Reginald Chan

Tag: email marketing services

  • ConvertKit vs ActiveCampaign: Does ActiveCampaign Free Trial Makes The Cut?

    ConvertKit vs ActiveCampaign: Does ActiveCampaign Free Trial Makes The Cut?

    ​ConvertKit vs ActiveCampaign — ​why I switched from Active Campaign to ConvertKit?

    Months back, I was using ActiveCampaign and it was pretty decent. I mean, for $9 a month for 500 email subscribers is pretty much a damn good deal.

    As a matter of fact, I was happy — Email was sending out on time, and I was able to manage my email list faster and more efficient.

    But something changed. I decided that I need to reduce cost (for 2018) and every bit of technology we use is rechecked to make sure we are getting the best deal.

    I came across a cold and scary fact. I was spending too much on my ActiveCampaign subscription. While I was happy, I know that I’ll be happy if I’m able to save the agency some extra money.

    ​That’s when my hunt for ActiveCampaign alternatives came into play and ultimately, I came across ConvertKit (for business and not as a blogger).

    Before that, let’s get the fact right.

    ​Both ConvertKit and ActiveCampaign are great email marketing software and I hope that this simple comparison between both of these tools will help you make your decision much easier.

    ​Disclaimer

    ​I used ActiveCampaign for my business for over 3 months before moving to ConvertKit. Carry on reading to find the advantages and disadvantages for both ConvertKit and ActiveCampaign.

    ​ConvertKit

    ​ConvertKit is a simple and powerful email marketing solution for serious marketers.

    If I would sum what ConvertKit is all about, here’s what I think:

    ​ConvertKit is a powerful new email service provider that provides InfusionSoft like automation capabilities without the InfusionSoft price.

    ​Don’t get me wrong — ConvertKit is far from being a full suite email marketing solution. However, it comes with some freaking awesome features helps you manage your email subscribers easily and more effectively.

    ​Creating an account on ConvertKit is simple (here’s the link). Right after that, I move forward to create my first email list and prepare to collect emails.

    This is what it looks like.

    creating email forms using ConvertKit

    ​ConvertKit is pretty sleek and creating forms is really easy. The entire process is well-thought through and seriously, it made my day!

    I was thinking that it will be something really tough to start with, and I was wrong. Thankfully!

    ​I decided to use ConvertKit because it has a drag and drop visual ​automation builder just like ActiveCampaign.

    convertkit visual automation review

    ​here’s where you can build “if this, then that” email marketing campaign.

    ​Advantages using ConvertKit (vs ActiveCampaign)

    • check​ConvertKit is the best for online creators
    • checkInbuilt with landing page and lead in forms
    • check​ConvertKit ​easy-to-embed, customizable opt-in forms help you turn casual readers into repeat customers
    • checkConvertKit homepage dashboard allows you to keep track of your growth ​that displays subscriber data and opt-in conversions
    • checkConvertKit simple workflows with “if this, then that” style automation rules make it easy to create your own custom rules
    • checkInbuilt drag-and-drop sequence builder (visual automation) helps you create personalized automated emails to grow your list while scaling your business
    • checkEasily organize email subscribers from one list with tags and segments (minus the massive costs)
    • checkFriendly and knowledgeable support team

    ​Disadvantages using ConvertKit (vs ActiveCampaign)

    • ​Entry level pricing is a little steep
    • ​No free trial available

    ​ConvertKit is the best if …

    ​As said earlier, ConvertKit is not for everyone. However, if you are serious in tagging and segmenting your audience, ConvertKit is a better option compared to ActiveCampaign.

    Besides that, the single biggest advantage that ConvertKit has over ActiveCampaign is simply because the pricing structure. While ConvertKit is more expensive in the entry level, ActiveCampaign costs more when you have a large email list (or require additional features). ConvertKit doesn’t charge additional for features which extremely favorable when it comes to dollar and cents.

    ActiveCampaign

    ​ActiveCampaign is an unique email marketing solution. Highly affordable, free trial and good entry level pricing makes ActiveCampaign highly sought after tool.

    My first reason for choosing​ ActiveCampaign is because I used MailChimp for a long time. And I seriously miss their HTML template builder.

    With ActiveCampaign, I have pretty similar feature and I can start creating email templates based on my needs.

    active campaign email template builder

    ​The visual builder is intuitive and fun to use. As a matter of fact, I did not experience a single glitch when using ActiveCampaign!

    So, what did I switched from ActiveCampaign to ConvertKit? More on this below.

    ​Carry on reading the below to find both the advantages and disadvantages using ActiveCampaign.

    ​Advantages using ActiveCampaign (vs ConvertKit)

    • checkDrag and drop builder is slightly more intuitive compared to ConvertKit
    • check​ActiveCampaign can easily be converted into a CRM to understand your customer behavior
    • check​Integration between email marketing, site messaging and SMS under one roof
    • checkComes with Chrome extension
    • checkIntegrated form builder
    • checkActiveCampaign can track page visits and custom events you define, providing real-time behavioral analysis
    • checkActiveCampaign comes with 14 days free trial
    • checkA support team who is available 24/7/365 to help out

    ​Disadvantages using ActiveCampaign (vs ConvertKit)

    • ​Higher pricing structure for larger list
    • ​Entry level pricing provides limited features
    • ​Higher learning curve compared to ConvertKit

    ​ActiveCampaign is best if …

    ​You love creating​ email marketing funnels and you have a small list. This is what I mean.

    ActiveCampaign is best for new bloggers or marketers who aim to make the best out of email marketing. The full email marketing suite is great for business owners if you don’t mind about the price.

    ​Which Email Marketing Solution Is Better Than MailChimp?​​​​ConvertKit vs ActiveCampaign: Which is better?

    ConvertKit offers a more all-rounder feature and pricing structure, which for me is the best choice available. Plus, it is extremely easy to scale with ConvertKit and there is migration services available (for free) when you are moving from other email providers.

    ​ActiveCampaign works marvelously well in many parts but the downside for me is the pricing structure. To have a full suite of features, it costs way more than ConvertKit and is definitely eating up my profit margin. This is also the reason why I switched from ActiveCampaign to ConvertKit months ago.

  • MailChimp vs AWeber: The Complete Review Between Two Of The Best Email Marketing Solutions

    MailChimp vs AWeber: The Complete Review Between Two Of The Best Email Marketing Solutions

    Can’t decide between AWeber vs MailChimp?

    Both AWeber and MailChimp has long been in the email marketing industry. I don’t know how blogs and websites had did email marketing comparison between AWeber and MailChimp.

    So, why did I publish this article? The answer is simple.

    I want to share my personal point of view using AWeber and MailChimp.

    As a disclaimer, I use AWeber for business and MailChimp for personal use, along with ConvertKit (sorry, got to mention them all to be honest)!

    In order to make this review an excellent resource for you (and not wasting your time), this article is going to be packed with tons of information to help you decide which email marketing solution is best for you.

    Before that, allow me to share my first video for 2018. Enjoy!

    I hope you like the video and remember to subscribe to my daily YouTube videos!

    Disclaimer: This article is over 2,000 words. Use the table of content below if you are looking for specific information.

    Table of ContentWhy Should I Use Email Marketing In 2018?AWeber Review 2018Overview of AWeber featuresTop AWeber Feature – Automate your email marketing funnelAWeber Feature #2 – Craft your best HTML-rich email (without coding skills)AWeber Feature #3 – Easily collect and email addressesAWeber Feture #4 – Analyze, tracking and improvingAWeber Feature #5 – AWeber is on mobileHow much AWeber costs?Is AWeber worth it?MailChimp Review 2018Overview of MailChimp FeaturesTop MailChimp Feature – Email marketing automationMailChimp Feature #2 – Email templates MailChimp Feature #3 – Email delivery ratesHow much does MailChimp costs?Is MailChimp worth it?What Are The Differences Between AWeber and MailChimp?1. Pricing structure2. Email automation feature3. Customer support4. Feedbacks and customer testimonialsDecide now! AWeber vs MailChimp?Summary: AWeber vs MailChimp 2018

    Why Should I Use Email Marketing In 2018?

    Email marketing continues to be a vital communications channel with the DMAs latest Email tracker showing that email receives 30 times return on investment on average. 95% of respondents rated it as ‘important’ or ‘very important’ to their organization.

    While we are on this topic, here’s an important article you need to read: The Ultimate Comparison Between ConvertKit, Drip and MailChimp.

    AWeber Review 2018

    aweber review 2018

    AWeber been in the business for years and this is the first paid email marketing service that I had used.

    Why did I choose AWeber for my business?

    • Affordable
    • check-circleEasy to use
    • Availability of autoresponder
    • Excellent delivery rates
    • check-circleReady-made email templates

    I don’t need an email marketing service that is expensive and full with features. All I need is an email marketing service that is affordable and easy to use — that’s why AWeber is my top choice.

    If you are just starting out with email marketing or running a small-medium sized business, you certainly doesn’t need an expensive email marketing software to get the job done. I know, there are marketing consultants that are asking you to subscribe to email marketing services that cost thousands of dollars a month and trust me, those are not worth it. At least for now.

    Overview of AWeber features

    • Automatically create emails from your newest blog posts
    • Choose from over 700 mobile responsive email templates
    • Create and send professional email newsletters with ease
    • check-circleEasily create automated email sequences with our drag and drop editor
    • check-circleApply tags to trigger automated email campaigns based on clicks and opens
    • check-circleSend a sequence of automatically delivered emails
    • check-circleAutomatically create emails from your newest blog posts
    • check-circleConnect your email list with your favorite online tools to automate your list growth
    • check-circleGrow your email list with mobile responsive sign up forms
    • check-circleIntegrate third-party apps with AWeber’s API
    • check-circleDownload our suite of mobile apps
    • check-circleGet account support when you need it
    • check-circleEasily collect, track and manage your subscriber list
    • check-circleCreate subscriber segments to send targeted emails and campaigns
    • check-circleTrack email performance with analytics like open rates, click-throughs and more
    • check-circleGet industry-leading deliverability and ensure your emails make it to the inbox
    • check-circleAWeber is constantly adding new features for their customers

    Top AWeber Feature – Automate your email marketing funnel

    Email automation is critical for year 2018. And AWeber implemented this back in 2017.

    email automation using aweber

    Now, the system is fully ready and you can start making your email marketing work harder (and smarter) for you.

    The single, most important advantage AWeber has is the drag-and-drop email editor allows you to tag your subscribers based on their actions.

    AWeber Feature #2 – Craft your best HTML-rich email (without coding skills)

    When you use AWeber, the options for email amrketing is endless. You can choose from over 700 ready-made email templates which are HTML ready, craft your own email template using the drag-and-drop editor or even automate email marketing using RSS to email feature.

    Using AWeber, you can now keep your email subscribers up to date without touching a single line of code.

    mobile responsive email templates

    Everything (and I mean everything) is done through drag-and-drop. So, you can now focus on creating beautifully designed emails without having to worry about the creation part.

    The best part? AWeber email templates are all mobile responsive and therefore, it looks good no matter on mobile, desktop or tablet!

    AWeber Feature #3 – Easily collect and email addresses

    By default, AWeber comes with a wide range of tools which you can immediately implement to collect emails. Sign up forms can be embedded or added to your website by just copy pasting and if you are using Thrive Leads like me, integration with third party plugins is a breeze.

    Have an existing email list? No worries! AWeber allows you to import existing email lists directly to AWeber in just a few clicks. Your email subscribers do not need to opt-in again for the matter. Zero hassle!

    Note: AWeber connects perfectly well with third party lead generation plugins such as Thrive Leads and OptinMonster. You can also read the comparison between Thrive Leads and OptinMonster here.

    AWeber Feture #4 – Analyze, tracking and improving

    If you want to do email marketing, don’t do it blindly. You need to keep track of the stats to maximize your open and click through rates.

    Not sure how to go around this? AWeber allows you to get a holistic view of all your email campaigns under one roof.

    email analytics using aweber

    Bonus: Do you know that you can use link AWeber with payment gateway like PayPal and Stripe?

    AWeber Feature #5 – AWeber is on mobile

    I love AWeber’s email marketing app. With AWeber ‘on-the-go’, you can now curate and craft emails wherever you are (I love doing craft emails in the morwhen when I’m communiting to work).

    aweber mobile suites

    One of the questions I always get is “How good is AWeber mobile suites?”

    The answer is simple. AWeber mobile suites are life savers. It saves me a lot of time, and more importantly, it allows me to work on the go.

    I can check the stats of my email campaigns, current and new subscribers, and unsubcribers. It gives me good idea on what my current email marketing strategy.

    How much AWeber costs?

    AWeber offers a free 30-days trial without credit card. I recommend you to sign up for an account here and now.

    AWeber pricing starts at $19 per month which allows you up to 500 email subscribers and unlimited email delivery in a month.

    Take a look at the table below for more AWeber pricing options.

    aweber pricing 2018

    Bonus: Looking for AWeber discount? You can automatically enjoy discounts when you sign up either for quarterly or annually payments!

    Is AWeber worth it?

    The answer is “yes.” AWeber is more than just an email marketing solution!

    For starters. you can utilize AWeber to understand the behavior on your customers through email and segmenting them accordingly.

    AWeber makes it easy for you to create and send emails through their high performance servers.

    Last but not least, the entry level for AWeber is extremely low. Therefore, affordability is one of the main factors that makes AWeber an excellent email marketing solution for business.

    Get Started For Free!

    MailChimp Review 2018

    mailchimp email solution review

    MailChimp is famous. MailChimp is good. MailChimp is recommended by nearly every web developer I know in the planet.

    I use MailChimp as well. For me, MailChimp is okay, but it is not the best among paid email marketing solutions. For free email marketing services, MailChimp is one of the most popular in the market.

    Well, it makes all the sense though. It is free for life — up to 2,000 email subscribers and up to 12,000 emails delivery in a month. What else can you ask for, right?

    I use MailChimp for my personal blogs because MailChimp is:

    • Easy to use
    • Great option if you have less than 2,000 email subscribers
    • One of the most intuitive drag-and-drop editor (for email creation)
    • check-square-oLow learning curve

    When it comes to personal blogs, you don’t need a super powerful email marketing solution and MailChimp fits perfectly well into the picture.

    Overview of MailChimp Features

    • Flexible email designs for any industry
    • Built in analytics to grow your email list
    • Basic landing page builder
    • check-circle-oAutomated marketing automation
    • check-circle-oInbox preview
    • check-circle-oRSS-to-Email
    • check-circle-oDelivery by time zone (paid feature)
    • check-circle-oGood email delivery stats
    • check-circle-oStraightforward segmentation and groups
    • check-circle-oMerge tags

    Top MailChimp Feature – Email marketing automation

    MailChimp started rolling out email automation in 2017 for all free accounts. That was a good move to be honest.

    What I love about MailChimp is the simplicity of their email marketing automation.

    mailchimp email marketing automation

    For an email marketing service that doesn’t cost you a single cent, there is definitely no complains here.

    With MailChimp email automation, you can set and forget those email automation based on your settings:

    • checkEmail delivery based on dates
    • checkEmail delivery based on action (open, clicks, etc.)

    MailChimp Feature #2 – Email templates

    I have to give this to MailChimp. It has one of the best, most intuitive and interactive email templates among most of the email marketing services.

    You can start choosing the right templates through a set of layout options.

    mailchimp email templates

    I recommend you to work with layouts if you love to customize your emails.

    mailchimp preloaded templates

    What I love about MailChimp is that all its preloaded email templates are mobile responsive (as the image above).

    MailChimp Feature #3 – Email delivery rates

    MailChimp has one of the best email delivery rates in the market because it is extremely strict. This means that it doesn’t allow much affiliate links (or affiliate marketers) in its email delivery. Of course, this is also leads to massive MailChimp disadvantage.

    But assuming that you are sending legit emails to your subscribers, you are bound to get awesome reach rates because the delivery is just so darn good.

    Now, if you are an affiliate marketer like me, you got to rethink of your strategy right now. If you are just running a blog and sending daily/weekly/monthly newsletters without affiliate links, then that’s fine under the MailChimp rules.

    How much does MailChimp costs?

    It’s free — if you have under 2,000 email subscribers and sending less than 12,000 emails a month.

    Pretty cool, right?

    Here’s the pricing structure for MailChimp for paid plans. As you can see, it starts from $10 a month for 500 email subscribers.

    mailchimp pricing

    Is MailChimp worth it?

    The answer is “yes” — if you are not an affiliate marketer. For the free for life account, MailChimp will always be a great option for many bloggers since there is no commitment (ever) until you break the 2,000 email subscribers mark.

    In terms of features, MailChimp certainly offers very competitive features and can easily comparable to big brands such as AWeber.

    Create A Free Account On MailChimp Now!

    What Are The Differences Between AWeber and MailChimp?

    In this part, we will go through some obvious comparison between both email marketing solutions.

    1. Pricing structure

    Here, MailChimp has the upper hand and won the battle (even before stepping into the ‘battlefield’).

    AWeber offers free 30-days trial while MailChimp offers free-for-life account.

    The smallest AWeber plan starts at $19 while MailChimp starts at only $10.

    Therefore, MailChimp is definitely the clear winner in terms of value for money.

    2. Email automation feature

    The clear winner is AWeber because its email automation feature is more roburst compared to MailChimp’s.

    While MailChimp offers email automation, it is very limited and is not sufficient especially for larger email lists or businesses.

    AWeber’s email automation wins the match because it makes MailChimp’s email automation system look like a youngerster fresh from college.

    3. Customer support

    In terms of customer support, AWeber wins hands down because it has live chat and email support. In business, customer support is utmost important as every second counts.

    MailChimp doesn’t offer support for free account (they will refer to to their knowledge base) and for paid accounts, they offer email support. Again, I rather speak to a real person when having a problem than being greeted with an automated support email.

    4. Feedbacks and customer testimonials

    Last but not least, feedbacks and customer testimonials are important to prove the track record. I could be bias here but AWeber has way more feedbacks and customer testimonials compared to MailChimp.

    Personally, I rather work with an email marketing service that has a proven track record of constant delivery and therefore, AWeber is my personal winner here.

    Decide now! AWeber vs MailChimp?

    Click here for 30-days free trial on AWeberCreate A Free Account On MailChimp Now!

    Summary: AWeber vs MailChimp 2018

    There goes, folks! I hope you find this email comparison between AWeber and MailChimp useful and which is your favorite option?

    Leave a comment below and tell me more about your choice of email marketing service!