ActiveCampaign is a versatile email marketing service that aids businesses of various sizes in achieving enhanced results through its wide array of marketing features and impressive automation capabilities. Nonetheless, given the inherent complexity of the software, it may not suit every business's needs.
The aim of this ActiveCampaign review is to provide valuable insights to assist you in making an informed decision regarding whether it aligns with your requirements or if exploring ActiveCampaign alternative options would be more beneficial.
What is ActiveCampaign?
ActiveCampaign is a multi-channel marketing platform renowned for its specialization in email marketing and automation.
Offering robust features such as powerful automation, a drag-and-drop landing page and email template builder, and SMS campaigns, ActiveCampaign caters to a diverse range of marketing needs.
While accessible to email marketing beginners, ActiveCampaign is notably tailored toward advanced marketers, as its features are predominantly more advanced compared to other Email Service Providers (ESPs).
5 ActiveCampaign Key features
Here's a detailed breakdown of the core features of ActiveCampaign:
1. Drag-and-Drop Email Designer
ActiveCampaign's email builder provides three creation options: designing emails, creating plain-text emails, or uploading custom HTML code.
With access to 250+ premade email templates, 7 layout blocks, and 21 basic templates, users can design emails effortlessly.
The template editor is user-friendly, featuring conditional blocks to show or hide specific content based on contact list conditions.
Additionally, users can preview and test emails on both mobile and desktop devices, with inbox previews available for five email clients (exclusive to Plus and Professional plan users).
2. Marketing Automation Builder
ActiveCampaign boasts one of the most advanced and powerful email automation tools, offering over 750 premade automation recipes across various industries and languages.
Users benefit from 20+ trigger options spanning user behavior, email activity, ecommerce, sales & CRM, and website properties.
Notably, the predictive sending feature optimizes email delivery times based on recipient behavior. The automation builder allows users to automate emails, SMS campaigns, website messages, and more, enabling the creation of highly customized and relevant workflows.
3. Landing Page Builder
ActiveCampaign's landing page builder provides 62 customizable templates for all users. The interface is intuitive, allowing users to add multiple blocks such as navigation, embeds, videos, and inline forms.
While lacking the option to move elements or duplicate sections, the builder offers conditional logic customization, enabling targeted content display based on user attributes like geography or purchase history.
4. Sign-up Form Builder
The sign-up form creator offers simplicity and versatility. Users can generate four types of forms: Inline forms, floating bars, boxes, and models, and incorporate two types of fields: contact fields and account-based fields. Furthermore, customization is possible with the addition of custom fields to suit individual preferences.
Moreover, users can leverage sign-up form triggers to initiate automation. However, it's worth noting that ActiveCampaign branding removal is exclusive to Plus and Professional plan users, while users on free trial or lite plans are unable to access this feature.
5. Sales CRM
The Sales CRM functionality offers ease of use, aided by drag-and-drop functionality that facilitates seamless movement of deals across stages. Users can establish a personalized sales pipeline by configuring multiple deals and incorporating various stages to reflect the lead's current status.
The dashboard provides clarity, with left navigation enabling a comprehensive view of the sales pipeline. Users can access an overview of deals, monitor sales performance, manage upcoming tasks, and more.
Furthermore, users have the capability to assign scores to each lead, facilitating prioritization and enhancing the likelihood of closing deals.
Notably, this feature is not accessible to Lite plan users. Pricing for access to this feature starts at $23 for Plus and higher plans, which appears reasonable considering the extensive options available.
ActiveCampaign Pros and Cons
Here are some pros and cons of ActiveCampaign based on customer reviews.
ActiveCampaign Pros
1. Intuitive and visually accessible automation.
2. Versatile goal-tracking capabilities.
3. Extensive range of integrations available.
4. Utilization of Message Variables for personalized communication.
5. Outstanding deliverability rates.
6. Advanced tiers of service offering enhanced features.
7. Competitive pricing options.
ActiveCampaign Cons
1. Clumsy email editing interface.
2. Challenges in editing multiple emails within an automation.
3. Requirement to construct all elements from scratch.
4. Occasional instances of sluggish performance.
5. Overwhelming array of features for some users.
Conclusion: ActiveCampaign Review
In summary, ActiveCampaign is a formidable competitor across various marketing domains.
Its email workflow builder is among the most advanced, offering over 250 premade templates, numerous triggers, and conditions to precisely target desired users. Additionally, the predictive sending feature enhances engagement rates for each email dispatched.
ActiveCampaign boasts reliable customer support, with prompt responses a comprehensive knowledge base, training resources, and a vibrant community to address queries efficiently.
However, its pricing structure can be prohibitive, with significant increases at higher tiers. Additionally, its advanced functionalities may present a learning curve for novice marketers.
