I know many people use Mailchimp.
I get it.
When you're starting out, you want to cut back expenses. Mailchimp has a free plan that's attractive enough. 2000 contacts is a lot. Having a free tool to collect your user information is great.
But when you hit that 2001 mark that means you need to upgrade, don't start paying automatically without giving things some thought and research.
When I started using Mailchimp, their free plan was better than it is today. It had multi-step automations and multiple lists included.
But then they changed their pricing and we needed to start paying. Our first reaction was, OK, we'll pay what we need to and continue with what we have.
But then we took a step back and start re-evaluating our ESP (email service provider).
That's when I found ActiveCampaign. Pricing was pretty similar to Mailchimp, and the added value was phenomenal!
✔ Their UI and UX are so much easier than Mailchimp's or most other ESPs I've tested out.
✔ Mailing lists are lists, not audiences. Reducing the confusion.
✔ Segmentation and tagging were a lot clearer
✔ List fields can be added, personalized and sorted so easily.
✔ Managing list footer options is simple.
✔ Email design and personalization has never been easier.
✔ Conditional text before email step and within emails themselves.
✔ And the BEST feature is their automation.
Drag and drop, baby!
ActiveCampaign has recently added a number of features that also push them above the rest.
Their main goal is to provide automation for the full customer experience.
And they're pretty good at it too.
One feature is Chatbot auotmations (in beta) that was added to their Conversations feature.
This is HUGE. This is what I've been waiting for.
This basically means that instead of managing (and paying for) an ESP and a Chatbot provider separately, you now have the option to use one app to rule them all.
I love Intercom, I really do. They have a great modular structure. They have great UX. They have great training. And I know they also do emails.
But I have yet to find an ESP that beats the ActiveCampaign built-in automations.
Having your user tracked data, uploaded data, pipeline status and so much more all in one place, and now being able to chat with them on the site with a bot via automations – I'm over the moon.
Since it's in beta, they are giving it away for free for a year to new accounts.
Another great feature they've recently added is landing pages.
Up until now, you've had the option to create forms and integrate them on your site.
But if you wanted to build an external funnel to your site, you needed to work with a tool like Unbounce or ClickFunnels. And while these tools are each great in different aspects, having the landing pages within ActiveCampaign can save small businesses a lot of money.
I am actually moving away from all in one solutions. And if you can afford it, I recommend using Unbounce or another landing page provider to create stunning pages with scripting and advanced features.
But for small businesses, this can definitely solve lots of peripheral problems of funding and programming.
In short, OK maybe not so short, I highly recommend trying out this site.
Oh, and if you're looking for an affiliate link... click here.
I honestly want the best for my followers.
