Which Subject Lines Work Better?

February 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Have you ever wondered which subject line would get the most attention?  Or, maybe you’ve wondered which email text would get the most clicks.  If you’re an Infusionsoft user, in today’s article, I will explain how you can split test your emails to see which subject line, or which email itself gets the most opens, clicks, and opt-outs.

1.    Create two separate emails, even if the only difference is the subject line.  It might be something as simple as adding the person’s first name in the subject line.

2.    Now what you’re going to do is create two separate follow up sequences.  You’ll be adding one of the emails to each sequence.  You’ll want to remember to set it to send “0 days after a person is added to the sequence.”  If you select “immediate,” the opens, clicks, opt-outs, et cetera will not track.

For example, let’s say that you have an email entitled, “Which subject lines work?” and another entitled, “Does this subject line stink?”  In addition to your two emails, create two follow up sequences. Call one follow up sequence “Which subject lines work 2/23/12,” and call the other sequence “Does this subject line stink 2/23/12.”  You’ll add only the email called “Which subject lines work” in the “Which subject lines work 2/23/12″ follow up sequence, and the email called “Does this subject line stink?” in the “Does this subject line stink 2/23/12” sequence.  When you add the email, be sure to set it to send “0 days after a person is added to the sequence”, as outlined above. [Read more...]

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Infusionsoft Changes Coming

January 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Wow!  Last night I was on the Infusionsoft webinar highlighting their Winter Release 2012…some awesome changes are coming!  I’ll touch on a few this morning, in case you haven’t heard.

First, they’re updating the ecommerce area, organizing it in a much friendlier, easier to use way.  Subscriptions will be considered products and you’ll be able to start charging shipping on subscriptions, as well.  Speaking of shipping…all shipping options will be in one central location instead of the one area for order forms and the other area for the shopping cart.  Tip: Before they make the change, you may want to go in and update the name of the shipping options you have for your order forms.  Just add “Order form” in front of your current shipping so you’ll be able to distinguish which options are which.

You’ll be able to share your emails and webforms through social media.  I’ve got one client for which this change will come in handy!  Currently whenever she has an email she wants to share through social media, I post it as a blog and share it that way.  This will be one step eliminated and we’ll be able to quickly and easily share the email through Twitter and Facebook!  LinkedIn currently isn’t an option, but hopefully that will be coming soon.  People who receive your email will also be able to share it through social media, and you’ll be able to track shares and views.

Ever wish you could easily have a simple webform which then took the prospect to a more complicated webform seamlessly?  You know, your first webform asks for first name and email address, and then it takes them to the next page which asks for shipping information so they can get the free DVD shipped to them.  After the update you’ll be able to easily do that!  And I say easily because while it was possible before the upgrade, there was some extra coding involved.

That’s it for now!  More changes are coming in the spring.  Can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

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Email Status in Infusionsoft

November 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Infusionsoft has different email statuses:  single opt in, double opt in, non-marketable, opt out, and bounce to name a few…  But what do they mean and what’s their importance?

Most contacts that you import will be single opt ins.  If you’re importing from another program such as Aweber or Constant Contact and those contacts have double opted in through those programs, you can contact Infusionsoft about those contacts being double opt ins when you import them into Infusionsoft.

Single opt ins also occur if you have a webform or an order form that does not send a confirmation email with a double opt in link.  Now, double opt ins are great because it’s more “proof” that the person did actually opt in to receive your email marketing.

Non-marketable emails happen when you least expect it.  You go into a record, update the contact’s email address and hit save, then that email is considered non-marketable.  There’s another step you must take to ensure that person continues receiving your emails.  Click on the non-marketable status under the email address and explain the why and check that you have permission to send marketing emails.

Now are you wondering if you’ve got some folks with non-marketable emails?  No problem.  You can run a report by going into Reports à View All Reports à Email Status Search.  Choose non-marketable from the dropdown list and then go into each of those records and make them marketable!

Still not sure or have questions?  Just let me know!

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Infusionsoft – Order Forms Vs. Shopping Cart

July 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Infusionsoft Order FormsAs a Virtual Assistant, I work in many different clients’ Infusionsoft accounts.  One of the questions that always comes up (if not by them, then in my mind) is whether to use order forms or product links within the shopping cart.  I have very few clients that use the shopping cart itself within Infusionsoft. If we go the shopping cart route, then we are using product links.

Not sure what Infusionsoft is?  Then click here for more information.

Most clients have a sales page and they need a link to sell their product or program, which you can do through order forms or product links in the shopping cart.  So which is better?  The order forms are much easier to set up than the shopping cart but are also limited in their capabilities.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself when deciding on order forms or product links in the shopping cart:

Do you want to offer PayPal as an option at checkout?

If you do, then you’ll need to use the shopping cart.  PayPal is not offered as a choice of payment in the order forms, only credit cards.

Will you be offering coupon or discount codes?

If so, then, once again, the shopping cart is the answer.  You cannot use coupon or discount codes in the order forms.

Will you be offering a multi-payment plan, like full pay, 2-pay, 6-pay?

If you’re only offering two options — like full pay and 2-pay — then you can use the order form.  But if you’re going to offer more than two choices, then the shopping cart is the way you’ll need to go.

Do you want your customers to be able to purchase more than one of a specific item?

If yes, then the shopping cart is the answer.

Do you want customers to be able to continue shopping?

Yes?  Then again, the shopping cart is the way to go.

With all the answers pointing towards the shopping cart, you might be wondering why you would ever use the order form.  Well, it’s easier to set up, first and foremost.  You can have customers go to a specific thank you page specific to each order form, and thereby, specific to each product.  While you can do this in the shopping cart, it takes a few more steps to get there and the novice Infusionsoft user may not have the knowledge to do it.

You can have action items specific to both, so they’re equal in that area.

Hopefully that has helped clear up some confusion about Infusionsoft’s order forms and shopping carts, but if not, feel free to contact me with any questions.

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Think Before Deleting Records From Infusionsoft

March 29, 2011 By 2 Comments

I recently was paying some affiliates through a client’s Infusionsoft when I discovered something very strange.  I could not find two affiliates’ contact records.  I called Infusionsoft support, and those records had been deleted.  Fortunately, support was able to restore the deleted records for me, so all the information on those affiliates (like what email address to pay them through PayPal) was not lost.

Then several days later I was contacted by another affiliate stating that several weeks ago he had three sales in January and now the system is only showing one.

This particular client has someone else who also works in his Infusionsoft account, so I had to do some digging and found out that anyone who had opted out of email marketing had been deleted.  What?!  The client was concerned about people receiving emails when they had opted out and reporting them as spam.  I’m not really sure why the decision was made to delete anyone who had opted out.  But that decision has caused some serious problems.

First, if someone has opted out of email marketing in Infusionsoft, they will not receive emails through a broadcast or follow-up sequences.  You can only send them an individual email through Infusionsoft, similar to sending them an email message through Outlook.  So there’s no chance of them still receiving emails they don’t want, and, therefore, no chance of them reporting you as a spammer.

Second, by deleting anyone who has opted out (including customers), those records are gone from the Infusionsoft system, and, therefore, are skewing the affiliate’s records.  Some ledgers are showing we’ve overpaid, some are missing sales (like in the case of the affiliate who contacted me).

I can certainly understand wanting to clean up your database now and then, but do not ever delete customer records.  There’s a better way.  If you don’t want those opt-outs showing in your “ezine list” you can simply search for your opt-outs and then change their tags so they’re not included in marketing emails, but they remain in the system, only tagged as an opt-out.

If you have questions about organizing and cleaning up your Infusionsoft system, please feel free to let me know!

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Infusionsoft Named One of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies Fourth Year in a Row by Inc. Magazine, Ranks No. 66 in Software Industry

August 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Infusionsoft Sees Three-Year Sales Growth of 304% Despite Recession, Change in Revenue Model

Gilbert, AZ (Vocus) August 27, 2010

Inc. magazine ranked Infusionsoft No. 984 on its fourth annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. In the last three years Infusionsoft has grown its customer base of small business marketers by 800% to more than 20,000 users. Infusionsoft continues to thrive during the recession because its web-based marketing automation tool helps small businesses grow quickly and efficiently without having to hire more staff. Keeping costs down is a big concern for small-business owners, more so now than ever as the struggle to get capital continues and consumer spending is stagnate.

“We’ve gone from a struggling start-up with big dreams and grand visions working out of an obscure strip mall in Mesa, Ariz. to now the preferred tool used by entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses quickly and profitably,” said Clate Mask, co-founder, CEO of Infusionsoft. With 130 employees and 20,000 small business users, the Infusionsoft family continues to grow as the demand for our software grows.”

“We first appeared on the list in 2007. So to be recognized as one of America’s fastest growing private companies by Inc. magazine for the fourth year in a row is an honor we’re super-proud of. And yet I feel like we’re just getting started,” explained Mask. “No doubt about it, big things are ahead for Infusionsoft.”

Infusionsoft helps small businesses convert more leads and increase sales with its email marketing 2.0 solution. The company does this through web-based software that combines advanced multi-channel marketing capabilities like email marketing, voice broadcasts, direct mail and SMS with a full featured CRM (customer-relationship management). That combined with a powerful automation engine is the secret sauce that enables small businesses to market like a big business on a small business budget.

The company has seen year-over-year growth despite making a major change to its business model from a setup fee and monthly subscription service to now a subscription service only. This change allowed for more small businesses to get access to Infusionsoft’s powerful all-in-one solution.

Founders Clate Mask and Scott Martineau have become known globally as small business experts having chronicled their experiences of building Infusionsoft in their new book Conquer the Chaos: How to grow a successful small business without going crazy (Wiley, 2010). It debuted on the New York Times best-seller list and has become a staple on every entrepreneur and aspiring entrepreneur’s bookshelf.

About Infusionsoft
Infusionsoft helps small businesses grow smarter and faster through web-based email marketing 2.0 software that automatically adapts to prospect and customer behavior. Infusionsoft combines advanced multi-channel marketing and CRM in one app that’s driven by a powerful automation engine. The privately-held company has made the Inc. 500/5000 list four years in a row. The company is based in Gilbert, Ariz. and is funded by Mohr Davidow Ventures and vSpring Capital. For more information, visit www.infusionsoft.com.

About Inc. Magazine
Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures LLC, Inc. is the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies that delivers real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. With a total paid circulation of 712,647, Inc. provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology.

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Infusionsoft Opt-Out Links

August 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If you’re doing your e-mail marketing through Infusionsoft, and you have not customized your opt-out link, you could be losing subscribers unnecessarily.  There are two reasons to create your own opt-out link.  One is because someone may want to update their e-mail address. Second, someone may want to opt-out of your weekly promotion e-mail, but not opt-out of your monthly newsletter.

Infusionsoft’s default opt-out link allows for one thing:  unsubscribe from all e-mail marketing!  Ouch!

To avoid this problem, within the e-mail template, click on the open merge window.  Then select the links tab and click on “Create Update/Opt-Out”.  Then select the type from the dropdown menu.  Opt-out allows the subscriber to opt-out of all e-mail marketing or just the current sequence.  Update allows the subscriber to update their contact information only.  And opt-out and update allows the subscriber to do either of the previous options.

Type in your blurbs in the html and text versions (i.e., To unsubscribe or update your information, click here.).

Fill in the opt-out display information (i.e., Opt-out of our weekly promotions), as well as a description for that particular e-mail sequence (i.e., By clicking here you choose to no longer receive e-mails with our weekly promotions.).

You can also create actions associated with individual opt-outs.  For instance, you can change a tag or send them an e-mail that says, “We’re sorry to see you leave the weekly promotions e-mail.  If you’re interested in our monthly specials, click here.”  Or something along those lines.

The important thing is by customizing your opt-out links, you won’t be losing people unnecessarily.  For detailed information on the above, click here.  And if you’re still not sure what to do or don’t have the time, as a Virtual Assistant, I help my clients set up and maintain their Infusionsoft account.  Please contact me for more information.

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