Emailing your customers continues to be an important way to connect with them. Even though there are so many ways to get in touch, you’d be surprised at how many businesses still win using email. You can email updates, offers, and more to interest and keep your audience.
But to do that you’ll need a solid email marketing platform.
Let’s take a peek behind the curtain of one of the newer email platforms Flodesk.
What is Flodesk?
Flodesk launched as an email marketing platform built by creators, for creators. Its founders, Martha Bitars and Rebecca Shostak, designed Flodesk as an affordable alternative for small businesses and bloggers who prefer a “design-first” approach.
Readers will appreciate the eye-catching email templates and easy-to-use UI (user interface). Flodesk even offers automation sequences to keep your readers engaged, customizable form builder, and detailed analytics.
And best of all, you can get started in just minutes – no coding required!
Flodesk Review: Main Features
As a newer platform, Flodesk is fairly light on features, instead focusing on the design elements of email marketing. That said, with upgrades rolling out every few months and a robust framework in place, it offers plenty of perks already.
Built-in Email Templates
Currently, Flodesk offers about 30 email templates for subscribers. While they’re simple and modern, they’re also sleek, relying on pictures and block formatting for a flow-down-the-page feel.
Using the drag-and-drop editor, you can customize each template to focus on images or text as needed. Or you can layer both together to build something new and exciting using your own fonts and colors.
But if Flodesk’s templates aren’t enough, the company frequently partners with content creators to design more. Plus, you can use their blank-slate editor to build your own from scratch!
Automated Workflows
In this fast-moving world, software that completes repetitive (but essential) tasks can save you tons of time. Using Flodesk’s drag-and-drop editor, you can design workflows in seconds and shave hours off your week. And with four customizable templates to choose from, you can advertise, welcome, nurture, and convert with ease!
Flodesk Form Builder
Eye-catching landing pages are an integral part of email marketing. And while Flodesk doesn’t provide designated landing pages, you can use their attractive form builder to create:
- Website pop-ups
- Embeddable forms
- Forms packed with all manner of fonts, colors, pictures, and links
- Your own call-to-action buttons
And all of this occurs in Flodesk’s minimalist, user-friendly interface.
Simple – Yet Robust – Analytics
Flodesk also offers an analytics dashboard to tie the whole platform together. From here, you can look at an email campaign’s deliverability, opens, click-throughs, and bounce rate. Additionally, you can organize information by user device, check link performance, and resend unopened emails at the click of a button.
Flodesk Pros
An email marketing platform is only as useful as its tools. While Flodesk is new, it’s also optimized for its target demographic: design-first entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Clean, Code-Free UI
You can use Flodesk with ease whether you’re a computer expert or an email marketing newbie. And you won’t have to learn HTML or CSS to get started, removing a crucial barrier for many non-tech-savvy users.
But just because you don’t have to code doesn’t mean Flodesk can’t produce a clean product – for you or your readers. Whether you focus on email creation, form building, or workflow design, Flodesk provides a slick interface packed with automations.
Gorgeous Templates
Flodesk prides itself on sleek, modern, conversion-driving emails. While its template library is limited, each is fully customizable with the drag-and-drop editor.
And thanks to their image-focused block-style format, Flodesk emails draw your readers’ attention right where you want it. Rather than crowding out your emails with details, you can nurture leads with messages that are simple and gorgeous.
The Flodesk Community
Flodesk provides plenty of assistance to guide entrepreneurs to success.
To start, the Flodesk Help Center is jam-packed with information on setting up your account, creating workflows, email and form design, and more. If you have a question on a topic that’s not covered, you can submit a help ticket or peruse the Flodesk Insiders Facebook Group.
But Flodesk doesn’t just want you to succeed at making attractive emails; they want you to succeed, period. That’s why they created Flodesk University, a community for professionals to share insights in short, information-packed videos.
Continual Feature Rollout
Because of its pared-down approach, some creators find that Flodesk doesn’t offer enough tools for their needs. And, as a newer platform, Flodesk is still missing some features that even minimalists find necessary for their email campaigns.
That said, Bitars and Shostak roll out new features and upgrades frequently, meaning that Flodesk’s punch gets more powerful all the time.
For example, Flodesk reports that landing page functionality is coming soon. Plus, their content partners regularly create new templates for their library.
Unlimited Everything – Forever
Flodesk only offers one pricing plan: $38 per month, or $418 per year. According to Flodesk, this price includes “Unlimited everything, forever.” That means that you’ll never have to worry about price hikes due to new features or your growing email list.
Flodesk Cons
New toys are shiny and fun – but in Flodesk’s case, some functions are still under development. And while Flodesk is rolling toward becoming a full-service email marketing service, some features remain sorely lacking.
Steep Price Entry Point
We noted Flodesk’s one price for life policy above. While you won’t face sudden price hikes, $38 per month is steep for minimal features – especially for small email lists.
Lack of Advanced Features
Unfortunately, though Flodesk has some plans in the works, their newness means that they lack some advanced features.
For instance, there’s no dedicated landing page builder; you have to use their generic form builder. And if you need more advanced workflows, increasingly segmented email lists, or in-depth analytics, you’re out of luck – at least for now.
Design Constraints
Flodesk offers nearly three dozen templates and a blank slate to design your own emails. But you’ll still have to work within the limitations of their platform, including their limited color palette, a mere handful of fonts, and maximum image sizes.
Not Built for Mobile Use
Flodesk doesn’t offer a mobile app, which can prove prohibitive if you work primarily from a tablet. And though you can view your analytics on mobile, all new content must originate from a desktop device.
Few Integrations
Lastly, Flodesk only integrates with a handful of platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, Google, Slack, Shopify, and WordPress. And while you can link with Zapier, buying another membership can substantially increase your costs.
Flodesk: Is It Worth It?
Flodesk is an email marketing platform for those who value the look of their campaigns. Though it offers a minimal feature palate, the service’s robust automations, built-in templates and form builder, and regular feature upgrades and rollouts make it an attractive option for:
- Design-first entrepreneurs
- Small businesses with simple needs
- Bloggers with a large email base who don’t want to pay for unneeded features
Flodesk costs $38 per month, or $418 per year (with one month free). But if you’re not sure whether Flodesk will suit your needs, they offer a one-month free trial – no credit card required!
And though $38 per month is steep for smaller email lists, the company states that you get “unlimited everything, forever.” That means that as you grow, the platform’s features (but not their price) will grow with you.