Marketing anything to an audience via traditional email formats can be exhausting. No matter how much time you spend drafting those perfect paragraphs, you have no guarantee that anyone will respond. These traditional formats are designed to reach huge amounts of people, with no guarantee that any of them will be interested enough in your header to even open the email in the first place, let alone read it. In fact, even if they do open the email, they’re most likely to unsubscribe from the chain and move on with their lives.

By combining an insurance CRM system and email marketing, agencies are much more successful at gaining audience attention. They’re able to reach people who are interested in what they’re offering and tailor those messages to grow client relationships. By understanding CRM email marketing and its advantages, insurance agencies can put their best foot forward with client interactions using these same strategies to draw in and maintain client bodies.

CRM email marketing explained

CRM email marketing is a form of email marketing that employs the practices and technology associated with customer relationship management to create a marketing tool that will be more appealing to prospective clients. It is a more personalized version of email marketing that works better than traditional email marketing systems because it is created with specific customers and companies in mind. 

This is a much more direct and effective method of garnering desired attention because the audience, those who actually decide whether the email strategy and offered product will be successful or not, are the center of attention.

Advantages of insurance CRM with email marketing

The advantages of insurance agencies using CRMs with their email marketing are virtually endless. They help agents connect with clients who have real follow-up potential instead of blindly emailing a huge list of names who may or may not be interested. And because the clients being reached are invested in the content they are receiving, it can be personalized in a way that draws them into the agency. This can help build lasting relationships that are beneficial to both parties.

Additionally, there are several other benefits to using CRM email marketing. This includes integrating social media networking, detailed analytics, customizable templates, centrally-located recipient data, and much more.

Our review of the four best insurance CRMs with email marketing

Now that you have a better understanding of what a CRM paired with email marketing can do, we’ll provide you with reviews of the four best insurance CRMs with email marketing in the game — from their features and advantages to disadvantages and pricing.

Better Agency

Features

  • Centralized Client Communication
  • Live Chat Support
  • Unlimited Contacts
  • One-on-One Agency Onboarding
  • 5,000-Unlimited Emails per Month (Depending on Plan)
  • 1,000-Unlimited SMS per Month (Depending on Plan)
  • Private Facebook Group
  • Access to Live User Conference
  • No Chrome Extension
  • No Mobile App

Advantages

It’s an easy-to-use system with many options for future integration with open API. The customer support team is outstanding, as a high value is placed on clients. There are lots of different functions and options for agencies to explore and experiment with.

Disadvantages

Better Agency is a bit more costly than its competitors and still features a few bugs occasionally.

Pricing

14 trial for $1 and three subsequent tiers:

  • Starter at $299 per month for one to three users
  • Growing at $399 per month for four to six users
  • Powerhouse at $549 per month for seven to ten users

Additional pricing options are available upon contact for parties of more than ten users.

Zoho CRM

Features

  • Dynamic Personalization
  • Email Interactivity
  • A/B Testing
  • Advanced Email Automation
  • Drag-And-Drop Workflows
  • Contact Path Tracing
  • Autoresponders
  • Send-Time Optimization
  • Email Cadence
  • Domain Authentication
  • Mobile App
  • 2,000 Contacts per Month
  • 12,000 Emails per Month
  • Mailing List Management
  • No Chrome Extension
  • No Unlimited Emails
  • No Unlimited Contacts

Advantages

The system is fast and easy to use, and it can be integrated into other social networking systems. Further, they feature videos containing detailed guides about all of the tools they offer.

Disadvantages

Many customers report system issues when working with Zoho including glitching software, bugs, lots of lag, and mismatched fields between their CRM and campaign services. Additionally, their layout options are very limited.

Pricing

Currently, Zoho runs at $3 per user per month when billed monthly with 500 emails and 250 contacts. The system is $4.5 per month for subscribers when billed monthly and $7 per 250 credits, when clients choose to sign up that way. Additionally, they offer a Forever Free plan at 12,000 emails per month and 2,000 contacts.

ActiveCampaign

Features

  • Accessibility across all devices and browsers
  • Chrome Extension
  • Fantastic Service and Support
  • Hundreds of Automaton Recipes,
  • Tools, and Templates
  • Mobile App
  • Machine Learning
  • Security
  • Unlimited Email Sending (Depending on Plan)
  • Unlimited Contacts (Depending on Plan)
  • Marketing Automation
  • B2B
  • No A/B Testing

Advantages

Segmenting and tagging engines are a feature that many users appreciate with ActiveCampaign, along with its easy-to-use format. Clients also laud the company for its customer service and fast response time with any questions or concerns.

Disadvantages

Reports of buggy systems and struggles when using the system on laptops are common themes among users, along with its costliness. Additionally, the company offers limited SMS options with tricky integration that is difficult to operate.

Pricing

ActiveCampaign offers several pricing options. Their Lite option starts at $9 per month when billed annually, their Plus option starts at $49 per month when billed annually, and their most popular option, Professional, runs at $129 per month when billed annually. Further, they offer an Enterprise option at $229 per month, billed annually.

Hubspot

Features

  • A/B Testing of Email & Landing Pages
  • SEO Advice
  • CRM Integration
  • CTA Reporting
  • Click-Through Tracking
  • Data Sync
  • Keyword Tracking
  • Mobile App
  • Social Media Management
  • Predictive Lead Scoring
  • Workflows
  • No Customizable Branding
  • No Engagement Analytics
  • No Performance Metrics
  • 10 User Limit
  • No Unlimited Contacts

Advantages

Hubspot offers agencies many advantages including CRM integration, many different social media incorporation options, good marketing automation, and integration with other Hubspot solutions systems.

Disadvantages

Unfortunately, their system is quite expensive and requires a lot of time and effort to learn. Additionally, their SEO features need updating.

Pricing

Hubspot offers packages on many tiers. Their Starter package is $50 per month, their Professional package is $800 per month when billed annually, and their enterprise plan starts at $3,200 per month when billed annually.

Choosing the right CRM with email marketing

CRM email marketing is an invaluable strategy that more and more businesses are employing. It helps agencies garner and nurture client relationships in an unintrusive, audience-centric manner that has been proven repeatedly. Many companies offer CRM email marketing services, but only one can be the best option for you.