024 customer marketing tech landscape, which details 12 categories and over 80+ vendors in the customer marketing space. Category 7 on our list is all about DIY all-purpose tools.

As marketers, we geek out on finding ways to increase efficiencies in our daily workflows, which means we love our tech stacks. It’s gotten to the point where they basically function like a living organism—with each piece fulfilling a specific purpose.

So let’s get to the heart of the matter. In this blog, we’ll be highlighting 9 different tools that can do it all. They’re the brains and hearts of your marketing tech stack—tools that connect and fuel all your moving parts and serve as a single source of truth for your operations. 

So, enough anatomy. Let’s talk about how these 9 versatile DIY tools can be the cornerstone of your customer marketing machine. (presented here in no particular order!) 

Google Sheets

While it’s well-known, we can’t overlook Google Sheets for its remarkable versatility in customer marketing. This platform brings data storage and organization to the cloud, enabling seamless collaboration and compatibility across teams and applications. Whether you’re using it to create custom reports, importing data from online customer interactions, or just need backup storage for your CRM, Google Sheets plugs in almost anywhere you need to provide clarity around your customer data. Head over to G2 to learn more about the possibilities of Google Sheets.

G2 Score: 4.6 out of 5 stars

Zapier

This powerful automation tool is no joke—it literally allows you to “zap” away routine tasks. Zapier streamlines your customer marketing workflows by handing you the controls to custom triggers that automate actions based on the logic you specify. Automating customer communications and lead gen data collection just got easier. Check out Zapier on G2.

G2 Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Loom

The video communications platform Loom has transformed “this could have been an email” into “this could have been a Loom.” There’s no question Loom is great for internal communications, but it can also be leveraged as an effective customer marketing technology. In a landscape where brands are becoming more human and doing everything they can to elevate connection with their customers, Loom is a quick and easy way to make personalized video messages to customers, more authentic product demonstrations, and even video testimonials. Find out more about how you can leverage Loom for customer marketing on G2.

G2 Score: 4.7 out of 5 stars

Airtable

When people say “get one that can do both,” they’re talking about Airtable. Some teams rely on the platform as their primary project management tool, while others strictly use it for data organization and management. Airtable functions on intuitive, highly customizable building blocks, allowing customer marketing teams to use it to segment their customer databases, plan and manage content rollouts, or all the above. Figure out how Airtable can plug into your tech stack by reading more about the platform on G2.

G2 Score: 4.6 out of 5 stars 

Typeform

Typeform isn’t just any survey collection tool. Aside from its no-code, user-friendly interface—for the survey taker and maker—Typeform supports a wide variety of question types with the ability to set conditional follow-up questions based on user answers. This gives customer marketers deep, detailed insights into their audiences, and with over 120 integrations, it’s easy to meet customers wherever they are. Learn more about typeform on their G2 profile. 

G2 Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Canva

Since its start in 2013, Canva has been democratizing the design game—from the startup who needs a quick-but-professional poster for a conference, to the veteran designer working for Fortune 500 companies. Canva is a friend to everyone, including customer marketing teams. Its intuitive interface and extensive variety of template and design elements make it perfect for social media content, brand kits your whole team can use, and virtually anything else. Read more about Canva on G2.

G2 Score: 4.7 out of 5 stars

SurveyMonkey

Another industry-leading survey and feedback management platform, SurveyMonkey is the definition of out-of-the-box. With its ready-made templates and simple, straightforward design, your customer marketing team could build any number of surveys in a matter of minutes. Even better, SurveyMonkey’s built-in analytics allow for easy visualization of the data you collect from customers. Learn about all of SurveyMonkey’s capabilities on their G2 profile.

G2 Score: 4.4 out of 5 stars 

Smartsheet

There’s a reason why 90% of Fortune 100 companies use Smartsheet. For any project management tracking or reporting consideration that’s ever crossed your mind, Smartsheet probably has a way to visualize it. And while its flexibility can be a learning curve for first-time users, the platform has an expert support team to help your customer marketing team get what they need—whether it be a custom content calendar, project management interface, a campaign tracking dashboard, and much more. Discover more possibilities with Smartsheet on G2. 

G2 Score: 4.4 out of 5 stars

Notion

For anyone that still carries around a physical notebook, this one’s for you. Notion is a connected workspace and data organization tool that looks nothing like a data organization tool. Customer Marketing teams can collaborate in real time and use the platform’s sophisticated interlinking functionality to intuitively organize everything from marketing content, to creative briefs, buyer persona profiles, and pretty much any documentation you’d ever want readily available for your team. If you dread tracking down different assets for your day-to-day operations, give Notion a try. Read more on their G2 profile. 

G2 Score: 4.7 out of 5 stars

Final Thoughts

The possibilities for these tools to boost efficiencies across the rest of your customer marketing tech stack are endless, and we hope we’ve sparked some ideas for how you can implement them into your existing operations. If you’re looking for more technologies to improve your day-to-day, download our 2023/2024 Customer Marketing Tech Landscape to find 11 more categories with over 80 vendors.

Simplify Customer Reference Management with One of These 4 Platforms

Fostering your customer relationships is kind of an important piece of customer marketing, wouldn’t you say? So, are you keeping up with your growing customer base?

If not, one of the customer reference platforms we’re highlighting in this quick article (extracted from our 2023/24 Customer Marketing Technology Landscape) may just be the solution you need. Customer reference platforms are designed to help you keep track of all of your customer… references. 🤯  These tools make it easier for customer marketers to maintain the reference library while serving them up to sales reps whenever they are needed. 

And guess what? Many platforms often go the extra mile by using cool tech like AI to deliver key metrics and data. Some of them even integrate with CRM platforms like Salesforce. This may seem like a no-brainer but are you able to attribute reference usage to not only pipeline influence but also your advocacy program performance? It’s very difficult to do without the right tools.   

From streamlining reference requests to collaborating with the sales team, the platforms in this blog will help reshape your complex customer marketing process. So don’t make it complicated. 😎 

Now, let’s dive into these 4 exciting platform options.   

These platforms are presented in no particular order. ⬇️

Point of Reference

ReferenceEdge by Point of Reference is your go-to platform for simplifying customer referrals. Their solution lives on Salesforce and acts as your personal customer reference organizer. It not only helps you maintain your references, but it can also measure advocacy program performance. Explore more on the ReferenceEdge G2 page

G2 score: 4.0 out of 5 stars

Upland

Among the many great offerings from Upland, Rant & Rave is their dynamic customer reference solution. It integrates easily into your buyer’s journey and captures valuable customer insights you might otherwise miss. Customer marketers can gain tons of data that shape their future marketing strategies. For more on their platform, check them out on G2

G2 score: 5.0 out of 5 stars

Orca

Orca is a Salesforce-native application that simplifies the process of gathering customer reference data. It equips customer marketers with diverse engagement avenues, keeping advocates intrigued through incentives for active participation. And with a number of popular platform integrations, you can hit the ground running. Discover more about this solution over on their G2

G2 score: 5.0 out of 5 stars

Champion

Dedicated to unlocking dormant revenue, Champion leverages AI to identify your hidden advocates within your customer base. With that data, the platform then helps you activate them to drive true business growth. Pop over to their website to learn more about their unique offering. 

Final Thoughts

When you’ve got the right customer reference management platform in your corner, you’ll never worry about missing out on sharing a great success story. Plus, thanks to new tech like AI and automation, both marketing pros and sales reps can enjoy a much easier way to handle customer feedback. By hopping onto one of these platforms, you can have your feedback automatically sorted, so you’re always prepared. 🤝 

Enjoy learning about these innovative martech solutions? Then you’d love our full Customer Marketing Technology Landscape. Inside, we have 12 categories with over 80 of the best martech vendors for 2023. Have fun exploring. 🧭

11 Video Testimonial Platforms to Better Spotlight Your Customers and Advocates

To truly connect with your target audience, it’s mission-critical to diversify your marketing content across different channels. We’re talking: written materials, digital content to share on social media, interactive quizzes and surveys, and especially easily consumable and fun content like videos. Each potential client has their own taste, so keeping your marketing diverse will help you stand out. 👋

And speaking of videos… they can be super engaging and authentic, especially when it comes to customer testimonials. Back in the day (like a few years ago), they were expensive and required all sorts of gear. But in 2023, video marketing doesn’t require a full production staff to pull off. 

The question is, which technology is best suited for your video testimonial needs? Below, we’re checking out 11 of the top video testimonial platforms. Let’s get to it.

These platforms are presented in no particular order. ⬇️

Laudable

Laudable takes customer testimonials and success stories to a whole new level with awesome videos that sales and marketing teams can rely on. Their 4k quality footage and smart automation identify the right moments to capture customers’ experiences, giving you the perfect video testimonials to boost conversions and drive meaningful conversations. Check out their G2 to learn more.

G2 score: 5.0 out of 5 stars

Vocal Video

Trusted by big names like Google, Wayfair, and Pfizer, Vocal Video lets any business effortlessly collect, edit, publish, and host professional video testimonials on their website and social media. No hassle, no stress! Just send customers a link, and they can create testimonials on their own time while Vocal Video’s software works its magic on the editing. Head over to their resources library and see what you can create with Vocal Video!

VideoAsk

VideoAsk is the go-to place for creating engaging and interactive video conversations. Whether you want to gather feedback, host virtual Q&A sessions, or simply create great video testimonials, VideoAsk has you covered. Say goodbye to traditional surveys and hello to a more dynamic and exciting way of communicating. Check them out on G2 for more information. 

G2 score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Vouch

Vouch has made collecting customer video testimonials a total breeze! With just one link, marketers can ask customers questions, and guess what? The customers send back video responses with no hassle. Once you’re done editing your video on Vouch, you can easily share it using a link, embed code, or integrate it with your favorite software. Want to know more about Vouch? Go visit them on G2!

G2 score: 4.9 out of 5 stars

Bonjoro

With Bonjoro, you can send awesome testimonial videos to potential and existing customers on your behalf—right to their email. It’s the perfect way to showcase your business’s personality and connect with clients on a human level. Bonjoro’s human touch helps set it apart from other customer testimonial video platforms. Curious about what customers are saying? Go check out their G2 profile!

G2 score: 4.8 out of 5 stars

Gather Voices

Have you ever wanted to capture and amplify the voices of your community? Look no further than Gather Voices! Their platform empowers you to easily collect, edit, and share authentic video testimonials and feedback from your audience. This makes it simple to create compelling content that sticks. For more information, check out their website

TeraLeap

With TeraLeap, you can use customer stories in video testimonials to boost engagement, drive sales, and build trust like never before. Their video testimonials add that extra authenticity and trust that’ll make your brand stand out. Want to see how it works? Check out TeraLeap’s customer stories.

Senja

Senja makes video testimonials easier. With their platform, you can collect twice as many video and text testimonials as the competition. If you’re looking to wake up to an inbox full of new testimonial alerts, Senja might be the best option for you. For more information, check them out on G2.  

G2 score: 5.0 out of 5 stars

ShoutOut

ShoutOut is the way to go if you want to scale up your customer testimonial videos easily. They offer automated video production and easy sharing, making it simple for marketers to create compelling testimonials with custom branding. They even do captions! Plus, each video testimonial is crowdsourced, meaning your customers themselves record and send back their videos. Want to know more? Check out the reviews on ShoutOut’s G2 profile.

G2 score: 5.0 out of 5 stars

Testimonial Hero

Want to win over customers and build trust in your brand? Testimonial Hero is a great option to consider. Their expert team crafts authentic video testimonials that showcase your happy customers, helping you connect with your audience and boost your credibility. For more info on Testimonial Hero, visit their G2

G2 score: 4.9 out of 5 stars

Testimonial

Testimonial is a great platform to give your brand credibility a boost. This user-friendly platform empowers marketers and entrepreneurs to gather, manage, and showcase authentic customer testimonials easily. Read Testimonial’s reviews on G2!

G2 score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Final Thoughts

When you show real customer experiences with your business, potential buyers get a glimpse of your current customers’ loyalty. It’s like a signal that your brand is trustworthy. And you know what’s even better? Existing customers feel valued and heard when they provide those awesome testimonials. Win-win! 🏆

If you’re curious to learn about other types of customer martech, we’ve got you covered. Check out our Customer Marketing Technology Landscape for 2023. You’ll find 12 categories of customer marketing tech along with over 80+ vendors. It’s a goldmine of marketing goodness, so don’t miss it. 🌟

10 Effective Gifting Platforms to Boost Customer Advocacy

As brands work to build strong connections with their customers, genuine customer advocacy has become a driving force behind sustainable growth

One great way to get closer to unlocking customer advocacy is through gifting. Who doesn’t love a good gift?

Continue reading “10 Effective Gifting Platforms to Boost Customer Advocacy”

Improve Your Sales Workflow With These 8 Content Asset Management Platforms

We just released our 2023/2024 Customer Marketing Tech Landscape. It’s packed with 12 categories and over 80+ leading vendors in the customer marketing space. The very first category in the landscape is Sales Content Asset Management.

Continue reading “Improve Your Sales Workflow With These 8 Content Asset Management Platforms”