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Want to know if Active Campaign is the right email service provider for your online business? Right out of the gate I believe that this review may demonstrate that ActiveCampaign is really one of the best choices you could make if you’re looking for an all-in-one digital marketing tool.
Their marketing and sales automation is the real deal and makes other tools’ automated workflows look pale in comparison. So today I wanted to write an Active Campaign Review for those of you considering making a switch between companies.
There’s absolutely no denying the fact that if you wish to be highly profitable online, you MUST build an email list. Selling to warm leads and existing customers is far easier than trying to convert cold visitors (prospects).
This is why you see marketers constantly parroting the quote, “The money is in the list!”
That’s definitely true. However, let’s not forget a crucial component in all of this. The money may be in the list – but where you keep the list matters greatly too.
The best way to build your list will be to use a reputable autoresponder. Since this is a very profitable online business model, there are many large companies offering email marketing services.
So, which will you choose?
They’re all not made equal. Some are infinitely better than others. So, you have to pick an autoresponder carefully.
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What is ActiveCampaign?
You might be wondering: “What is ActiveCampaign? and what does it do?”
ActiveCampaign is an email service provider with added sales CRM. But it does a lot more. When you first log in to ActiveCampaign, and you see all these functions in the dashboard, you will be pleasantly surprised.
ActiveCampaign also offers a range of really useful free tools, regardless of whether you’re a customer or not. You can find everything from content and social media calendar templates to a subject line generator. Check out the free tools here.
It’s pretty simple to use once you understand what you want to achieve with the service, but is it the right service for aspiring entrepreneurs, especially online business owners? Well, that’s what we’re going to uncover in our comprehensive ActiveCampaign review.
Email Marketing Strategy: Build A Solid Foundation
Running and operating an online business isn’t easy. We’re all struggling with burnout these days.
In fact, 52% of Americans say they burned out in 2021. Pushing yourself to grow for growth’s sake in 2022 just might overwhelm you with the possibility of burning out again.
Here’s the thing.
When it comes to scaling your business, you have to grow in a way that works best for YOU rather than allowing that burnout to sneak back in.
In general, there are three ways you can accomplish this:
- Automate routine or mindless tasks with software
- Delegate or outsource tasks to new hires, agencies, or virtual assistants
- Eliminate to-dos that don’t matter to the bottom line
Sound like a lot to figure out?
Luckily, you can do all three of these really well with email marketing. However, an ESP is the most important piece of technology to support your email marketing strategy.
Email marketing is one of the most powerful methods to build relationships and market your products and services to your audience.
Ditch Self-Hosted Autoresponders
Avoid using self-hosted autoresponders! They’re usually created by ‘smaller’ marketers and lack the features and automation that the managed services provide.
Very often, the self-hosted autoresponders only have one thing going for them – a low one-time fee. But you always get what you pay for. If you have deliverability issues, etc. you’ll have to sort them out yourself.
Not to mention, most self-hosted autoresponders do not have as many integrations and customization features as the ‘big guns’. So, it’s best to pick a managed solution even if it means forking out a monthly or yearly fee.
Mention autoresponders and you’ll always see a few big names being mentioned.
Very often, the name Active Campaign will make an appearance and you’ll see marketers raving about it. Boasting many features and integrations, as well as quick and friendly support, they do sound like a powerhouse email marketing tool. But does it live up to the hype?
Benefits of Active Campaign
So, you’ve been wondering what are the best email marketing services for entrepreneurs? Today, we’ll put ActiveCampaign under the microscope in this ActiveCampaign review to see if they measure up to their bold claims.
Now that we know what Active Campaign does, let’s find out what features it offers.
Excellent Deliverability
Active Campaign has a higher deliverability rate than most of the other autoresponders such as AWeber, ConvertKit, GetResponse, and more.
If you’re looking for an email marketing tool that will get your emails into the subscribers’ inboxes most of the time, you need ActiveCampaign. This is one of its strongest features.
Free Migration
Stuck with another email marketing company and want to move?
Active Campaign will migrate your lists and everything else along with it over to their side – for free. You won’t need to do a thing. They’ll do it all for you and you can email your list from the Active Campaign interface.
Templates, templates, and more templates!
Sending emails has never been easier. Active Campaign has 125+ email templates that you can use. Unlike ConvertKit which sends mostly text-based emails, with Active Campaign, you can just need to load one of their email templates, make a few tweaks, post your content and you’re good to go.
Besides email templates, there are 50+ landing page templates too.
On a tight budget and don’t wish to pay for a page builder?
No worries. You can still use Active Campaign’s landing pages to build your list. The landing pages may be basic and not have the bells and whistles that page builders such as OptimizePress or LeadPages have – but they still get the job done and you’ll build your list.
Split Testing
Yes! Active Campaign will allow you to split test your emails, subject lines, and more… if you want to.
Excellent Customer Support
While many companies get into trouble with customer support as they grow bigger, it seems ActiveCampaign has only gotten better. Their support desk is open 24/7 and you can contact them via live chat. You’ll not be left in the lurch. The staff at Active Campaign are responsive and capable.
Previously, it only had email support if you wanted to contact a human and a knowledge base to solve problems on your own.
Today, you also get free onboarding/training webinars, live chat, and multiple tutorial videos on YouTube. The tutorials are short but clear, and the reps are knowledgeable and empathetic.
Advanced Customization Features
Besides having being tons of templates in Active Campaign, you’ll also be able to customize your emails, lists, etc. You have a lot of control over your email lists and the emails you send out.
Loaded with Advanced Features
Most autoresponder tools pack a ton of features. The CRM is seamlessly integrated with the automations to improve efficiencies in your organization. However, going into all of the features in detail here is unnecessary because you’ll be better informed by visiting Active Campaign’s official website.
Yet, here’s a quick list of some of the features you’ll find in Active Campaign: segmentation, site and event tracking, predictive content, split automation, contact scoring, SMS marketing, attribution reporting and more!
Drawbacks of ActiveCampaign
It depends on your needs. This is an autoresponder that needs more thought before purchase. If you’re just doing basic email marketing, you really don’t need ActiveCampaign.
Additionally, ActiveCampaign doesn’t really have a neat interface and can be difficult to navigate. You may need to watch the tutorials and go through the learning curve before being able to use it proficiently.
It takes some time to wrap your head around the advanced features if you’re new to email marketing automation. So, this is not an autoresponder for total neophytes to email marketing. The sheer number of features and reporting capabilities can make it seem overwhelming to the beginner.
Furthermore, the pricing does jump significantly when you go from Lite to the Plus or Professional packages. And, the conversations (on-site chat) feature is an add-on and not included in the standard plan.
Affiliate marketing on the platform is another iffy issue. While Active Campaign says they allow it, the terms are not clear because they also say, “Do not send emails with the sole purpose of promoting another product or business.”
This line instantly shuts out most affiliate marketers who only promote affiliate products. So, if you’re an affiliate marketer, you’ll want to perhaps go with autoresponders like AWeber or GetResponse which are far more lenient.
ActiveCampaign Pricing
ActiveCampaign pricing is in four plans starting at Lite ($9/month). The starter plan has features like email marketing and marketing automation. Higher plans add features like the ActiveCampaign CRM, landing pages, and lead scoring.
You can start with the 14-day free trial here – no costs.
ActiveCampaign costs are based on the number of contacts and the features you want. The company offers a 25% discount on a yearly plan. With this, ActiveCampaign costs are very competitive compared to other marketing automation systems.
ActiveCampaign Alternatives
Seeing as ActiveCampaign isn’t for everyone, here are a few alternatives that have many of the key features you’d need to do email marketing successfully.
GetResponse vs ActiveCampaign
GetResponse started as a simple autoresponder and newsletter tool but has grown to be a complete online marketing toolset. It has a handy funnel marketing function with webinars, landing pages, Facebook Ads integrations, Stipe integrations, an online storefront, and more.
- Control all your marketing from one place
- Free plan
- Prebuilt templates for most features
- Tools to create Facebook ads
- Clear reporting across the entire funnel
Keap vs ActiveCampaign
Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) is a combination of email marketing tools and CRM. In addition to that, it handles your affiliate marketing program, landing pages, and even checkout. Though it has the chops, it’s quite complicated and will take a considerable amount of time to master.
- Invoices and payments
- Sales CRM
- Appointment booking
- Marketing automation
- Business line and text messages
MailChimp Vs ActiveCampaign
MailChimp is the multibillion-dollar elephant in the email marketing space and has evolved into an all-in-one business toolkit. While it may not do certain things as well as ActiveCampaign, it makes up for it by being simpler and free for small lists.
- Free plan for less than 2000 contacts
- Landing pages
- Facebook Ads management
- Postcards to engage customers
ConvertKit Vs ActiveCampaign
ConvertKit is primarily focused on creators and its automation features wouldn’t be ideal for eCommerce companies. It makes up for it by adding additional features training and content to help creators start out.
- Landing pages
- Free plan
- Decent form builder
- Clear and useful reporting
HubSpot vs ActiveCampaign
Now let’s compare ActiveCampaign to HubSpot. HubSpot goes beyond ActiveCampaign when it comes to inbound marketing. It has an entire suite of tools that help you optimize your organic traffic and conversions.
Many online business owners believe that ActiveCampaign is a better email marketing and automation tool but HubSpot is just bigger, more functionality, and is considerably more expensive.
- Free CRM
- Live chat
- Build websites (CMS)
- Marketing automation
- Landing pages
Is Active Campaign Right For You?
ActiveCampaign is a powerful email and marketing automation tool for businesses across industries, B2C, and B2B. You can save hours daily by automating your email marketing and spending more time on your business. ActiveCampaign offers pricing and plans to fit your business’ budget and marketing needs. Unlimited Sending. Drag & Drop Interface. Custom Form Builder. Phone Support.
We recommend ActiveCampaign for:
Companies with a bit of experience with email marketing or those ready to take their efforts to the next level and start with a marketing automation tool. You don’t need to be an expert – beginners should follow their onboarding video’s and you are set.
We don’t recommend ActiveCampaign for:
Marketers who only want to send simple newsletters. It’s too powerful and you’ll likely be not using all the features available. In that case, I’d check out MailerLite or other (and cheaper) MailChimp alternatives. Likewise, if you have a huge email list or heavy enterprise requirements, better to work them out first.
However, if you’re already with another email marketing service and you need a more robust platform with advanced features and analytics, Active Campaign is probably the better choice for you.
Click on the link below and study the features you’ll get with Active Campaign. Absolutely amazing and definitely for the serious online marketer who is looking to ramp up sales and conversions through email marketing.
👉 Therefore, with all the features you can expect, we recommend you have a look at ActiveCampaign. It is certainly worth its salt.
>>> Click Here to Get Active Campaign <<<
We’ll leave you with a few more resources if you’re curious about Active Campaign, or want to dig further into email marketing.
What are your experiences with email marketing services? Is there a particular service you’d like to see reviewed? Let me know in the comments below.
