Why I use Flodesk for email marketing
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During 2020, I made a decision to begin sending newsletters to subscribers of this website and my outdoor blog. At the time, I really only knew about MailChimp, which I hated. I found it clunky and full of new terminology, making it a steep learning curve and massive time suck. Luckily, I was in a business coaching group with established online business owners. It was a great place to ask for recommendations and Flodesk (<= affiliate code giving 50% discount on the first year), a new kid on the block, came back as the overwhelmingly popular choice.
What is Flodesk?
Flodesk is a female owned software company, founded in 2019. Their aim was to create an intuitive email marketing platform for small businesses. Within the platform, you’ll find simple and beautiful designs for emails, forms, workflows, and sales page templates - all in an easy to use format.
Right from the beginning, I found Flodesk easy to navigate and send emails to two different lists. It was completely different to my to my experience with MailChimp!
Over the years, I’ve simplified my emails to more text based templates. But, I’ve also been adding in automatic workflows. In simple terms, that means when someone signs up for my free SEO checklist, they automatically receive an email with the download and then a couple of follow-up emails. It creates a better connection with my email list without taking any of my time.
Flodesk key features
The key features I use in Flodesk are:
Forms
Segments
Email templates
Best time scheduling
Workflows
Analytics
Forms
Opt-in forms are the way you get subscribers onto your email list. Often, they’re linked to freebies or special offers and discounts.
Flodesk has fully customisable templates for full pages (a landing page), pop-ups (a window that appears on the screen), and inline (a form built into your web page). Each template can be tailored with your brand colours.
Segments
I send newsletters from two different websites, so it’s important to have different collections of people. That’s because someone interested in my outdoor blog may not be interested in emails about writing marketing content. If I sent that type of email, the likely (and understandable) response would be to mark it as spam - which is bad for credibility and also bad for email deliverability.
Each of these collections is called a segment. I also have segments for people who have opted into different things such as my free blogging checklist and free SEO checklist.
One email address can appear in multiple segments but they’ll still only receive one copy of each email.
Email templates
Flodesk very quickly became known for their beautifully designed email templates. Like the forms, they’re fully customisable with your brand colours.
The editing system is also user-friendly. You get a real-time preview of any changes made as you edit the design. And you can add your own on-brand images.
Best time scheduling
I tend to send my emails on a specific day but draft them a few days in advance. Flodesk allows me to schedule at a chosen date and time. But, the system also has an option to pick ‘Best time’ for morning, afternoon, or evening.
This helps increase the possibilities of your email being read rather than lost in your audience’s inbox. It can also help with click-through rates from your email because you catch people at the right time.
Workflows
I briefly mentioned workflows earlier in the ‘What is Flodesk?’ section.
A workflow is a sequence of automated emails triggered by a specific action. For example, when someone signs up for your newsletter as a new subscriber, you could use that as a trigger to send a thank you email with more information about you and your company.
Analytics
The analytics on Flodesk are super simple to find and understand. Each email has stats on:
Sent emails
Delivered emails
Open rates
Click rates
Clicks by device
Bounces
Unsubscribed
Marked spam
This can help you see what’s working and what to change. There are also general overview analytics on subscribers, emails, forms, workflows, and checkouts.
Features I’ve not used
From reading other Flodesk reviews, there are some limitations. But, because I’ve not had need for these features to date, I cannot hand on heart say whether Flodesk can handle them or not.
If it’s something you think will be important, my advice is to double check with all providers in the running.
A/B testing
Advanced segmentation
Auto responders
Customer surveys
I’ve also not tested checkout or how Flodesk integrates with other software. I believe it plays nicely with Shopify and can connect to other software. Plus Zapier can be used. But again, look into this before making a decision either way.
How much does Flodesk cost?
When I first got started with email marketing, I was really looking for free options. Because Flodesk doesn’t have free plans for lower numbers of subscribers, I nearly chose a different system. But I talked to lots of different people and took the plunge. In hindsight, I’m really glad I did - and luckily, I was given an introductory affiliate discount to get me going.
Flodesk has a free trial for 30 days - no credit card required. Once the free trial ends, there’s just one price regardless of the number of subscribers on your list. Most other email marketing platforms offer a free price for a limited number of subscribers and limited functionality - but then the costs sky rocket as your email list grows.
If you’re interested in giving it a go, sign up for a free Flodesk trial using this link with my affiliate code. If you decide to go ahead, you’ll then get 50% off your first year.
How does Flodesk pricing compare to other email marketing platforms?
Ok, so this isn’t a full comparison or exhaustive list of everything out there. There are plenty of other people doing that so I invite you to jump on Google (or Ecosia if you want to be eco-friendly) and check comparisons. Look at the features you need and ask for recommendations from people using email marketing.
Pricing is only one element but, if you’re starting out, it’s often one of the important ones you’ll be checking. I want to make sure you get the full picture though. If you’re planning on growing your email list, check what that will mean to your monthly subscription costs.
Here are the costs for some of the most popular platforms:
ActiveCampaign: Prices start at $29 per month (billed annually) or $39 per month billed monthly. I struggled to work out how many subscribers that was for, so double check before signing up.
ConvertKit: Free for up to 1,000 subscribers. Prices then start from $25 per month for over that figure increasing as the number of subscribers rises (3,000 subscribers is $41 per month).
Flodesk: Free 30 day trial. Prices are then $35 per month regardless of subscriber numbers. You can also get 50% off your first year with my affiliate code.
MailChimp: Free for up to 1,000 subscribers. Prices then start from £21.27 per month for over that figure, increasing as the number of subscribers rises (2,500 subscribers is £36.12 per month).
MailerLite: Free for up to 1,000 subscribers. Prices then start from $15 per month for over that figure. Prices rise as email subscribers rise (2,500 subscribers is $40 per month).
Moosend: Free 30 day trial. Prices then start at $9 per month for up to 500 subscribers. Over 1,000 subscribers is $24 per month, increasing as email subscribers rise (2,500 subscribers is $32 per month).
Squarespace email campaigns: For websites hosted on Squarespace. The mailing list size is unlimited, with different price plans based on features and number of campaigns per month. Prices start from £4 per month (billed annually) or £6 per month (billed monthly).
Which is the best email marketing software?
The best solution for your business honestly depends on several factors.
When analysing the different options, think about the following and then check what each platform can deliver:
Your goals for using the software
Ease of use
Features
Integration with other systems
Support when you get a problem
Your budget
Feel free to send an email if you have specific questions about how I use Flodesk.
This blog post includes an affiliate link to Flodesk. This means if you decide to make a purchase by clicking on one of these links I may earn an affiliate commission.
Know this does not create any additional cost for you and I only share links (including affiliate links) to products that I personally use, love and trust.
