What is ActiveCampaign?
ActiveCampaign is an email marketing platform with numerous automation, sales software, SMS marketing, and CRM features that allows creating personalized campaigns for each audience.
Founded in 2003, it switched to a software as a service business in 2013 and now has nearly 100,000 users.
- Powerful automation, email marketing, and customer relationship management.
- Cloud-based marketing and sales automation solution.
- Ability to create email marketing campaigns, web analytics, lead scores, and customer relationship management.
- Detailed behavior tracking and marketing segmentation options to personalize campaigns.
- A free trial
ActiveCampaign is a comprehensive and affordable marketing platform for small and medium businesses.
This tool allows powerful automation and personalization of customer communication, thanks to features for customer relationship management, lead scores, and behavior tracking.
Read on to better understand who ActiveCampaign is for and what set of features does ActiveCampaign offer.
(2024 update)
Who is ActiveCampaign for?
ActiveCampaign is an email marketing solution for businesses looking to automate their marketing and focus on other aspects of their business.
However, it is important to note that this solution is not for everyone.
- Offers numerous email automation features for trigger campaigns and sales monitoring, customer segmentation and lead evaluation.
- Offers a landing page creator that allows you to create landing pages in a few minutes to capture leads.
- Offers the ability to set up social media ads, especially Facebook ads, through the ActiveCampaign interface to centralize marketing efforts.
- Not recommended for beginners and business owners looking for a solution that is easy to use and does not require technical skills.
- Propose a big free plan to allow users to test the tool before buying it.
If you're looking to automate your email marketing and are ready to learn how to use a more advanced solution, this tool can be a great marketing automation option for you.
However, if you are just starting out or looking for a simpler solution, it may be best to choose an alternative.
In any case, feel free to try ActiveCampaign's free plan to see if it's right for you and how to get started.
Features
Now let's break down the various most popular ActiveCampaign features and how you can use them to organize and track your contacts and automate your business.
1. Email marketing
ActiveCampaign allows you to send any type of email you need for your business.
It gives you ultimate control over the types of emails you send.
The best part is that you don't need to be a tech pro to create beautiful and engaging email campaigns in minutes.
ActiveCampaign's drag-and-drop email creator makes it easy for anyone to build an email from scratch or use one of their templates.
Additionally, you can create functional subscription forms, dynamic content, email segmentation, and perform useful split tests on your campaigns with your email address.
Subscription forms
Create simple signup forms to capture contact information from your audience and tag people based on their interests.
From the form, you can create welcome sequences, follow-up emails, or let people on your team know about new subscribers.
In ActiveCampaign, you'll create campaigns that are triggered when a contact submits a form.
You can choose from four different forms, depending on the type you need, including inline styles, floating boxes, modal pop-ups, and a floating bar.
ActiveCampaign's signup form builder allows you to integrate forms directly onto your website in seconds.
Dynamic content
Content allows you to customize the text and media in each email based on who you're sending it to.
This allows you to reach out to different segments of your contact list at the same time, knowing that they are receiving content that is relevant to them.
Messaging
Nowadays, people are increasingly using their mobile phones to access their emails, favorite websites, and much more.
That's why ActiveCampaign allows you to contact your contacts on their mobile phones and social networks:
- SMS: ActiveCampaign allows you to send SMS messages to your contacts manually or automatically through optimized workflows. You can also allow your contacts to subscribe or unsubscribe from your list via text message, and import this information directly into ActiveCampaign.
- Site messages: Site messages allow you to contact your audience at the exact moment when they are engaged on your site. You can personalize site messages for the same audiences and create custom designs and messages that relate to the specific contact you're talking to.
- Facebook custom audiences: If your business uses Facebook ads, ActiveCampaign allows you to use the information in your Facebook custom audiences to further follow your audience throughout their customer journey. You can use data collected by ActiveCampaign such as clicks and engagements to retarget your audience with personalized Facebook ads that speak directly to them and continue to add more value before starting the sales process.
- Conversations: ActiveCampaign allows you to have live conversations with your audience by combining automation with real-time chat on your site. You can use ActiveCampaign's Conversations feature to send chat follow-ups, tag users, and create new personalized offers for users on your site. You can also connect the information you collect through chat to your contact record in ActiveCampaign to keep all of your data in one place.
ActiveCampaign makes it easy to engage with your audience on mobile and social media. Use these features to stay connected to your audience, and maximize business growth.
Email segmentation
Sending generic emails isn't enough when you're trying to engage multiple audience segments.
Once you've created your content, you can segment your emails so that the message is personalized and sent to the right people.
With email segmentation, you know that each contact gets the emails they want to see, resulting in higher engagement and opening rates.
ActiveCampaign can automatically segment your audience based on actions they take, such as visiting your website or clicking on links in your emails.
A/B testing
One A/B testing can help you increase open rates and improve the message of your emails.
You can test subject lines, email text, calls to action, and even images and media in the email to see what your audience likes the most.
If you're using complex automations, you can test the entire workflow to make sure your funnel is converting as well as possible.
2. Marketing automation
ActiveCampaign is an email marketing automation tool with advanced features.
- Site monitoring : understand what your contacts are looking for on your site.
- Event tracking : track user actions to create personalized campaigns.
- Objectives of automations : see how people move through the funnel and where they give up.
- Automation card : Easily visualize the email marketing automation funnel.
- Attribution of customers : follow the customer journey from start to finish.
- Automation models : automate processes with predefined sets of actions.
- SMS automation : stay in touch with contacts without manually sending each message.
- Deep integration with Facebook Ads : create audiences based on the actions of contacts.
- Predictive delivery and content : automatically send emails at the best time for each contact and show the most relevant media.
ActiveCampaign is a comprehensive tool for maximizing marketing automation through automation and artificial intelligence.
3. Sales and CRM
ActiveCampaign offers a sales CRM tool to help businesses prioritize and focus on the prospects who are most likely to buy.
- ActiveCampaign's sales CRM allows users to effectively manage all of their contacts and store all the information needed to create effective sales campaigns.
- Evaluating contacts and leads is a key feature of ActiveCampaign's sales CRM, which allows users to determine the hottest leads to sell based on engagement and activity.
- ActiveCampaign lead scoring is calculated based on the frequency of interactions between the contact and the company.
- The ActiveCampaign Gmail extension allows users to manage their sales communication directly from their Gmail inbox, to know how many times the contact saw, opened, or interacted with their emails, and to automatically view this information in the contact sheet in ActiveCampaign.
4. Landing pages
ActiveCampaign offers over 50 different landing pages to help businesses get people to sign up for their site:
- Users can choose from over 50 different landing pages to find the one that best fits their business.
- Some users may have difficulty controlling exactly where each block on their landing page is located, but they may move the blocks to different contours when creating their landing page.
- Users can include content on their landing pages to provide a more personalized experience for visitors based on their interactions with the site.
- The content may be different depending on the location and browsing history of the user.
In conclusion, ActiveCampaign offers a variety of landing pages to help businesses encourage visitors to register on their site. While users may have difficulty controlling exactly where each block is located on their landing page, they can move blocks to different contours to customize their design.
5. Integrations
This platform integrates with a lot of different providers and applications, which can be extremely useful for small businesses.
By connecting to other software, business owners can use the features provided to create better automated workflows.
Some of the most common integrations include:
That said, this list is by no means comprehensive, and there are plenty of other software that ActiveCampaign integrates with.
You can also use Zapier To connect ActiveCampaign with hundreds of other marketing platforms, which means the possibilities are virtually endless.
Customer Support
ActiveCampaign offers customer service via email, live chat on their website, and one-on-one training.
They also have a solid help center, and an online community forum that users can use to help resolve common issues without going directly to customer support.
If you need more practical support, they offer free migration services and have a directory of certified consultants.
You can work with these customer service consultants to create a custom strategy to use ActiveCampaign to your best advantage.
Pricing
ActiveCampaign offers tiered pricing based on the number of contacts in your customer database, with a 14-day free trial for new users.
- The amount you pay depends on the number of contacts in your email marketing database.
- Unlimited sending offered in paid plans up to 250,000 contacts
- The minimum number of users billed is 500, with rates gradually increasing according to the number of contacts.
- ActiveCampaign offers four plans: Lite, Plus, Professional, and Enterprise.
- Lite plan starts at $9/month for 500 contacts and includes features such as unlimited emails, newsletters, and marketing automation.
- Plus plan starts at $49/month for 500 contacts and includes all the features of the Lite plan as well as features like CRM and sales automation, SMS marketing, 1:1 training, and conditional contacts.
- Professional plan starts at $129/month for 500 contacts and includes all the features of the Plus plan as well as features like split automation and predictive ML sending.
- Enterprise plan starts at $229/month and includes all the features of the Professional plan as well as features like custom reports, a dedicated account representative, in-depth onboarding, and phone support.
ActiveCampaign offers tiered pricing based on the number of contacts in your customer database. The plans vary according to the number of features offered, with plans ranging from Lite to Enterprise. Users can choose between monthly and annual billing, and can take advantage of a free 14-day trial to test the platform.
Alternatives to ActiveCampaign
Each ActiveCampaign alternative has its own strengths and can serve different needs and preferences. Whether you're looking for a more user-friendly solution, built-in webinar features, or a simple platform to get started quickly, there's an option for every business.
1. GetResponse
GetResponse offers a platform for automating email marketing, webinars, creating landing pages and a CRM. It's an all-in-one solution for businesses looking to increase customer engagement and convert leads.
Features
- Automation tools to guide prospects through the sales funnel.
- Creation of webinars and integrated landing pages to capture and engage leads.
- Analytics and segmentation to optimize campaigns.
Pricing
- The plans start at $15/month with a pricing scale based on the number of subscribers.
GetResponse is suitable for businesses looking for a robust marketing automation platform with additional features like webinars. Its all-in-one approach can offer more flexibility than ActiveCampaign, especially for campaigns that include webinars and landing pages.
FIND OUT MORE >> Give GetResponse a try
2. Mailchimp
Mailchimp is an email marketing platform that stands out for its ease of use, making it ideal for small businesses and individual entrepreneurs. It offers a comprehensive range of tools for email marketing, automation, as well as features for social media and advertising.
Features
- Intuitive drag-and-drop campaign editor.
- Automation for welcome, birthday, and other emails based on user behavior.
- Wide range of integrations with e-commerce platforms and other tools.
Pricing
- Free plan for up to 2,000 contacts and 10,000 shipments per month.
- Paid plans starting at $9.99/month for advanced features and higher shipping limits.
Mailchimp is a great option for those who are new to email marketing or for small businesses looking for a simple and affordable solution. While very user-friendly, Mailchimp may not offer the same depth of marketing automation as ActiveCampaign for more advanced users.
FIND OUT MORE >> Give Mailchimp a try
3. Constant Contact
Constant Contact is another email marketing automation solution that focuses on ease of use and efficiency, offering tools for creating emails, managing contacts, and tracking performance.
Features
- Friendly user interface for quick email creation.
- Wide range of models and customization options.
- Reporting and analysis tools to measure the effectiveness of campaigns.
Pricing
- Plans start at $20/month, based on the number of contacts in the database.
Constant Contact is a great alternative for businesses and NGOs that value ease of use and solid customer support for their email marketing. While it offers fewer advanced automation features compared to ActiveCampaign, its simplicity makes it an attractive choice for those who are just starting out or have simpler marketing needs.
LEARN MORE >> Give Constant Contact a try
FAQs
What is ActiveCampaign Automation Builder?
Create powerful and intuitive automated workflows without coding using Automation Builder's drag-and-drop interface.
Define multiple conditions, use advanced actions, and analyze your performance with detailed reports.
How do I create a specific contact segment on ActiveCampaign?
ActiveCampaign gives you several options for creating specific contact segments:
- Contact data: Segment by name, email address, registration date, etc.
- Behavior: Target contacts who opened your emails, clicked on links, made purchases, etc.
- Forms and tags: Segment contacts based on forms they filled out or tags assigned to them.
Combine multiple criteria to create highly precise segments and refine your marketing campaigns.
Are there resources for learning how to use ActiveCampaign?
Yes, ActiveCampaign offers a wealth of free resources to help you get the most out of the platform:
- Knowledge Base: Access in-depth articles and tutorials on all aspects of ActiveCampaign.
- Webinars and training: Join free online sessions to learn from the experts.
- Blog: Learn tips and tricks to optimize your marketing campaigns.
- ActiveCampaign Community: Join a user group to share ideas and get help.
Feel free to explore these resources to maximize your results with ActiveCampaign!
Final opinion
If you're ready to go through a short learning curve to understand how to best manage marketing emails, automation, and CRM, all under one roof, ActiveCampaign is not a gas factory but can provide your business with a valuable tool.
The ability to see the results of your campaigns in real time is extremely valuable and can help you make quick adjustments on the fly.
All in all, if you're looking for a comprehensive solution for your marketing automation needs, with great customer support, then ActiveCampaign is worth considering
More reading: As an online business owner, the ability to email your subscribers is critical to your success.
Not only should you be able to send emails, but also be able to track the results of your campaigns and make changes on the fly.
Here are some other email marketing services you might want to consider:
These can help you decide which email marketing program is the most appropriate for you and your business.
