SharpSpring Review

SharpSpring
Product:
Vendor:
Founded:
Headquarters:
SharpSpring
SharpSpring
2014
Gainesville, FL
Ownership:
Customers:
Deployment Model:
Free Trial:
Public
2,000 agencies/10,000 businesses
Cloud
No
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SharpSpring At A Glance

Good: Month-to-month pricing plans with free support, open API for integrations, client console, blogging platform, VisitorID feature for tracking anonymous site visitors.
Bad: Landing page builder and integrations require some advanced knowledge and customers have experienced bugs.
Bottom Line: Robust marketing automation features for marketing agencies and SMBs to manage campaigns and build leads.

Product Overview

SharpSpring is a cloud-based marketing automation tool designed to help companies manage their marketing campaigns and build leads. It’s specifically targeted to marketing agencies and small-to-medium-sized businesses. SharpSpring provides several benefits for both agencies and businesses, such as:

  • As tasks are automated, marketers can focus on building relationships with clients
  • Providing tools to help marketers target leads with behavioral-based communication that converts them into sales
  • Monitoring performance of marketing campaigns and lead management with analytical tools and reports
  • Integrating with a variety of content management systems (CMS), customer relationship management systems (CRM), form builders and other marketing applications via its App Marketplace
  • Month-to-month pricing plans with unlimited support

In addition to the ones mentioned above, SharpSpring benefits marketing agencies specifically by offering them client-branded interfaces and sales materials, a multi-client management console, white-labeled URL and the ability to add new clients to the platform at any time.

SharpSpring also offers an all-in-one solution that combines CRM and marketing automation features. It’s ideal for companies that want to have a built-in CRM. Some of its features include a customizable pipeline, social CRM and actionable reports.

Features

Here are the key features of SharpSpring:

General Automation Features

  • Visual workflow builder with triggers and filters to visualize the path of leads toward conversion
  • Lead nurturing and lead scoring
  • Ability to create dynamic and static lists of leads
  • Tracking site visits via multiple devices
  • Abandoned shopping cart feature for automatically following up with a lead that did not end up purchasing product

Forms and Landing Pages

  • Built-in forms builder with drag-and-drop functionality, custom data fields, auto-populating form fields, call-to-action fields, and assigning buyers persona (description of the buyer or buying cycle)
  • Adding “How Did You Hear About Us” question to track leads in channels other than the web or email
  • Ability to add Webex and GoToWebinar apps to promote webinars
  • Ability to create landing pages with WYSIWYG and HTML editors (SharpSpring includes a library of landing page layout templates)
  • Pre-designed or build your own landing page funnels
  • Optimized for any device

Email

  • WYSIWYG and HTML editors
  • Users can pick from a range of email templates or build their own
  • Ability to send test emails
  • Tracking email recipients from opening the email to filling out forms to downloading content
  • Email workflow tracking for engaging with a prospect during their buying process
  • Smart Email for one-on-one communication

Marketers can also promote their content via blogs and social media. Similarly with landing pages and emails, marketers can create blog pages with SharpSpring’s library of templates or with their own design. They can also schedule and add new blog posts via the SharpSpring platform, as well as share their content via social networks and email. Marketers can also track Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media conversations and respond directly from SharpSpring.

SharpSpring also has a VisitorID feature for tracking known any unknown leads, such as anonymous site visitors. VisitorID uses a reverse IP lookup tool for tracking the name and company of the site visitor and passes on the contact information to marketers. It also tracks page visits, search terms and referral URLs. Marketers can also filter site pages and specific contacts out of those site visitors for follow-up.

SharpSpring includes analytical tools for tracking the results of emails, campaigns, site visits, workflows and other promotional efforts. The tools include customized reports and integration to Google AdWords for tracking paid search campaigns.

Target Market

SharpSpring targets marketing agencies and small-to-medium-sized businesses that have in-house marketing staff. We’ve listed 10 of its clients below:

  • Bright Dials
  • Biznet Digital
  • Brytons Home Improvement
  • Demodia GmbH
  • Easyfish Marketing
  • FunnelBud
  • GetIT Comms
  • Lighthouse Marketing Services, Inc.
  • PlanStartGrow
  • Search Revolutions, LLC

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Implementation/Integration

Each client will be assigned a dedicated customer success manager for support during and after implementation. As SharpSpring is deployed in the cloud, the implementation process will be shorter than an on-premise solution. However, the length and scope of the implementation process depends on the client’s needs and requirements.

SharpSpring provides over 100 training videos for clients and their employees. However, they do provide other training and onboarding services for a fee.

Customer Service & Support

Users can access a knowledge base of articles on marketing topics and SharpSpring’s features. Guides and videos are also available within the SharpSpring app.

Users can also submit a support ticket or contact tech support by phone Monday to Friday from 8:30AM to 8PM EST.

Pricing

SharpSpring offers pricing plans based on the number of contacts a company manages. Therefore, each plan has the same features, supports unlimited users and includes free support. Note that SharpSpring provides month-to-month billing so clients can cancel without paying any penalties.

  • Businesses with 1,000 contacts: $449 per month
  • Businesses with 10,000 contacts: $999 per month
  • Businesses with 20,000 contacts: $1,449 per month

For companies that manage millions of contacts, there is the Enterprise plan. There is also a pricing plan for marketing agencies. SharpSpring doesn’t publicly disclose pricing for either plan, so please contact the company directly for a quote.

Shortcomings

Users have mentioned that SharpSpring has a steep learning curve, but it’s easy to use once they’ve adjusted to it. Also, users have reported occasional software glitches, especially in creating landing pages.

Screenshots

SharpSpring Screenshot 1
SharpSpring Screenshot 2
SharpSpring Screenshot 3

About

SharpSpring (NASDAQ: SHSP) is a rapidly growing, highly-rated, global and affordable revenue growth platform delivered via a cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution. More than 10,000 businesses around the world rely on SharpSpring platforms to generate leads, improve conversions to sales, and drive higher returns on marketing investments. Known for its innovation, open architecture and free customer support, SharpSpring offers flexible contracts at a fraction of the price of competitors making it an easy choice for growing businesses and digital marketing agencies.

SharpSpring has been acquired by Constant Contact in 2021.

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