Can I use a CRM for email marketing?
How to integrate your CRM with email marketing
No matter where you are in business, once you open the Pandora’s Box into the email marketing world, things get…hazy. Do you need a CRM or email marketing service? Or both? What’s the difference?
If you’ve wondered this, you’re not alone! Here are some questions I’ve gotten:
>>> I need a CRM, and a email marketing platform?! Is there any that does both? Is that dubsado?
>>> Does you have any any suggestions on which mass email marketing platform and/or CRM system to use?
>>> I need a CRM– but I think I mean email marketing platform?
A CRM (client relationship manager– like Dubsado) and an ESP (email service provider– like ConvertKit) serve 2 very different purposes and have very different functions.
In a nutshell, you probably need both. (I know that’s not what you want to hear— sorry)
>>> The role of a CRM (client relationship manager) is to manage your client projects, communication, scheduling and invoicing. Communication here is done 1:1. I’m a fan of Dubsado.
>>> The role of your ESP (email service provider) is to nurture and grow an email list for marketing purposes. This means, sending broadcast emails out to a large number of people at the same time. I like ConvertKit.
Because of different levels of consent, privacy laws and intent of the platforms, you should not and cannot use one type of platform for both purposes.
Ex: Dubsado doesn’t have the same capabilities as ConvertKit and ConverKit doesn’t do what Dubsado is so good at
Can I send marketing material or newsletters to my clients through my CRM?
No, you shouldn’t, and you can’t. You have to have express consent to market to anyone via email, and those consents aren’t in place for CRM’s. Also, none the CRM’s for small businesses have the ability to send bulk emails. Which means you would have to send them one by one, which would NOT be worth anyone’s time. Especially when you can do this much easier on a platform it’s meant for-for free.
You can’t measure open or click-through rates with a CRM.
Dubsado only tells you if an email was opened, and approximately how long ago. It doesn’t give an open rate or click-through rate– and it doesn’t need to. Since it’s not meant for marketing, you don’t need to measure that data here.
The extent of data I need from Dubsado is where my clients came from and whether my client saw my last email if I’m still waiting on a response.
Your email list should be part of a larger funnel
To have a successful email list, you need to constantly be welcoming in new people and nurturing them. Your CRM is a branch off the funnel. Leads can (and hopefully will often!) come from your newsletter. If they did, then they’ll still be on that list.
To keep track of leads through my Dubsado account, I use Zapier to tag them as a potential client in ConvertKit.
I'd like to add an email marketing workflow for past clients that starts immediately after our project ends.
I *do* have a segmented list in my ESP for former clients. This is NOT for marketing purposes, but so I can send them platform updates, or have a specific reason to reach out in bulk– like I got a new email address, etc.
Of course, I also want to add them to my reg newsletter if they’re not already there! In this case, I simply go for the ask in one of my project wrap-up emails. This works great if you have a freebie that would want at this stage and can ship them over to the form for it.
I still want leads that inquire through Dubsado added to my email list. How do I do that?
Zapier! I have 3 zaps set up that work wonders. The first adds new leads to ConvertKit as a new subscriber and gives them the tag: Leads. The second zap gives the same person a new tag: Client when a contract is submitted. Using Zapier is super easy, and you can use up to 100 zaps a month on a free plan.
Ok— what if someone purchases a digital product from me? How do I do add them to my email list?
A lot of this is going to depend on your website provider AND your email service provider. If there are not native integrations, then you can use a 3rd party like Zapier to connect the two. At the time of this writing, Zapier doesn’t connect Squarespace’s checkout with ConvertKit if you’re not on the higher tiered plans.
What if I send group emails to clients? Ex: a coaching program?
If you’re using Dubsado for your group coaching program, you’re in the right spot. You can manage invoices, schedules, appointment confirmations and reminders– and that might be enough.
But if you regularly send blast emails that are NOT tied to an appointment, then you will want to find an ESP that segments well to use alongside Dubsado, and require the client to acknowledge that they want to receive these emails.
Are there actual laws and what the heck is GDPR?
If you want to send marketing emails, you must be GDPR Compliant. General Data Protection Regulation is the standard data privacy law across Europe about how data is stored and protecting the privacy of your audience’s information.
Compliance is required for anyone operating a business online– which for most of us will include our website and email marketing platform. This means you need to disclose to your visitors what information you gather and what you do with it.
For those of us who send newsletters and marketing emails? This means you have to have EXPRESS CONSENT to add them to your list. Click HERE for the most up-to-date info.
There ya have it! I hope this was able to clear up some confusion about what you can and cannot do with your CRM and Email Service Provider. If you’re new to the business world, getting your email list going is one of the very first things you should do– even before a CRM.
Getting started with Dubsado? ←I have a free setup workbook to make sure you get off on the right foot.
Getting started with email marketing? ← Check out this blog on how to use a freebie to start & grow your email list.
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Megan is a digital organizer for home-based, creative business owners who want running a business to be easier.
She’s part of the first-ever cohort of Certified Dubsado Specialists and has maintained currency through rigorous yearly processes
When Megan isn’t working, she’s probably downing her 4th cup of coffee while rushing to get any of her 5 kids to practice on time, searching Pinterest for meal inspiration, or daydreaming about the next Disney trip.
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