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Act-On is one of the world’s #1 email marketing platforms. They provide a free tool for entrepreneurs, startups and others who want to take advantage of the power of email marketing.
They also offer a standalone email marketing plugin for WordPress that allows you to integrate their service into your own email marketing platform (like AWeber) and lets you take advantage of all Act-On’s features, even those that are not available in their web-based interface.
In this article, I’ll teach you how to integrate Act-On with AWeber so you can start using their powerful tools to grow your email list and profit from email marketing.
Step 1. Install The Act-On Plugin For WordPress
If you have a WordPress site, you can install the Act-On email marketing plugin from within WordPress. All you need to do is search for “Act-On” in WordPress’s plugin directory. (It should come up as the first result.)
Once you’ve installed it, you can activate the plugin and begin using its powerful features. You can find additional help and information in the plugin’s documentation. (Again, it’s very easy to use.)
Step 2. Configure AWeber To Work With Act-On
Next, you need to do a little bit of configuring on AWeber’s end. From the dashboard, navigate to Settings → Integrations. (You can also do this from the plugin’s documentation.)
This is where you can configure which third-party services you want to work with AWeber.
You can choose from 100s of different services, including Act-On, but you have to enable them all to appear as options. (You can always add other services later if you decide not to use Act-On.) From the plugin’s documentation:
“Enabling this integration allows you to send mass email broadcasts to subscribers via AWeber. This feature is only available to Business and Enterprise Plus subscribers as part of the AWeberPro service.”
You should now be able to see Act-On (amongst other email marketing platforms) in your AWeber settings. Congratulations! You’re almost finished integrating Act-On with AWeber.
Step 3. Create Email Marketing Funnels
While AWeber is incredibly popular amongst small businesses, entrepreneurs and others who want to take advantage of email marketing, it’s not the most user-friendly service when it comes to creating email marketing funnels. (Or, as AWeber likes to call them, “Automated Email Sequences.”) This is where Act-On really shines. (As mentioned before, the plugin provides additional functionality that is not available within the AWeber dashboard.)
From the Act-On dashboard, navigate to Campaigns → Automated Email Sequences. Here you can create campaigns that will automatically send email messages to your contacts once they’ve completed a form or taken some kind of action such as made a purchase or downloaded a document.
Creating automated email sequences is extremely easy. Simply click the Create campaign button, and you’ll see a form with all the details for the sequence you’re creating. (You can also find this form within the plugin’s documentation.)
Once you’ve entered the form’s details, click the Create button to start the sequence. You can enter a Subject line, Description, Logo and other elements such as CTA and set the length of time you’d like the sequence to run for.
Now, you can take advantage of all Act-On’s features including form validation, delivery tracking, variable content (like animated GIFs, videos or certain offers) and more in your email campaigns through AWeber. (You can read more about these features in the Act-On documentation or explore them directly from within the plugin.)
Step 4. Test The Email Marketing Platform To Make Sure It Works
Once you’ve integrated Act-On with AWeber and created your first automated email sequence, you should test it out to make sure everything is working correctly. (Go ahead and unsubscribe from the test email list you created to make sure you don’t spam yourself.)
This is where things get a little bit tricky. You need to visit Act-On’s support site and look for a Contact Us form. (Or, from the plugin, click the Contact Us button in the upper right corner.)
This is where you’ll find representatives from Act-On who will help you troubleshoot any issues you might have. (As a side note, the person answering your questions in the Contact Us section should be able to help you. They will typically have either worked on the integration or have intimate knowledge of it.)
Step 5. Set Up Google Analytics Tracking
If you’ve been doing some research into email marketing, you’ll have noticed that a lot of big players like Google are now offering free analytics tools for bloggers and others who do web traffic.
With these tools, you can easily track the performance of your email marketing campaigns. (You can also use Google Search Console to track the organic traffic coming to your website from your blog posts and social media channels.)
In case you’re wondering, you don’t need to have Google Analytics installed on your site to track the performance of your email marketing campaigns. You can use any analytics tool that supports ESM (email tracking metrics). (The more data you have the better; that’s what these tools are made for.)
Step 6. Profit!
Once you’ve taken care of all the technical stuff, you can start generating some revenue by promoting affiliate products and services within your emails. (I recommend using a tool like Fuelly to make it easy to promote a variety of products that are relevant to your niche.)
To make money from your email marketing efforts, you first need to sign up for an account with a reputable affiliate network. (I recommend using Click Funnels Affiliate Network, which offers a free 14-day trial and then just $2.95 per month.)
Once you’ve signed up for the affiliate network, you can start earning commissions from any blog posts or articles you publish. Simply find a product that’s relevant to your niche, and you’re good to go.
If you want to take things a step further, you can try integrating affiliate marketing with your email marketing. With affiliate marketing, you promote products and services that are relevant to your niche, and when someone clicks those links and purchases a product or service, you earn a commission.
What is affiliate marketing? In short, affiliate marketing is when you promote a product or service and earn a commission when someone clicks a link or makes a purchase after being influenced by your marketing material.
For example, if you’re an online retailer selling men’s clothing, you might decide to promote the Gap brand within your emails. You find a relevant product, and you promote it within your email marketing. When a person clicks the link and makes a purchase, you’ll earn a small commission.
Or, if you’re a makeup artist and you want to discover new products to try out, you can find a relevant product and blog post (with a call to action like “try this new lipstick”) and you’re good to go. When a person clicks the link and makes a purchase, you’ll earn a commission.
Final Takeaway
Integrating Act-On with AWeber is quite easy to do. With a little bit of research, you’ll be able to find everything you need to know. (And if you ever need help, the folks at Act-On are more than willing to help out.)
If you’ve been considering trying out email marketing, this is the perfect opportunity. With Act-On, you can create automated email sequences that will allow you to take advantage of all their features while avoiding most of the hassles that come with doing business online.