Looking for the best email marketing service for your business? Maryland based ConvertKit should be on your shortlist as it provides an easy-to-use email marketing platform with a visual designer for building automated strategies.
While it certainly does a little bit of everything right, be aware that it can be pricey and the email designer isn’t among the most flexible. In this review of ConvertKit email marketing services, we’ll take a look to help you decide if it’s the optimal tool for you.
Subscriptions and Prices
ConvertKit starts with a free level for managing a paltry up to 300 email subscribers – on the low side compared to many competitors (even stingier when we tell you it was 500 subscribers). This free plan offers unlimited landing pages and signup forms with unlimited traffic. However, strategy automation is lacking along with the visual designer and integration with most website builders and ecommerce platforms.
For extra features you have a paid Creator plan that adds free migration along with automated funnels and sequences. The prices then increase based on the number of subscribers you have. Options start at $29 per month for 1,000 subscribers and go up to $49 per month for 3,000 subscribers and $79 per month for 5,000 subscribers, and so on.
Creator Pro is the best subscription, priced at $29/month for up to 300 subscribers, with other options available such as up to 55,000 subscribers for up to $519/month with monthly payment with also the option of a discount with annual payment. It brings out all the features of the lower plans and also adds advanced reporting, subscriber scoring, a newsletter referral system, and custom Facebook audiences.
Functions
While few of ConvertKit’s features are truly unique, this platform does an admirable job with overall versatility and ease of use.
As a starting point, every ConvertKit user gets access to customizable login forms and landing pages. This platform features over 30 templates that can be customized to fit your brand. We also appreciate that there is no limit to the number of custom fields that can be added.
An even more exciting aspect of ConvertKit, available only to paid users, is campaign automation. By accessing a visual designer, you can make logical progressions for campaigns. For example, after someone signs up for your newsletter, you can specify what to do based on where they signed up or what fields they filled out. These logical trees can be as simple or complex as you want, allowing you to get your message across to different audiences.
Note that an email designer is also included to stay on track with messages. Emails are created in plain text and are mobile-responsive by default. Any field from your subscriber database can be customized to tailor emails to individuals. Also supported are A/B testing that allows you to save an unlimited number of your email designs for future use.
Line-up
ConvertKit makes getting started a breeze, especially for those who already have a list of email subscribers. Subscribers can be imported from a CSV, with the platform automatically creating custom fields to match your headers. When migrating from another email marketing platform, ConvertKit provides tutorials on how to import data from multiple other platforms.
There is truly no limit to how many custom fields can be added to your database. In addition, users enjoy the advantage of tags and segments, with even sub-tags and sub-segments, to completely organize your subscribers.
Performance
Overall, ConvertKit is seriously easy to use, which is what most business users look for in email marketing software.
For example, when creating a new form, users are given a few simple templates to choose from. Then the designer allows you to click on each individual element to see the customization options. In minutes you can design a branded form and then quickly and easily place it on your website using your choice of Javascript, HTML or ConvertKit’s WordPress plugin.
A shortcoming that the design possibilities could be more varied. There is a limited choice of three sizes for sign-up forms, with the customization options limited to just the basics, such as font and color scheme.
With that out of the way, we also found the automation process simple. The visual designer includes a number of triggers and response actions, which can then be customized and connected using a large palette of logical operators.
Another useful feature of the automation in ConvertKit is that it can be used to keep your subscriber database organized. One possible response is in particular Add Tag, so you can use automated workflows to tag users for future marketing campaigns.
Security
ConvertKit is fully GDPR compliant, meaning you can safely use this email marketing software for your subscribers in Europe. In addition, this platform allows you to add security to your account by enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) according to the industry standard.
ConvertKit takes it one step further to protect your email marketing list through CAPTCHA and double opt-in. CAPTCHA automatically screens users for abnormal behavior with the aim of eliminating bots. Double opt-in operationally means that users will receive an email confirming that they have intentionally opted in to your marketing list.
support
One shortcoming is that ConvertKit only offers support via email (ie: no phone or live chat), but the company’s extensive documentation center has articles up front to answer most questions. There are tutorials with videos for hundreds of common tasks. Additionally, ConvertKit offers weekly live workshops to help you get the most out of the service, such as the recent “Podcast Promotions: The Best Marketing Tactics in 2022 to Grow Your Listener Audience.”
For those who sign up for a plan with 5,000 subscribers or more, the company will assign you an agent to help with migration from another platform.
The competition
For those looking for a cheaper alternative to ConvertKit, be sure to check out one of the biggest names in the email marketing space: MailChimp. MailChimp’s free tier can handle up to 1,500 subscribers. For $299 per month, you can have up to 50,000 subscribers ($316 per month at ConvertKit). While this platform doesn’t include visual automation workflows, you can still create automations to manage your campaigns.
final verdict
In our analysis, ConvertKit is a powerful and easy-to-use email marketing platform. The visual automation designer with templates and designs, the extensive help center and the ability to segment your audience flexibly are its main features. Furthermore, this platform integrates security with a CAPTCHA, two-factor authentication and GDPR compliance. Our main problem with ConvertKit is the price, which is on the high side, especially as the subscribers are growing for an email marketing platform.
