Drip Email Marketing Tool
(The Definitive Review & Tutorial 2019)
Everything You Need To Know About Drip
Could this be the Best Email Marketing Tool for your Business?
In this Review you’ll discover everything you need to know about the Drip Email Marketing Tool. The EntrepreneursGateway.com Team have tested Drip to the Max in this Definitive Review.
Discover how Drip compares against the Competition and Ratings?
What are the Pros and Cons of Drip?
Most importantly, will Drip get the EntrepreneursGateway.com’s seal of approval as being one of the best Email Marketing Tool’s on the Market?
Is it easy to use and what features does it come with?
Well, we have tested every feature to the MAX!
Let us Begin…
An EntrepreneursGateway.com Review you can Trust!
Effectiveness
Very comprehensive email marketing tool which can handle most things.
Cost
Not the most cheapest out there, but it does offer a free plan.
Usability
Considering the functionality, it’s relatively simple to use, but not really for a beginner.
Support
Good support but be careful if you have a free plan, as support is limited. No phone support either
We Like
- A tag-based structure
- Complex events and tracking
- Powerful visual automation builder
- Automatic resend to unopened announcements
- Integration with Zapier
- Exceptional support channels
We Don't Like
- Restricted split-testing ability
- Inadequate form builder
- Limited template library
Introduction
Drip came to the market in 2013, so this is a newer tool from the review. It very much focuses on automation and was brought about by the people behind LeadPages.
Now, although going head to head with some very established competition, Drip has established itself as one of the leading tools on the market today.
So, what we want to know is just how well Drip works in respect of email marketing?
I wanted to show in the review, how Drip performs against other popular competitors.
So, here’s my results with things I did and didn’t like in this process.
For a more comprehensive look at the process, why not go check out the roundup review.
Features
#1. System & Segmentation
In this section, you’ll discover which method Drip uses with list segmentation.
This not only saves you time, but ensures that you offer the right products to the people that are interested in them.
Let’s find out how Drip did.
As you would expect, Drip focuses on both events and tags.
Note: you can manually apply tags, or have them applied through the automation workflows, as follows:
It’s so easy to create behavioral-based tagging in this system, simply by switching out the primary trigger.
For instance, being able to tag any subscriber who has clicked a certain link within one of my emails, I will simply find it in my trigger menu.
Once you have installed Drip’s tracking code, the “trigger links” will be able to go on any page.
And what’s more it will tag and track the subscribers; which can be based on pages they interacted with, or visited within your site.
Let’s just say this is very useful for designing such things as onboarding emails, which are click-based, timed info product delivery and cart abandonment campaigns, (whereby a customer adds their items to their online shopping cart, and for some reason, they leave without completing their purchase.)
Drip’s segmentation capabilities are also really good. The events section also works the same as the tags, other than its time-stamped with the ability to be applied many times.
Normally they are applied automatically to subscribers which is through third-party integration.
For instance, if a customer was to purchase via ThriveCart; This information could be used to focus on someone who has purchased a certain product within the last six months.
Verdict: For both segmentation and managing subscribers, Drip is a great tool
For Segmentation and Managing Subscribers, Drip's email marketing tool is fantastic!
#2. Automation
Automation is the main reason why people use email marketing right?…..Can Drip automate your marketing to save you time and increase your profits?
Let’s find out…
Drip is very much focused on automation, so this part was something I really wanted to get in to.
There are two different methods to building automations. These are Rules and Workflows.
‘Workflows’ provides a visual automation builder, with the ability to branch out, based on different conditions.
‘Rules’ is similar to ConvertKit with a “trigger and action” method. As mentioned in the ConverKit Review, it does have its limitations and problems.
If you wanted to perform a more straightforward one-off rule, then you may appreciate the basic interface.
However, if you are an automation expert who wants the most out of his tool, then you would definitely want to take advantage of the Workflow builder.
In terms of speed, compared to ActiveCampaign, Drip was amazingly faster.
From simply a sheer power perspective, it was very difficult to call.
When you first look, ActiveCampaign has much more to offer for both contact actions and conditions, but then looking further, I was more in favor of Drip.
For example, You get a lot of other options by clicking on the ‘Action’ Button
Verdict: It does have a slightly baffling management face for various automation rules, but Drip does deliver as being a simple automation-focused email marketing tool.
#3. A/B Testing
In this section you’ll discover just how Drip manages it’s split testing capabilities?
How can it improve your goals and conversion rates?
We put it to the test…
With the tab “Analytics” is the choice to build a split-test.
Here you can test various subject lines, such as name, and the delivery timing.
Pretty basic right?
I wanted to test the email content, but it appears that Drip can’t offer this.
It can be achieved by the use of tags to put your subscribers in two “piles”. However, this is a more complicated way than an actual solution.
So, for the actual A/B testing automation workflows.
I didn’t have much luck!
Something that can be achieved in ActiveCamapign.
Judging by this tool, you would not expect these kinds of drawbacks.
Verdict: Drip does offer a fairly good A/B testing system but if you want to test your email content, it’s pretty difficult.
#4. Form Building
Almost every email marketing tools have their own form builder. But…..are Drip’s form building capabilities enough to help you to build your forms seamlessly to ensure your leads are captured through whichever method you use?
This is what we found….
Pretty impressive Drip!
You’ll be glad to know that you can more or less control most aspects of your form.
For instance, take a peek at these settings:
So, even with so many options to go through, it doesn’t feel overwhelming, and you can choose whether you want to install it either as a widget, a hosted form, or simply embed the code.
Unfortunately, I did not get on with the design customizer. It was slightly basic, compared to the rest of what you can do.
So finally, as I mentioned earlier, you are able to build form automation straight from the form builder.
This can cause a few problems with managing and organizing your automation across the platform, It was great to be able to design tailor-made automation rules for particular forms.
Verdict: There may be a few limitations that some of us may not be able to accept, but there really is so much to love here, so this can be overlooked.
#5. Email Templates
We all know that having a selection of email templates not only saves you time, but is also a way to keep the consistency of your brand. It’s also vital that they are responsive, so that it doesn’t matter what device your customers are viewing them on, your email won’t disappoint.
So how does Drip compare when it comes to their choice, design, customization and responsiveness of their email templates?
Verdict: Not impressed; not much more I can say here!
#6. Integrations
Can Drip communicate with third party applications?
It’s vital that your email marketing software can integrate with the most popular software tools out there….
Here’s what we found…
Drip’s integrations were not as extensive as some of the other tools.
Considering this is a reasonably new company it’s not a big surprise, but nevertheless, something I wanted to point out.
It does link to Zapier, opening up many potential integrations which will be via the “Zap” system.
Verdict: If you were using complicated applications, then you probably don’t need to think about this side of it at all.
#7. Tracking & Reporting
No email marketing tool is complete without being able to track and report.
How does Drip rate at being able to review its data analytics so that it helps you to improve the overall effectiveness of your email marketing and also improve your profits?…..
From an email marketing perspective, your main dashboard will show a summary of your site.
With everything from, form opens, page visits, conversions, and subscriptions.
Remember to note, only by installing the code snippet will allow this, and other features to work.
From here, you can go to your “broadcasts” (mostly one-time emails) to take a look at the individual reports.
You are now able to gauge how every email has performed, with, clicks, conversions, opens and unsubscribes.
All good so far!….
For autoresponders (or campaigns,) you get the same sort of thing, with just a few extras to tracking the metrics.
In this instance above, you will only be able to see conversions and subscriptions.
So last, but by no means least, we have what’s called the dedicated “Reports” page. This breaks down a set of other email marketing features.
This includes things such as, hard bounces, subscriber progress, and opens by the hour.
In short, if you want to dig into the statistics, then this is where you will be satisfied.
Verdict: I can state it truly goes way past the basics, and what’s great is that it’s a breeze to create the precise information you want.
Check Out The Definitive Review & Tutorial for #Email #Marketing #Tools and take control of your subscribers!
Support & Documentation
For many of us, this can be massive factor to take into consideration when choosing any tool.
Now, what support is available?
You are able to get in touch with Drip by completing the contact form.
So, I sent a few test emails to see what the response time would be, and it was typically between 24 to 48 hours; that’s not too bad.
I have to say their reply time was good, so no reason to keep going back to get my answer. There’s one last thing to note, email support can be limited with Drips free plan.
Beside this, you can use its knowledge base, this was very detailed.
What’s more, there is the addition of the Facebook community which has more than 16,000 members. This is also listed as an official support option.
However, the drawback is that it’s a “LeadPages” and not a “Drip” group. Although run by the same team, it therefore has a wider discussion group between its members, so not great.
The last option available to you is their “Drip Live Coaching”. By signing up to this, you get access to their live training webinars. (via ConvertedU.com)
These webinars do not just cover email marketing. They cover a wide selection on marketing topics, and also give you the option to watch back any previous replays.
So quite good really!
Furthermore, Drip offers the choice for live chat to its paying customers, but remember this is not available on the free plan.
They don’t offer phone support. This could be make or break if that’s your preferred method of support.
Verdict: Aside from its lack of support for anybody who is on the free plan, and no phone number, Drip’s support overall is up to par.
Pricing
Drip’s pricing scheme is pretty simple. You get all the same features, the only difference being the number of contacts you have.
Their ‘starter’ plan is free of charge, supporting up to 100 subscribers per month. But be careful as their support isn’t readily available on this plan.
Basic Plan is $49 per month – up to 2,500 subscribers
Pro Plan is $99 per month – up to 5,000 subscribers
If you wanted to pay annually, you get two months for free.
You also have the options for a 21 day trial for free – if you choose their Enterprise plan.
You will need to contact their sales team to get a quote depending on your list size.
Testing Deliverability
We wanted to truly test the deliverability with each of the email marketing tools within this review.
This can be quite difficult to test, and we then decided upon two different methods:
- Run an identical campaign to measure the open rates across all email marketing tools
- For a more analytical, instant result, test with GlockApps
This process is covered in more detail – check out my roundup review on email marketing tools, so go check it out… (link to round up post)
The Results:
With our testing, the open rate for Drip came in at a respectable 36.1% .
So with GlockApps, see the screenshot below to see how it performed:
To get a better understanding of these results, the attached table has been put together and here is what this looks like for all the email marketing tools we are covering:
Please note that unfortunately, AWeber wouldn’t let me test with GlockApps. Extremely frustrating!
Is Drip the Right Email Marketing Tool For You?
Let’s remember that Drip is not going to be the right tool for everyone. Let’s check out who it suits.
Budget Bloggers
Firstly, here are the numbers, based on the lowest-tier plan for other popular tools on the market.
It does appear Drip is on the more expensive side, but why this stays within that budget friendly zone, is that they offer a fully-featured free plan up to 100 subscribers!
100 subscribers won’t last long, so you will need to eventually upgrade to their next plan which is $49 per month.
If, however you were wanting something with a touch more power, and happy to pay the extra, then Drip is a good choice.
Beginner Bloggers
A key reason why I like Drip is it keeps things more or less simple, yet without restricting its functionality.
I think you may need some experience with email marketing to use Drip, as there is a small learning curve that some beginners may not cope with.
If you’re new to all this then, I would suggest ConvertKit or Mailchimp, to start out with.
Anyway, it’s not very likely that you will require the more complex features of tools such as Drip at this early stage.
Advanced Marketers
Well, this time I can go right ahead and recommend Drip.
Drip can still virtually handle anything you throw at it, and yes, it may be lacking in things such as email templates, custom lead scoring, a built-in CRM, and slightly more advanced automation capabilities, but all these features come at a higher cost.
Conclusion
Drip is a tool that I’ve heard so much about, but have never got to test until now that is…It turns out to be one of the few tools that managed to live up to its hype and can see why it’s so popular.
However, don’t take my word for it, as Drip offers a fully features free account, why not give it a try…
Disclaimer
(The EntrepreneursGateway.com team are committed to produce independent, thoroughly researched and comprehensive guides and reviews for the best products and services that will help you in your business and your life. If you like what we do, you can support us through our chosen links, which earns us a small amount of commission which helps us fund our research and maintenance of the blog to better help you. Learn more about our Review Process.)
Now, over to you...
Now I’d love to hear from you:
Are you going to purchase Drip or are you already using it?
Perhaps you started reading this review with the intention to buy, and maybe now you’re not so sure!
Feel free to leave a comment below and we’ll see if I can help…. or check out the other reviews like ActiveCampaign or AWeber.
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