Introduction
ActiveCampaign is a customer experience automation platform that combines email marketing, marketing automation, sales automation, and customer relationship management (CRM) features. It provides tools to support businesses in building meaningful relationships with their audience and driving successful marketing and sales campaigns.
Some interesting facts about ActiveCampaign:
- It serves over 150,000 businesses worldwide.
- ActiveCampaign’s user base spans across 170 countries.
- It integrates with over 850 apps and services.
In this article, we will speak about:
What is ActiveCampaign and who can use it?
How does it work and what is it used for?
What does ActiveCampaign cost?
The cons of using ActiveCampaign
What is ActiveCampaign and who can use it?
ActiveCampaign is a cloud-based business management solution designed with small and midsize businesses (SMBs) in mind.
ActiveCampaign is essentially all of the following, in one platform:
- An email marketing software
- A sales and marketing automation tool
- A customer relationship management (CRM) solution
You would think that the platform would be difficult to master because it has so many distinct aspects. False! With ActiveCampaign, you can get started immediately and with great ease as it has very user-friendly interface.
Some features that ActiveCampaign offers include the following:
- Email marketing services
- Contact management
- Web forms & landing pages
- Analytics & reporting
- Automated workflows
- Tons of automation features
- Pipeline customization & management
With ActiveCampaign, you can streamline every aspect of the customer journey from start to finish.
We think it’s fantastic for SMBs because it offers some of the best marketing automation tools in the biz.
Plus, it’s extremely beginner friendly, with helpful tutorial videos and guided lessons to make even the most complicated tasks very easy.
ActiveCampaign added new features.
You can now attach files on direct 1:1 emails sent through connected email accounts across contact, account, and deal records. Whether it’s proposals, presentations, or important documents, you can now seamlessly share files while engaging with your prospects and customers.
You can also trigger automated workflows when files are downloaded from a direct 1:1 email. Triggering an automation based on file downloads from direct emails enhances engagement, allows for timely follow-up, and provides valuable insights to optimize marketing communication and sales strategies.
We’d love to recommend ActiveCampaign to just about everyone, but let’s narrow it down a little.
Here’s who we think ActiveCampaign is best suited for:
Small businesses – ActiveCampaign is designed with small businesses in mind, offering a comprehensive suite of marketing tools at an affordable price.
Midsize businesses – If your business is growing and ready for more sophisticated automation tools, ActiveCampaign can provide you with the needed features.
Enterprises – Even if you have an enterprise-level business, ActiveCampaign has a robust enough feature set to meet your needs.
Marketing teams – ActiveCampaign is a fantastic marketing platform that provides a ton of marketing automation to empower your team’s effectiveness.
How does it work and what is it used for?
As we already mentioned ActiveCampaign is a customer experience automation platform that combines various tools to help businesses automate marketing, sales, and customer engagement processes.
Here’s how it works and what it is commonly used for:
1.Email Marketing: Users of ActiveCampaign can design and distribute email campaigns that are specifically targeted at particular audience segments. It offers resources for creating aesthetically pleasing emails and scheduling email sequences according to user actions or preset triggers.
2. Automation Workflows: To automate processes and communications based on particular triggers, such email opens, clicks, or website activities, users can construct intricate automation workflows. Businesses can nurture leads, onboard customers, and interact with their audience at every stage of the customer experience with the aid of automated workflows.
3.CRM (Customer Relationship Management): ActiveCampaign includes CRM features to manage and organize customer information. Users can track customer interactions, view contact histories, and manage deals and sales pipelines within the platform.
4.Sales Automation: The platform helps streamline the sales process by automating repetitive tasks, managing leads, and providing insights into customer behavior. Sales automation features assist in lead scoring, contact segmentation, and personalized communication to improve conversion rates.
5.Machine Learning Insights: ActiveCampaign uses machine learning to provide insights into customer behavior, predicting which contacts are most likely to engage or convert. This allows businesses to make data-driven decisions and optimize their marketing and sales strategies.
Integration with Third-Party Apps: ActiveCampaign offers extensive integration capabilities, allowing users to connect the platform with a wide range of third-party applications, including e-commerce platforms, CRMs, and analytics tools.
Multi-Channel Marketing: In addition to email, ActiveCampaign supports multi-channel marketing by incorporating SMS marketing and social media advertising, providing a holistic approach to customer engagement.
Overall, ActiveCampaign is used by businesses to create personalized and automated marketing campaigns, manage customer relationships, and enhance the efficiency of their sales processes, ultimately contributing to improved customer experiences and business growth.
ActiveCampaign pricing
ActiveCampaign has various pricing plans. They offer Email & Marketing Automation starting from 29$ a month for solopreneurs who need their marketing to run effortlessly, also 49$ a month for small teams focused on crafting excellent experiences across the customer lifecycle, 149$ a month for teams that want to experiment, and optimize their marketing efforts, and 259$ a month for growing teams in larger organizations looking to personalize their marketing at scale.
They provide CRM & Sales Engagement starting from 19$ a month for small sales teams focused on managing leads and pipelines, 49$ a month for growing sales teams looking to identify and close deals faster, and 99$ a month for scaling sales teams that need a flexible and customizable CRM.
Marketing Automation + Sales CRM starting from 93$ a month for growing teams looking to bring marketing and sales automation together, 386$ a month for growing businesses needing to drive sales efficiency and marketing effectiveness, 734$ a month for scaling businesses that need a platform adaptable to their evolving needs.
They also recommend transactional Email API + SMTP for Your Site or App with a monthly price 15$ for 10000 emails + 1.80$ per 1000 if you need more.
Cons of using ActiveCampaign
You can’t find a perfect platform, and that includes ActiveCampaign. In this section, we’ll review a few limitations of the platform. These include the following:
1.No free plan – This can pose a barrier to entry for startups or small businesses operating on a shoestring budget. The absence of a free plan might deter those who are just getting their feet wet in the world of CRM and are hesitant to immediately commit to a paid option.
2. High cost – ActiveCampaign’s pricing tiers can be steep, especially for smaller businesses or startups that are mindful of their budget. While the platform offers a wealth of functionalities that arguably justify the cost, the pricing can be a deterrent for those businesses that are cost-sensitive and are looking for more affordable CRM solutions. It’s important to carefully assess your business needs and your budget before deciding if ActiveCampaign is the right fit for you.
3. Lack of live chat and chatbot capabilities – In today’s digital age, where instant response is not just appreciated but often expected, the absence of live chat or chatbot capabilities in ActiveCampaign is a noticeable shortfall. The need for real-time customer support and immediate query resolution is paramount, especially when it comes to CRM platforms.
Conclusion
In brief, ActiveCampaign is a powerful marketing automation platform offering advanced features for email marketing, automation, and customer relationship management. It provides a comprehensive solution for businesses seeking personalized and targeted marketing campaigns.
