brevo | The Blog Pros

November 6, 2023

9 Best SMS Marketing Plugins for WordPress (Expert Pick for 2023)

Are you looking for an SMS marketing plugin for your WordPress website?

SMS marketing plugins are tools that will help you promote your products or services through text messages to users. They can increase sales and bring more traffic to your WordPress website.

In this article, we have hand-picked some of the best SMS marketing plugins for WordPress.

Why Use SMS Marketing Plugins on Your WordPress Website?

SMS marketing plugins allow you to send SMS updates, promotions, and other messages to customers or subscribers on your WordPress website.

By using SMS marketing plugins, you can send personalized SMS messages to users to increase user engagement, drive traffic, and boost sales on your site.

This can be highly effective for bringing back existing customers to your website or online store by reaching out and keeping them informed about promotions, sales, or events.

WordPress SMS marketing plugins are also typically super easy to use and cost-effective compared to other marketing channels.

Plus, open rates for SMS messages are significantly higher than email marketing. This means you are more likely to capture your audience’s attention and encourage them to take action.

That being said, let’s look at some of the best WordPress SMS marketing plugins that can help you promote the products and services offered on your WordPress website.

1. OptinMonster

OptinMonster is the best conversion optimization and lead generation software that comes with several marketing tools to help you turn website visitors into subscribers and customers.

It also allows you to create SMS campaigns by integrating with popular SMS marketing software like Brevo (formerly Sendinblue), Drip, and HubSpot.

The plugin comes with over 50 pre-built templates and a drag-and-drop builder, making it super easy to create engaging and attractive SMS messages for marketing campaigns.

Once you have done that, you can easily connect OptinMonster with an SMS marketing platform to send text messages to your users.

First, you will need to head over to the OptinMonster » Integrations page from the WordPress admin sidebar. Then, just click the ‘Connect’ button under the SMS marketing platform option of your choice.

Next, add your account name and API key to connect the platform with the plugin. After that, you will be able to launch your SMS campaign and send messages to your users.

Pros

Its user interface is super easy to navigate as it comes with a drag-and-drop builder.
OptinMonster allows you to create automated text messages triggered by specific actions like user behavior, demographics, or location.
It creates analytics reports to help you measure the effectiveness of your campaigns.
The tool makes it super easy to A/B test your SMS marketing campaigns and optimize your results.
With OptinMonster, you can also send personalized text messages using HTML elements.
It also offers other features like geolocation targeting, exit intent technology, an inactivity sensor, campaign scheduling, and more.

Cons

It’s a paid tool and doesn’t offer a free version.

Why we recommend OptinMonster: Overall, OptinMonster is the best SMS marketing tool for WordPress as it easily integrates with popular SMS marketing services, has 50+ pre-built templates, offers analytics and campaign scheduling, sends automated text messages, and more.

Plus, you can also use OptinMonster to create popups, floating bars, Yes/No forms, and spin-the-wheel popups, making it the ultimate choice for your WordPress site.

2. Nextiva

Nextiva is a well-known communication platform that offers a CRM (customer relationship manager), VOIP phone call, fax service, team messaging, video conferencing, and more.

It is the best call center software on the market and even offers built-in help desk software for customer support.

With Nextiva, you can easily launch an SMS marketing campaign for your website because the tool allows you to send text messages to large groups of people at once.

You can integrate it with your website using the NextivaONE plugin. Then, you can manage all your text messages, voice calls, call routing, and more in a central space.

Pros

It is a cloud-based tool, which makes it ideal for remote teams.
Nextiva can segment your contact list and send targeted SMS messages to different groups.
You can schedule your SMS marketing campaigns in advance.
You can also personalize your text messages by including the customer’s name, purchase history, or other relevant information.
It provides detailed analytics on your SMS marketing performance.
Nextiva can also integrate with other tools and offers automation, social media management, reputation management, and more.

Cons

Nextiva is more expensive than some of the other tools on this list.
It has a learning curve and can be difficult to use for beginners.

Why we recommend Nextiva: Overall, Nextiva is an ideal choice if you have a small business because it offers SMS marketing, automation, CRM, business phone number service, customer support software, and so much more. It is also a good choice if you have a remote team because it’s a cloud-based tool.

3. Joy Of Text

Joy Of Text is an amazing text messaging plugin that uses a Twilio account and phone number to send messages to your WordPress subscribers, customers, or users.

The plugin allows you to send automated SMS notifications, create custom messages for different events, allow opt-in subscriptions, and use two-way messaging.

Pros

Joy Of Text can segment your audience based on different demographic factors to create personalized SMS campaigns.
You can integrate Joy Of Text with popular form builders plugins like WPForms and Gravity Forms to send text messages to users who subscribed using your forms.
It allows you to create and send text-to-voice messages.
Joy Of Text includes analytics reports, bulk user import, searchable message history, and integration with the WordPress user database.
It has a free version.

Cons

The free Joy Of Text plugin does not allow you to send scheduled SMS messages.
It offers limited support, so you may have to troubleshoot problems yourself.
You cannot integrate the plugin with other SMS marketing platforms like Brevo.

Why we recommend Joy Of Text: Joy Of Text is a great choice if you are on a budget, as its free plan offers user-friendly features to create an SMS campaign. It’s also a good option for sending text messages to your email list if you collect subscribers using WPForms.

4. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is a well-known email and SMS marketing platform.

It makes it super easy to create highly personalized SMS messages with the recipient’s name, location, and more for your marketing campaigns.

Brevo allows you to segment your contact list based on different parameters like demographic, geographic, or behavioral data. This makes sure that your SMS messages reach the right audience.

Plus, Brevo even lets you manage all of your SMS marketing from your Brevo account or by using the Newsletter, SMTP, Email marketing, and Subscribe forms by Sendinblue plugin.

Pros

It lets you create automated SMS messages triggered by specific actions and perform A/B testing.
You can manage opt-in and opt-out requests to comply with SMS marketing regulations.
You can integrate Brevo with other popular applications, including eCommerce platforms, landing page builders, and CRMs, to streamline your SMS marketing workflow.
Brevo lets you measure the open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates of your SMS messages.

Cons

Brevo’s SMS marketing features are more limited than other tools on this list. For example, it doesn’t allow you to send scheduled SMS messages.
Brevo does not offer live chat support.

Why we recommend Brevo: If you have a small business website, then you should consider choosing Brevo. It’s super affordable, comes with powerful features, and allows you to easily manage opt-in and opt-out requests.

5. HubSpot

HubSpot is a well-known marketing platform that comes with a drag-and-drop builder and makes it super easy to launch SMS campaigns.

It has a suite of tools, including a CRM that allows you to personalize your email or SMS messages based on device type, country, list membership, or any other custom information for an individual subscriber.

Other than that, HubSpot even allows you to automate your SMS marketing campaigns so that you can send messages to customers after they subscribe to your newsletter, fill in a form, make a purchase, or more.

Pros

HubSpot comes with a free plugin that you can use on your WordPress site.
It lets you segment your contact list based on different demographics.
HubSpot provides you with detailed analytics about your SMS marketing campaigns.
It offers other features like live chat software, chatbots, A/B testing, marketing automation, drip campaigns, a website builder, a form builder, and more.

Cons

HubSpot’s SMS messages are limited to 160 characters, which can be restrictive for some businesses.
Its paid plan can be expensive for some users.

Why we recommend HubSpot: If you are looking for a suite of tools that let you create and manage your website easily, then HubSpot is a great option. It has a website builder, form builder, email and SMS marketing features, and more.

6. Texty

Texty is a free WordPress plugin that lets you send text messages to WordPress users’ phones, WhatsApp, or Telegram numbers.

It’s a lightweight and mobile-responsive plugin that must be integrated with a gateway like Twilio, Vonage, Plivo, or Clickatell to send SMS messages.

Pros

Texty offers many different customizable designs, including popups and banners.
It offers multilingual support and A/B testing.
Texty lets you segment your messages based on different criteria.
It can send automated messages to your users. For example, if you integrate Texty with WooCommerce, then you will be able to send automated messages that keep customers updated about their order status.

Cons

As the plugin is completely free, it offers limited features.
It does not offer great customer support.

Why we recommend Texty: Texty is a great free SMS marketing plugin if you have a small business website and are looking for a budget-friendly solution.

7. Omnisend

Omnisend is another powerful SMS and email marketing platform that allows you to create and automate SMS campaigns.

The tool comes with a drag-and-drop builder, an A/B testing feature, and integrates with platforms like WordPress, WooCommerce, help desk software, live chat software, and more.

With Omnisend, you can also allow your customers to respond to your SMS messages to open a communication channel or provide support.

Pros

It lets you create drip campaigns and segment your contact list based on different criteria.
You can run contests and giveaways via SMS messages.
It allows you to automate your SMS marketing campaigns based on triggers.
It has a free plan that offers most of the features required for setting up an SMS marketing campaign.

Cons

Omnisend has a lower deliverability rate for SMS than some of the other tools on this list. This means that sometimes your text messages may end up in the spam folder.
Its paid plan can be expensive for small businesses.

Why we recommend Omnisend: Overall, Omnisend is a great software that lets you create email and SMS marketing campaigns. We recommend it if you have an online store or need an omnichannel platform for managing your SMS, WhatsApp, and email messages in one place.

8. Formidable Forms + Twilio Add-On

Formidable Forms is an advanced form builder plugin that can be used to create contact forms, registration forms, subscription forms, and more.

By integrating the Twilio add-on, you can use Formidable Forms and Twilio to create SMS marketing campaigns for your WordPress site.

Pros

Using your Twilio phone number, you can send automated text messages to all the users who have filled out a form on your website.
Twilio allows you to receive a text message from your subscribers.
Formidable Forms also allows you to integrate your website with Zapier, Constant Contact, or MailChimp.
It offers an analytics feature that can help track your SMS marketing campaigns.

Cons

Formidable Forms does not offer a free plan.
It only allows you to send text messages to users who are part of your email list.

Why we recommend Formidable Forms + Twilio: Formidable Forms + Twilio addon is an ideal choice if you built an email list using the Formidable Forms plugin. Then, you can easily send SMS messages to all the users who are part of your email list.

9. Drip

Drip is another powerful email and SMS marketing platform that can easily be integrated with WooCommerce and WordPress using its free plugin.

With Drip, you can create a series of automated text messages that are sent to subscribers based on specific triggers, such as a new sign-up, a purchase, or a customer support interaction.

Pros

Drip also allows you to send one-off text messages to announce events or sales in your online store.
It comes with A/B testing and an analytics reports feature.
Drip allows you to personalize text messages and segment them based on different criteria, including location, purchase history, and interests.
It enables you to track the links in your text messages to see how many people click on them and track replies to your messages to improve user engagement.

Cons

Drip is a paid service.
Its user interface is a bit difficult to navigate, so it may take some time before you get the hang of it.
It does not allow you to create SMS drip campaigns.

Why we recommend Drip: If you have a WooCommerce store, then Drip is the ideal eCommerce SMS and email marketing plugin, as it comes with automation tools, email/SMS segmenting options, store revenue attribution features, and even lets you send emails and SMS in bulk.

Bonus: Collect More Phone Numbers With WPForms

Before you can start sending SMS campaigns, you will need phone numbers from your readers and customers. You can easily collect more phone numbers for SMS marketing using WPForms.

WPForms is the best contact form plugin on the market that makes it super easy to build your phone and email list for WordPress.

First, you need to install and activate the WPForms plugin. For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Note: There is also a free WPForms plugin that you can use to create forms on your website. However, you will need to upgrade to the paid plugin to use the Phone field.

Upon activation, head to the WPForms » Add New page from the WordPress admin sidebar.

Once you are there, just select a template for your form. You can now make a contact form, registration form, subscription form, or any other form of your choice.

Creating a new form using ready-made templates

Upon choosing a form template, you will be taken to the drag-and-drop interface, where you will be able to customize your template.

From here, simply drag and drop the Phone field from the left column into the form.

After that, click on the field to open up its settings in the left column.

You can now change the name of the Phone field and even provide a description for it. You can also toggle the ‘Required’ switch to active so that users won’t be able to submit the form unless they fill in the ‘Phone’ field.

Once you are done, simply click the ‘Save’ button at the top to store your settings.

To add the form to your website, you need to visit a new or existing page from your WordPress admin sidebar.

Once there, click the ‘+’ button in the top left corner of the screen to find and add the WPForms block to the page.

After that, just pick your form from the dropdown menu in the block.

Finally, click the ‘Publish’ button to save your changes.

Now, you will be able to collect new phone numbers every time someone fills out the form.

You can even view your phone numbers and email list by visiting the WPForms » Entries page from the WordPress admin sidebar.

Here, all the phone numbers submitted on your site will be listed under the ‘Phone’ column.

This will help you collect more phone numbers for your SMS marketing.

What Is the Best SMS Marketing Plugin for WordPress?

In our expert opinion, we believe that OptinMonster is the best SMS marketing plugin for WordPress because it can be integrated with multiple SMS providers, has 50+ customizable templates, and is easy to use.

However, if you have a WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads store, then we recommend using the Drip plugin, as it has specific features for online stores.

If you want to use an all-in-one communication platform that allows you to manage phone calls, voice messages, text messages, and video conferencing, then Nextiva is an excellent option.

Similarly, if you are looking for a free solution, then Joy of Text and HubSpot are great choices.

Frequently Asked Questions About SMS Plugins

If you have any questions about SMS marketing or WordPress SMS plugins, we will answer them here.

What is SMS marketing?

SMS marketing means sending text messages to your users to promote your website or business and open a communication channel with them.

You can use SMS messages to inform customers about their purchases, promote sales or events, send customer service notifications, and more.

By using SMS marketing plugins, you can even send personalized messages to your users to bring them back to your website and increase conversions.

Moreover, SMS marketing is more cost-effective than email marketing, making it an ideal option if you have a small business.

Which SMS marketing plugin is right for me?

In our expert opinion, OptinMonster is the best WordPress SMS marketing plugin. However, the right plugin for you can depend on your specific needs.

For example, if you have a WooCommerce or EDD store, then Drip or Omnisend are great choices, as they come with built-in features for online stores.

Similarly, if you are looking for an affordable option, then Brevo, HubSpot, and Texty are good options as well.

On the other hand, if you want to send text messages to your email list, then you can use the Formidable Forms + Twilio addon or the Joy Of Text plugin, which easily integrates with WPForms.

Best WordPress Guides for SMS and Email Marketing

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post 9 Best SMS Marketing Plugins for WordPress (Expert Pick for 2023) first appeared on WPBeginner.

October 11, 2023

9 Best ActiveCampaign Alternatives in 2023 (Compared)

Are you looking for the best ActiveCampaign alternatives for your website?

ActiveCampaign is a popular marketing automation tool that offers a suite of features, including email marketing, forms, sales automations, and more. However, you may be looking for an alternative to better fit your needs.

In this article, we will share a list of some of the best ActiveCampaign alternatives that you can use on your WordPress site.

Why Use an ActiveCampaign Alternative?

ActiveCampaign is a popular automation and marketing platform that allows small businesses to connect with their customers in multiple ways.

By using ActiveCampaign on your WordPress website, you can launch an email marketing campaign, do customer relationship management (CRM) and eCommerce marketing, create forms and landing pages, and much more.

However, ActiveCampaign may not be the best choice for you because it’s a bit difficult to navigate for beginners and can be expensive for small businesses. It might also not have all the features that you will need for automation marketing.

Additionally, some users have also complained that ActiveCampaign does not offer good customer support.

That being said, here is our list of some of the best ActiveCampaign alternatives that you can use on your WordPress site.

1. Constant Contact

Constant Contact is the best email marketing service that also offers a suite of other tools, including marketing automation, SMS marketing, event marketing, CRMs, landing pages, and so much more.

It is the best ActiveCampaign alternative because it allows you to easily automate your emails, SMS, and social media platforms using its drag-and-drop functionality.

Constant Contact also offers other features like A/B testing, mobile apps, event marketing, forms, and list-building tools.

It also has its own built-in CRM, allows you to segment your audience, and can integrate with over 5000 apps, including Zapier, WooCommerce, and Salesforce.

Other than being an automation tool, Constant Contact is also the best WordPress newsletter tool because it connects with WPForms to let you easily build newsletter subscription forms.

Pros

Constant Contact offers email campaign templates.
It can easily connect with your WordPress site.
It is more affordable than ActiveCampaign.
The platform offers detailed analytics and reports.
Constant Contact also makes the process of switching from different platforms super easy.

Cons

It does not offer a free version.

Why we recommend using Constant Contact: Constant Contact is the overall best ActiveCampaign alternative because it has all the features required for marketing automation. It offers SMS marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, and many other tools, making it one of the best automation tools for small businesses.

2. HubSpot

HubSpot is an all-in-one marketing software that offers CRM, sales, marketing, operations, and service tools for your website.

It is the perfect ActiveCampaign alternative if you are looking for sales automation. This is because its CRM tool allows you to organize your customer data and view your entire sales funnel in a visual dashboard.

With HubSpot, you can send automated emails, schedule meetings with your leads from the CRM, track leads as they move through the sales process, score leads based on engagement, and even monitor your sales performance.

Pros

Other than sales, HubSpot offers email and SMS marketing automation.
It comes with a landing page builder, form builder, SEO recommendations, ad management, and a chatbot builder.
Its workflow feature allows you to automate your marketing tasks, and it can integrate with over 1300 apps.
HubSpot has a free plugin.

Cons

HubSpot’s paid plan can be expensive for startups or small business websites.
It does not have the best customer support.

Why we recommend using HubSpot: HubSpot is the best automation marketing tool if you want to focus on sales automation marketing. This is because HubSpot is the best CRM software for business websites. Plus, HubSpot also offers email and SMS marketing automation.

3. Brevo

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is a popular SMS and email marketing tool that also comes with automation features.

It allows you to automate marketing tasks like sending emails, SMS messages, and WhatsApp campaigns.

Brevo also lets you build custom workflows, offers a CRM, comes with a drag-and-drop builder, and even lets you create personalized automated SMS and emails.

Pros

Brevo allows you to segment your audience based on different demographics for automated emails and SMS messages.
It lets you create landing pages and comes with A/B testing, a transactional email service, a sales platform, and multichannel marketing features.
It is more affordable and easy to use than ActiveCampaign.

Cons

Brevo’s CRM has basic features.
Brevo has limited automation features compared to other tools on this list.

Why we recommend using Brevo: You should opt for Brevo if you are looking for a marketing automation tool that’s beginner-friendly and comes with basic marketing automation features. Brevo is also a good choice if you run a small WordPress blog because it’s easy to use and offers a free plan.

4. Omnisend

Omnisend is a well-known marketing automation platform for eCommerce websites.

It is the best ActiveCampaign alternative if you have an online store and are looking to automate emails, SMS, push notifications, WhatsApp campaigns, and more.

Omnisend also lets you segment your audience based on different demographics to send targeted automated messages to users.

Pros

With Omnisend, you can personalize your messages with the recipient’s name, location, and other data.
It provides detailed reports on your marketing performance.
It allows you to create custom workflows and comes with email templates and a visual email builder.
You can use pre-built eCommerce workflows, an automation editor, and an automation split feature.
Its other eCommerce features include customer lifecycle data, on-site behavior, message engagement, and more.

Cons

Omnisend can be expensive for small businesses.
The tool can be difficult to navigate for beginners.

Why we recommend using Omnisend: Omnisend is a great ActiveCampaign alternative if you have an online store and need omnichannel software to manage your automated emails, SMS, Facebook Messenger messages, WhatsApp messages, and push notifications.

5. AWeber

AWeber is a beginner-friendly ActiveCampaign alternative that lets you send automated emails and newsletters.

It’s a popular email marketing service that comes with email templates, audience segmentation, A/B testing, analytics, and more.

Plus, it can also integrate with popular eCommerce platforms, including WooCoomerce, Shopify, and Easy Digital Downloads.

Pros

It’s a great autoresponder tool that also lets you create landing pages.
You can easily connect it to your WordPress site using the free AWeber plugin. For more details, see our tutorial on how to connect AWeber to WordPress.
It has a free version.
AWeber comes with support materials, including master class sessions and live webinars.
It has great customer support.

Cons

AWeber’s premium plan can be expensive if you have a small business.
The free version has AWeber branding, which can affect your brand.
It has limited integrations and basic automation features.

Why we recommend using AWeber: Overall, AWeber is a good ActiveCampaign alternative for beginners because it has email marketing and basic automation features. Plus, it is more affordable than ActiveCampaign and has a free plan.

6. FunnelKit Automations

FunnelKit Automations is one of the best marketing automation services for WooCommerce stores. It allows you to launch email and SMS marketing campaigns, create automated workflows for your messages, and create drip sequences.

With FunnelKit Automations, you can also launch automated campaigns for abandoned carts, win back coupons, lead nurturing, purchase anniversaries, and more.

Pros

The software allows you to create segmented and personalized messages for users.
It enables you to create customized workflows and comes with a CRM, revenue tracking, A/B testing, and more.
FunnelKit Automations has a drag-and-drop builder and a landing page builder.

Cons

It’s a premium plugin that can be expensive for small businesses.
It offers limited support.

Why we recommend using FunneKit Automations: If you have a WooCommerce store, then FunnelKit Automations is a great choice because its marketing automation features are specifically designed for WooCommerce.

7. MailerLite

MailerLite is a popular email marketing service and ActiveCampaign alternative. It comes with a drag-and-drop builder, premade email templates, and even lets you create landing pages, newsletters, and opt-in forms.

With MailerLite, you can send automated emails when a subscriber joins a group or a customer purchases a product. You are even able to design multi-trigger email automations. This means that you can add 3 triggers for each automation and create multiple entry points for a single workflow.

Pros

MailerLite comes with an analytics and reports feature.
It is a super affordable alternative to ActiveCampaign.
It can perform A/B testing, segment your audience, and let you create personalized emails to improve user engagement.
MailerLite tracks your automation history.

Cons

MailerLite offers basic triggers and actions for its automations, making it difficult to create complex workflows.
It doesn’t offer any templates in the free plan.

Why we recommend using MailerLite: We recommend opting for this tool if you are on a bootstrap budget because MailerLite is super affordable and has all the features you need to create simple workflows.

8. Drip

Drip is a powerful email marketing platform that allows you to create automated sequences of emails that are sent to your subscribers based on their actions. It can segment your contact list so that your messages reach the right people.

It’s also a good choice for beginner users due to its visual builder, integration with over 200 tools, and ease of use.

Pros

Drip marketing reports provide you with detailed insights into your email marketing performance.
It comes with a landing page builder, A/B testing tool, and ad management features.
Drip provides online courses and detailed documentation for its use.

Cons

It is a bit more expensive than ActiveCampaign.
Drip is not the best option for startups and beginners.
It doesn’t have a free plan.

Why we recommend using Drip: Overall, Drip is a great alternative to ActiveCampaign if you want to focus on email marketing automation. This is because Drip is a super powerful email marketing service that also lets you automate SMS. It is also a good choice if you have an online store.

9. ConvertKit

ConvertKit is another ActiveCampaign alternative that allows you to create complex automation workflows using a drag-and-drop builder.

It is a popular email marketing service that comes with premade templates and lets you create and send automated emails to users. Plus, the tool also lets you create landing pages, email opt-in forms, perform A/B testing, email blasts, and more.

Pros

ConvertKit allows you to segment your audience based on different demographics.
It’s flexible, and its visual builder is ideal for beginners.
It offers reports and analytics for your emails.

Cons

Even though ConvertKit has a free plan, you will need the premium plan to unlock its automation features.
It does not offer SMS or social media marketing automations.

Why we recommend using ConvertKit: You should pick ConvertKit if you are looking for a tool that lets you manage your email campaign and automation workflows in one place. It’s also a great option if you are new to automated marketing because its visual builder is super easy to use.

What Is the Best ActiveCampaign Alternative?

In our expert opinion, Constant Contact is the best ActiveCampaign alternative since it is super easy to use, seamlessly connects with WordPress, and offers many automation features for all kinds of websites and online businesses.

However, if you have an online store, then Omnisend, Drip, AWeber, and FunnelKit Automations are also great choices due to their eCommerce-specific features.

Similarly, if you are looking for sales automation, then HubSpot is our pick because of its super powerful CRM and automation marketing features for emails, SMS, and social media platforms.

Finally, if you are on a budget, then MailerLite is a great choice because it is super affordable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the questions that our readers usually ask us about ActiveCampaign and its alternatives.

What’s better than ActiveCampaign?

There are a number of tools that are better than ActiveCampaign in terms of ease of use, support, features, and pricing.

If you have a WooCommerce store, then you can switch from ActiveCampaign to FunnelKit Automations to unlock automation features designed specifically for WooCommerce.

Similarly, if you have a small business website, then Constant Contact is easier to use, is more affordable, and has many automated marketing features, making it a great alternative.

Tools like Drip, Brevo, AWeber, ConvertKit, and Omnisend are also better than ActiveCampaign when it comes to pricing, support, and features.

Is there a free version of ActiveCampaign?

ActiveCampaign does not offer a free version. If you are on a budget, then you can try HubSpot because it has a free plugin.

You can also use Brevo’s free plan or MailerLite as an affordable alternative to ActiveCampaign.

Best WordPress Guides for Automation

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post 9 Best ActiveCampaign Alternatives in 2023 (Compared) first appeared on WPBeginner.

December 17, 2020April 1, 2024

How to Use Free SMTP Server to Send WordPress Emails (3 Methods)

Do you want to use a free SMTP server to send WordPress emails?

By default, WordPress uses the PHP mail function, which is unreliable and often marks your emails as spam. Using an SMTP server is the best way to make sure that your WordPress emails actually get delivered.

In this article, we will show you how to use a free SMTP server to send WordPress emails.

How to Use Free SMTP Server to Send WordPress Emails

Why Use an SMTP Server to Send WordPress Emails?

Often website owners complain about the WordPress not sending email issue.

By default, WordPress sends emails through the PHP mail function. Unfortunately, not all WordPress hosting servers are correctly configured to use PHP mail.

Even when the emails are sent successfully, they may get incorrectly identified as spam. This means they could be automatically deleted without ever being seen.

The best way to ensure deliverability for your WordPress emails is by using an SMTP server. It is the standard protocol to send emails on the internet.

SMTP servers use proper authentication to make sure that the email is sent by an authorized sender. This improves deliverability, and your emails safely land in users’ inboxes.

Now, you need a plugin to connect your WordPress site to your SMTP server. We will be using the WP Mail SMTP plugin, which is the best SMTP plugin for WordPress.

Luckily, there is a free version of WP Mail SMTP available as well.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to set up WP Mail SMTP and then how to connect it to popular free SMTP servers.

Installing the WP Mail SMTP Plugin for WordPress

The first step is to install and activate the WP Mail SMTP plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you will see the WP Mail SMTP setup wizard. You can skip the wizard because we will show you how to set up the plugin manually.

Just click the ‘Go back to the Dashboard’ link at the bottom.

You should now see the WP Mail SMTP » Settings page, where you can configure the plugin.

If you purchased a Pro license, then you will need to paste the license key and click the ‘Verify Key’ button. You can find the license key in your account area on the WP Mail SMTP website.

You need to start by entering your From Email and From Name. WordPress emails will be sent from this email address and name.

You should leave the ‘Force From Email’ box checked. This ensures that all emails from your WordPress site are sent from that email address through your SMTP server.

Entering your From email address for WP Mail SMTP

Tip: Make sure you check the ‘Force From Name’ option so that all emails come from the same name, regardless of any settings in plugins such as WPForms.

Next, you should scroll down to the Mailer section, where you can choose an SMTP mailing service. Simply click on the one that you want to use.

Selecting the mailer service to use with WP Mail SMTP

The next steps depend on which service you choose.

We will cover how to set up a number of free SMTP servers step by step. You need to keep your WP Mail SMTP settings tab open and then follow the instructions for your chosen SMTP server:

Sending WordPress Emails Using Gmail SMTP Server
Sending WordPress Emails Using Brevo (Sendinblue) SMTP Server
Sending WordPress Emails Using SendGrid SMTP Server
Testing That Your SMTP Mail is Working
Other Free SMTP Mailer Options

Note: If you don’t feel very confident with technical things, then we recommend upgrading to WP Mail SMTP’s Elite account. They have a fantastic White Glove Setup service that will help you through the setup process.

1. Sending WordPress Emails Using Gmail SMTP Server

You can use a free Gmail account to send SMTP emails. If you don’t already have a Gmail account, then you need to create one before following the rest of these instructions.

With a free Gmail account, you can send up to 500 emails per day. However, if you have access to a paid Google Workspace account, then that limit is increased to 2000 emails per day.

First, log in to your WordPress admin, where you should already have installed WP Mail SMTP. On the WP Mail SMTP » Settings page, you must select ‘Google / Gmail’ as your mailer.

Now, connecting WordPress plugins to Gmail and other Google services can be a lot of work. The good news is that the Pro version of WP Mail SMTP offers a one-click setup that is quick and simple. We strongly recommend this.

To get started, simply toggle the ‘One-Click Setup’ option to the on position.

WP Mail SMTP Pro Offers One-Click Setup for Gmail

You will see a notice that you need to save settings before you can proceed, so make sure you click the ‘Save Settings’ button at the bottom of the page.

When you scroll back down the page, you will see that there is now a ‘Sign in with Google’ button. You need to click that button to authorize the plugin.

Sign in With Google so WP Mail SMTP Can Access Gmail

You will be asked to select a Google account, agree to the terms of service, and click an ‘Allow’ button to allow WP Mail SMTP to send email.

Congratulations, you have successfully linked the current site with Google. You can start sending emails through Gmail.

But first, you should go ahead and test that your email is working.

2. Sending WordPress Emails Using Brevo (Sendinblue) SMTP Server

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) lets you send up to 300 free emails daily from your website.

To use Brevo, make sure you select ‘Sendinblue’ on the WP Mail SMTP » Settings page in the screenshot above.

Next, you need to create an account on the Brevo website. After confirming your email address, you will be asked to fill in some information about your business. You will also receive a text message with a confirmation code to enter.

Next, you’ll be asked to choose a Brevo pricing plan.

Simply click on the ‘Continue with a Free plan’ button.

You will now see your Brevo dashboard.

Creating a New Subdomain for Your Email

Before going further, you need to create a subdomain on your website, such as mail1.yourdomain.com.

To do this, log in to your web hosting or domain registrar account, and then follow their instructions for adding a subdomain.

If you are using Bluehost, then you need to click on the Hosting tab on the left. You can open the control panel by clicking the ‘cPanel’ button at the bottom of the page.

This will launch the cPanel dashboard for your website.

You can scroll down to the Domains section and then click the ‘Domains’ option.

You will now see a page that lists your existing domains and subdomains.

To create a new subdomain, you will need to click the ‘Create A New Domain’ button.

Creating a New Domain or Subdomain in Bluehost

On the next page, you will need to enter the subdomain you would like to create followed by your domain name, such as ‘mail1.startawpsite.com’.

Next, you need to click the ‘Submit’ button to continue. Bluehost will add the subdomain to your hosting.

After creating the subdomain, you need to add it to your Brevo account.

Adding Your Subdomain to Brevo

In your Brevo account, you need to go to the Settings page. On this page, scroll to the ‘Your Senders and Domains’ section and click the ‘Configure’ button below it.

Click the Configure Button for Brevo Senders & Domains

Next, you need to click ‘Domains’ from the menu that is displayed, and then click the ‘Add a domain’ button.

Go ahead and enter your whole subdomain, such as mail1.yoursite.com. You also need to choose your email domain provider from the dropdown menu. If your provider is not on the list, simply choose ‘Other’.

Make sure you click the ‘Save this email domain’ button when you are finished.

Once the email domain is saved, you will need to verify that it belongs to you. You will need to add 2 codes to your DNS settings. The first will verify that you own the domain, and the second will improve email deliverability.

Tip: Don’t worry if you close this popup by mistake. You can get back to it by clicking the ‘Verify This Domain’ link next to your subdomain.

Next, you need to open the DNS settings for your domain in your web hosting account. Your web host should have instructions for this. Make sure you leave the tab with the Brevo website open so you can copy the settings.

For example, in Bluehost, you need to go to the Domains tab and click the ‘Settings’ button next to your website’s domain name.

After that, you will see different domain settings in Bluehost.

Simply scroll down and click on the ‘Advanced Tools’ option.

Here, Bluehost will show the nameservers for your domain and other records.

To manage DNS records, you can click the ‘Manage’ button next to Advanced DNS Records.

Next, Bluehost will display a warning message that only advanced users should change the DNS records because, with the wrong settings, you can lose access to your email and website.

You can simply click the ‘Continue’ button.

This will take you to a screen where you can manage your WordPress site’s DNS records.

You need to click the ‘Add Record’ button and then add the Brevo code record using the information on the Brevo website. Then, you should do the same to add the DKIM record.

Once you have added both TXT records to your domain’s DNS settings, you need to go back to the Brevo website.

From here, you need to click the button labeled ‘Authenticate this email domain’. You should be taken to a new page, where you can see a success message that it is authenticated.

Tip: DNS changes can take as long as 24-48 hours to propagate across the internet. If the verification fails, then just try again in a few hours.

Enabling Brevo in WP Mail SMTP

Now, you just need to finish enabling Brevo on your WordPress site. Simply go back to the WP Mail SMTP Settings page that you opened up earlier and find the API key box.

Then, click the ‘Get v3 API Key’ link.

Getting an API Key for Brevo in WP Mail SMTP

This link will open up the correct page of your Brevo account in a new tab.

Here, you just need to copy the SMTP key value.

Once you’ve copied it, return to WP Mail SMTP and paste in the API key.

You will also need to fill in the sending domain that you entered in Brevo earlier, such as mail1.yoursite.com.

Enter the Brevo API Key and Sending Domain

Make sure you click the ‘Save Settings’ button after doing so.

Congratulations, you have successfully set up Brevo. You just need to wait for them to activate your account.

Now, it’s time to go ahead and test that your email is working.

3. Sending WordPress Emails Using SendGrid SMTP Server

SendGrid offers a free plan that lets you send up to 100 free daily emails.

First, you need to visit the SendGrid website and click the ‘Start For Free’ button to create your free account.

After creating your account, a verification process will be triggered. Your account will be placed temporarily on hold while they ask you some questions via email. They do this to make sure you will use the service in a way that aligns with their policies and values.

Once your application is approved, you can sign in to your SendGrid dashboard.

Creating a Sender Identity

Your first step is to create a sender identity, which is the ‘from’ address used for your emails. To do this, you need to click on ‘Sender Authentication’ in the Settings section at the bottom of the dashboard menu.

Navigate to Sender Authentication in SendGrid

This will take you to the SendGrid Sender Authentication page.

You should scroll down to the Single Sender Verification section and then click the ‘Get Started’ button under ‘Verify an Address’.

Verify Your From Address by Clicking the Get Started Button

This will display a form where you can create a sender.

Then, simply enter the name, email address, and mailing address you want to use for your emails. When you are finished, you can click the ‘Create’ button to store your sender details.

Important: This ‘Reply To’ email address needs to be the same as the one you entered as your ‘From’ address in the WP Mail SMTP settings.

You will receive a confirmation email in your inbox to verify this business email address.

Make sure you click the link in the message to complete the single sender identity setup.

Once you’ve verified your email address, go ahead and return to your SendGrid dashboard by clicking the Dashboard link in the sidebar.

Generating an API Key

The next step is to generate an API key so you can connect your website to your SendGrid account and start sending emails.

Using the SendGrid dashboard menu, you need to find the Email API section and click ‘Integration Guide’.

On the next page, you will be asked to choose an integration method.

Inside the SMTP Relay box, go ahead and click the ‘Choose’ button.

Click the Choose Button Under SMTP Relay

You need to give the API key a name that will remind you what you are using it for in the future.

In this example, we named it ‘WP Mail SMTP’.

Now, you can click the ‘Create Key’ button to generate the API key.

You should see a message confirming that it was successfully created, and the API key will be displayed underneath.

You will need this key in the next section, so leave the SendGrid tab open in your browser.

Connecting WP Mail SMTP to Your SendGrid Account

Next, return to your WordPress admin browser tab and go to WP Mail SMTP » Settings. You should have already selected SendGrid for your mailer. If not, select it now.

At the bottom of the screen, you will see a box for entering your SendGrid API key. Simply copy and paste it here, then click the ‘Save Settings’ button.

Add the SendGrid API Key to WP Mail SMTP Settings

Next, you need to verify that your integration is working.

First, go to the Email Test tab in your WP Mail SMTP settings. Then, enter your email address and click the ‘Send Email’ button.

You should see a message that the test email was sent successfully. You can confirm this by going to your inbox and checking the email is there.

Now that your test email has been sent successfully, go back to the tab with your SendGrid API page. You need to go ahead and check the ‘I’ve updated my settings’ box. Then, click the ‘Next: Verify Integration’ button.

Check the box to say that you have updated your settings and then click the button to verify

On the next screen, you must click the ‘Verify Integration’ button.

You should then see a message confirming that SendGrid received your email and your setup is complete.

Authenticating a Subdomain in SendGrid

To finish setting up SendGrid, you should create and authenticate a subdomain to help improve your email deliverability.

Tip: If you aren’t able to create and authenticate your subdomain, then the emails from your website will still go out. However, there is a possibility that some emails may not be delivered to their recipients.

Now, you need to create a subdomain on your website, such as sg.yourdomain.com. You can do this by logging in to your web hosting account and following their instructions for adding a subdomain.

If you are using Bluehost, then you need to log in to your web host account and click on the Hosting tab on the left. You can open the control panel by clicking the ‘cPanel’ button at the bottom of the page.

This will launch the cPanel dashboard for your website.

You can scroll down to the Domains section and then click the ‘Domains’ option.

You will now see a page that lists your existing domains and subdomains.

To create a new subdomain, you will need to click the ‘Create A New Domain’ button.

On the next page, you must enter the subdomain you would like to create.

We suggest using sg.yourdomain.com for your subdomain. Make sure you click the ‘Submit’ button to store your new subdomain.

After creating the subdomain, you need to add it to your SendGrid account.

To do this, you need to go back to the Settings » Sender Authentication page in your SendGrid account. Under ‘Domain Authentication’ you need to click the ‘Get Started’ button.

Get Started With Domain Authentication in SendGrid

Now, you should select your DNS host. This is your website host, such as Bluehost or SiteGround, unless your domain name is registered with a different company.

In the second step, select the ‘Yes’ option for ‘Would you also like to brand the links for this domain?’ This means that your emails will be shown as coming from your domain, not SendGrid’s.

Then, simply click the ‘Next’ button.

Now, you need to enter your domain in the ‘Domain You Send From’ box. Below this, click the ‘Advanced Settings’ link to open up some additional options.

From here, you can uncheck the ‘Use automated security’ box and check the ‘Use custom return path’ box. Then, type the first part of your subdomain for the ‘Return Path’.

For instance, if your subdomain is sg.example.com, then type in sg.

SendGrid Domain Authentication Advanced Settings

Once you’ve done this, you must click the ‘Next’ button.

Next, you will see some DNS records that you need to add to your domain. You can consult your web host’s documentation or refer to our Brevo method for help doing this.

After you’ve added the records, go ahead and click the ‘Verify’ button at the bottom of the screen. You should then see a success message.

Finally, test your SMTP email again to be sure that emails are being sent correctly.

Testing That Your SMTP Mail is Working

The final step for all these methods is to send a test email to make sure everything is working as it should.

First, go to the ‘Email Test’ tab in the WP Mail SMTP settings. Then, enter the email address where you want the test email to be sent if it’s different from the default.

Simply click the ‘Send Email button, and your email will be sent.

You should see a message to let you know that the email was sent successfully.

Next, go ahead and check your inbox to make sure that the test email has arrived.

Other Free SMTP Mailer Options

There are other free SMTP mailer options you could use instead of the ones we have covered:

Outlook: This involves a longer setup process than other methods, but the advantage is that you can send many emails (up to 5,000 per day).
Amazon SES: This service is only recommended if you are confident with technology, as the setup is quite complex. It is free for your first year.
SMTP.com: This is a robust and reliable option. The drawback is that it is only free for your first 30 days, then you have to pay to use it.

For all these, you can get instructions by selecting the mailer on your WP Mail SMTP settings page and then clicking the documentation link. This will open up the instructions in a new tab.

The documentation link for setting up Outlook in WP Mail SMTP

We hope this article helped you learn how to use a free SMTP server to send WordPress emails. You might also like to check out our articles on the best email marketing services and our comparison of the best virtual business phone number apps (with free options).

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Use Free SMTP Server to Send WordPress Emails (3 Methods) first appeared on WPBeginner.

July 22, 2020December 26, 2023

How to Create a Custom Airtable Form in WordPress (Easy Way)

Do you want to make a custom Airtable form for your WordPress site?

Airtable is a data management tool that lets you create your own custom data-driven apps. Basically, you can collect data with a form on your website and use it to make spreadsheets, contact lists, booking calendars, and more.

In this article, we will show you how to create a custom Airtable form in WordPress.

how-to-create-a-custom-airtable-form-in-wordpress-og

Why Create a Custom Airtable Form in WordPress?

Airtable is a data management tool that allows you to create custom data-driven apps. That way, you can better visualize the data collected on your website using WordPress forms.

For instance, you can use your WordPress contact form data in Airtable as a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool to manage leads and contacts captured by your WordPress forms.

You can also store data from user surveys on Airtable.

Here are a few other use cases for using Airtable in WordPress:

Organize tasks by project, assign responsibilities, and use Kanban views to visualize project progress.
Create a content calendar for content pieces, track publication dates, and assign writers and edits to increase your blog traffic.
Maintain a database of inventory items to track quantities for your online store.

Basically, you can use data collected from your WordPress contact forms in Airtable to create custom apps, workflows, and tools for your business.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily create a custom Airtable form in WordPress.

How to Create a Custom Airtable Form in WordPress

To create our custom Airtable form in WordPress, we will first make a contact form using WPForms.

It is the best WordPress form builder plugin on the market and allows you to create any kind of form easily using a simple drag-and-drop interface.

After that, we will connect our form to Airtable by using a service called Zapier.

Zapier works as a bridge to connect two different apps without any code. You can use it with dozens of online apps, including WPForms and Airtable.

Ready? Let’s get started.

Create Your Form in WPForms

First, you need to install and activate the WPForms plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Note: You will need the Pro version or higher to access the Zapier addon for WPForms.

Upon activation, you need to go to the WPForms » Settings page.

Under the ‘General’ tab, enter the license key from your account on the WPForms website and hit ‘Verify Key.’

Next, you need to visit the WPForms » Add New page in your WordPress dashboard. This will launch the WPForms builder interface, where you can choose from over 1200 pre-built templates.

Make sure to give your form a name so you can easily refer back to it.

For the sake of this tutorial, we will be using the ‘Simple Contact Form.’

Go ahead and click on ‘Use Template.’

From here, you’ll be taken to the drag-and-drop editor, where you can easily customize the form.

Let’s say we are creating a contact form to collect leads from B2B prospects. In this case, we will want to add ‘Company’ and ‘Phone Number’ to our contact form.

To add the Company, you need to add a ‘Single Line Text’ item, then click on the element and rename the field to ‘Company.’

If you want prospects to provide their phone number, just drag the field option ‘Phone’ onto the editor.

Feel free to add any other fields that fit your needs. For more details, you can see our guide on how to create a contact form in WordPress.

Once you’ve set up your form, you need to add it to your WordPress website.

Simply hit the ‘Embed’ button up top.

You can choose to embed the contact form on an existing page or a new page.

In this case, we will pick ‘Select Existing Page.’

Choose any page you’d like and select the ‘Let’s Go!’ button.

This will take you to the WordPress editor of that page.

All you have to do is hit the ‘+’ button in the top left corner.

Then, find and select the WForms widget to add it to your page.

From here, you can choose the contact form you’ve just created.

That will automatically embed the form into your page.

Next up, make sure to hit the ‘Update’ button up top.

Now, your form should be added to your WordPress page.

After you have added your form to your website, go ahead and create a test entry. This will be used to set up and check the connection between WPForms and Airtable.

Here’s our test entry, with name, email, phone, company name, and a message:

Activate the Zapier Addon for WPForms

We will be using Zapier to build a bridge between WPForms and Airtable. To do that, you need to install and activate the WPForms Zapier Addon.

In your WordPress dashboard, go to the WPForms » Addons page and find the Zapier addon. Then, go ahead and install and activate it.

Now, you need to go to the WPForms » Settings.

On the ‘Integrations’ page, simply click on the Zapier logo here, and you will get your Zapier API key. You need this to connect Zapier to your WPForms account.

Copy the API key somewhere safe or keep this tab open, as you will need it in the later step.

Set Up a Base and Table in Airtable

Next, we need to create a base in Airtable to store all of the information that we collect from our contact form.

If you are new to Airtable, then there’s a chance that you may not know how to set up a base and table.

First off, the base is the top-level database used to organize and store information. A table in Airtable is similar to a sheet in a spreadsheet.

Once you’ve created an account on Airtable, go ahead and click the ‘Start from scratch’ option in your home dashboard.

If you have an existing spreadsheet that you want to migrate over to Airtable, then just click the ‘Quickly upload’ option.

Go ahead and name your base and table.

We’ve decided to name our base ‘Sales CRM’ and the table ‘Contacts.’

Then, change the top column labels to match the form fields you’ve just created in WPForms.

In this case, we added a label for Name, Company, Email, and Phone.

Keep this tab open, as we will refer back to it later to check whether our WordPress automation works.

Create a Personal Access Token

Now, you need to prepare Airtable to connect with WPForms via Zapier. To do that, you need a personal access token to connect Airtable with Zapier.

Simply navigate to Airtable and click the ‘Account’ button under your profile logo.

A personal access token lets you create multiple tokens that provide access to the information held in your Airtable databases.

In the ‘Overview’ tab, go ahead and click the ‘Go to developer hub’ button.

You’ll be taken to the developer hub, where you can create tokens to connect with your Airtable data.

Under the ‘Personal access tokens’ tab, click the ‘Create token’ button.

From here, you will be required to fill in important information. First, you need to name the token so that you can easily refer to it later if you want to edit the permissions.

Under ‘Scopes,’ you must select what users can do when given access to this token. In this case, we will select the option that says, ‘data.records:write,’ so that users can create, edit, and delete records.

Once that is done, just click on the ‘Create token’ button.

A popup will appear telling you that your token has been created. Just copy it and keep it somewhere safe.

We will be adding this token to Zapier so that we can connect our Airtable database to WordPress.

Make Your Zap to Send Data From Your Website Form to Airtable

Next, go to the Zapier website. Here, you need to create a free account or sign in to your existing account.

In your Zapier dashboard, click the ‘Create a Zap’ button on the top-left to start the configuration wizard.

Note: In Zapier, a ‘zap’ is a process with a trigger and an action. Our trigger will be someone filling in the form, and our action will be to create a record in Airtable.

At the top of the screen, you need to give your zap a name, and then you can set up the trigger.

Scroll down and click on the ‘Trigger’ box.

Next, you will want to find and select the WPForms app to start the trigger.

In the ‘Choose App & Event’ box, type ‘WPForms’ into the search bar.

After that, simply click on the WPForms icon that comes up.

A sidebar window will appear on the right of your screen. Under Event, choose ‘New Form Entry’ as the trigger to initiate the action.

Then, simply hit the ‘Continue’ button.

Next, you will need to click the ‘Sign In’ button to log in to your WPForms account.

This allows Zapier to grab all of the new form entry data and insert it into your Airtable.

A pop-up window will appear.

You will need to enter the API key that you generated earlier, plus the URL (domain name) of your website.

Once you’ve done that, click on the ‘Continue’ button to move on.

Next, you will be asked to select the form you created earlier from the dropdown list.

Once you’ve selected the contact form, go ahead and select ‘Continue.’

The ‘Refresh fields’ button lets you reload the data to reflect the most recent form entries.

Next, click on the ‘Test trigger’ button.

Zapier will find your most recent entry, which will confirm whether the trigger is set up correctly.

You should then see a message telling you that Zapier found a test entry.

The data from your form entry will be shown on the screen:

Click the ‘Continue with selected record’ button to carry on. You are now in the Action part of the Zap, where you need to choose your second app.

Simply type ‘Airtable’ into the dropdown to find the app. Then click on the Airtable widget.

Once Airtable is connected to your zap, you will see the dropdown for choosing an action event.

The action event is simply what you want to happen when someone completes the form on your site. You need to select ‘Create Record’ here.

Then, hit the ‘Continue’ button.

Now, Zapier will prompt you to sign in to Airtable.

Simply click the ‘Sign In’ button and then log in.

A new window will appear telling you that Zapier is requesting Airtable access. Essentially, this allows Zapier to automatically send your form entry data into the created fields in your Airtable.

All you need to do is click the ‘+ Add a base’ link. Then, choose which workspaces you want to give Zapier access to. If you don’t have a preference, then just click the option that says, ‘All current and future bases in all current and future workspaces.’

Then, once selected, go ahead and click on the ‘Grant access’ button.

Now, you will see a ‘Continue’ button.

Just click this to carry on making your zap.

Under the Action tab, you’ll need to first add your ‘Base’ and ‘Table’ from the given dropdown menus.

We are going to use our Sales CRM as the base and add our new contacts to the Contacts table.

Also, you need to tell Zapier which fields from your WPForms form should correspond to the columns in your Airtable table.

For all the applicable fields, simply select the correct field using your test data. It should look something like this:

Then, click the ‘Continue’ button to keep going.

Zapier will now prompt you to send a test record to Airtable using your test data.

You will see a preview of the data. Simply click on ‘Test step.’

This will send the test data to your chosen table in Airtable, creating a new record.

Go ahead and review the preview record to check the information is correct.

You may want to double-check that the record has been correctly added to Airtable.

It’s a good idea to check that the data went through to your Airtable base and that the information was entered correctly into the proper fields.

Now, head back over to Zapier.

You simply need to click the ‘Publish’ button to finish creating your zap.

Give it a few seconds for the Zap to publish.

At the top of your screen, you should see an ‘On’ button, indicating the Zap is live.

Also, if you ever need to edit the Zap, such as changing which table or fields to send your form entry to, you can always find your Zap on the home dashboard of Zapier.

Just click on the title of the Zap to edit it.

Your zap is now running. All form entries through your connected form will be added to the Airtable table that you selected.

Bonus: How to Send SMS Messages to Your Leads

If you found this integration helpful, then you may want to also send SMS notifications to people who have completed your contact form.

This is a great way of keeping them up to date with the status of their request.

For example, let’s say you have prospects who visit your landing page and then complete your form, indicating interest in your services. While the form data is entered into an Airtable, you will want another connection that automatically sends SMS messages to your leads so they know what to expect from you.

The best option is to use Brevo, which is an email marketing service that also lets you send SMS messages to your leads.

With this software, you will be able to import your contacts and then send text message campaigns. For more information, just follow our tutorial on how to send SMS messages to your WordPress users.

We hope this article helped you learn how to create a custom Airtable form in WordPress. You may also want to check out our guides to the best business phone services and how to get SMS text messages from your WordPress forms.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Create a Custom Airtable Form in WordPress (Easy Way) first appeared on WPBeginner.

June 11, 2019July 25, 2023

What Is an Email Blast? How to Do an Email Blast “the RIGHT Way”

Do you want to know what is an email blast and how to do it “the right way”?

An email blast or broadcast sends a single email message to many subscribers in your mailing list. This can be highly effective strategy to get more sales, and bloggers use these blasts to get more website traffic.

In this article, we will explain how to do an email blast the proper way and share some examples.

What Is an Email Blast?

An email blast is a single email message that is sent to an entire email list, a large segment of that list, or many email lists at the same time.

These emails target most or all contacts in your mailing list, making an email blast a broad reach-out campaign.

Email blasts are also known as broadcast emails, mass emails, bulk emails, e-blasts, and email campaigns. Most people use the term ’email campaigns’ to avoid the aggressive feeling associated with the term ’email blast’.

Email blasts are mainly used for sending promotional content and newsletters. At WPBeginner, we use email blasts to promote our premium WordPress plugins and share our helpful tutorials.

For example, look at the email campaign All in One SEO for WordPress sent on their birthday sale event.

If you want to let all your subscribers know about special offers, then email blasts are the most reliable and efficient form of communication.

Are Email Blasts Outdated?

Although email blasts are great for delivering any message to a large number of people, some consider them an outdated communication method.

That’s because email blasts are bulk emails sent to everyone regardless of their choice, priorities, and needs. At times, blast emails can feel irrelevant and useless to the recipients.

Due to this, the email recipients may ignore the message, mark the email as spam, or even unsubscribe from your email list.

Here are the top reasons why users don’t like email blasts:

1. Unsegmented: Email blasts often use the entire mailing list without segmentation. Your email subscribers are usually very different, and they may be interested in different products or services.

2. Untargeted: The email blasts send the same message to everyone without considering their interests, past interactions, or needs. Users often unsubscribe from your mailing list after receiving these unwanted emails.

3. Not personalized: We all love reading a message that addresses us personally. Email blasts that don’t personalize the emails are often marked as spam.

4. Unexpected: Broadcast emails are usually unexpected, so there can be a natural feeling of resistance from the recipients.

Unlike 10 or 15 years ago, many new marketing methods are available, like social media, pay-per-click advertising, and more. However, none are as effective as email.

So, you might be wondering: is email blast dead? The answer is NO.

Email is still the most reliable form of communication in the world. With new technology, there are better ways to do an email blast to get higher results.

We will explain how to do an email blast the RIGHT way in the following section.

How to Do an Email Blast “the Right Way” – Step by Step

Marketers from big and small companies alike are still using email blasts to promote their product launches, discount offers, and more.

And the results are brilliant. That’s because they are using email blasts the right way.

If you are not a professional marketer, you can follow the steps below to run an email blast successfully:

Step 1: Choose the Best Email Blast Service
Step 2. Create Your Email List
Step 3: Segment Your Email List
Step 4: Create a Targeted Email Campaign
Step 5: Measure Results and Improve Email Deliverability
Best Email Blast Examples

Step 1: Choose the Best Email Blast Service

First, you need a robust email marketing service to create an email blast. An email marketing service lets you create a mailing list, segment that list, and send bulk emails.

There are dozens of email marketing services in the market. Among them, Constant Contact, Brevo, Drip, and ConvertKit are the most popular companies.

We have tried and tested all of the above email marketing services, and we believe they are great at what they offer. However, we recommend Constant Contact because they provide the best deal.

Constant Contact is the most beginner-friendly email blast software. It has dozens of pre-made email templates to help you quickly get started. You can choose a template and easily customize that using their drag and drop editor.

It has simple options for collecting emails, automation features to send/trigger emails based on user actions, and more. Plus, it lets you segment your subscribers and send targeted email campaigns.

To get started, you need to visit the Constant Contact website and sign up for a new account.

You can quickly create a Constant Contact account as they offer a free trial account (no credit card required).

Once done, you will see your Constant Contact dashboard, where you can manage your email lists, see subscribers, and send email blasts.

Alternatively, you can also use Brevo, which offers a free email marketing plan.

Step 2. Create Your Email List

An email list is simply a list of email addresses you can send messages to. It is like your contact book containing the email addresses of your subscribers and prospective customers.

To create an email list in Constant Contact, just go to the ‘Contacts’ menu at the top and click on the ‘Create List’ button.

An email list is where you store all your email contacts.

Clicking on the button will bring up a popup where you need to enter a name for your email list and click the ‘Save’ button.

Constant Contact will now create your email list.

The next step is to add contacts to your list. Just open your new email list, and click the ‘Add Contacts’ button.

Constant Contact lets you add contacts in multiple ways. You can type in a contact, upload from a file, or import from Gmail, Outlook, and other apps.

If you want to grow your email list faster, then you can see our guide on easy ways to grow an email list.

Step 3: Segment Your Email List

Once you have an email list, the next step is to segment it. Email segmentation is the most important part of doing a successful email blast.

Email segmentation divides your email subscribers into smaller groups or segments to send highly-targeted emails.

You can segment your email subscribers based on gender, age, geographical location, interests, purchase history, contact activity, and more.

For example, a bookstore may create different segments for arts, physics, and maths students to send targeted emails.

Email segmentation is a crucial task that must be done with a clear goal. You need to be clear on which subscribers should be included in a segment.

For more details, you can see this guide on smarter ways to segment your email list.

To create segments in Constant Contact, you need to go to the ‘Contacts’ menu and click on the ‘Segments’ tab. After that, click on the ‘Create Segment’ button.

Constant Contact offers a bunch of criteria you can choose from.

In the next screen, you can create a segment by choosing the criteria you want.

You can create a segment by contact activity like emails sent, opened, clicked, or did not open. You can also include email subscribers by contact details, including job title, city, country, etc.

Once you are finished, simply click on the ‘Save and Preview’ button.

Then, you can repeat the process if you need to create more segments.

Step 4: Create a Targeted Email Campaign

After creating segments, the next task is to create a targeted email campaign or an email blast.

You can create an email campaign in different ways depending on the email marketing software you use.

To design an email campaign in Constant Contact, you must go to the ‘Campaigns’ menu and then click the ‘Create’ button.

This will bring up a popup showing a bunch of campaigns you can make with Constant Contact.

You need to choose the Email option to continue.

After that, you will see dozens of pre-made email templates ready for use.

You can preview the templates individually or simply type keywords to search for a template.

Simply click to choose a template as a starting point.

After that, the email campaign builder page will open. First, you need to name your campaign.

Next, click the ‘Email Settings’ link to edit the email subject line, sender name, and more.

Then, you need to click on the ‘Personalize’ option.

Here, you can choose the first name or any other contact details to insert in your subject line.

You can also enter a generic name like Customer, User, or Friend to address users whose names are unavailable. Once done, simply click on the ‘Insert’ button.

You will see some text with large brackets added in your subject line.

For example, you can see [[FIRSTNAME OR “customer”]] in the screenshot below.

After that, you can edit your email preheader From Name (company or organization name) and From Address.

Don’t forget to click on the ‘Save’ button to store your changes.

The next step is to customize the email body.

You can simply point and click on any element in the email to edit or delete it.

You can also drag and drop elements and layouts from the left sidebar.

Once your email design is complete, you can preview your email. If it looks good, just click on the ‘Continue’ button in the top right corner.

Next, you will see email send (blasting) options on the screen.

From here, you can select recipients from email lists or segments. For example, we will choose the segment that we created earlier.

In the right sidebar, you will see options to send your email campaign now or schedule it for later.

Step 5: Measure Results and Improve Email Deliverability

Sending an email campaign doesn’t mean that your work is done. After posting your email blast, you will need to measure your results and see how the recipients interact with your messages.

Top email marketing services like Constant Contact have built-in email stats features.

To view your email campaign stats, just click on the ‘Reporting’ menu item at the top.

You can also see the performance of your email campaigns individually by clicking on them.

You will see the email open rate, the total sent emails, bounces, and successful deliveries. The reports will also reveal click rate, did not open, unsubscribes, and marked spam stats.

The biggest challenge of email blasting is email deliverability. A lot of the time, your emails don’t get delivered at all or are sent to the spam box directly.

Here are some proven techniques to improve email deliverability:

Update your email list occasionally to remove fake email addresses, deleted emails, and more.
Maintain the frequency of your emails (no spikes).
Avoid misleading subject lines.
Make your emails useful with valuable and engaging content.

Best Email Blast Examples

There are two main types of emails used for marketing: Broadcast Emails (Email blasts) and Triggered Emails.

Triggered emails are automated emails that are sent to your users following their actions. For example, you can send a welcome email after a user subscribes to your list.

Email blasts are different because you will manually create campaigns and send them to a large segment at once. Email blasting is done with the belief that the single message will be helpful to every subscriber in a list or segment.

You can’t broadcast a welcome email to your entire email list, which may also include old customers. So, email blasts can be used only for specific purposes.

Here are the best email blast examples:

1. Flash Sale

If you are offering a flash sale, you can send mass emails in bulk to inform all of your subscribers.

Here are a couple of subject line examples for a flash sale email blast:

[FLASH SALE] Fashion Shoes 40%-60% off!
[LAST CHANCE] 40%-60% off sale ends today!

2. Event Information like Webinars

You can send mass emails if you run online courses and webinars for your users.

Here are a couple of email subject lines for an event information email blast:

LIVE Training: 10 steps to create a winning email campaign
Join us LIVE tomorrow at 5 PM for a FREE marketing class

3. New Products

You can send an email blast when you launch a new product. It’s best to segment your list into already purchased customers and new subscribers so that you can send different campaigns to them.

4. Newsletters

Newsletters are the most common type of broadcast email. News, magazine websites, blogs, as well as business or non-profit organizations send newsletters to inform their subscribers about the latest news.

You can see our tutorial on starting an email newsletter to learn more about best practices to make it more successful.

We hope this article helped you to learn what is an email blast and how to do an email blast the right way. You may also want to see our guide on how to get a free business email address or our expert picks for the best free autoresponder tools for businesses.

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