iContact vs. ReferenceEdge

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

Absolutely the best for managing customer references/ advocacy. Comprehensive functionality and attentive and responsive support model, and they don't charge extra to use value-add functionality, such as the automated check-in on reference status, contacts, etc. They know this field and need thoroughly and have thought of everything. Native to Salesforce streamlined deployment and up-leveled cross-company support, and also were my full partner in educating me on how to use Salesforce reporting, which is a valuable professional advantage.

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

• Simplifies and streamlines complex matrixed customer information
• Enables strategic engagement through easy access to customer reference accounts, contacts, content, and activities they've participated in as well as are interested in participating in
• Cross-company adoption and visibility through native Salesforce integration
• Load balancing and protection from over-use/ burnout - critical.

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

• Ability to pre-populate a 'win wire' with deal info from SF. I believe this is being developed now.
• Standard organization of 'attributes' so it's easier to break out that report column into per-attribute columns.
• I like that they have an active Trello board for user suggestions and incorporate requests with each update.

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.

We also evaluated ReferenceView from ROInnovation/ Upland. ReferenceEdge from Point of Reference was lower cost for complete functionality, plus their ongoing support model is second to none. SlapFive has great video functionality, which we may use at some point, but isn't a customer reference/ advocacy management platform. And its comprehensive marketing functionality was more than our team needed. ReferenceView was a failure, unfortunately. Way more expensive. limited functionality, and an abysmal support model.

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

• Faster access to critical customer references
• 360 degree view of customer engagement
• Full visibility through comprehensive pre-built reports

Incentivized