What is a customer relationship management (CRM) system for marketers?

Customer relationships are the backbone of a successful business. The connection between a company and its clients is affected by every interaction and experience, forming the foundation for future transactions.

Strong, personalized customer connections become harder to maintain as businesses expand across borders and cultures. That’s where customer relationship management (CRM) systems can help. A well-implemented CRM system for marketing is more than a tool; it’s the heartbeat of a scalable, data-driven international strategy.

This article will explore what CRM systems are, why they matter to international marketers, and how to select CRM tools that yield a significant return on investment. 

What is a CRM in marketing?

A customer relationship management (CRM) system is software designed to help businesses manage relationships and interactions with current and potential customers. For global marketers, CRMs provide a central hub for tracking customer behavior, segmenting audiences, and personalizing outreach across different regions and languages.

CRM software enables marketing teams to create targeted, relevant campaigns that enhance customer engagement and retention. They contain tools to analyze performance and deliver a consistent experience to diverse global audiences. A CRM also helps marketing teams align with sales, ensuring rich, actionable data informs every touchpoint in the customer journey.

CRMs are particularly helpful for international teams. They inform targeted content that resonates with each region’s cultural sensibilities and purchasing habits. This personalized approach drives higher sales and builds long-term trust and loyalty.

Why do you need a CRM in advertising?

CRMs are indispensable tools for marketing and sales teams, particularly those with global ambitions. Here are six reasons CRM systems are vital for effective advertising:

Provides a centralized customer view

A CRM system stores all customer data (e.g., purchase history and customer support issues) in one place, giving marketing teams a complete picture of each contact. This centralized view enables smoother communication and better marketing personalization. CRMs also reduce information silos between departments and streamline content localization efforts.

Enhances internal collaboration

By supporting a single source of truth for sales and marketing data, CRMs help marketing teams and sales reps collaborate effectively. Shared insights and interaction tracking streamline the sales pipeline and keep everyone on the same page. Teams enjoy stronger forecasting accuracy, campaign planning, and follow-up strategies.

Automates marketing tasks

CRM systems automate many repetitive marketing tasks, from drip email campaigns to social media scheduling. Marketing teams are free to focus on creative strategy and innovation, and campaigns remain timely and consistent across markets.

Improves global customer segmentation

CRMs enable advanced segmentation based on customers’ location, language, behavior, and more. This helps tailor marketing campaigns to regional audiences, enhancing relevance and engagement. For instance, clothing brands might target European customers with a fall campaign while promoting a spring line in the Southern Hemisphere.

Provides data-driven insights

CRM software provides built-in analytics tools that empower marketing teams to measure campaign performance, perform A/B testing, and refine strategies using real-time data. Marketers can evaluate ROI, track conversions, and implement retention strategies to maximize customer lifetime value.

Boosts productivity with AI-powered automation

Many CRM tools now integrate AI agents to increase efficiency and discover new opportunities from collected data, such as identifying at-risk customers or upsell prospects. AI also better serves customers by supporting 24/7 customer service and personalized product recommendations. 

5 key features of CRM tools

Customer management software helps global businesses manage customer data, automate tasks, and measure campaign effectiveness with precision. It’s especially helpful when working across regions, languages, and time zones.

Let’s break down the core features every global marketer should look for in a CRM system:

1. Detailed customer interaction history

Knowing every touchpoint a customer has had with the brand helps marketing teams craft relevant and timely messages, particularly when coordinating efforts across multiple markets and languages. Visibility into past conversations and actions provides valuable context for future engagements.

2. Lead form and landing page integrations

CRM systems that integrate with web forms and landing pages capture lead data and incorporate it directly into the CRM, eliminating manual data entry and accelerating the sales process. These integrations can also enhance personalization efforts on the landing pages themselves.

3. Automated messaging workflows

Understanding when and where customers are likely to engage helps marketers strengthen the impact of their global campaigns. CRMs support automated workflows that send the right message to the right person at the right time. Supported channels may include emails, follow-up calls, retargeting ads, and SMS notifications.

4. International marketing impact analysis

Insight into regional campaign performance helps organizations refine their global strategies. Look for CRMs with robust analytics features that intuitively compare performance across countries or language groups. Areas of interest may include channel effectiveness, regional buying behaviors, and content engagement levels.

5. Cloud-based access with strong security features

Global teams need 24/7 access to CRM data from anywhere. Cloud-based CRM tools for marketers provide this flexibility while ensuring data security through encryption and access controls. These tools should also offer multilingual user interfaces and support local compliance standards.

5 best CRM systems for marketing

With so many CRM solutions available, you may struggle to find the right one for your marketing needs—especially when targeting a global audience. Here are five of the best CRM systems tailored for marketing, each with unique strengths and integration options to support international growth.

HubSpot

HubSpot is a leading platform packed with marketing tools, including a full-featured CRM. It’s popular for its user-friendly interface and powerful marketing automation features. With Smartling’s HubSpot integration, marketing teams can easily localize content and campaigns for multiple regions, ensuring consistent messaging and brand voice.

• Features: Email automation; lead nurturing; content management; analytics dashboard; campaign tracking; segmentation tools.
• Pricing: Free tier available. Paid plans for small teams start at $15/month per user. Advanced enterprise plans start at $800/month.
• Best for: Small teams looking for a free CRM solution; larger enterprises expanding into new global markets.

Salesforce

Salesforce is a robust and highly customizable CRM system designed for enterprise-level operations, although it also works for smaller organizations that are willing to learn its complexities. Salesforce is particularly well-suited for companies managing complex international marketing and sales funnels. Smartling’s Salesforce integration centralizes translation workflows within Salesforce Marketing Cloud, streamlining global content delivery.

• Features: Advanced analytics; automation; app ecosystem; AI-powered recommendations; multilingual campaign support; customer journey mapping.
• Pricing: Starts at $25/month per user.
• Best for: Enterprises with sophisticated international marketing needs.

Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM offers a comprehensive suite of tools for marketing and sales automation. It’s known for its affordability and flexibility, making it a great option for startups and SMEs entering international markets.

• Features: Email marketing; Zia AI assistant; multichannel support; workflow automation; predictive sales.
• Pricing: Starts at $14/month per user.
• Best for: Small to medium-sized businesses looking for strong marketing automation tools.

Monday.com

Monday.com’s marketing features help teams monitor interactions with prospects and guide them toward sales. It features powerful automation tools, integration with numerous third-party applications, and an intuitive visual interface that’s ideal for complex international campaigns.

• Features: Custom pipelines; collaboration tools; timeline tracking; campaign calendar; CRM templates.
• Pricing: Starts at $12/month per user.
• Best for: Teams that value visual workflows and flexibility.

Nutshell

Nutshell is a user-friendly CRM built with marketing and sales alignment in mind. It offers robust automation and reporting features to manage customer data and view detailed analytics, making it an excellent option for growing global businesses.

• Features: Email templates; lead management; marketing automation; sales forecasting; funnel analytics.
• Pricing: Basic features are free with a Nutshell Sales subscription (starting at $13/month per user); Pro features are an additional $49/month.
• Best for: Small and mid-sized marketing teams that value ease of implementation.

Enhance your CRM’s global impact with Smartling

Selecting the right CRM is a crucial step toward international marketing success, but it’s only part of the equation. To truly connect with global audiences, businesses must translate and localize their marketing messages to account for cultural nuances.

Smartling helps marketers do exactly that. With a suite of marketing localization solutions, Smartling empowers global brands to create culturally relevant experiences that resonate worldwide. Smartling’s integrations with programs like HubSpot and Salesforce streamline the translation process for web content and email campaigns, allowing marketing teams to focus on growth.

For more tips to elevate your global marketing strategy with translation and localization, download a copy of our eBook, “The Ultimate Guide to Translating Your Marketing Materials.”