iContact vs. Ortto

I would only recommend it if someone was a small business. I think they are the best suited for companies who will send out a coupon or offer here and there. The most recent updates made it more complicated to use for more complicated processes. It is easy to train someone on the program, and so quick to learn. But I would also only stick to the simpler things. I also think the colorful templates are great, and show great creativity. But again, it is hard to justify recommending the program when it isn't WYSIWYG.

Incentivized

Autopilot has a friendly and bright appeal offering a code-free automation experience that makes it easy to build complex automated workflows. Anyone can start creating workflows using the drag-and-drop builder even without technical knowledge. Teams utilize the notes and graphics feature to collaborate on automation workflows providing a much easier way to understand workflows created by someone else.

Incentivized

• Contact management. iContact is really great for entering all your contact. You are able to put them onto different lists, and let them choose which lists they would like to be a part of as well. There are many data fields provided to fill in information.
• Emailing. We use the email feature at least once a month. They are always improving and adding new features, which is very helpful in presenting content in a new and exciting way to our readers. There are many options with remade templates and themes, or you can add your own.
• Insights. It is really helpful being able to have the data to see what is working and what isn't. It is nice to be able to go back and see how things went in the past compared to now. Opens, clicks, shares, etc.

Incentivized

• Very easy to use automation builder with many great options and integrations. Lets us tailor incredibly precise campaigns through use of Autopilot's own features, plus its tight integrations with data from sources like Segment.
• Easy and powerful email editing and creation built-in. No need for email template coding.
• Autopilot allows marketers to have full control and implement new web forms to capture leads quickly with its automatic form detection. No need to save custom form data to our own backend saves our development team time.

Incentivized

• We also would like to send transactional messages which don't require an opt-out, this is a challenge with iContact. (May be a feature with pro?)
• The regular version of iContact doesn't support event management or logic flows for automated messaging.
• Custom form fields have limited field type options (can't build a drop-down).

Incentivized

• Limited Design Customization: If you're an experienced marketer and are used to the unlimited customization capabilities of larger platforms (or coding your own templates), you might find Autopilot's options to be limiting. It's great for a beginner user who shouldn't be encumbered with those options, but I could see if being frustrating for others.

Incentivized

iContact has been a quick and easy way to send any announcements and news directly to email and social media subscribers. Its tracking and reporting capabilities turn a simple email into a marketing campaign that can be used as a tool to efficiently gauge reader response and customer satisfaction, and ultimately to reach potential customers. The consistency and excellent customer service is what makes this program a pleasant experience.

I rate iContact as an easy to use program due to its user friendly dashboard and user interface. Most companies of small to medium size do not have a dedicated marketer, therefore it is someone multitasking who may or may not have this kind of experience. iContact makes it relatively simple and can actually expand one's knowledge in the area of business promotion.

Incentivized

iContact is regularly up and running. Only once has it been unavailable for maintenance, which is to be expected and even desired for optimal performance when needed.

They have always been responsive to any issues or concerns that have arisen with our account. Our customer account manager participates in our monthly county-wide communicators meetings via telephone to ensure that we are getting the most from the service. He also analyzes our lists to help us weed out inactive contacts.

Incentivized

The templates are difficult to customize, and they don't render well in email platforms

i wouldn't be using it if i wasn't satisfied. time is money

I didn't have a say in the decision because I wasn't with the company at the time. I listed HubSpot here because I know we used it in conjunction with iContact for email automation, but HubSpot Email was only recently built-out to the point where it is today. Now, iContact and HubSpot are no longer integrated.

How would I say this, for me Autopilot is a whole other tool then the other MA tools I use. Most other MA tools focus on a lot of options and things you can do with it. But Autopilot seems to mainly focus on the visual builder to make automations, and they do that really well! The other tools are also great but more a "complete package solution" with a lot of options. And that can be overwhelming. So if you want a great easy-to-use workflow/automation builder and less of all the other options Autopilot is a great start.

Incentivized

iContact stays the same with the number of users added or taken away. It certainly remains reliable despite increased usage, and so, can be considered scaleable in that aspect.

• We have a template for webinars that we send every month. We just edit it and send. This couldn't be easier (once you know where to find it).
• We like the breakdown of statistics in the dashboard. They're easy to read.
• iContact isn't a comprehensive solution, so it is only one of a few products we use for marketing.

Incentivized

• Not sure. I cannot put a $ on it for ROI as I was the administrator and not part of the team that procured it. Time-wise I would say I spent less time using it than I previously had used in CloudPortal Services Manager.

Incentivized