Infusionsoft for business could be the choice you need.
Choosing the right email service can be a hard choice and there are numerous factors that affect our decision. The biggest are:
1 – Cost
2 – Ease of Use
3 – Features – how you’ll be using it
The one email service that DOES IT ALL – is Infusionsoft (IS for short moving forward)– and is the ‘go to’ system for many successful entrepreneurs. Having said that, if you are in the beginning stages of email marketing and have a small list or still working on your product ladder – then it may not be the right fit for you at this time. And that’s okay.
I’m going to share the key features for Infusionsoft and what to think about when choosing if Infusionsoft is right for you.
You can use IS as a great CRM. It has contact information, email history, tags, order history, notes section and files. And if you include the Sales Automation feature – assign tasks to sales staff.
The Sales Automation feature allows automated email sequences based on what stage of the ‘sales pipeline’ the contact is in. You can trigger sales opportunities when they do a specific action. It creates tasks for the sales person. When you change the ‘stage’ – ex – Need to follow up – or they will be ready in the fall – or can’t get a hold of – said yes or no – etc – it triggers tasks and emails. It’s all automated.
E-commerce features allows you to process recurring to clients PLUS 1 time orders online seamlessly.
Automated Campaigns: It provides campaigns that have automated email sequences, voice broadcasts and text messages.
It allows you to create full sales funnels (ie If someone that signs up for an e-book clicks a link or buys a book through a tripwire email – you can then lead them into ANOTHER email campaign (or bucket) to push them to a certain direction – i.e., watch a webinar, sign up for a 1 day event and so on. Thus it has behavior based functionality and list segmentation.
It allows you to tag prospects and customers in a VERY detailed way. It’s this tagging system in Infusionsoft that is the foundation of all the campaigns and possibilities. It’s easy then to get ‘certain groups’ to move into a specific email sequence or send them specific offers.
It allows for elaborate and detailed reports based off of these tags. You can then know what campaigns, lead magnets, topics, products ARE working and which are not. You can learn what TYPE of person buys your products, the lead source.
It allows you to RATE your leads. Example – it would have 4 flames if the contact opted in to 2 things, attended a webinar and bought 2 books. If you knew it had 4 flames and was a hot lead – you could then use a sales team to contact them to see if they’d like to come to an event. You could send them a mail out package or a specific email offer. It can even trigger tasks to sales people within Infusionsoft should you have the Sales Automation portion.
Affiliate Programs: So if you want to start offering affiliate links to programs or products, IS can handle that. It also has a robust referral program as well.
Forms & Landing Pages: It’s forms are easy to use and integrate easily with websites and landing page systems (like Leadpages etc.), PLUS it has a landing page creation tools tool built into the campaigns. It’s not super fancy but is customizable and does the trick in a pinch.
So the question here – is do you have use for these features and are you READY for these features?
Your Product Ladder: Do you have numerous offerings – from a free download and webinars, to small products like books, medium priced courses or info products, a coaching program or subscription model, large events and recurring program prices? If this is the case – Infusionsoft would be a good choice.
Size of your list: If your list is 1000 or more – you have more possibilities and could warrant the cost that comes with Infusionsoft.
Cost: Are you okay and prepared to pay the monthly fees – that are roughly (and I’m not quoting here) – $250-550 a month depending on features and list size. Also know that support for Infusionsoft (ie a Virtual Assistant that focuses on Infusionsoft is pricier than having a VA work on another email service – it’s a level of expertise that warrants the investment).
Level of Support: Some services have better support than others. Find out FIRST what they offer. Phone support or live chat is ideal. Submitting tickets and communicating only via email can be a lengthy process and exercise in frustration (been there!)
Word of advice – there ARE some other programs that say they offer great forms and automation features – BUT – here are the issues I’ve found with some.
Mail Chimp & Constant Contact – the forms are awkward and finicky to embed or use on websites plus they are not super easy and intuitive to set up.
Get Response – easy to create campaigns and forms but it only allows simple auto responders for a given list.
Most email services are based on lists and list names. So if someone enters a campaign or list and you have an indoctrination campaign (auto responders that tell people about you) – you may not be able to prevent them from getting that email more than once. The rules/emails are not based on tags, but rather what list they are in. As your list grows this may become problematic.
The second runner up to me is Active Campaign – it has a few quirks – but is decent for the money. But do know there is no phone support – just email/ tickets – which can be frustrating.
Infusionsoft, I have to say, has STELLAR support. They have patience and can step you through ANYTHING. They even go into your application and check out what you’ve done, fix things or give advice. And they are always available, plus the tutorials they have are super clear and helpful too.
To me – once you get used to the tagging and how a campaign is ‘built’ – you are golden. But of course – as a busy entrepreneur – I don’t always recommend implementing yourself while trying to grow a successful business. Outsourcing the logistics and implementation and set up can save you so much time and money – PLUS – leaving it to the experts will get it done right.
So I hope that has given you some food for thought on if Infusionsoft is right for you and where you are at in your business. Know I’m available if you have any questions on Infusionsoft – choosing your email service – and of course know that we are experts in marketing with Infusionsoft!
