Infusionsoft Review 2012
We wrote the following Infusionsoft Review based on actually using their email marketing software. Infusionsoft is not just for email marketing. It is an all-in-one tool including CRM, Email Marketing and E-Commerce. If you are looking for only an email marketing solution, then you may want to consider other options because the basic package of Infusionsoft starts at $199 – a little expensive if you are not planning to use the other components. However if you want an E-commerce plus Email Marketing solution, then read on.
Infusionsoft just announced a new release for April 2012. Read all about it here or Watch Infusionsoft in Action Now.
Please leave your comments at the bottom of the page in case you don’t agree with this Infusionsoft Review or have other views.
Infusionsoft Rating
Features: 4 out of 5
Infusionsoft comes with standard features including Drag and Drop Email Builder, autoresponder, spam scoring, detailed reporting, social media sharing etc. In addition to sending emails, Infusionsoft also offers the off-line options to solicit your prospects and customers via fax, letter and voicemail broadcast, for additional price on a pay-as-you-go basis. This makes it an all-in-one marketing tool for a small business. The off-line options become available to you after you sign up with any one of their packages. You can view the complete list of features here.
Tracking Reports for a Campaign
Developers like Infusionsoft’s API. The reporting tools are easy to analyze. At this time, when we are writing this Infusionsoft Review, Google Analytics integration is not available. You can’t create or insert videos in your messages, however they do offer a way to insert a link to a YouTube video with an embedded image that their email builder imports from your YouTube video. There is no information available about whether you can create email archives or not.
Insfusionsoft calls it “intelligent email marketing” which is highly focused on conversions. This is based on sales funnel system and most online businesses take advantage of it. Here is an example: You can insert a link in your email like “Yes, I want to know more about your X product.” As soon as they click on it, a pre-determined action takes place i.e. they start to receive a series of autoresponders already created by you. When the same customer signs up for your service or buys your product, you change the tag in the database for that customer and the customer starts to receive a new series of autoresponders (designed by you for new customers) and after receiving the emails in that autoresponder series, the customer’s tag is automatically changed and they are signed up now to receive another autoresponder series designed for existing customers. This is called nurturing your customers – a very important factor to attain success in inbound marketing.
The following figure may make it easier to understand this concept (which we have annotated).
Infusionsoft is highly focused on marketing and you will continuously receive several tips from them on an ongoing basis.
Price (Infusionsoft Review): 3 out of 5
Infusionsoft’s prices are not the best if you are only considering email marketing. The minimum plan for $199 a month includes 5000 contacts only. Compare that with Benchmark Email, where you only end up paying $46.95. However, as previously mentioned Infusionsoft does not offer an email marketing solution alone. You also get off-line marketing opportunities (letter, fax, voice), a CRM and E-commerce (shopping cart, affiliate management).
Their plans go up to $1000 a month. Compared with other e-commerce solutions like 1shoppingcart, Infusionsoft costs more. However compared to all the features that come with Infusionsoft and their aggressive sales-oriented system, they are far ahead from their competitors. Infusionsoft is highly focused on making you become successful with your email marketing based on how they have designed their intelligent email marketing and automation system.
Infusionsoft makes it mandatory for you to purchase their $2000 Quick-Start Services within sixty days of purchasing Infusionsoft. This package is designed to make sure that you are able to take full advantage of what Infusionsoft offers by having a few personal coaching sessions.
Here is what’s included in the Quick Start package:
- Coaching from a Dedicated Marketing Mentor i.e. your own personal mentor at Infusionsoft
- Assessment of Your Current Marketing Processes
- Development of Your Marketing Automation Plan
- Assistance Setting Up Two Campaigns in Infusionsoft
- “Flex-Blocks” for More In-Depth Services
You have 60 days to decide whether you want to purchase their Quick Start package or quit using Infusionsoft from the day you sign up with them. That’s plenty of time for you to think about it. Other than their Quick Start Service, you can also hire them to do more for you for additional charges including data transition i.e. importing your data, coming up with a marketing strategy, setting up shopping carts, affiliate management and anything else that you may need help with.
Is it Possible to Get a Discount on Infusionsoft Pricing or Quick Start Package?
This question comes up often. From time to time Infusionsoft offers limited time discounts on their Quick Start Package up to 25%. The best way to get a discount is to show them how serious you are about signing up with them and then try to negotiate. To begin with, get their free demo, after which they will give you a follow up call. At that time advise them how serious you are about signing up with them and ask if you can get a discount on the Quick Start Package.
Deliverability: 4 out of 5
The deliverability rate of Infusionsoft’s IP addresses is high. They claim that it is 99% percent which is not accurate but it’s close enough based on our research. Their deliverability rate is one of the highest in the industry. This means almost all of your subscribers will be able to receive your emails directly into the inbox, which increases the chances of your emails being read resulting in higher conversion rates.
Analyzing Scores for Some of Infusionsoft's IP Addresses
The scores in the right column shown in the above figure are not deliverability scores – which are normally higher than “Sender Scores”.
Newsletter Creation: 4 out of 5
Infusionsoft offers Drag and Drop email builder tool and also the regular template based HTML/Plain Text and custom template tools. Since they didn’t offer Drag and Drop email builder a while back, it is not fully compatible with their regular template based email creation tool. That means you shouldn’t try to transfer it to a different format once you have started creating a single message. The tools are easy to use even for a beginner with no prior experience designing email newsletters and are quite flexible. You can also check the spam score of your message using their SpamAssassin based built in feature. You can insert an image from your YouTube video with a link that will take the user to YouTube website and play your video. Social media sharing tools are also available. You can upload your company logo or any other image that you prefer in your messages.
Infusionsoft's Drag and Drop Email Builder
Ease of Use: 3 out of 5
Creating and sending an email is easy in Infusionsoft’s system, however for other tasks, like using CRM, creating autoresponders etc., it can get a little complicated. And if you really want to use it to its full potential, the chances are that somebody in your business will have to spend quite some time at least in the beginning during the set up process as it can be quite time consuming. Remember that it will take a learning curve for you to get used to it even if you are an advanced user and are comfortable with technology. Be prepared to spend time on an ongoing basis tweaking your campaigns, updating CRM, shopping carts and managing your affiliate programs using Infusionsoft.
Support: 3 out of 5
Infusionsoft does offer a lot of training videos and tutorials, however it is not always easy to find information in their system. Getting through to a technical support rep can sometimes take time. They are available on the phone or live chat. We are assuming that most of their calls are long. Hopefully it will have improved by the time we are done writing this Infusionsoft Review. You do get a dedicated and friendly account rep so that you can deal with one real person regarding your other problems like billing etc.
Overall Score: 3.5 out of 5
Conclusion:
CONS:
- Takes some time to learn how to use their system.
- Pricey. You must purchase a $2000 Quick Start package within 60 days from signing up with them.
PROS:
- Highly effective email marketing automation system.
- Feature rich.
- High deliverability rates.
- Consistent support from their marketing department.
- Comprehensive CRM.
Infusionsoft is meant for serious small business owners who own an online business. Their software is powerful and sophisticated and in some cases complicated. They are constantly evolving. A couple of years ago, they got a few negative reviews, however in the recent times, people are mostly speaking high of them. You may not particularly like their aggressive sales approach initially, however we think that if you start to use similar strategies in your own online business, you will end up getting more customers and revenues. Whatever you personal opinion is about their marketing tactics, they do work based on our own personal experience.
They do need to work on providing better support and offer some free training modules for new customers. However, your account rep at Infusionsoft will help you with some basics and there are some free webinars available too. If you are looking for a long term E-commerce, CRM and Email Marketing solution and don’t mind spending at least $200 a month, then this is the right solution for you. However, if you are a beginner and are just interested in email marketing, you should look for another provider.
They don’t seem to be offering a free trial, but you can watch a free demo and determine if Infusionsoft will meet your requirements.
Do you like this Infusionsoft Review? If you don’t agree with it, please provide your comments below.
Go Back to Home Page (Comparison Chart)
Please note that if you click on a link and buy a product, we may get paid incentives.