iContact vs. Provely

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.

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Landing pages. Say, a webinar optin page. Or a lead magnet optin page. People can be persuaded to believe that others like the lead magnet and don't want to be left behind and also they can trust others opinions. So, having a widget on these pages that shows, "XYZ just signed up" can help with getting more sign ups. A widget that shows the amount of people that are looking at a certain page is also beneficial. The best thing to do, is to test at all times. See if the conversion rate is increased or if it drops. And test variations of the widget one at a time. Sometimes, it helps, but in some cases, one can see little difference. So the key is to test. We used it on a front page and we optimized it for speed. We saw that we had several things that slowed our site down. So we decided to take away some of the items. This included our widget from Provely. It does not take a lot of resources, but we were super savvy and wanted the optimal speed. We might revert back into adding it again, but for now, we stripped the page for all extra baggage so we were certain that we had the correct overview on the speed that was needed. The widgets can be less appropriate also, if one wants full attention to the copy on a page. This is also a savvy choice. So the key is to TEST, again... To determine if it helps or halts conversions. This example we are seeing on direct response sales pages in the make money online nice. They rarely use this. Some do. So again, testing will determine the effect. (A savvy user tests, but even those, skip it some times, so it is best to use your own due diligence)

• 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.

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• 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).

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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.

We see the professional look it gives, and the live proof it provides. It helps with conversions, so we want to be sure we have the optimized numbers for our business. It is worth keeping so we earn more leads, and sales by piggybacking on the psychological effect of FOMO and more. We believe it is a must have in our arsenal, at least on selected pages.

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.

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It's a ONE page for settings, and the code to use for integration. All is found in one place. It is made to be simple, with powerful features

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.

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Independently Invited by TrustRadius

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We had a question... We asked about a certain feature... One that was not present. So, what happened is that they responded quickly, but also, they developed the feature FOR US, which is unprecedented in many ways. It is not the norm, so we were taken great care of. The support was more than helpful and we would recommend them any day of the week.

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

The only thing to note, if you're afraid of tech, get the developer to install the code. You can do the design, but maybe get someone to install the code, again, it is done in minutes. Maybe 5. The other thing to note, keep an eye on your stats and analytics. You install this for a reason, to help with conversions. The only way to know for sure if it is right for your page(s) is to track it. If it does not aid your % it is of no use. Not EVERY page will be a candidate at all times. BUT, most are. So my advice is to go for it, get it set up. Track your before and after. If you an uplift in your % then keep it. If there is no visible change, maybe you're not tracking the right metrics over the right amount of time, so check if you can track deeper. If you have tracked really well, and not seeing an uplift, maybe change the wording, the widget, or the placement of it. And keep tracking. If there is no change short-term or long-term, then I would reflect on the usage. It is made to uplift conversions and it does so. But it is your job to place it where it matters, like on a lead magnet page, where others can see that they are not alone in both wanting and/or taking action and physically signing up to a lead magnet. So, again, my advice, get it set up. You will most likely do the job right on the first go, and from there, enjoy, and keep tracking

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 have tested 3 other products in the past, all failed to have the complete solution we were looking for. Provely is here to stay and has added lots of features. 1 of the other tools we tested are low on features. 1 of the tools we tested had a short run and updates stopped and the project was abandoned. 1 of them never worked properly.

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

Independently Invited by TrustRadius

A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info