Tag: list building

  • MailChimp Competitors: 4 Free and Paid Email Marketing Tools For Your Business

    MailChimp Competitors: 4 Free and Paid Email Marketing Tools For Your Business

    ​Looking for the top ​MailChimp competitors?

    In this post, you will discover the top 4 MailChimp competitors in today’s market.

    But before that, what is MailChimp and why only the top 4?

    ​Yes, there are many email marketing softwares today but not many of them are able to compete head on with MailChimp especially with the generous forever free MailChimp account.

    The 2,000 email subscriber limit is one of the biggest and most important factor that helped MailChimp grew to what they are today.

    ​​MailChimp is one of the leading email marketing platforms that offers easy-to-use interface which is perfect for beginners who want to send newsletters and automated emails with little to no learning curve.

    ​While MailChimp is often consider the go-to choice for email marketing, MailChimp has several downsides and may not be the best choice for you.

    For starters, you can ​only truly leverage MailChimp if you have design and coding skills to create beautiful email templates.

    Apart from that, MailChimp isn’t the best option if you are an affiliate marketer or planning to use emails to sell affiliate products. If you do so, your account may be terminated or closed without any notice.

    ​Make no mistake. MailChimp is a good email marketing software but it certainly has some major disadvantages especially with affiliate marketers. You may want to take a look at this article where I highlight some of the biggest disadvantages using MailChimp.

    ​Without further a due, let’s dive into the top MailChimp competitors for 2018.

    ​Top MailChimp Competitors Worth Checking Out

    • ​AWeber
    • ​GetResponse
    • ​ConvertKit
    • Drip

    ​1. AWeber—​Email marketing software for affiliate marketers

    aweber better than mailchimp

    ​If you are an affiliate marketer, you are going to to love what AWeber can do. AWeber is a great MailChimp alternative because provides a lot more email marketing features compared to what MailChimp can offer.

    ​Advantages using AWeber

    • ​Split testing ability
    • checkDrag and drop visual editor
    • ​Supports HTML and plain text emails
    • Automation based on ​RSS to Email
    • checkEasy to use (low learning curve)
    • check​Mobile application available
    • checkFast support (respond under 10 minutes)
    • checkHigh delivery ratio
    • checkConstant features upgrade
    • checkIntuitive dashboard and reporting tools
    • check​Mobile responsive templates
    • checkIntegrated popup and lead generation forms
    • checkUsed by top influencers such as Neil Patel (CrazyEgg) and Brian Dean (Backlinko)
    • checkHighly affordable (starts at $19 per month)

    ​Disadvantages using AWeber

    • ​Doesn’t come with a forever free plan

    ​AWeber vs MailChimp

    I am a huge fan for both AWeber and MailChimp. Personally, I hate the fact that AWeber doesn’t come with a forever free plan. In terms of email marketing features, AWeber offers more detailed reporting and more importantly, zero coding skill is required for using AWeber.

    ​Try ​AWeber for 30 days free (no credit card required)

    ​2. GetResponse—Affordable and yet powerful

    is getresponse better than mailchimp

    ​GetResponse is not only one of the top MailChimp competitors, it is also a competitor to many other email marketing solutions including AWeber.

    ​In terms of features, GetResponse offers more than most of the market leaders when comparing side by side with pricing in mind.

    ​Advantages using GetResponse

    • check​Inbuilt landing pages
    • check​Drag and drop visual builder for email automation and funnel building
    • check​Integrated with stock photos from iStock at no extra cost
    • check​Detailed reporting tools
    • checkTagging and segmenting subscribers with ease
    • checkUnlimited mobile preview to ensure that your newsletter looks good all the time
    • checkDynamic content allows you to deliver only the most relevant, highly-personalized emails to your audience
    • checkAutomate your email marketing with autoresponders
    • checkOptimize message delivery using GetResponse ‘Perfect Timing’ feature
    • checkSuper high delivery (99% delivery rate)
    • checkAbility to track and optimize your email marketing campaigns in just a few clicks
    • checkGetResponse is super affordable ($15 per month for 1,000 email subscribers)

    ​Disadvantages using GetResponse

    • ​Pricing is slightly step after the entry level plan

    ​GetResponse vs MailChimp

    ​For me, GetResponse knocks MailChimp out of the park instantly with the drag and drop visual builder.

    getresponse mailchimp competitors

    ​Do you get what I mean now?

    ​Try GetResponse for 30 days free (no credit card required)

    ​3. ConvertKit—Plaintext email, anyone?

    is convertkit better than mailchimp

    ​If you love plaintext email marketing, you are going to love what ConvertKit can offer. Period.

    ​ConvertKit understands what it takes to grow a successful online business and therefore, ConvertKit comes with features tailored to your needs to help you achieve success faster.

    ​ConvertKit?

    ​ConvertKit is as powerful as Infusionsoft but as simple as MailChimp. Plus, ConvertKit is way much cheaper compared to Infusionsoft (and doesn’t cost you a dime to get onboarding too)!

    ​Advantages using ConvertKit

    • check​Easy-to-embed, customized opt-in forms
    • check​Detailed homepage dashboard
    • check​Simple workflows with “if this, then that” style automation rules
    • checkPowerful drag-and-drop sequence builder helps you create personalized automated emails to grow your list
    • checkConvertKit is subscriber-centric (that means you can easily organize your subscribers from one list with tags and segments)
    • checkConvertKit’s plain text emails not only give your marketing efforts a personal feel, they also help you avoid spam filters (that means you’ll start seeing higher open rates that turn into more conversions to help you grow you business)
    • checkExtreme high delivery rates making sure that your emails get delivered to inboxes without fail
    • checkExcellent and reliable support around the clock

    Disadvantages using ConvertKit

    • Not suitable for those who require HTML or image-rich emails
    • close​Slightly more expensive than other MailChimp competitors
    • ​Doesn’t come with a forever free plan

    ​ConvertKit vs MailChimp

    ​ConvertKit is a great email marketing software if you are serious in building an email list and staying engaged with your email subscribers.

    ​ConvertKit pricing starts at $29 per month and while it is slightly higher than most of the MailChimp competitors in the market, it is still considered very affordable with the features which ConvertKit offers.

    ​See what ConvertKit has to offer!

    ​4. Drip—Powerful eCommerce email marketing software

    drip is mailchimp competitors

    Drip is another top MailChimp competitor. Unlike ConvertKit which focuses heavily on bloggers, Drip put its focus on businesses (brick and mortar, and eCommerce).

    ​Drip used to be covered with ‘blue’ and now, it had redesigned, making it more interesting and effective for eCommerce.

    ​Advantages using Drip

    • check​Easily integrate your most used marketing tools with Drip
    • check​Drip’s tracking code delivers insights into who your customers are and what they want
    • check​Learn about your subscribers and website visitors, with Drip, and track the data any way you like
    • checkDrip allows you to apply custom tags, fields, or events to your customers in just a few clicks
    • checkIncrease customer engagement with workflows that adapt to your customers’ interests and behavior
    • checkDrip’s email builder makes it easy to customize every detail of your messaging for individual people
    • checkAvailability of custom conversion tracking
    • checkOffers forever free account (up to 100 email subscribers)

    ​Disadvantages using Drip

    • ​Steep pricing structure
    • ​Rather steep pricing structure for beginners

    ​Drip vs MailChimp

    To be honest, ​Drip is a great MailChimp alternative. It is easy to use and setup, Drip offers very professional display and interactive features so that you can spend less time on email.

    Drip stands as one of the top MailChimp competitors because it offers forever free marketing plan (up to 100 subscribers) and $49 per month for the next tier pricing.

    ​Another huge advantage using Drip is that you do not need to spend thousands of dollars on web design or coders. Everything can be done easily through their visual builder and their pre-made templates are best to none.

    ​Create a free account on Drip now!

    ​Which is the best MailChimp competitor/alternative?

    ​This is a tough question. Seriously.

    ​Here’s what I think.

    ​Go for AWeber if you are looking for an all-in-one email marketing solution that is affordable and easy to use.​

    Go for GetResponse if you need landing pages to be included in your email marketing. You can also take a look at this article for the ​best landing page builder for 2018 (that is way better than GetResponse).

    Go for ConvertKit if you are a blogger and love sending plaintext emails. This is by far the best choice for performance and money.

    Go for Drip if you are running an eCommerce business or require an email marketing software to make your email list work harder for you (and generates you more money).

  • The 10 Best Of The Best Mailing List Tools And Plugins For 2014

    The 10 Best Of The Best Mailing List Tools And Plugins For 2014

    In this post, I am going to share with you 12 of the best mailing list plugins that will supercharge your list building campaign and increase your conversion rate.

    I could not emphasize enough the importance of starting a mailing list. As a self-claimed plugin junkie, I find it very difficult to work with the just your average plugin. Instead, I wanted to work with the best plugin available to ensure that I am grabbing all the chances available to me.

    As a blogger, you might be wondering which is probably the best plugin for your money and just like me, you want to make sure every visitor is converted into loyal subscribers.

    Related: 30 Best WordPress Social Sharing Plugins For 2015

    The best of the best mailing list plugins for 2014

    Best mailing list plugins 2014
    10 of the best mailing list plugins for bloggers in 2014

    In this article, I will cover 10 of the most popular, recommended and best mailing list tools that is guaranteed to skyrocket your mailing list building for the upcoming 2014.

    Best mailing list plugins with advance features – Hybrid Connect

    Hybrid Connect is one of the best mailing plugin builder for WordPress
    Hybrid Connect or HC is a tool that offers feature rich mailing list options for bloggers

    When it comes to the best mailing list plugin, Hybrid Connect is certainly one of my arsenal when it comes to list building. It offers a vast variety of ready-made templates which fits perfectly into:

    • Pop up
    • In-text (content area)
    • Slide in
    • Widget areas
    • Squeeze page
    • Integration with videos and webinars

    Setting up Hybrid Connect is easy and probably one of the easiest among all the plugins I have tested. Besides that Hybrid Connect also makes it easier to create multiple sign up forms with the form builder feature, video opt-in and split testing.

    Your visitors can also sign up using their Facebook account using Hybrid Connect which is a great way boost conversion rate.

    What I truly love about Hybrid Connect are the automatic responsive designs to fit any browser or layouts and as well as the quick response from support team for any inquiries.

    Hybrid Connect costs $49 for single site, $67 for multi site and $147 for a developer’s license. It comes with a full 30-days money back guarantee if you are unhappy with the plugin.

    Download Hybrid Connect (now it is renaed to Thrive Leads) | Hybrid Connect Review

    Best mailing list plugin for easy usage and integration – OptinSkin

    OptinSkin plugin review
    A plugin that does everything it is suppose to do; build a mailing list … fast

    OptinSkin is probably the best mailing list plugin (alternative) for many bloggers. So, what makes OptinSkin so popular?

    Personally, OptinSkin offers one of the best skins I have ever seen in a list building plugin. All the designs and layouts are perfectly done. This means that all you need to do is to integrate your mailing list provider code into OptinSkin and the rest is self-explanatory.

    OptinSkin offers several features such as:

    • Fade out forms
    • Pop ups
    • In-text (content area)
    • Widget areas

    While many other list building plugins are offering different packages, you can get OptinSkin with just one price for unlimited usage, $67. It also offers a full, 30-days money back guarantee.

    Give OptinSkin a trial run today!

    The revolutionary mailing list plugin – OptinMonster

    OptinMonster plugin review
    The latest, ground breaking and game changer mailing list plugin

    When you have two of the best WordPress developers working together, you get probably the best mailing list plugin for 2014. Syed Balkhi from WP Beginner and Thomas Griffin from Soliloquy slider are the ones behind this game changer plugin.

    I am not going to lie to you; OptinMonster offers around the same features Hybrid Connect, OptinSkin or probably a dozen more plugins.

    So, what makes OptinMonster … such as monster when it comes to mailing list building?

    Introducing ‘Exit Intent‘ from OptinMonster. For me, this is the groundbreaking, mind blowing and explosive feature every mailing list plugin should have.

    Exit Intent is basically a feature which tracks the mouse speed and your visitors gestures. When OptinMonster detects they are about to leave your blog, it will automatically trigger a pop up to ‘lure’ you to stay longer and build a bigger subscriber’s list.

    Personally, I call Exit Intent as ‘smart pop-up’.

    Exit Intent is a feature because over 70% of your visitors will NEVER return and it allows you to capitalize on that with Exit Intent and extremely powerful targeting features.

    While OptinMonster could probably be the best mailing list plugin for bloggers, and Internet Marketers, it costs $49 for a basic account, $99 for a plus account, $199 for a full year license and $349 for lifetime licence.

    Now, if the price is driving you away, don’t be! OptinMonster offers 14-days money back guarantee for all packages and thus, you know your money is in good hands.

    Test drive OptinMonster’s Exit Intent today.

    The best ‘all-in-one’ mailing list plugin – Subscriber’s Magnet

    What makes Subscriber's Magnet so popular?
    Subscriber’s Magnet offers a full list building ‘package’ at a very affordable price

    For those who are already building a list, Subscriber’s Magnet from MaxBlogPress is already a household name. Subscriber’s Magnet is probably one of the only ‘all-in-one’ plugin that offers everything you could ever wished for such as:

    Optin form within post, embedded inside comment

    • Pop up
    • Facebook connect feature
    • Exit pop in
    • Header and footer bars
    • Form auto filler

    What make me really attracted to Subscriber’s Magnet is that it offers a huge range of features which I could leverage especially when it comes to building a list.

    You can try Subscriber’s Magnet for $1 for the first 14 days and after that, you can either choose the $37 for single site usage or $97 for multi site usage.

    Download Subscriber’s Magnet.

    The best value for money mailing list plugin –  WP Lead Magnet

    WP Lead Magnet review
    The newest and the only plugin that is smart enough to automatically enable and disable view

    This is the latest plugin I came across and it really brings mailing list building process to the next level. Basically, WP Lead Magnet works in a very distinct way where each widget or sign up form will interact with each other to maximize the conversion rate.

    For example, news visitors to your blog will see sign up forms on the sidebar, in the content area and after post. Once they have signed up using any of these forms, the rest of the forms will automatically disappear from their view.

    This means that you utilize the spaces for banners, related post links and many more. At the moment, this is the only list building plugin which offers such feature.

    While this is probably the newest plugins available, it is highly recommended by Neil Patel and it had proven to be useful by increase conversion rate by over 317%.

    WP Lead Magnet costs $47 and as usual, it comes with a full 30-days money back guarantee.

    See what WP Lead Magnet is all about here.

    The most popular pop up plugin – Popup Domination

    The most popular pop up plugin, Popup Domination
    What makes Popup Domination so popular?

    Popup Domination is already a key player in the mailing list industry. While it doesn’t offer features such as sidebar widgets, popup is highly effective in terms of list building.

    Why should you consider Popup Domination?

    It is simple to use and lightweight. For those who are looking for a very simple solution to build a mailing list using popups, this is certainly one plugin you need to consider.

    Popup Domination offers:

    • A/B testing
    • Full analytic reports
    • Page specific popups
    • Display frequency
    • Force subscribe
    • Entry and exit pop up

    Popup Domination cost $77 and 60-days money back guarantee (plus refund after 60 days on a case-to-case basis).

    Try Popup Domination and tell me what you think!

    The best low budget mailing list plugin – Ninja Popups

    Ninja Popup is Popup Domination alternative
    Ninja Popup is cheap and does its job perfectly

    Is Popup Domination is too expensive for you? Don’t worry! There’s where Ninja Popups comes into play.

    It is used by thousands of blogger and is in fact, one of the most popular product sold on CodeCanyon with over 4,000 sales.

    Ninja Popups offers:

    • Opt-in locker
    • Multiple themes and skins to choose from
    • Social locker feature
    • Mobile responsive and suitable for all layouts
    • Quick 24/7 support

    If you are looking for a simple plugin to start off with mailing list building, this is one tool you must not miss out.

    Ninja Popup – Simplicity at its best!

    And if simplicity doesn’t make the cut, you probably won’t go wrong with this plugin. It costs only $18 and is in fact, one of the cheapest plugins that offers great returns.

    Download Ninja Popup now!

    The best web notification bar – Hello Bar

    Hello Bar web notification tool
    What makes Hello Bar such as an important tool when it comes to building a mailing list?

    Hello Bar is not a mailing list plugin but with it’s features, credibility and support, I believe it deserves to be in this top 12 spot. Hello Bar is a notification bar that could boost your conversion rate multiple times.

    While the success of using a notification bar is highly dependable to your blog, report and studies had shown that it is indeed a great move to build a mailing list.

    To name a few, here are some authority sites which are using Hello Bar:

    • QuickSprout
    • KISSmetrics
    • Kikolani

    For me, Hello Bar is a great tool to increase subscribers as that little small bar at the top can literally fetch thousands of subscribers without you knowing.

    And yes, currently it is free for all and therefore, I see no reasons why you shouldn’t use it.

    Download Hello Bar and try it yourself today.

    The best Hello Bar alternative – FooBar

    Hello Bar alternative, FooBar from codecanyon
    Foo Bar allows you to customize your notification bar to places you have never imagine before

    I came across FooBar when I was trying to find a more custom notification bar. As much as HelloBar is a great tool to start with, I always wish to have a better control over my site. For example, I wanted to remove the ‘H’ brand and make it more unique.

    FooBar offers:

    • Unlimited usage
    • Conditional logic
    • Rebrandable
    • 100% customizable
    • Top or bottom bars
    • Twitter and RSS feed integration

    FooBar only cost you $14 for lifetime license and if you ask me, this could possibly be one of the best and cheapest investment I ever done in my entire life.

    With the right CTA, FooBar could easily beat any list building plugins out there.

    Download FooBar now!

    The best and affordable mailing list provider (not plugin) – GetResponse

    Build a mailing list with GetResponse
    GetResponse offers many inbuilt signup forms if you are tight in budget

    Don’t get me wrong; GetResponse is not a mailing list plugin and I am sorry for the confusion.

    But wait! Why did I even include GetResponse in this roundup?

    When I published this article (Hybrid Connect vs OptinSkin review), some of my readers asked if there are other alternatives if they are tight in budget and do not want to invest in any form of plugin.

    I totally get it and I actually tested running popups using my email marketing provider, GetResponse (and a few others). As far as I can tell you, it works pretty well and you certainly do not need to use a mailing list plugin just to build a list of subscribers.

    So, how do you possibly leverage this from your email marketing provider?

    If you are using GetResponse, you could easily build popup forms using the web builder as seen below:

    GetResponse drag and drop form builder
    Build stunning sign up forms using GetResponse Drag and Drop editor

    This doesn’t only applies to GetResponse but also to over a dozen email marketing providers out there. Well, all you ever need is possibly time and patience.

    While it is not pretty out-of-the-box, take sometime designing it and you would probably get the best and most complete signup form you ever need. Period.

    Try GetResponse today and get extra $30 discount! | GetResponse vs AWeber

    Over to you

    Did I miss out anything or you have some other mailing list plugins (and tools) that you believe it should be included in? Use the comment form below and tell me what you think.

  • What Did BizSugar Taught Me About List Building?

    What Did BizSugar Taught Me About List Building?

    Are you always looking for the right list building techniques that really work? If the answer is yes, then welcome to the club which consists more than 50 million bloggers around the world.

    List building is a technique used by bloggers (like you and me) to build more followers and subscribers. 

    If you think that finding the right opt-in form for a website is hard, think again.

    Previous, I had shared on my email list building technique from scratch. If you have yet to read it, I suggest that you take a quick peek at it here.

    Briefly, I wrote which opt-in form works the best and how to go around it. As for the record, about 35% of my signups come from the featured opt-in form like this one below:

    If you finding for list building techniques or ways to extend your mailing list, I suggest you to do that (the above) NOW!

    But here’s the thing; featured call to action (CTA) could easily backfire you especially when you are trying to get ‘involved’ with the big boys.

    I was lucky to be able to have a quick discussion with BizSugar support team on using the right list building techniques. More juicy parts below!

    *Important disclaimer: Kudos to the team over at BizSugar who took my inquiry seriously and they were more than just patience in answering them. I know I am a tough customer but thank you from the bottom of my heart!

    Link building catastrophe

    I am always a website speed junkie and really passionate about link building. Recently I was building my authority with BizSugar and I came to something so catastrophe. Here’s the snippet of the email:

     

    BizSugar Reply 1

     

    I was stunned and speechless. The featured CTA which had been serving me well with 35% of total signup,  got to be either removed or I’ll lose my backlinks from BizSugar.

    The concept here is having a featured opt-in form is rather distracting. Agree to disagree?

    I wasn’t happy about it and decided to discuss over the matter with BizSugar. And finally, the last reply which connects the dots together.

     

    BizSugar Reply 2

     

    This was huge!

    I doesn’t blame BizSugar for their terms and conditions but this incident really thought me something about list building.

    Over using your featured opt-in form is a bad, bad move. And yes, I have a featured CTA on every page!

    Immediate action plan: Change all my featured opt-in CTA!

    Now this got me thinking. Will there be more established websites that sees this as an issue? Of course, this wouldn’t be good right?

    Related article: The battle for the best email marketing service – AWeber vs MailChimp

    Research that could change my list building techniques forever

    I decided to check if BizSugar is the only one who enforces that rule. I don’t want to have all my articles or backlinks being deleted just because I was crazy about building an email list for myself!

    Out of 10 websites that I checked (and read their terms and conditions), 8 of them does not allow advertisements to be placed right above or below the title. Of course, we can debate that opt-in box and ads banner are two different things but do you really want to go down that road?

    I was chatting with Corina and she basically ‘confirmed’ that as well.

    Twitter Chat

    If you have no idea who is Corina, she is the woman behind Work From Home Concepts. Getting her insight on the matter was a great boost and proof for me.

    Enough said!

    Did BizSugar taught me anything about list building?

    List building lessons:

    1. Do not over use featured opt-in forms

    2. Using featured opt-in forms are accepted if they are right in size

    Yes it does and it is a great advise indeed!

    Even thought building an email list with featured opt-in forms could be a good move, but some readers don’t really like it. Honestly speaking, having an oversize and featured CTA could be very distracting instead.

    Big sites such as BizSugar doesn’t really have the time to ‘check out’ each post. Therefore, this is probably the best way to control the quality of the posts submitted.

    Now, what should I do since I have to live without my lovely, featured opt-in form? I wasn’t ready to kiss good bye my list building plans and thus, here are some counter measures I did:

    1. Enable floating opt-in form on sidebar for all posts
    2. ‘Overhaul’ all my opt-in forms with the hopes of increasing the sign up rate

    Of course, the biggest question is, “Will these email list building techniques work?

    Sadly, I can only judge the performance of this method after a month or so but I have prepare myself mentally to see a drop of my signup rate … mentally 🙂

    I am sure this obstacles will not deter my link building plans but certainly, there is something call side effect right?

    And if you STILL not building an email list right now, you REALLY need to see these slides.

     

    Back to you

    I hope this article is able to ‘tickle’ your thoughts a little especially when it comes to list building.

    Tell me if you are using a featured opt-in form for your website and how is works out for you.

    Yes, do it right NOW using the comment form below and please hit the red button (below) to share it with your friends.