Top 10 Marketing Planning Software for 2024 and Beyond

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Marketing professionals may face confusion and chaos at the initial stages of their projects. This requires the use of sophisticated marketing planning software solutions.

There are many stunning online tools that make your professional efforts easier and take you far ahead of your competitors. Whether you’re a solo marketer or a part of a marketing department, these tools can help you turn your strategy into practical plans, schedule campaigns, assign team members, and streamline planning processes with workflow automation. 

Here you’ll find a digest that will help you select the best marketing planning software along with a deep dive into their features, pricing, and rating.

Let’s keep a pulse on the latest and most impactful solutions.

Contents:

• What is marketing planning software?
• What are the benefits of using marketing planning software?
• Key features of marketing planning software.
• GanttPRO – best Gantt chart planner with handy marketing templates.
• Basecamp – best for marketing teams that strive to get ease of use.
• Marketplan – best solution for creating dynamic marketing plan maps.
• MARMIND – best for planning multichannel campaigns.
• CoSchedule – best planning solution with flexible calendars.
• Toggl Plan – best marketing planning solution with smart and easy customization.
• Planable – best for planning marketing content and social media publications.
• Hive – best for remote marketing planning.
• Calendly – best meeting scheduling software.
• Teamhood – best free marketing planning software.

This tool may contain additional functionality including team collaboration, task assignment, content scheduling, campaign progress monitoring, resource allocation in project management, and more.

Overall, the goal of any marketing planning software is to reduce manual work and increase work efficiency to let teams focus on creating compelling marketing campaigns.

In general, a well-generated marketing plan is not only an initial step in building your strategy but also a reason for income growth. This is confirmed by many experts.

For example, Mallika Kazim, a senior business advisor at the Business Development Bank of Canada claims:

Such statements confirm the role and importance of a professional planning tool.

What are the types of marketing planning software?

Marketing planning software exists in various forms, catering to a wide range of preferences and requirements. You can find standalone tools solely dedicated to marketing planning or select software that offers a more diverse array of additional PM features.

For example, one tool will only allow you to schedule publications on social networks, while another tool will help you organize all marketing tasks, assign responsible people to projects, allocate resources, control deadlines, analyze results, etc.

Moreover, certain marketing planning platforms seamlessly integrate with marketing analytics solutions, enhancing your data-driven decision-making capabilities.

Now, let’s take a closer look at why marketing teams strive to find the best planner for their work.

There are many advantages that professional planning platforms provide. The most important of them are listed below.

• Time savings. By automating tasks, providing templates, and simplifying processes, marketing planning software saves time, allowing your team to focus on creativity and strategy.
• Improved organization. These tools help in centralizing marketing efforts, making it easier to keep track of campaigns, content, and assets. It improves overall organization and reduces the risk of important tasks or deadlines being overlooked.
• Streamlined workflows. With a well-designed planning tool, you can create workflows and approval processes. This ensures that all marketing tasks go through necessary reviews and approvals before implementation, maintaining brand consistency and quality.
• Better collaboration. Many marketing planning tools facilitate collaboration among team members. This is especially valuable for remote teams or employees who perform from different locations.
• Enhanced data analysis. Best marketing planning software solutions usually come with analytics and reporting features that allow marketers to track the performance of their campaigns. This data can help them make informed decisions and adjust strategies for better results.
• Real-time updates. Many software solutions designed for marketing project management provide real-time updates and notifications, helping you stay informed about campaign progress and allowing for quick adjustments as needed.

What makes a good marketing planning tool?

Well-chosen planning software helps marketing professionals streamline their creative efforts, build comprehensive strategies, and achieve their marketing goals. 

When choosing an appropriate marketing planning tool for your business, it’s vital to consider several factors.

Below are the core features that marketing planning platforms typically include.

• Campaign management. Marketing planning platforms allow users to plan, create, and manage marketing campaigns across various channels. They can control all projects and events without using extra apps.
• Goal setting and tracking. Users can set marketing goals and track progress toward these goals. It ensures that marketing efforts align with broader business objectives.
• Calendar and scheduling. These tools provide a visual calendar for scheduling and organizing marketing activities, helping teams coordinate their efforts and ensure deadlines are met.
• Collaboration. Marketing planning solutions often include collaboration tools that facilitate teamwork and communication among marketing team members and other stakeholders.
• Budgeting and expense tracking. With this feature, users know how to allocate resources to different campaigns, set and manage marketing budgets, and track expenses to ensure they stay within budget.
• Audience segmentation. Planning tools can provide the segmentation of target audiences based on demographics, behavior, and other criteria, allowing for more personalized and targeted marketing efforts.
• Data analytics and reporting. Marketing planning platforms often include analytics tools to track the performance of marketing campaigns, measure key performance indicators (KPIs), and generate reports for analysis and decision-making.
• Automation. Some marketing planning systems include automation capabilities, allowing users to automate repetitive tasks.
• Integration with other tools. Many planning tools offer integrations with other software and platforms, such as CRM systems, email marketing tools, and analytics platforms. It streamlines data sharing and improves workflow efficiency.
• Mobile accessibility. Many platforms that focus on marketing planning offer mobile apps or responsive designs for on-the-go access and management.
• Security and compliance. Ensuring data security and compliance with privacy regulations is essential. Therefore, such platforms may include features for managing user access, data encryption, and compliance reporting.

That was the list of common features of marketing planning software. Depending on scale and purposes, such tools may additionally offer such capabilities and features as content creation, A/B testing, SEO functionality, social media management, and more.

Let’s now move from a theoretical description of the best tools for planning marketing tasks to practical examples.

Overview of the 10 best marketing planning software

We’ve conducted research to identify a range of software options with different characteristics and functionality.

Below you’ll find some of the best tools that can give your marketing strategy a competitive edge.

Please note that the pricing and rating mentioned below are subject to change. It’d be better to visit product websites for the latest information before making a decision.

1. GanttPRO – best Gantt chart planner with handy marketing templates

A Gantt chart is a convenient way to visualize marketing ideas and plans without the risk of missing out on anything important. Planning tools based on this diagram are typically well-visualized, easy to use, and multifunctional. One of them is GanttPRO.

The online Gantt chart maker perfectly suits marketing teams of different sizes.

Individuals and marketing departments use GanttPRO for planning and scheduling their tasks, projects, campaigns, and global marketing events, such as conferences, presentations, or exhibitions. It is also highly rated by top software review platforms which call GanttPRO the leading marketing planning tool and recognize it with honorable awards. 

The tool comes with an intuitive timeline where you can divide tasks into subtasks and generate a comprehensive work breakdown structure. Setting dependencies and deadlines, determining milestones, managing resources and budgets, and assigning colleagues are also available here.

A Gantt diagram view is not the only way to visualize marketing plans, as you can also display them on convenient boards with columns and cards.

If you want to provide your teammates with special rights to view data, you can easily do it in GanttPRO, as it allows for working with different account roles and project rights. 

Additionally, you can work on your marketing schedules from any location, as GanttPRO mobile apps for iOS and Android will provide access to your projects anywhere and anytime.

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What makes GanttPRO robust marketing planning software?

• Professional Gantt chart planning.
• Task management.
• Deadline management.
• Resource management.
• Budget management.
• Portfolio management
• Time tracking.
• History of changes.
• Baselines.
• Reporting.
• Useful templates.

Another great thing about GanttPRO is that you can not only initiate a new project plan but also import existing plans in .mpp formats from MS Project or in Excel formats, or utilize a pre-designed marketing project management template. You just need to open an appropriate template and customize it in the required way.

The following templates for marketing are available in GanttPRO:

• Marketing plan template Excel.
• Digital marketing plan template.
• Marketing timeline template.
• SEO marketing plan template.
• Marketing schedule template.
• Marketing roadmap templates.
• Marketing checklist template.

Customer ratings (as of Q4, 2023):

• G2: 4.8/5.
• Capterra: 4.8/5.

Quick overview: 

2. Basecamp – best for marketing teams that strive to get ease of use

Not all marketing teams use diagrams with their wide range of opportunities. Some of them prefer other ways of plan visualization. For example, to-do lists or boards.

Basecamp is a valuable tool for marketing planning that comes with handy to-do lists and boards. It is also known for its collaborative features and basic project management capabilities. 

The platform allows marketing teams to gather ideas and tasks, centralize communication, and share files, making it easier to coordinate campaigns and stay organized. Basecamp’s boards and lists facilitate team cooperation, while its scheduling and calendar features help with campaign timelines. 

The features of document sharing and storage can streamline the sharing of marketing assets and resources. The straightforward interface and ease of use make Basecamp accessible for an easy start on the way to professional marketing planning.

What makes Basecamp robust marketing planning software?

• To-do lists.
• Convenient boards.
• Document management.
• Resource allocation.
• Instant messaging.
• Collaboration.
• Recurring tasks.
• Task history.
• Forums.

Customer ratings (as of Q4, 2023):

• G2: 4.1/5.
• Capterra: 4.3/5.

Quick overview:

3. Marketplan – best solution for creating dynamic marketing plan maps

Another reliable solution in our list of the best marketing planning software is Marketplan. 

Its strongest side is marketing plan maps. Therefore, it is appreciated for its capability to plan the paths of clients from visitors to lifetime customers. 

Marketplan offers companies the functionality they need to schedule, execute, project, and optimize their marketing strategies. Additionally, the platform includes Kanban boards and task management features. It also has its own forecasting system.

This visual marketing planning tool provides 10 built-in apps that help in navigating through the primary features of its interface. With its help, you can keep your marketing team on the same page, add comments, assign tasks, provide notifications, and send various files.

What makes Marketplan robust marketing planning software?

• Advanced planning maps.
• Roadmapping.
• Funnel mapping.
• Budgeting.
• Marketing calendars.
• Team collaboration.
• Sales forecasting.
• Predictive analytics.
• Media planning.

Customer ratings (as of Q4, 2023):

• G2: 3.8/5.
• Capterra: 4.5/5. 

Quick overview:

4. MARMIND – best for planning multichannel campaigns

MARMIND can be included in the list of the best marketing planning software solutions for several reasons. 

First of all, it offers a comprehensive suite of tools for marketing teams to schedule, execute, and track multichannel campaigns and large-scale marketing planning needs. It facilitates collaboration among team members, enhancing productivity and ensuring alignment on marketing goals.

Additionally, MARMIND stands out for its robust analytics and reporting capabilities. It allows users to measure the performance of their marketing initiatives in real time. 

Furthermore, the software’s user-friendly interface and customizable features make it adaptable to various industries and organizational needs. It streamlines marketing workflows, saving time and reducing administrative overhead.

What makes MARMIND robust marketing planning software?

• Interactive calendars.
• Roadmapping.
• Budget management.
• Performance monitoring.
• Collaboration tools.
• Media planning.
• Predictive analytics.
• Presentation functionality.

Customer ratings (as of Q4, 2023):

• G2: 4.3/5.
• Capterra: 4.6/5. 

Quick overview:

5. CoSchedule – best planning solution with flexible calendars

CoSchedule is also a trustful planning tool for creative, design, and marketing teams. It’s primarily designed to act as a marketing and content calendar but you can map out other project activities there as well.

Along with a marketing calendar, CoSchedule comes with advanced tools that help in managing marketing requests, organizing resources, and creating effective content.

CoSchedule allows for managing even complex workloads of team members and managing projects in detail. You’ll be able to assign roles, prioritize tasks, and manage deadlines to maximize productivity without overworking your team.

What makes CoSchedule robust marketing planning software?

• Calendar view.
• Content organizer.
• Asset management.
• Gantt charts.
• Kanban boards.
• Portfolio management.
• Resource management.
• Client portal.
• Customizable templates.
• Integrations.

Customer ratings (as of Q4, 2023):

• G2: 4.4/5.
• Capterra: 4.4/5. 

Quick overview:

6. Toggl Plan – best marketing planning solution with smart and easy customization

Toggl Plan is a simple team management and project planning system. It is widely used for scheduling marketing workloads and projects of various complexity. 

The software ensures timely project delivery across marketing teams. Whether you’re at the beginning or at the end of your project, its flexibility to add minimal or extensive details is a standout advantage.

Toggl Plan offers a handy timeline that gives a view of a complete project schedule. You can easily assign tasks, collaborate, and attach files to the calendar view. It also provides capabilities for creating checklists, milestones, file uploading, easy sharing, color coding, etc.

The platform also has visual boards. Although some Toggl Plan alternatives contain more powerful Kanban boards, you still get a great experience with them here. 

You can customize your timelines and boards as you wish with some convenient drag-and-drop components.

What makes Toggl Plan robust marketing planning software?

• Timeline view.
• Task management.
• Kanban boards.
• Portfolio management.
• Time tracking.
• Budget management.
• Resource management.
• Milestone tracking.
• Project templates.

Customer ratings (as of Q4, 2023):

• G2: 4.3/5.
• Capterra: 4.5/5. 

Quick overview:

7. Planable – best for planning marketing content and social media publications

Planable is a visually appealing marketing planning system that combines planning, organization, and approval features. 

It excels in facilitating collaborative marketing efforts with its user-friendly interface, enabling real-time teamwork and feedback. Integration with various social media platforms streamlines content planning, scheduling, and previewing from a single dashboard.

Planable also offers visual content representation and approval workflows to ensure error-free and consistent brand messaging. Its analytics and reporting tools make it suitable for businesses of all sizes. 

The software is available on the web, iOS, and Android, so you can stay connected to your team and manage marketing plans anywhere.

What makes Planable robust marketing planning software?

• Planning.
• Post scheduling.
• Content management.
• Automated publishing.
• Multi-account management.
• Post filtering.
• Reporting.
• Analytics.

Customer ratings (as of Q4, 2023):

• G2: 4.6/5.
• Capterra: 4.5/5. 

Quick overview:

8. Hive – best for remote marketing planning

Hive is a reliable task management platform that is also applied to streamline marketing planning and collaboration. 

It’s designed for fast-moving teams. Many of them use Hive for various marketing purposes, not only for planning and scheduling. Therefore, you may find this tool in many lists of the leading solutions for marketing. For example, it often appears among the best tools for digital marketing project management.

A strategic planning feature in Hive allows for planning and tracking various activities, aligning on marketing goals, strategies, and campaigns across a company. You also get advanced tools for brainstorming ideas, forming calendars, automating campaigns, and managing teams.

Hive is known for its intuitive interface and quick support, which make it one of the most popular tools for remote work. Marketing professionals who work outside offices get a smart planner that simplifies their lives and delivers them the exact information they need, wherever they’re located.

What makes Hive robust marketing planning software?

• Flexible project views.
• Handy calendars.
• Time tracking.
• Cost management.
• Personal dashboards.
• Analytics.
• Action templates.
• Team collaboration.
• Backlog management.

Customer ratings (as of Q4, 2023):

• G2: 4.6/5.
• Capterra: 4.5/5. 

Quick review:

9. Calendly – best meeting scheduling software

Calendly is primarily a scheduling and appointment booking tool rather than a multifunctional marketing planning tool. 

However, the platform can be certainly used as a part of your marketing planning process, particularly for scheduling meetings, webinars, or consultations with clients, team members, or partners. 

Calendly integrates into Google or Microsoft calendars and automatically finds space for meetings. 

Instead of sending numerous emails asking what time is best, you just need to send your Calendly link to potential clients. They select a time and date that suits them, and Calendly automatically schedules a meeting on your calendar.

What makes Calendly robust marketing planning software?

• Handy calendars.
• Appointment management.
• Automated scheduling.
• Collaboration tools.
• Event management.
• Notifications.
• Confirmations & reminders.
• Integrations.
• Activity tracking.
• Reporting and analytics.

Customer ratings (as of Q4, 2023):

• G2: 4.7/5.
• Capterra: 4.7/5. 

Quick review:

10. Teamhood – best free marketing planning software

Not all companies can afford to purchase a paid planning tool, even if its pricing looks attractive. This is especially true for startups and small marketing teams.

Free platforms such as Teamhood come to the rescue.

This PM solution can be used as a marketing planning tool. It allows marketers to take control of their schedules and deliver effective results. 

Teamhood comes with advanced planning, management, and analytics functionality. Its users also get a time-tracking feature that helps in controlling costs and workload management.

The platform also ranks high among the best marketing resource management software. It helps businesses to manage digital assets and analyze them professionally taking marketing resource management to a higher level.

What makes Teamhood robust marketing planning software?

• Workflow management.
• Planning and scheduling.
• Time tracking.
• File sharing.
• Document management.
• Collaboration tools.
• Cost management.
• Project templates.
• Data import/export.
• Detailed analytics.
• Reporting.

Customer ratings (as of Q4, 2023):

• G2: 4.5/5.
• Capterra: 5/5. 

Quick review:

Picking your one and only marketing planning software

With the evolving marketing landscape, it becomes vital to equip your marketing strategy with the most effective online tools. 

A powerful marketing planning tool not only simplifies complex planning processes but also provides crucial insights for your entire marketing campaign. 

Selecting a platform that aligns with your business objectives and team preferences is key. By testing and integrating these tools into your strategy, you can significantly enhance productivity and marketing outcomes. 

Explore the solutions from our list and choose wisely to make your marketing planning a breeze.