Why I Choose ConvertKit Over Squarespace Email Campaigns: A Web Designer's Perspective
As a web designer specialising in enhancing online presence and digital marketing strategies for my clients, I've experimented with various tools and platforms to streamline my processes and optimise results. Some of them have become must-haves in my arsenal of apps and tools, others have left me scratching my head and wondering why anyone would use them!
In this article, I'll talk about why I've chosen ConvertKit over Squarespace Email Campaigns for my email marketing and why I highly recommend it to (some of) my clients.
Understanding the Importance of Email Marketing
Before delving into the comparison, it's crucial to underscore the significance of email marketing in today's digital landscape. Email remains one of the most effective channels for engaging and nurturing leads, building relationships with customers, and driving conversions. If you want to make more sales from people who visit your website, integrating robust email marketing strategies is non-negotiable.
The Appeal of Squarespace Email Campaigns
Squarespace is renowned for its user-friendly website building capabilities, offering sleek templates and intuitive design tools. It's no surprise that many businesses, especially those already utilising Squarespace for their websites, consider Squarespace Email Campaigns as a convenient option. The seamless integration promises simplicity and cohesion, which can be appealing to clients seeking an all-in-one solution. Indeed a lot of my clients are happily using Squarespace Email Campaigns for their email marketing - especially those with ecommerce websites - but it starts to get trickier to manage when you want to ramp things up a bit.
Why I Opt for ConvertKit
1. Customisation and Flexibility
One of the primary reasons I prefer ConvertKit is its customisation and flexibility. As a web designer, I value the ability to tailor every aspect of my clients' email marketing campaigns to align with their branding and objectives. ConvertKit allows me to create visually stunning emails and opt-in forms that seamlessly integrate with my clients' websites, ensuring a cohesive brand experience across all touchpoints. You can do this with Squarespace Email Campaigns too but it is less flexible. For example you can only have one pop-up window on your site with Squarespace Email Campaigns - go to Marketing - Marketing Tools - Promotional Popup. Whereas with Convertkit you can have as many as you want. I don’t actually recommend multiple pop-ups on your site, but you may want different styles of opt-ins/lead magnets, and Convertkit makes that easy.
2. Advanced Automation Capabilities
Automation is the cornerstone of efficient and scalable marketing efforts. ConvertKit excels in this aspect, offering automation features that allow you to create sophisticated email sequences, segment audiences based on their behaviour and preferences, and deliver personalised content at the right time. By automating repetitive tasks and nurturing leads through targeted workflows, you can maximise engagement and conversion rates. Squarespace Email Campaigns falls short when it comes to sophisticated email sequences and you’ll quickly be frustrated by the lack of options.
3. Powerful Lead Generation Tools
ConvertKit's focus on lead generation sets it apart from Squarespace Email Campaigns. With ConvertKit, I can effortlessly create lead magnets, such as ebooks, quizzes, webinars, or email courses, and seamlessly integrate them into my clients' websites using customizable opt-in forms and landing pages. The platform's Lead Magnet Delivery feature ensures a smooth and seamless experience for subscribers, fostering trust and incentivising sign-ups. Again, this is possible to a certain extent in Squarespace Email Campaigns, but segmentation is nigh-on impossible (you end up having multiple lists, so the same person could be on more than one list).
4. Data-Driven Insights
In the realm of digital marketing, data is king! ConvertKit provides comprehensive analytics and reporting tools that allow me to track the email campaigns in real-time. From open and click-through rates to subscriber engagement and conversion metrics, ConvertKit offers actionable insights that enable me to iterate and optimise my strategies for maximum impact. With Squarespace Email Campaigns, the analytics capabilities are, again, comparatively limited, hindering my ability to make informed decisions and drive results.
5. Dedicated Support and Community
ConvertKit's commitment to customer success is evident in its dedicated support team and vibrant community of users. Whenever I encounter technical issues or need guidance on strategy implementation, I can rely on ConvertKit's knowledgeable support staff to provide timely assistance and expert advice. Moreover, the platform's active community forums and educational resources allow me to stay updated on the latest trends and best practices in email marketing, ensuring that I can deliver best-in-class solutions to you, my clients.
I recently attended a webinar with their founder, Nathan Barry, who was talking all about email marketing flywheels and it was super-interesting. A flywheel is basically a system that automatically perpetuates itself, without you having to do anything. He gave an example of a content flywheel, whereby your welcome email to new subscribers would include asking them questions about what sort of content they would like to receive from you. This is written in such a compelling way that your new subscribers write back, telling you what interests them…and bingo you have your content ideas for your next newsletters. And it keeps going….new subscriber > feedback on content ideas > fodder for newsletters etc I’m sure Nathan won’t mind me sharing his slide:
Why I Recommend ConvertKit to My Clients
I’m on a mission to empower businesses to thrive online, which is I recommend ConvertKit to (most of) my clients for the following reasons:
Scalability and Growth Potential: ConvertKit is designed to scale with businesses of all sizes, from startups to enterprise-level organisations. Its interface and features make it easy for clients to manage their email marketing efforts as their audience grows and their needs evolve.
Manageable learning curve: it always takes a bit of time and patience to learn how to use a new app and I will admit that Convertkit was not always the most intuitive when I was getting started with it. But once you understand the logic behind how it works, it makes much more sense. Tracking your subscribers, where they came from, tagging and segmenting…all of this is child’s play when everything is set up correctly and strategically.
Integration Capabilities: ConvertKit seamlessly integrates with a wide range of third-party tools and platforms, including popular website builders like Squarespace, WordPress and Shopify. This flexibility ensures that my clients can leverage ConvertKit's capabilities without disrupting their existing workflows or tech stack. It also integrates with my favourite interactive quiz platform, TryInteract, making it easy to install a lead-generating quiz on your site and connect the subscribers who take the quiz to your Convertkit subscriber list.
Focus on Deliverability and Compliance: ConvertKit prioritises email deliverability and compliance with data privacy regulations, such as GDPR. By adhering to industry best practices and implementing stringent security measures, ConvertKit helps my clients maintain trust and credibility with their subscribers while minimising the risk of deliverability issues or legal complications.
Empowerment Through Education: ConvertKit's commitment to education and empowerment aligns with my ethos of equipping clients with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed. Whether through comprehensive documentation, educational resources, or live training sessions, ConvertKit empowers my clients to harness the full potential of email marketing and achieve their business objectives.
Proven Results: Time and again, ConvertKit delivers tangible results, driving engagement, nurturing leads and generating revenue. Its user-friendly interface, advanced features, and data-driven approach make it a powerful app for levelling-up your email marketing.
So who are the clients I don’t recommend Convertkit to?
It’s not that I don’t recommend it, but Squarespace Email Campaigns is usually sufficient for newbies to email marketing. It’s beautifully designed, easy to use and has a certain amount of automations that are possible. It’s just when you want to take things to the next level, say with an interactive quiz, Convertkit comes into its own.
To conclude..
In the often-confusing landscape of digital marketing, choosing the right email marketing platform can make all the difference in achieving success. While Squarespace Email Campaigns offers convenience and integration for Squarespace users, ConvertKit stands out as the superior choice for web designers and businesses serious about maximising their email marketing efforts.
With its emphasis on customisation, automation, lead generation, analytics and support, ConvertKit empowers me to deliver unparalleled value to my clients, driving engagement, conversions, and long-term growth. By harnessing the power of ConvertKit, I can help businesses elevate their online presence, nurture meaningful relationships with their audience, and ultimately, achieve their marketing goals online.
