Achieving Marketing Nirvana, One Email at a Time

[Updated June 14, 2017]

A topic near and dear to my heart has been on the top of many lists recently – email marketing automation. It used to be, there were just a handful of “real” choices when it came to email marketing services – MailChimp, Constant Contact, Aweber and maybe Mad Mimi. But boy-oh-boy, times have changed.

The New Age of Email Marketing – Marketing Automation

Infusionsoft came along and flaunted the power of marketing automation and everyone wanted to have it. That is, until they saw the price tag. And the interface (yikes!).

But Pandora’s box was open. It was obvious that marketing automation is the secret sauce to helping turn leads into sales more quickly by achieving marketing nirvana – getting the right information in front of the right contact at the right time. And so the race was on for existing service providers to get better at automation and the door was open for automation services to get in on the marketing game.

Okay, Tell Me Which Marketing Automation Service To Use

Which brings us to the question that is getting asked the most lately – Which marketing automation service is the best? The answer, as always, is….. [in case it was unclear, this is a cliffhanger]

it depends.

I know. An answer as unsatisfying as the series finale of the Sopranos (or Good Wife, or whatever other series you adored up until they ruined it at the end).

Unpopular, But True

But, my dearest, it is the truth. For some, Infusionsoft is the best marketing automation service because it does all.the.things and that business is large enough and established enough to; take advantage of it, have dedicated resources for it and get a return on their investment. We all want a clear cut, simple answer to all of life’s questions. And there are certainly people out there that will give you one. But the likelihood of it being the right answer for you is low… very low… almost the same chance that you’ll get a clear answer on the fate of Tony Soprano.

For you, the best marketing automation service might be MailChimp or ConvertKit or Drip or Mautic. Or it might be ActiveCampaign (affiliate link), which is what I use.

I chose ActiveCampaign for primarily 2 reasons: the entry price point and it’s integrations. And then I stuck with it because of many more reasons, including:

1. Ease of use – the interface is not intimidating and is easily understood
2. It is actively being improved in meaningful ways. As someone who used to work for a software company, I appreciate the balance that comes with maintaining and improving a software service. So far, I’m very impressed with the function of the system as well as the new features.
3. It is powerful, (a former Infusion-soft certified partner I know is of the opinion it can do everything Infusionsoft can) but you can ease into it. Unlike a Rubic’s cube, you don’t have to solve the whole thing to find it enjoyable and useful.

But… How To Choose?

How to choose the right one for you? Magic 8 Ball? Nope. Start with defining what you need.

Sure, sure – you could start with just going out and signing up for a trial of all of the services I mentioned and a half-dozen more you find on Google. But, I assure you that is a poor use of your time. And mental space. Instead, try making a list of the functionality/features important to you, and then prioritizing that list.

Then you can use that list to ask people you know, like & trust about what they use and compare your list of contenders against what really matters to you and your business.

Or… you can use the Email Service Picker developed by Bryan Harris and the fine folks over at Video Fruit. You answer some questions and it suggests the email marketing / automation service that will best suit your needs.

So, I’d love to know what you are using for marketing automation (even if the answer is nothing). Let me know in the comments below.