Considering InfusionSoft?

This InfusionSoft review is exactly what you need.

In either case, I’m here to help. In this article, I’ll go over Infusionsoft and cover its pros and cons.

What Is Infusionsoft?

Infusionsoft is more than a single tool. It’s really a suite of tools. Specifically, Infusionsoft offers the following:

• Customer relationship management (CRM)
• Email marketing
• Marketing automation
• Ecommerce support

You can call it an end-to-end digital marketing solution.

Infusionsoft Review: CRM

If you’re tired of maintaining spreadsheets to keep track of your contacts then you need a CRM solution. Fortunately, Infusionsoft has an app for that. What does it do? For starters, it collects prospect data, such as:

• Name
• Address
• Phone number
• Email address
• Type of customer
• Website
• Purchase history

You’re not limited to those data points, either. You can create up to 100 custom fields that will help you classify leads and help them move through the sales funnel. Once you’ve collected info about potential customers, the Infusionsoft CRM enables you to organize them as you see fit. That way, you can prioritize the contacts who are most likely to become customers. Additionally, you can search for prospects based on whatever data you’ve collected on them. If you’re moving to Infusionsoft from another platform, you’ll be happy to learn that you can import your existing contacts. You don’t have to start over from scratch. All you have to do is upload a CSV file that contains the details about your contacts. Infusionsoft will handle the rest. Each contact record also includes an activity feed. It keeps track of all the times you’ve reached out to that person via email or with a phone call. You can also score leads based on how “warm” they are. Even better, you can set up your own scoring system. In other words, you can assign points to leads based on criteria such as available budget and interest level. The system also enables you to automate tasks based on lead score. For example, if you’d like to send a December holiday promo offer to everybody with a lead score of 35 or higher, you can do that. Additionally, you can automate email follow-ups to people you’ve recently contacted, launch upsell campaigns to existing customers, nurture prospects who are on the fence and initiate drip email campaigns.

Infusionsoft Review: Marketing Automation

It’s almost impossible to succeed as an entrepreneur in the current hyper-competitive economy without some level of marketing automation. Fortunately, Infusionsoft has you covered there as well. The platform includes a drag-and-drop UI that enables absolute novices to launch sophisticated marketing campaigns in mere moments. Actions are depicted as icons. You “connect” two actions by simply drawing a line between them. That tells the system that the completion of the previous action triggers the next action. Yes, it’s that easy. The icons themselves are even intuitive. A phone call, for example, is depicted with a phone icon. An email is depicted with an envelope.

You can also double-click on any icon to “go deeper” into it. That’s useful if you want to do something like trigger a drip campaign that sends out one email every few days for the next couple of weeks. The tool can even remove people from the workflow once they complete a specific action. For example, if somebody makes a purchase, there’s no need to send that person more emails in a drip campaign. Also: Infusionsoft includes ready-made templates so you don’t have to start from scratch. That’s a real time-saver. Additionally, the marketing automation component enables you to:

• Personalize your marketing message to potential customers
• Blast out targeted emails to prospects
• Modify campaigns based on performance
• Create landing pages suited to your campaigns

That last bullet point is significant. Infusionsoft includes a drag-and-drop landing page builder. Again, you can create one from scratch with the user-friendly UI or start with one of the industry-specific templates. All landing pages that you design with the platform are responsive. That means they’ll look great on any device, whether it’s a desktop, laptop, smartphone, or tablet. Even better: Infusionsoft gives you access to thousands of royalty-free images that you can include in your web pages. It’s almost like having a subscription to a stock photo service. The company brags that its landing pages are among the fastest loading in the industry. That’s going to be important now that page speed is a mobile ranking factor. Also, the CRM and marketing automation tools play nicely together. You can use them both to nurture leads with email campaigns. Of course, Infusionsoft also provides a wealth of automated campaign statistics, including open rates, click-throughs, and conversions. The tool also gives you the ability to monitor campaign performance in real time. Additionally, you can use the analytics feature to check your web form and landing page performance. That info will help you adjust your marketing efforts to maximize your return.

Infusionsoft Review: Sales Automation

Yes, there is a difference between marketing automation and sales automation. Infusionsoft supports both. Marketing is about broadcasting your message to several potential customers at once. Sales is about one-on-one communication between a representative of your business and a single person.

You can, to some degree, automate both of those business processes. Infusionsoft offers a tool that enables you to track customer interactions. You can also use it to automate follow-up communications, manage your pipeline, and get a bird’s-eye view of the whole sales cycle. Additionally, the app enables you to:

• Create and share custom quotes with leads
• Send emails to sales reps when quotes are rejected or accepted
• Enable customers to accept a quote with a single click
• Accept payments with an online payment gateway
• Convert quotes into orders
• Adjust the balance on customer accounts

Infusionsoft Review: Ecommerce

If you’re running an ecommerce shop, you’ll find a lot to like in Infusionsoft. For starters, the tool offers customizable templates that you can use to create your own virtual store. Also, you aren’t limited to selling only products with Infusionsoft. The platform includes templates that work if you’re selling services or subscriptions as well. Your online storefront has everything you need to streamline the e-shopping experience for your customers. It includes:

• A shopping cart with subtotal pricing and shipping info
• Customizable order forms that are processed on secure servers

Infusionsoft also enables you to automate promotions. You can even segment your contacts based on purchase history, location, event, and more.

Infusionsoft Review: Payments

So you want your site to accept American Express and Discover in addition to the “Big 2” credit cards? Infusionsoft can handle that as well. In fact, you can accept payments over the phone, in person, or even with a Bluetooth card reader. The payment solution includes no monthly fee, no batch fee, and no setup fee. Those are the kinds of things that make the relatively expensive Infusionsoft price tag worth it. Infusionsoft also offers a chip reader for more secure transactions.

Infusionsoft Review: Analytics

You need analytics to answer one simple question: “is my marketing campaign succeeding?” Infusionsoft offers a series of reports that will help you get that answer. The tool offers graphs so you’ll get a visual readout of important metrics, such as traffic and conversions. Additionally, the software will crawl through your countless data points to provide you with an “executive summary” reports. They’ll include all the key details you need to make informed decisions. Example reports include:

• Conversions by sales stage
• Conversions by lead source
• Email opens
• Conversion rates
• Performance by individual campaign

Of course, you’re in business to make money. That’s why Infusionsoft provides revenue reports as well. Here are a few examples:

• Revenue by lead source
• Revenue by sales rep
• Revenue by referrals
• Revenue by product
• Projected revenue based on recent history

Finally, Infusionsoft also offers an order and billing component that supports more than 20 reports. Among them:

• Overall sales
• Current receivables
• Payments
• Credits
• Customer lifetime value
• Failed credit card transactions

You’ll be happy to know that the order and billing software integrates with Quickbooks, Xero, and other accounting solutions.

Infusionsoft Review: Integrations

Speaking of integrations, Infusionsoft works with more than just accounting software. In fact, the platform currently integrates with more than 200 tools. Here are some of the most popular:

• BigCommerce
• WordPress
• Gmail
• OptinMonster
• Leadpages
• Vimeo
• Wistia
• Wicked Reports
• Booker

If you’d like a custom integration, you can always head over to the Infusionsoft marketplace. There, you’ll find a variety of designers, developers, and consultants who will be happy to provide you with exactly the solution you need. For a fee.

Infusionsoft Review: Lead Generation

“300,000 leads & counting.” Infusionsoft marketing pros claim to have generated hundreds of thousands of leads for small businesses. They’d like to generate some leads for your business as well. To make that happen, the company’s copywriters will produce content that reels in prospects. The design team will also lay out a landing page form that maximizes conversions. Of course, Infusionsoft consultants will also pay attention to analytics so that they can optimize your campaigns to generate even more leads. With that team of pros on your side, you’ll also save time. According to Infusionsoft, you can expect to get two hours of your life back every week. That translates to about a day per month. All of your new leads go straight to your Infusionsoft app. Then, your automated marketing campaigns can start working their magic.

Infusionsoft Review: Email Marketing

Infusionsoft gives you the ability to launch a variety of different email campaigns. In fact, the platform even takes mass marketing a step higher. It gives you the ability to send “broadcasts” that can include faxes and letters. However, when you get started with Infusionsoft, you’ll probably want to focus on emails. Fortunately, that’s easy to do. The tool includes an email builder that, once again, uses an intuitive interface. The email builder offers more than a dozen templates that you can customize with your own text, images, and links. Although “more than a dozen” might not seem like a lot of templates, keep in mind that they’re very pliable. You can make them look unique with just a little bit of effort.

The UI is drag-and-drop. You can use it to include spacers, video, and social icons as well us the usual fare. Additionally, it’s easy to adjust font styles, colors, and sizes. If you prefer to create your own email from scratch, you can do that as well. You’ll need to be an expert with HTML, though. Once you’ve perfected your email layout, you can send it out immediately. Alternatively, you can schedule it for delivery at some later date. Infusionsoft also gives you the ability to create autoresponders. Use them to choose triggers that initiate email transmissions. For example, let’s say you want to send an email to everybody who made a purchase. That’s easy to do with just a little bit of dragging and dropping on the campaign builder.

Infusionsoft Review: My Day

Infusionsoft also offers a “My Day” feature. It looks a lot like a project management tool that organizes tasks for the current day. You can use My Day to view things like appointments, action items, notes, and even opportunities in a single column. It’s a great way to organize your priorities at the beginning of each workday. Some people think that My Day is even more useful than the default dashboard that Infusionsoft displays after users login.

Infusionsoft Review: Pricing

The Infusionsoft pricing model is a little unusual. It’s also painful to look at if you’re an entrepreneur running a cash-strapped start-up. In short: be prepared to open your wallet if you want Infusionsoft. Pricing starts at $80 per month. That assumes you only want one user account and have no desire for a sales pipeline or ecommerce support. It also assumes you have no more than 500 contacts. If you want to throw in sales pipeline and ecommerce, the price goes up to $174 per month. If you’ve got 10,000 contacts you’d like to import, the price goes up to $334 per month. But wait, there’s more. Infusionsoft requires you to enroll in a training class. That class isn’t free. Right now, training costs $299. Believe it or not, that’s an improvement over the old Infusionsoft business model. The company used to require new customers to pay several thousand bucks just to get started with its toolset. Of course, if you can’t afford the training costs, then you probably can’t afford Infusionsoft to begin with. If you do become an Infusionsoft customer and sign up for the training, the company will likely pair you with one of its in-house consultants. That person will guide you through the “kickstart” process. The reality is that you’ll probably get a lot out of your training. It’s a great investment. Infusionsoft Review: Cutting to the Chase, Pros and Cons Now that I’ve covered all of the Infusionsoft features, let’s take a look at the best and worst that the platform has to offer. First, the pros:

• An all-in-one solution – I mentioned above that Infusionsoft is relatively expensive, but think about what you get for your monthly fee: email marketing, automation, and CRM. If you buy separate tools to gain each of those benefits, you’ll probably end up paying more. Also, you’ll have fewer integration headaches when all of your tools are developed by the same vendor.
• Flexibility – You’ll find that Infusionsoft can handle almost any kind of campaign imaginable. That’s good news if you’re looking for something that gives you plenty of room to design your own sophisticated marketing workflows.
• Extensibility – Infusionsoft includes a huge library of apps and services that will help you get the most out of the platform.
• Training – Have you ever purchased a new tool and found that you couldn’t use it? There’s less risk of that with Infusionsoft because you’ll go through a training period. That will help you get up to speed in short order and limit the questions you have.
• Tracking – The Infusionsoft CRM tracks the actions of all contacts. It also tracks every type of communication you’ve had with each of your leads.
• Community – The Infusionsoft community is very active on social media. If you do get stuck (even after going through training), you’ll likely be able to get the help that you need online.
• Stability – Other platforms tend to be buggy. That’s painfully obvious when you try to perform basic tasks. Infusionsoft, on the other hand, is stable. The company has a great QA team that weeds out the problems before you find them.
• Customer service – Your account manager will offer an exceptional level of service.
• Lives up to the hype – It’s good to approach any new tool with a “trust, but verify” attitude. Infusionsoft toots its own horn loudly, but it doesn’t disappoint. You’ll find that the platform lives up to its marketing.

And here are the cons:

• An all-in-one solution – Yes, I’m listing “an all-in-one solution” as both a pro and a con. That’s because comprehensive toolset is often a two-edged sword. In this case, it seems like Infusionsoft is offering too much. In other words, Infusionsoft scores a “B” in everything instead of trying to get an “A” in one thing. So, for example, if you’re looking for the absolute best in a CRM solution, you’d probably opt for Salesforce instead of Infusionsoft.
• Lack of scalability – Infusionsoft recommends that companies with 100 or fewer employees use its platform. That’s fine if you’re currently a small business with only a dozen or so employees. But do you want to stay that way? If you hack your way to phenomenal growth, you’re going to have to pick a new tool. That means you’ll be dealing with another learning curve.
• No social media marketing – If you’re into SMM, you’ll have to handle that with another tool. As of now, Infusionsoft doesn’t support marketing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The platform does offer an application programming interface (API) though, so you can implement your own custom integrations with social media.
• No split-testing – This is a big one. Infusionsoft doesn’t offer any kind of A/B testing. That means you can’t test a control against a variant and determine which one is better. You do get analytics so if one of your campaigns is underperforming, you can make changes. But it would be much better to formally test two different options.
• The price – Infusionsoft is designed for small businesses and yet its price is out of reach for many of those businesses. If you’re bootstrapping your way to success, you might have to look for other solutions.
• “Blah” email templates – If you’re accustomed to slick email templates from other tools like Aweber or GetResponse, you’ll be disappointed when you see what Infusionsoft has to offer. The email templates are okay, but that’s it. They don’t have the “wow” factor.
• Mandatory training – This is also a pro and a con. Although the mandatory training will help you beat the learning curve, it’s also frustrating that you’re required to take it and pay for it. If the tool is that complicated, Infusionsoft should make the training free.

Wrapping Up This Infusionsoft Review 

Although there are plenty of cons, the pros more than outweigh them. Infusionsoft deserves your attention if you’re a small business owner looking for a suite of tools that will help you build a business online. Keep in mind: Infusionsoft also offers a free, 14-day trial period. So kick those tires and see if you like it.