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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cision Communications Cloud

    Score8 out of 10
    N/ACIsion Communications Cloud is used for identifying key media and influencers, connecting with audiences, monitoring traditional and social media, and analyzing outcomes.N/A

    Springbot

    Score6 out of 10
    N/ASpringbot aims to bring all the marketing capabilities large retailers have to small businesses at a fraction of the cost. Through Springbot, online stores will be able to leverage automated marketing on channels such as email, SMS, social and online ads. Business owners and marketers who find themselves wearing many hats can still send the right message at the right time with confidence. With an all-in-one marketing automation platform designed with ease of use in mind, business…

    $199

    for up to 5,000 subscribers (includes email marketing, social hub, reporting and dashboards, signup forms, automations, account management, support and onboarding. See website for additional package options.

    Pricing
    Cision Communications CloudSpringbot
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Platform Base Package
    $199/month
    for up to 5,000 subscribers (includes email marketing, social hub, reporting and dashboards, signup forms, automations, account management, support and onboarding. See website for additional package options.
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cision Communications CloudSpringbot
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—See website for pricing calculator for additional pricing options.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Cision Communications CloudSpringbot
    Considered Both Products
    Cision
    No answer on this topic
    Springbot Inc.
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    92%
    Would buy again
    45 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    86%
    Delivers good value for the price
    32 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    90%
    Happy with the feature set
    44 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    37 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    97%
    Implementation went as expected
    36 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    Cision Communications CloudSpringbot
    Email & Online Marketing
    Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Cision Communications Cloud and Springbot
    Feature
    Cision Communications Cloud
    -
    Ratings
    Springbot
    4.4
    3 Ratings
    56% below category average
    WYSIWYG email editor00 Ratings4.03 Ratings
    Dynamic content00 Ratings4.23 Ratings
    Ability to test dynamic content00 Ratings2.72 Ratings
    Landing pages00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
    A/B testing00 Ratings4.23 Ratings
    Mobile optimization00 Ratings4.03 Ratings
    Email deliverability reporting00 Ratings4.03 Ratings
    List management00 Ratings4.23 Ratings
    Triggered drip sequences00 Ratings4.03 Ratings
    Lead Management
    Comparison of Lead Management features of Cision Communications Cloud and Springbot
    Feature
    Cision Communications Cloud
    -
    Ratings
    Springbot
    6.6
    3 Ratings
    18% below category average
    Lead nurturing automation00 Ratings4.03 Ratings
    Lead scoring and grading00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
    Data quality management00 Ratings4.03 Ratings
    Automated sales alerts and tasks00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
    Campaign Management
    Comparison of Campaign Management features of Cision Communications Cloud and Springbot
    Feature
    Cision Communications Cloud
    -
    Ratings
    Springbot
    5.2
    3 Ratings
    37% below category average
    Calendaring00 Ratings4.03 Ratings
    Event/webinar marketing00 Ratings6.41 Ratings
    Social Media Marketing
    Comparison of Social Media Marketing features of Cision Communications Cloud and Springbot
    Feature
    Cision Communications Cloud
    -
    Ratings
    Springbot
    2.7
    2 Ratings
    95% below category average
    Social sharing and campaigns00 Ratings2.52 Ratings
    Social profile integration00 Ratings3.02 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Cision Communications Cloud and Springbot
    Feature
    Cision Communications Cloud
    -
    Ratings
    Springbot
    4.2
    3 Ratings
    56% below category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings4.23 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings4.23 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings4.23 Ratings
    Platform & Infrastructure
    Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Cision Communications Cloud and Springbot
    Feature
    Cision Communications Cloud
    -
    Ratings
    Springbot
    6.9
    3 Ratings
    10% below category average
    API00 Ratings4.23 Ratings
    Role-based workflow & approvals00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
    Customizability00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
    Integration with Salesforce.com00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
    Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
    Integration with SugarCRM00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Cision Communications CloudSpringbot
    Small Businesses
    Help a Reporter Out (HARO)
    Score5 out of 10
    Vbout
    Score9.9 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Critical Mention
    Score8 out of 10
    Bloomreach
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Meltwater
    Score7.6 out of 10
    Iterable
    Score8.2 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cision Communications CloudSpringbot
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (280 ratings)
    3.8
    (5 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.0
    (17 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (54 ratings)
    3.7
    (4 ratings)
    Availability
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (192 ratings)
    4.2
    (3 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cision Communications CloudSpringbot
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cision
    For a small start-up, the cost-benefit to add lift to press releases [and] particular milestone accomplishments is definitely there with the Cision [Communications] Cloud. Much of what we do, by necessity, is done internally without the benefit of outsourced press folks, so the Cision [Communications] Cloud ease of use and reporting is very important.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Springbot Inc.
    Well Suited For:
    • Small businesses with small marketing teams.
    • Shopify Customers.
    • Small businesses that want more reporting/segmented lists.
    • Businesses that are upgrading from a service like Constant Contact or Mailchimp.
    Less appropriate
    • Customer who are currently using Klaviyo.
    • Business who do not have a Shopify website.
    Read full review
    Pros
    Cision
    • Their upgraded press release templates and ability [to] pull in an entire, completed release makes the [process] faster and easier, and allows for more graphics, such as company mastheads, [are done well].
    • The media tracking offers the ability to find relevant placements across the entire country.
    • The journalist database streamlines the process of finding relevant reporters to directly connect [to] on news releases that are relevant to their beats.
    • The process of setting up, creating, and distributing a release is seamless, easy to use, and not labor-intensive.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Springbot Inc.
    • The demographic data was great. I could see how many males vs. females, ages, income, married, with or without children. It gave me a good idea of who my customers were.
    • Using their tracking URLs in all of our campaigns allowed us to get a better idea of what exactly was driving revenue.
    • Not only could I see top performing products, which I can do within Magento, I could also see top selling categories and colors.
    • I can pull a Coupon Usage report our of Magento, but Springbot gave me additional info like AOV and ROI on those codes.
    • Springbot also gave me a lot of info about our abandoned carts. It shows us which products are most abandoned along with views, conversion rates, etc.
    • Springbot gave us an Instagram Shop page that allowed us to curate social shares and then tie them to products on our site.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Cision
    • In the media influencer database, the classic Cision allowed us to do a zip code radius search to really drill down to the neighborhood level. That's because we do localized media advisories and press releases for events at neighborhood schools. One part of a big city like Chicago really doesn't care what's happening in another part of Chicago that's too far away. The zip code radius search was a feature in the classic Cision but not with the current Cision Communications Cloud. We've asked for this to be restored several times, but nothing's happened. In fact, we were told to use DMA — which actually goes wider in a search (bigger than a city), not more narrow as needed. This reflects a basic misunderstanding of what we need.
    • Another missing feature involves a merge field when sending out an email press release through Cision. This is the "select insert field" button in the upper right that's used to personalize a release with the media contact's name and other information. This is key for localization of the release. Many media outlets won't run a release unless it's local. While "county" is a feature in the influencer database when putting together a media list in Cision, "county" is not available to insert into a press release as a merge field. Counties are important because this is how many newspapers and health departments are organized and identify themselves. I've asked for this to be implemented, to no avail. As a workaround, we've had to use "contact city" or "outlet city."
    • After refining a media list in Cision using filters, I've had to download the list and take it offline to see the big picture, screen for duplicates, etc. While there is a button on the bottom left intended to help with this, it doesn't do the trick. That's because there may be multiple contacts with the same email address. In addition, one media contact may represent numerous media outlets, so this same contact could show up several times. It would be nice to have a better way to see the whole list online and eliminate both duplicates as well as those who previously opted out.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Springbot Inc.
    • After our purchase, I let spring or know that I was currently too busy to implement the system and to put things on hold. They ignored this request and kept charging us a monthly fee without using any of their systems. I have only logged in once. Nothing has been set up. They can see that from their side.
    • After multiple emails back and forth their out was in the user agreement. I never asked for my money back only credit so I can regroup and when I have time get on to implant the systems. They tell me they don't do that.
    • They don't care about any of the customer's needs. They only care about charging you that monthly fee. Terrible bus plan. With enough bad feedback, they will suffer from such a narrow plan.
    • I wish we had actual information about the cons using the system. Unfortunately I was not given the opportunity to do unless I wanted to keep paying while not using the system.
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Cision
    While I am happy with the product performance overall, TrendKite's recent merger with Cision is cause for concern. When we first signed on with TrendKite, I spoke with several users and the best response I received was that the company was a startup and we could expect there to be hiccups along the way as the company grew and the platform got more robust. That has certainly been the case. However, now that they have merged with Cision — a company that has grown too fast, has not focused on improving its product and has poor customer service — I have concerns that TrendKite will lose some of the qualities that have made it a great company and great product to work with.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Springbot Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Cision
    The flexibility and customization of Cision Communications Cloud (TrendKite)* is among its most important features. Changing the dashboards, using keywords in the saved searches to pull out the best stories and the integration with marketing automation tools gives me confidence that I will able to continue using this tool well into the future. The future implementation and integration of the media contact database will complete the suite, making list management and email marketing programs much smoother. *This review was written before Cision acquired TrendKite. TrendKite is now part of Cision Communications Cloud.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Springbot Inc.
    Springbot has top navigation that helps me quickly jump from emails to social, and reporting very easily.
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Cision
    Easily accessible 24/7.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Springbot Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Cision
    Generally, Cision performs well day to day, but it's got some annoying bugs that slow down usage/require user workarounds which is inefficient. More seriously, a few months ago, as a result of a major system upgrade, certain critical functionality was not working and I was unable to use the service for more than a day when I had time-sensitive work to execute
    Read full review
    Springbot Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Cision
    For Cision TrendKite in particilar, support always responded, but it was sometimes slow. For some of our booleans and search queries, we would need help refining and excluding terms/phrases that weren't relevant to our client or campaign. This sometimes took 1-2 days just to get a response back, which sometimes was too late when a last-minute report was due. This was only with the support staff, not necessarily our customer success manager or sales rep.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Springbot Inc.
    We have raved about Springbot's support because they always get back with us so quickly. Our rep, Jared has been phenomenal in helping us, always being available to chat with us and explaining some of the metrics with us so we can better understand. He completely handles our ads, checks on them, and lets us know when to update and why.
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Cision
    The online training sessions available for the Cision Communications Cloud are helpful and informative. There's more than one option - initially, I signed up for the live webinar classes on basic functions and that is what I recommend other new users do as well. If I have specific questions or something I want to learn more about, I can search the online database and find article or online training videos to get the information I need.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Springbot Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Cision
    There is no implementation at the customer's end so this doesn't really apply to my instance of Cision (possibly to all instances of it).
    Read full review
    Springbot Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Cision
    It's a similar product. I think Meltwater sells itself as being a bit more niche, but I have not found many significant differences between Meltwater and Cision. Meltwater's sales process is a very high pressure and their prices are inflated.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Springbot Inc.
    Springbit is more expensive, more complicated and delivered less.
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Cision
    Easy to use, but still room for improvement.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Springbot Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Cision
    • Cision has a net positive impact on time savings for staff so we can be quicker to market
    • Cision has a positive impact on internal savings as it is used internally across multiple accounts and with the internal PR team
    • Cision is extremely useful when it comes to resourcing and conducting outreach in those DMA's where our agency doesn't have a physical presence
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Springbot Inc.
    • Springbot gave us a better idea of who our customer was. We just launched in January 2015 having been B2B previously. So we weren't really sure who we were marketing to.
    • I only paid $200/month for the service so I didn't waste a ton of money trying it out. They have a 30 day cancellation policy so I wasn't stuck in a year long contract.
    • It was a let down because I had such high hopes of everything it would allow me to do and see with one platform. Give them a couple more years and I think they will work out the kinks.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Cision Communications Cloud Screenshots

    Screenshot of Media Monitoring and Analytics are just part of the complete Comms Cloud. It combines deep data dive with a database of journalists and influencers, and a media relationship management tool.Screenshot of Track brand mentions in real time across the millions of online stories on the internet. Monitor millions of stories and breaking news happening daily across the web. Professional services consultants teams are in place to ensure best practices while setting up a monitoring account.Screenshot of Cision’s media and influencer relationship management tools include audience insights, combined with a pitchable database that enables brands to uncover the best media contacts and social influencers to reach their target audience.Screenshot of Identify the social conversations and influencers that are impacting a brand. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube monitoring capabilities track brand mentions across all major social channels. Analyze results for social mentions or campaigns on the fly with its reporting features.

    Springbot Screenshots

    Screenshot of Email Editor - Springbot's drag-and-drop email editor makes it effortless to design eye-catching, branded emails that look great on any device!Screenshot of Automations Editor - Springbot's automations editor let's you easily create automations for common use cases like abandoned cart, and it gives you the ability to build highly customized automations to fit your store's needs.Screenshot of SMS Marketing - Springbot makes SMS marketing simple with text-to-join campaigns that allow you to use custom keywords related to your brand. Combine SMS with the power of automation flows to enhance your multichannel marketing strategy.Screenshot of Social Hub - Springbot's Social Hub helps you streamline your content and marketing efforts, so you can do it all in one place — post, schedule, track metrics and more!Screenshot of Online Ads - Increase your site traffic and bring shoppers back to your store's site with prospecting and retargeting ads.Screenshot of Reporting and Dashboards - Make data-driven decisions by tracking important metrics for your site traffic, product categories and marketing efforts. Get more insights about your ideal customer profile.