ActiveCampaign is an email marketing software and a service provider while ClickFunnels is a sales funnel builder used to generate leads and sales. Neither is only defined by these functions, with other features and functions included. As marketing tools, though, their fortes hold their major strengths.
What we cover
How Does ActiveCampaign Work?
ActiveCampaign is an online marketing tool and marketing automation platform. It primarily uses powerful email marketing campaigns to compete with other email marketing tools. This competition comes in the fields of campaign management, and contract management. Sales force automation and sales management are also included here.
ActiveCampaign provides email marketing automation and can be useful for drip-based email online marketing campaigns.
You can set up a free account to test an email campaign. It allows the creation of a range of email templates, even variants of the same template, without having any knowledge of HTML. If you’re not keen on moving onto a paid membership, just exit – you don’t have to cancel to avoid any payment.
Custom fields exist as part of the free design services on templates. Hence, you can insert your own information and determine the types of emails you want to send based on specific guidelines you set up.
You don’t need coding knowledge to work with ActiveCampaign, as it integrates with SalesForce. So you can send your email campaigns directly from your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system.
As an ActiveCampaign user, you can build your contact information and the platform provides automated follow-up thereafter. Emails get sent based on distinctive triggers, in time frames that you determine. You can also build your own contact lists for easier email campaign management.
This private startup Unicorn company also provides options to track information through the detailed analytics it provides. As such, you can always have a firm finger on the pulse of each of your email campaigns.
Unique Features of ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign has some marked and significant features:
- Besides its email marketing software status, ActiveCampaign is also a CRM. As such, you aren’t restricted to only receiving or sending emails. It also affords you the capacity to manage your workflow and teams, while co-ordinating leads and contracts, plus much more.
- Through ActiveCampaign you can check your audience’s motivation with lead scoring. You’re also able to set up custom levels to raise or lower the behavioral scores of different prospects.
- ActiveCampaign includes many advanced and versatile email marketing automation functions. You can use ActiveCampaign to assemble various deals based on distinctive actions. For example, a specific marketing automation setting can kick in if a lead magnet gets downloaded.Email marketing automation affords you immediate ways to reach audiences through various platforms. You can also follow up on leads according to scores and create complex workflows and drip campaigns with marketing automation.With ActiveCampaign, you can plan sequences in marketing automation using different platforms, not only email. ActiveCampaign can set up marketing automation sequences for Instagram, Facebook, and others too.
- It’s important that your sales team stays informed about the movements of your users. ActiveCampaign sets up notifications for different actions made by your visitors and subscribers.If a user completes a form submission or unsubscribes, immediate action is needed from your team. Receiving immediate notifications can be vital in these instances.
- A/B split testing can be as important for email marketing and marketing automation as it is for sales funnels. ActiveCampaign means users can test between varying elements within emails and reports. This allows them to see which shows better results.
How Does Clickfunnels Work?
ClickFunnels is a funnel builder that builds and manages high-converting online sales funnels. It has a special reputation for assisting small businesses with sales optimization processes. These processes enhance conversion prospects.
ClickFunnels builds entire sales funnels from beginning to end, making use of a host of sales funnel templates. These include upsell, membership site, lead generation, sales, and landing pages.
Sales and landing pages are often stand-alone pages but ClickFunnels also provides others. Webinar, checkout, and thank you pages are among every part of the funnel that gets covered.
Businesses can create landing pages and sales pages using other platforms. A landing page only caters to a specific part of an active campaign, however. What ClickFunnels offers includes unlimited funnels for businesses that can be quickly set up. It also offers certain automation capabilities to further simplify the operation process.
ClickFunnels streamlines sales processes for businesses through sales funnel creations that work efficiently. With sales funnel optimization you better your visitor’s understanding and potential for navigation.
This optimization includes the chance to create attractive visuals and authentic written copy to help convince visitors. Well-positioned call-to-actions on sales pages can generate more conversions.
ClickFunnels is a top-class lead-generation tool. Using it can optimize your landing pages and create lead magnets. As such, you can enhance lead capture for your business and make use of email campaigns to further boost them.
Your business ROI will also likely improve using ClickFunnels. It assists in fine-tuning sales processes to further increase conversions. If your sales and marketing funnels are more effective, revenue will improve via lower acquisition costs per customer.
Unique Features of Clickfunnels
ClickFunnels has several features that stand out.
- Through the research and testing ClickFunnels does, it determines high-converting sales funnels that excel. Members get access to templates for all of these, along with those for high-converting landing pages for lead generation. You’re hence able to generate more leads and force further conversions.
- ClickFunnels was created to enhance product sale prospects for its members. As such, it’s an excellent platform for businesses involved in e-commerce. ClickFunnels is a top-class platform to use for building your e-commerce website. Its sales funnels are specifically designed for the purpose of selling.
- A follow-up funnel builder constructs funnels that can be just as important as a primary sales funnel. The ClickFunnels follow-up funnel builder assists to convert users not converted via primary sales funnels.Follow-up funnels through ClickFunnels are email-based with automation capabilities. An action triggers when potential customers abandon their purchases in an attempt to recapture a sale.
- Many businesses look for ways of generating residual income through their websites. ClickFunnels offers you the option to build a complete membership site from scratch. This way, you can drive recurring revenue by providing exclusive content to your paying members on a monthly basis.
- ClickFunnels has a drag-and-drop editor that makes customizing your sales funnel quick and easy to do. You’re able to refine and customize all your pages and elements with the same drag-and-drop editing process.
- The ClickFunnels dashboard includes an analytics tab that allows members to keep abreast of how the sales funnels for each active campaign are performing.
- As a business, you’re able to connect your domain and host it through ClickFunnels or, alternatively, you could buy a new one through the platform. No need to look for a separate hosting company for your website.
- ClickFunnels is able to integrate with an email service provider like ActiveCampaign. Without the integration, ClickFunnels still allows your business to gather email leads and sort them into lists as you choose. You can also contact them through ClickFunnels.
Which Is Better?
Let’s investigate how ActiveCampaign vs. ClickFunnels differ. We’ll also look at where any similarities lie.
Funnel or Page Builder
ActiveCampaign includes a landing page builder in its ‘pages’ section to create landing pages seamlessly. It’s limited, though, as it doesn’t have many of the features of targeted landing page builders. ActiveCampaign doesn’t build complete funnels.
ClickFunnels is easy to use, and there’s no need for coding experience to build landing pages. Its primary function is as a sales funnel builder, and it is one of the best available. ClickFunnels is user-friendly for this purpose.
Email Marketing & Automation
ActiveCampaign is first an email marketing tool with top-rate automation. With an excellent contact database available to members, and powerful analytics included, it’s the best value-for-money option among email marketing products available on the market.
ClickFunnels can create both promotions and broadcasts via its email marketing feature. It’s more effective in this department when integrated with a dedicated email marketing platform such as ActiveCampaign.
ClickFunnels is exceptional at automating marketing campaigns and generating leads with its sales funnels.
Templates & Customization
ActiveCampaign’s email designer makes customizing its wide variety of templates simple through dragging and dropping. Templates are available for both automated and direct campaigns.
Through the themes dashboard in your ClickFunnels account, you’ll find a listing of themes you can customize. These include a broad range of entire sales funnel page templates.
A/B Testing
With ActiveCampaign, you can improve your email marketing campaign results by conducting short and medium-term A/B testing.
Both ClickFunnels and ActiveCampaign have A/B testing capabilities. The former’s testing is certainly more extensive and wide-ranging. You can conduct tests on funnels, individual pages, and emails while also testing your videos, images, copy, and page or funnel design.
Analytics & Tracking
ActiveCampaign has many tools and analytics that report on and track users’ campaigns. Through these, you can improve your campaigns by better understanding your members or subscribers.
ClickFunnels Analytics provides advanced data in real-time, meaning members can draw informed conclusions on necessary tweaks that need making to marketing campaigns. ClickFunnels also allows you to track, compare, and review funnel performances over long periods.
Pricing Plans & Free Trials
Pricing Plans for ActiveCampaign vs. ClickFunnels:
- ActiveCampaign offers a free trial on the supply of your email address. You have the option of purchasing a single, 3-user, 5-user, or customized 10-user plan. The first three available plans range between $29 and $149 per month, paid annually. The price of the larger customized plan depends on the features you choose.
- ClickFunnels offers a 14-day free trial period before you decide which of the three plans available suits you best. The cheapest plan is currently discounted to $127 per month with the premium plan costing a discounted $208 per month.
Integration
ActiveCampaign has over 900 integration options. Among these are many with popular e-commerce and CRM platforms including Shopify and SalesForce. These integrations are user-friendly and don’t need much prior training to set up.
ClickFunnels is a digital marketing leader. As such, there’s no shortage of integration opportunities. Through these integrations with handy and relevant tools, ClickFunnels provides businesses with all they need to locate new customers and sell their products and services.
Affiliate Management
The ActiveCampaign Affiliate program offers those participating between 20% and 30% of recurring commissions through customer referrals.
ClickFunnels pays its affiliates as much as 40% in recurring commissions. These come through the sale of memberships, books, and challenges. Challenges like the “One Funnel Away Challenge” assists members to make money as an affiliate within 30 days.
Support
ActiveCampaign’s Help Center offers a variety of online support, with an option to lodge support requests. There is also a Live Chat support option available to site visitors.
ClickFunnels offers comprehensive support through its Help Center. Assistance is available via email or phone call. Telephone support is only available for Premium members, however.
Final Verdict: Why Not Use Both?
ActiveCampaign pros
- Exceptional email collection and filtering from lead magnets
- Easy and aesthetically-pleasing email design and composition
- Excellent email sequencing and user categorization from opt-in trigger alternatives
ActiveCampaign cons
- Sign-up and opt-in pages are basic and unattractive for lower membership applications.
ClickFunnels pros
- Simple functionality on the front-end
- Sales funnel element sharing is possible
- All theme templates are aesthetically-pleasing
ClickFunnels cons
- Connecting your domain is difficult
- Awkward functionality on the back-end
Does it make sense to use both ActiveCampaign and ClickFunnels in your marketing campaigns? It most certainly does.
Both of these platforms are leaders in their fields and are affordable. With the integration between the two very easy to achieve, your business will end up with the best of both worlds.
How To Integrate ActiveCampaign and Clickfunnels Together
- In ClickFunnels, go to ‘Account Setting’
- Choose ‘Integrations’ then select ‘Add New Integration’
- Use the search bar to find ActiveCampaign and click its icon
- Name your integration
- Enter the API key and click ‘Add Integration’
ClickFunnels has a reputation for improving lead generation in businesses meaning better sales. ActiveCampaign is an email marketing tool. It improves leads and customer dialogue while enhancing marketing automation capabilities. Together, easy integration and affordability make using a combination of both worthwhile for businesses.
