Sendinblue has become a household name when it comes to email marketing, with over 300,000 business owners or marketers using it across the globe.

But if you’re new to email marketing, you must be wondering, “what is Sendinblue, exactly? Is it a blue-coloured bird that delivers emails? Is it a magical potion that can turn my subscribers into loyal customers?”

Well, fear not, fellow business owner – we’re here to demystify this marketing marvel and answer the question “what is Sendinblue?”, so keep reading!

What is Sendinblue?

Sendinblue is a digital marketing automation platform that’s designed to help you grow your business by turning casual visitors into subscribers and subscribers into loyal customers.

How does it do that, you ask?

While many marketing automation platforms focus solely on email marketing, Sendinblue takes it up a notch. It’s a versatile platform that allows you to create automated email, SMS, and even WhatsApp campaigns (you read that right!). That basically means that you can reach your customers and leads through multiple channels, giving them a more personalised experience and making them feel special.

Wait, there’s more

Sendinblue’s features don’t stop there. It also offers a Live Chat feature that you can add to your website, allowing you to communicate with your website visitors and customers in real time.

And the best part?

You won’t have to empty your pockets for it! Unlike other companies that charge an arm and a leg for similar features, Sendinblue keeps it affordable.

So, there you have it – that’s the answer to “what is Sendinblue?”. You can go now.

Just kidding. Keep reading to find out more about Sendinblue’s features.

What is Sendinblue: Features

First, the elephant in the room: email campaigns

When it comes to creating email campaigns that convert and drive sales, Sendinblue offers everything you may ever need. What’s more is that the process can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be because the platform boasts an excellent drag-and-drop editor as well as a classic HTML editor for the more tech-savvy.

Visual drag-and-drop editor

Who said creating emails had to be a drag (pun intended)?

With Sendinblue’s user-friendly visual interface, you’ll be crafting stunning emails faster than you can say “email blast!”

To do so, just drag and drop ready-made blocks for all the popular content types, such as text, images, buttons, etc., and voilà – your email will be ready in no time.

Not the creative type?

Fret not! Sendinblue offers a treasure trove of pre-designed templates, all of which are sorted into handy categories. Customise them to your heart’s content, and you’ll have a gorgeous email that’s ready to impress.

Here’s a sneak peak:

Want some good news?

All the templates and blocks within the editor are mobile-friendly, so you needn’t worry about which platform your subscribers are using to read their emails.

There’s also an auto-save function that can save the day if you make a mistake along the way and need to go back to an earlier version.

For the HTML gurus

Feeling like a tech-savvy wizard?

Go ahead and import your email template in raw HTML form and edit it as you please.

This is also convenient if you found an HTML email template somewhere (*cough* Stripo *cough*) and want to use it for your own campaigns.

Don’t send those emails just yet!

Before going live with your campaign, make sure that it’s going to show up perfectly in your contacts’ inboxes.

How, you ask?

Using Sendinblue’s extensive email inbox testing features, of course!

Sendinblue serves up actual screenshots from various email inboxes and mobile devices, so you know exactly how your email will appear. No more gambling with appearances, and no need to rely on separate rendering testing tools like Litmus or Email on Acid.

Next, let’s talk marketing automation

Sendinblue’s email automation features set it apart from the competition, making it a top choice amongst marketers. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer crafting elaborate email marketing campaigns or a small business owner automating basic email sequences, Sendinblue’s got your back.

First, what does marketing automation mean when it comes to email marketing?

Well, with Sendinblue, you can set specific triggers and let the system send tailored email messages when those triggers go off.

Here are a few examples to help get the idea across:

• If a visitor checks out a particular product or service page, send them an email with more details, special offers, or testimonials to encourage a purchase
• When a potential customer adds items to their cart but leaves without completing the purchase, send a friendly reminder email about their abandoned items, possibly with a discount code to entice them to complete the transaction
• Welcome new subscribers with a sequence of emails introducing your business, sharing valuable insight, and offering exclusive deals. This helps build a strong relationship from the start
• Celebrate your subscribers’ birthdays by sending personalised greetings, offering birthday discounts, or giving them a free gift. It’s a great way to show appreciation and keep your business top-of-mind
• If a visitor clicks on a link to a blog post, event, or promotional campaign, send a follow-up email with additional information, related content, or a call to action to drive further engagement
• If a visitor submits their phone number, send them a welcome message via WhatsApp or SMS (something that only a select marketing automation platforms offer)

The sky is the limit when it comes to the possibilities, making it a powerful tool for small business owners.

Note that Sendinblue doesn’t just automate one-off actions – you can actually design entire automated sequences. Here’s an example:

That (almost) set-and-forget process allows you to focus on other aspects of your business while maintaining a strong connection with your customers.

So, how can you do that?

Kick off your custom workflow using:

• Basic contact file
• Contacts that performed specific email or website activity
• Contacts who submitted form data
• Or contacts who were tagged during website visits

Base your sequence on “if/then” conditions for the next communication, and watch the magic happen!

PS: You can start with one of Sendinblue’s pre-made sequences if you want to speed up the process:

PS: Although there’s no limit to interactions, your account does restrict the number of emails you can send (more on that in the pricing section).

CRM functionality

What’s an email campaign without a well-managed contact list?

Sendinblue offers a separate section dedicated to contact management. You can group your contacts into lists, segment those lists, edit individual contacts, and even see stats on how engaged someone is with your newsletters.

Note that Sendinblue’s automation feeds its integrated CRM functionality. You can easily track subscriber activity, match it to your contact database, and seize opportunities – just like a standard CRM, minus pipeline management.

What is Sendinblue: Integrations

Sendinblue is an integration wonderland, providing a plethora of options to streamline your marketing efforts.

First, Sendinblue’s got your e-commerce needs covered with plug-ins for Shopify and WooCommerce, making it easy to:

• Monitor product purchases
• Add users to workflows based on buying activity
• Track abandoned shopping carts
• Analyse product browsing behaviour

Sendinblue’s packed with additional plug-ins to connect with various apps, particularly analytics and CRM tools. For example, there’s a Facebook Ads extension to help you maximise your presence where your subscribers hang out.

Finally, for those with a tech-savvy flair, Sendinblue offers an open API, allowing developers to create custom integrations for unique feature combos.

What is Sendinblue: Landing pages

Sendinblue makes it easy to create landing pages that are perfect for showcasing your special deals, services, or products.

Here’s what’s specifal about this feature:

• Minimalist, mobile-friendly templates: Just like the email templates, these landing page templates are sleek and easy on the eyes, with a solid variety to choose from
• Build your own masterpiece: Feeling creative? Start with a semi-blank canvas and mix and match predefined layouts and content blocks with the drag-and-drop editor
• Chain pages together: Lead users through a post-sign-up or onboarding journey by connecting multiple landing pages
• Capture email sign-ups: Use these landing pages to grow your email list like a pro
• Integrating landing pages with your domain: Don’t want your landing pages to look like they belong to someone else? No problem! Connect them to your existing domain name, and they’ll blend seamlessly with your website

So, with Sendinblue’s landing page builder, you can create an unforgettable first impression and lead your visitors on a delightful journey!

What is Sendinblue: Deliverability

Email platforms, like Gmail and Outlook, have built-in defences to keep spam and malicious emails at bay. So, if you want your marketing emails to reach their targets, your email service needs to play by the rules.

Sendinblue guarantees 99% deliverability on their enterprise solution, but there’s no guarantee in place for their other plans. That said, the platform offers some key features that can help your emails land safely in the inbox, including:

DKIM authentication

Think of this like an encrypted passport for your emails, ensuring recipients and their email providers can trust that the email is genuinely from you. Sendinblue offers DKIM authentication and even has a handy guide to set it up.

Anti-spam policy

If your emails share server space with sketchy content, it’s guilt by association. That’s why Sendinblue manually (yep, human-powered) verifies all new customers and their accounts before letting them send emails. While it’s inconvenient, it shows their commitment to email quality.

Affiliate marketing policies

Some platforms frown upon affiliate marketing programs. Luckily, Sendinblue is affiliate marketing-friendly.

Dedicated/Private IP addresses

A dedicated IP address for your email server can boost your trustworthiness in the eyes of big tech companies. Sendinblue offers dedicated IP addresses for an additional cost.

What is Sendinblue: Plans and pricing

If you’re a small business owner who’s just starting out with marketing, then the pricing can be the deciding factor when picking an email marketing platform (it makes sense, don’t worry.).

First, you need to understand that Sendinblue’s got a refreshing take on pricing: they charge based on the number of emails sent, not the size of your contact list. So whether you have 100 or 1,000,000 contacts, there’s no extra charge.

Sendinblue has three pricing tiers:

• Free plan: up to 300 emails per day. This plan basically works as a free trial with no timeout period, and you don’t even need a credit card to use it!
• Starter plans: these start at £16/month for 20,000 emails/month and include basic reporting and analytics as well as email support but don’t include the landing page builder and A/B testing features
• Business plans: these start at £40/month for 20,000 emails/month and include marketing automation, A/B testing, multi-user access, advanced statistics, send time optimisation, phone support, and other features
• Enterprise plans: these are custom plans for – you guessed it – bigger enterprises looking to use Sendinblue for their email marketing needs

Sendinblue vs Mailchimp

Choosing the right email marketing platform can be a daunting task. With so many options on the market, it can feel like a never-ending game of eenie meenie miney mo. Worry not, though, as we’re here to help. Here’s how Sendinblue compares to another popular email marketing platform, Mailchimp.

Choose Sendinblue if

You need to send transactional emails

Transactional emails are essential for any e-commerce business, but they can be costly with some platforms. This is where Sendinblue comes in handy!

With its all-in-one solution, Sendinblue offers a much more budget-friendly option, which is perfect for smaller businesses.

You want the most value at the best price

Let’s face it; price is always a deciding factor when choosing an email marketing platform. With Sendinblue, you get more value for your money. You can send up to 20,000 emails per month for just £16! Plus, all Sendinblue plans allow unlimited contacts, and you can access features like send-time optimisation, automation, and A/B testing at a lower price than Mailchimp.

You’re based in Europe

If you’re based in Europe, Sendinblue is a perfect choice.

Not only do they offer customer support in six languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and German), but they’re also more GDPR-compliant than Mailchimp.

The cherry on top is that your data is held in Europe, not the US, which is a bonus for those concerned about data privacy.

Choose Mailchimp if

You want more in-depth analytics

Mailchimp’s analytics and reporting are second to none. You can access all your marketing data – including email, automation, and social ads data – in one place, updated in real-time.

Furthermore, Mailchimp provides handy data to help you understand your audience and campaign performance, including growth, engagement, and revenue reports.

Where Mailchimp really shines is with its detailed revenue reports, which Sendinblue lacks. You can track sales from an email click all the way to purchase, identify which customers purchased after opening your campaign, and see what they bought.

You want Mailchimp’s performance and reliability

Mailchimp is loved by SMEs and entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses with a quirky and user-friendly tool by their side. While its deliverability isn’t always perfect, Mailchimp’s performance and reliability are top-notch.

You want more native integrations

Mailchimp’s extensive directory of over 250 native integrations means you’re more likely to find the app you need. While Sendinblue has integrations with most top apps – including Eventbrite, Facebook Lead Ads, and Shopify – Mailchimp’s marketplace is more likely to fulfil your niche requirements.

Need some help with email marketing?

Email marketing can be overwhelming, especially if you have a business on which you need to focus. Worry not, though, as you needn’t do it alone. Book a discovery call with us today, and we’ll explain how we can take your business to the next level with email marketing and automation.

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What is Sendinblue – FAQs