OptinMonster Review 2021 - The Best Lead Generation Software?
Updated: Aug 27, 2021
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Table of Contents
OptinMonster; A Brief Overview
5 of My Favorite OptinMonster Features
Summary; Is OptinMonster Right for You?
Opt-in marketing has become one of the best ways to connect with audiences and generate new leads for your business. There are many tools out there that claim they can help you get more email sign-ups or even grow a subscriber list, but how do you know which one will work best for your needs?
This OptinMonster review will analyze all the platform has to offer, not only to see if it's worth its hype but also to examine what other features may be beneficial when creating your marketing campaigns. Alongside reviews on usability, we will take a look at pricing plans as well.
OptinMonster; A Brief Overview
OptinMonster is a conversion optimization tool that allows you to easily create, test, and publish opt-ins on your site.
It's one of the best marketing optimization tools on the market because it has a suite of features that will allow you to track your campaign performance in real-time, so you can make adjustments as needed. OptinMonster also provides A/B testing, meaning that when there are different versions of an opt-in being tested against one another, they'll show you which version converts better so you can focus on what is working well. They also have a wide range of templates available for use with their campaigns.
OptinMonster is a powerful lead generation platform for bloggers, eCommerce websites, marketing agencies, and small businesses. The interface is accessible and user-friendly, designed to help you easily create opt-ins with minimal effort on your part. These are some of the features included: unlimited forms; list building tools like a squeeze page builder and contact form creator that can be used simultaneously in one dashboard; segmentation options so users can customize their campaigns according to which type of audience they want (email subscribers? social followers?), and more.
OptinMonster also offers increased customer lifetime value through analytics reports about subscriber behavior.
5 of My Favorite OptinMonster Features
The OptinMonster team has been working hard to create helpful features that are both sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing, helping the platform to stand out amongst its competition. I've highlighted 5 of my favorite features below:
1. Drag n' Drop Builder Makes it Easy to Create Custom Campaigns
By using the drag n' drop builder in OptinMonster, you can create attractive custom campaigns optimized to generate leads on your site with high conversion rates. They're easy to set up and offer a wide variety of pop-ups and overlays.
The builder makes it straightforward for anyone, regardless of design experience, to build visually appealing forms in minutes that can captivate your audience with compelling graphics or videos.
2. Campaign Triggers for Any Scenario
OptinMonster offers many campaign triggers to help you control how visitors interact with your site. The platform has different options for when a visitor clicks on an ad, enters their email address, or scrolls down the page (and more), so you can customize it according to what works best for your site.
InactivtySensor to Target Inactive Visitors
One of my personal favorite campaign triggers is the InactivitySensor™. When you have disengaged visitors who aren’t converting into leads or customers, the InactivitySensor™ is there to help. It can detect when a user has been inactive on your site and display an offer to re-engage them with easy access at their most predisposed point of inattention.
OptinMonster has a variety of other triggers for your campaigns, like scroll trigger, HTML elements, JavaScript variables, and more. You can identify which methods work the best to engage visitors by using these tools in combination with any number of their different features, such as opt-ins or exit pop-ups.
3. Precision Targeting Designed to Generate More Leads
While most opt-in forms have a one-size-fits-all approach, OptinMonster understands that not every site is the same. A selling point for me on the software was their Targeted Campaign functionality, which is helpful in countless scenarios. This feature is designed with marketers in mind and is meant to generate more leads and subscribers for your site.
OptinMonster targeted campaigns can help you engage with your audience by presenting them with offers they'll actually be interested in and provide opportunities that might lead to increased sales.
Let's take a look at a few examples of these targeted campaigns to understand how they might benefit your site:
Combat Abandonment with OnSite Retargeting®
Converting a first-time visitor to a returning customer is challenging, but it's easier when your visitors are retargeted with new offers based on their previous interactions.
OptinMonster's Onsite Retargeting® lets eCommerce retailers and publishers target marketing campaigns to boost conversions by reaching out to visitors who have previously shown interest in the content on your site (through engagement or interaction).
OptinMonster also includes the following Targeted Campaign methods:
Referrer Detection
Page-Level Targeting
Geo-Location Targeting
Cookie Retargeting
Custom Domains
AdBlock Detection
Device-Based Targeting
4. Integrates with Most Platforms
Integration is a must in the digital marketing world, but finding which software will fit your needs can be difficult. OptinMonster's platform allows you to integrate all your email marketing services seamlessly. It works with all major services, so no matter which one you choose, you'll be able to easily integrate the two.
Supported Email Marketing Services
In addition to email marketing platforms, OptinMonster also integrates with various websites and eCommerce pages such as WordPress and Shopify for a more personalized approach to your campaigns. This allows you to create an eye-catching pop-up box on any page of your site without altering the design.
Supported Website & eCommerce Platforms
5. In-depth Performance and Reporting Analytics
I'm a big fan of analytics and reporting data, especially when it involves the performance of my campaigns. OptinMonster definitely delivers in this department as well, thanks to their robust set-up that allows me to see how visitors are engaging with my site. I can track insightful metrics like conversion rates, visitors, and more.
OptinMonster also offers integration with Google Analytics, which is a great bonus for those who use GA to track performance and website metrics.
You can view your Highest Page Conversion data to get a sense of which opt-ins are performing the best. However, you’ll need at least Plus Plan or higher for full access.
Subscription Plan Pricing
OptinMonster offers a range of plans, starting at $9/mo (billed annually) for the Basic. There are monthly plans available as well, though they cost 50% more than their annual counterparts. Still, this might be worth considering if you're unsure about committing to an entire year-long subscription. They don't offer free trials, but they do have options for those who want more flexibility, like a 14-day cancellation guarantee.
OptinMonster; Pros and Cons
Pros
+ Easy to Use and Configure
The campaigns are a breeze to configure and set up. There's also plenty of templates available for those looking for that perfect custom fit, taking the guesswork out of building a campaign from scratch. For further customization, the drag-and-drop feature makes it an easy process with minimal hassle.
+ Customizability
When designing a campaign, you’re given many options for customization. You can tweak the design of a pop-up, the animation type, and other small elements to get it just how you want it. This is great for those looking to move away from the generic pop-ups often seen on websites.
+ Customer Service
I had to contact OptinMonster's customer service on several occasions, especially when creating my first few campaigns. I got replies almost immediately, and each representative I spoke with was helpful and informative. They also offered me a coupon code to get started with my subscription. They're available to hold your hand through creating your campaigns and provide helpful insight along the way.
Cons
- Limited Functionality with Basic Plan
The Basic Plan has lots of features designed to get you started creating opt-in campaigns for your site. However, I found this plan to be very limited in what you actually have access to on the platform. I chose to start with the Basic Plan to get my feet wet with OptinMonster and found that I was constantly hitting paywalls. Yes, there are loads of templates, but you'll need to upgrade to access the more "premium" templates (including fullscreen campaigns). Yes, there are in-depth analytics available, but again, not with the Basic Plan.
Summary; Is OptinMonster Right for You?
Would I recommend OptinMonster as a tool to help increase leads and monetize traffic? Absolutely.
OptinMonster is absolutely a great tool to help you increase leads and monetize traffic that’s coming your way. It offers many features, including A/B testing of different opt-ins, conversion analytics for each form on your site, unlimited forms per page with no branding, and an exit-intent pop-up or slide-in to capture those visitors who are leaving without converting…the list goes on.
I would recommend using OptinMonster as part of any digital marketing strategy because it will save time by automating repetitive tasks like creating new opt-in offers with custom fields based on what specific customers need.
OptinMonster Screenshots
Data Courtesy of OptinMonster