It's an eternal battle. A battle for you, your attention, and your business. Yet, in the heat of the battle, it's you who emerges as the victor. After all, you hold the power to make the choice that brings the greatest value to your business. But what should you base that choice on?
Here's a comparison of two of the absolute biggest email marketing systems on the market, so you're better equipped to win the battle.
The past years have taught us more about marketing than the last decades. It's been a tumultuous time, and as marketers, we've constantly had to grapple with something new. Today, we face consumers whose attitudes and preferences have significantly changed.
They've grown accustomed to a different world - a world where they are at the center, where everything is delivered right before them, and where they get exactly what they point to when they need it—no more, no less.
Personalization and segmentation have, therefore, become more crucial than ever. Winning the battle by using a scattergun approach is not an option.
This means that our marketing approaches need to be reimagined.
Because even though it might seem tempting to focus all our attention on the latest trends and tendencies in webinars, video campaigns, and social media, one shouldn't get distracted and overlook some of the most fundamental aspects.
It's one of the oldest methods, yet it remains one of the most effective strategies - email marketing.
In fact, data from HubSpot suggests that for every $1 you invest in your email marketing strategies, you get $36 in return. So why not invest more in that machine?
Let's bring in some more weapons into the battle:
- There are 4 billion email users worldwide.
- 77% of surveyed marketers have witnessed an increase in email engagement in the last 12 months.
- Smartphone users prefer receiving brand communication via email.
Therefore, it's no wonder that up to 37% of all brands choose to increase their email budgets.
And reaching that success might seem quite simple. Send a newsletter, create a segment, activate an automation—easy peasy. But remember all that you've learned in recent years.
You need to serve your subscribers.
And how do you do that? You can only do it by using the tools that benefit your business the most. One thing is what a subscription to an email system costs; another thing is the opportunities the system provides you. And that's something you shouldn't compromise on—better to pay a little more to win the battle.
For many, the choice of an email system boils down to Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign. They are two mammoths, both vying for attention and trying to convince you that they each have everything you dream of—and more.
But who wins that battle? Which system is best for you?
Don't be dazzled.
In many aspects, they resemble each other, while in others, they differ significantly. So what do you need? What adds value for you? And what do consumers expect from the communication coming from your company?
Let's delve into these two systems.
If you're seeking an in-depth comparison of specific features, including multiple email systems, you can take a look here.
Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign for B2B and B2C?
When delving into the use of Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign concerning B2B and B2C markets, there are notably differences in the approach to targeting, segmentation, and communication. As B2B and B2C markets operate with distinct dynamics, audiences, and purchasing processes, it naturally influences the decision about which automation tool should be used.
For B2B companies, ActiveCampaign is often preferred - particularly due to the system's focus on the sales process. With features like Sales Pipeline and advanced Lead Scoring, ActiveCampaign can support B2B companies in their follow-up with potential customers, helping identify the most promising leads. It's essentially a simple CRM system.
This detailed insight into customer engagement and purchasing behavior is crucial for the B2B sales cycle, where the decision-making process is often longer and more complex.
On the other hand, Klaviyo is typically better suited for B2C companies—especially within e-commerce and direct consumer communication.
Klaviyo enables the use of purchase behavior data to create targeted and personalized campaigns. For B2C companies focusing on consumer engagement and offering products or services, having a system that allows for the creation of automated campaigns based on, for example, past purchases, shopping behavior, and product interests is invaluable.
This kind of detailed segmentation and targeting is crucial for effective communication with B2C customers who often expect personalized experiences and tailored content.
Even though both platforms have functionalities that can be adapted to both B2B and B2C markets, their strengths and focus areas differ. ActiveCampaign's ability to provide detailed sales management fits well with B2B's complex sales processes, while Klaviyo's focus on purchase behavior data is ideal for creating engaging customer experiences within the B2C sector.
A lot of purchase-related data can also be managed in ActiveCampaign; therefore, if you deal with both B2B and B2C, ActiveCampaign might be the best choice.
The choice between Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign thus depends on your company's specific goals, target audience, and the desired approach to targeting and communication.
Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign for website and webshop?
When we shift our focus towards systems from a website and webshop perspective, there are again different functionalities to consider, especially concerning targeted marketing and automation.
A webshop typically requires marketing tools that can leverage purchase behavior data and create targeted campaigns aimed at specific products, transaction history, and customer relationships. Klaviyo has proven to be a strong player in this aspect, offering advanced options to create automated campaigns based on customer purchase behavior and past interactions.
On the other hand, ActiveCampaign can be easily adapted to webshops but also to websites that focus less on direct sales and more on building an engaging content universe, including through the Pages function. Its strengths lie in creating complex and tailored automated flows that are not necessarily directly related to a transaction. This can be suitable for websites aiming to build relationships, gather leads, and generate valuable communication.
There's some overlap between the two platforms as both can be tailored to suit both webshops and websites.
Klaviyo, like ActiveCampaign, can be used to create targeted communication on websites, while ActiveCampaign also offers a plethora of options for utilizing purchase behavior data. Both have extensive capabilities for building flows, feature built-in lead generation functions (including via pop-ups), and can integrate with a wide range of systems, including e-commerce systems like Shopify.
The choice between Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign, therefore, largely depends on the desired approach to marketing, whether it's based on purchase behavior data and direct sales (typically for webshops) or more engaging content strategies (typically for websites).
Ultimately, it's essential to consider how each system can be adapted and integrated into your specific online strategy. Additionally, choosing the email system that offers the simplest integration with your CMS can be beneficial, enabling maximum data synchronization between the two platforms.
It's important to note that both systems offer a wide array of integrations—and even the possibility of building further upon them with the right developer skills.
Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign for user interface and user-friendliness?
Most marketers interact with their email marketing system daily, so it's essential for it to be pleasant to work with, intuitive to navigate, and overall offer top-notch user-friendliness. And both systems have their strengths in this regard.
Klaviyo has entered the market with its simplicity and user-friendliness. This makes it easy for users to create and implement campaigns without any in-depth technical knowledge or prior experience with automation systems. It's especially useful for smaller companies or those without an extensive marketing department, as it requires less time and fewer resources to start sending emails. The user interface is intuitive, offering a drag-and-drop editor in many areas, making it easy to build automated flows, newsletters, segments, and much more.
ActiveCampaign offers a more comprehensive but also more complex user experience. The system boasts many powerful tools and functionalities, which can result in a steeper learning curve due to the greater number of options. Therefore, mastering the platform often takes more time, especially for users without prior experience with similar systems.
However, ActiveCampaign's depth allows for more advanced automations and campaigns, which can be attractive, particularly for larger companies with more complex marketing needs.
User-friendliness is crucial as it affects how easily and quickly a company can implement its marketing strategy. Klaviyo's user-friendly approach can be advantageous for those seeking a quick start and simple campaign implementation. On the other hand, ActiveCampaign's robust features may appeal to those seeking more advanced options, even though it might require more time to become familiar with the platform.
Both Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign offer sleek and modern designs, regularly updated to align with current trends and accommodate additional functionalities. In both cases, you encounter a system that is a joy to work with—inspiring beautiful emails and creative flows.
Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign for AI?
Both Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign have integrated AI (artificial intelligence) capabilities within their marketing tools, but there are differences in approach and the extent of AI functionalities.
Klaviyo primarily leverages AI to predict customer behavior and preferences based on purchase history, browsing behavior, and interactions. This enables users to create more personalized campaigns by determining which products or content a given customer is likely to be interested in.
Within Klaviyo, you'll find AI features such as behavior forecasting and content creation with SMS assistant, subject line assistant, and suggested text responses. However, Klaviyo's AI functionalities are not as deeply integrated as we experience in some other systems, and they mainly rely on existing data.
On the other hand, ActiveCampaign offers a more comprehensive AI functionality that extends beyond predicting customer behavior. Here, extensive and powerful machine learning algorithms allow for identifying patterns in data, automating tasks based on behavioral patterns, and even recommending actions from complex analyses. This means you can receive assistance in everything from writing content for your emails via the AI Content Generator to building the automations you envision. As a result, you can quickly set up complex and tailored automations that respond to real-time behavior and changes in customer interactions.
In both cases, the prompts and responses for AI are currently available only in English. This doesn't impact the creation of automations but can be a useful tool when seeking inspiration for content and subject lines.
It's essential to note that AI is a rapidly evolving field, and as such, both systems are continually adding new AI functionalities.
Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign in terms of pricing?
Like in most other systems, pricing in Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign varies based on features and the number of contacts and users you require.
Klaviyo utilizes a pricing structure based on the number of contacts in your database and the emails sent to these contacts. This means the price increases according to the contact count, scaling with your email business growth. Therefore, the price may fluctuate monthly based on increases or decreases in your contact list.
Klaviyo's pricing isn't feature-based (except for SMS sending, email and chat support, and a few other features), and you always get standard access to all features, including campaigns, automations, segmentations, and lead collection.
ActiveCampaign's pricing is more complex. It also varies based on the number of contacts and users, offering different plans with varying features. This allows you to pay only for the features you require, tailoring the system to your business needs.
The more extensive functionalities, such as advanced automation possibilities and integration options, are often available in the more expensive plans, while you get all the necessary standard features in the cheaper plans.
Klaviyo is often advantageous for smaller businesses or those with a growing email list, offering a simple pricing structure and access to all features. ActiveCampaign appeals more to larger businesses seeking specific advanced features and are willing to pay more for these functionalities and the opportunities they open up.
It's worth noting that ActiveCampaign starts at a lower price point than Klaviyo, while Klaviyo can quickly surpass the price of ActiveCampaign as you scale. However, if there's a need for a range of advanced functionalities, ActiveCampaign might become the more expensive solution.
You can find a more in-depth comparison of ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo, and several other email systems here.
