iContact vs. Salesmate

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

Salesmate gives us everything we need as a small business, with a clear interface, and can adapt to any business. If I was being ultra picky, I would perhaps suggest the ability to remove or hide certain modules not applicable to our niche, e.g., we are a B2C business, so the company module is not really useable for us, but this is not a negative by any means.

• 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

• For each client, it tracks emails, text messages, activities, files, calendar events, phone calls, to-do items.
• Customization is quite good -- you add fields you need. Like was discovery received, full payment, partial payment, etc. You can later run reports.
• Integration with other apps is good; I use QuickBooks and DocuSign.
• Customer service is very good.

• 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

• The search feature can be buggy and does not allow for highlighted text to be typed on. You must clear the box or hit backspace before typing. The only app in my life that does this.
• The dashboard button is pointless if it still makes you choose between legacy or classic.

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.

Very happy with the customer service and the overall functionality of the program. With new features always being launched and discussed I'm looking fwd to growing with them

Incentivized

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

It's so easy, and the support is top notch and I love Salesmate. Seriously the best CRM on the market right now, which I was able to customize exactly the way I needed to, with their support with me every step of the way. I will be working with SalesMate for a long time if not forever.

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 support team at Salesmate is top-notch. They provide live chat support within the platform and answer typically in under a minute. They are always incredibly quick to respond to questions and provide insightful information. Getting started on the platform is easy as you always have support nearby.

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

No - All very straightforward and simple.

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.

Very similar in overall layout and user experience...but the features blow these others out of the water. Where alternative solutions had features either lacking or as an upgrade (ie having to spend an extra $10-$30/month/user) Salesmate has these features out-of-the-box

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

• It saved me so much time following up with leads. I move them to the next stage, and Salesmate does the rest.
• It does a whole load of outreach for me. It's seamless.
• I get a lot more responses from people in my pipeline - especially using SMS to follow up.