Reviewing ActiveCampaign (or other options that support "survey to update subscriber record"

I’m experimenting with engaging with my newsletter subscribers more.

The goal is to narrow them down to the ones that are mostly likely to buy so I can do focus on them. This is high touch sales, but luckily I actually enjoy talking to customers IF they seem like potential customers. (My market has plenty of people looking for magic. And unfortunately, the more they want/need, the more optimistic they are… until its time to buy)

Features I’m looking for:
(in descending order of importance)

  1. Send out a Survey and have the completed survey update that subscribers record. (You don’t’ want to ask a zillion questions on signup, but you DO want to get info on what subscribers want)
  2. Resend an email if the user never opened it (or clicked no links in it).
  3. Easily have an IF…THEN flow control. (Send Survey. If not Answered, Send Again. If answered, and Age>65, Send $RetirementInfo)
  4. In the IF THEN, wire up multiple Outcomes to the same Message. (I.e., so I can have One message (Want a free 1:1 Tour) which can be reached from multiple other paths, so I only need to MODIFY that message in one place.
  5. Trigger the next email (or a new campaign series) based on user OPENING or CLICKING a link.

@Clay_Nichols
this was an interesting resource for me:
https://robsobers.com/9-marketing-stack-stepbystep-guide-archived/

From the problem you describe, there are a couple of options which would fit your needs. I haven’t decided yet on a solution or provider, because currently I do everything manually. It works, but becomes a pain. My shortlist of solutions is:

  • activecampaign: they offer nearly all features, but have lock in, i.e. you can’t export all data. reasonable pricing.
  • getresponse didn’t fit my needs
  • agilecrm is quite cheap, and offers “everything in a box”. Not sure if it fits my legal requirements.
  • drip offers most in terms of automation, but misses the CRM part of activecampaign

There are also 2 other solutions which might work for you:

  • use intercom as a communication platform. Intercom allows you to send surveys and tag users, but it requires a different way of thinking/working. I have some problems with intercom, because their JavaScript gets blocked by tracking protection.

  • use a self hosted solution like Mautic

1 Like
  1. What do you mean by ActiveCampaign can’t export “all data”? Do you mean some of the user-profile info can’t be exported (like maybe Tags or something)?

  2. AgileCRM looks crazy cheap. The Starter plan says “50K emails branded” which has their tag line at the bottom. You can buy email “credits” $20 for 5,000. No super expensive, ESPECIALLY if you’re really filtering down your list (which is my plan). So this is actually VERY GOOD for me.

Caveat: their listed pricing is all 2-year, but still very low.

  1. What was your “legal requirements” concern?

-Clay

@Clay_Nichols
If i remember correctly:

  1. Active campaign lets you export contacts, but not all activities or actions tied to a contact (so if you would change CRM, you would loose some history)
  2. [quote=“Clay_Nichols, post:3, topic:5035”] AgileCRM looks crazy cheap. [/quote] . Actually my thought was: to good to be true. Regarding the emails, you can also send unbranded emails by using your e.g. sendgrid credentials.

My legal requirements concern was that I think they are based / controlled from India. I think my customer data would need a country of a third party provider with certain guarantees. Can’t advise you here, but as you handle personal data related to diseases/disabilities, consult an expert.