Welcome to our analysis of Brevo.
This all-in-one CRM suite is renowned for its effectiveness in forging strong links with customers. Originally known as Sendinblue, Brevo has been revamped with a new name and a revitalized interface. We take a closer look at what's new on this platform.
We will review the main features of BrevoWe'll show you what the new workspace will look like, and we'll also highlight some of the key advantages and limitations from our perspective.
What is Brevo?
Today, Brevo e is a complete customer relationship management solution, known for its ability to interact with consumers via a variety of channels. This tool, formerly dedicated exclusively to e-mail marketing under the name Sendinblue, has adapted and diversified over the years.
Originally focused on the creation of newsletters and the automation of e-mail campaigns, this platform has gradually enriched its arsenal of functionalities. It can now also manage SMS campaigns, send transactional emails, introduce advanced automation and supervise the sales pipeline. And it doesn't stop there: the integration of a live chat service or via chatbot, as well as WhatsApp campaigns, complete the range.
With its integrated landing page builder, Brevo stands out as an all-in-one device for efficiently orchestrating all your sales and marketing operations. This strategic metamorphosis is also marked by a change of identity: Sendinblue becomes Brevo.
In what follows, we'll take a closer look at every asset that Brevo to boost your customer interactions.
What features does Brevo offer?
Brevo is a complete toolbox for marketing and sales professionals, packed with countless features. This arsenal integrates everything you need to energize a campaign: from targeted emails to SMS, via WhatsApp, not forgetting the indispensable live chat and chatbots. The intuitive interface lets you create attractive content using a drag-and-drop editor and a variety of templates.
To fine-tune sales strategy, Brevo provides a high-performance CRM, with a fine-tuned segmentation system and a shared inbox. A/B testing also helps optimize the messages sent. Transaction management is no exception, with the integration of dedicated pipelines to facilitate deal tracking.
We also appreciate the flexibility offered by automated builders for both workflows and landing pages. And since a good analysis is better than a long speech, Brevo provides advanced analytical tools and detailed reports.
Admittedly, it would take too long to list each specific feature here; instead, let's focus on the essence of the product itself, with a brief but illuminating overview. Now let's take a look at the main dashboard: the real command post where your enchanted marketing strategy takes shape.
Start
When you access your account for the first time BrevoThe dashboard is your starting point. For novices, a list of recommended actions is displayed, designed to ease your first steps. Just below, a global overview presents your contacts, recent campaigns and sales operations.
The left-hand side menu is your key tool for navigating through all the functions offered by Brevo. Separate applications, such as Contacts, Campaigns and Automations, are stored here, their presence varying according to the subscription you have chosen and the options you have added to your profile.
Dashboard customization is a snap: simply select "Add applications" at the foot of the menu to browse the dedicated store and adjust to your needs.
This modularity has an undeniably practical aspect, allowing you to fine-tune the tool to your precise professional requirements.
With 13 native applications and 64 external integrations offered by BrevoI've opted for a few of the most essential in this presentation. However, I'm sure I'll also shed some light on the potential of applications that are not activated in my case.
Contact
The application Contact is packed with tools designed to enrich your e-mail list and optimize your contact management. With just a few clicks, you can either create a new contact, or import a massive quantity via a file or by pasting them directly.
The major advantage is that the number of contacts is unlimited, whatever the offer chosen - goodbye frustrating limits. Advanced sorting and search functions make finding a contact child's play, whether by name, e-mail address or telephone number.
Each contact has a range of customizable options: insert into a blacklist, update personal information, assign to specific team members or add to a mailing list. Data portability is also possible thanks to the export function.
In the space ListsOrganize your subscribers with ease. Create and manage various thematic lists to better target your email campaigns.
Finally, the Parameters offers greater flexibility, with the ability to configure contact attributes, set up webhooks to synchronize events and servers, and filter out unresponsive contacts to fine-tune email deliverability.
In addition to the options already mentioned, there are many more within the software. Contact. So, of course, it's worth taking a close look to exploit its full potential.
Segmentation
In the Segments of your contacts, it's easy to create personalized groups. These are based on common characteristics or events, optimizing the effectiveness of your email campaigns.
Let's take a concrete example: you've noticed that certain contacts don't consult your welcome message. Why not isolate them in a dedicated segment? That way, you can send them targeted messages to rekindle their interest.
Another possible situation: identify customers who have made at least three recent purchases on your platform. By grouping them together, you can easily identify your most valuable customers and offer them exclusive discounts by e-mail.
The creation of these segments is limited only by your imagination, thanks to the ability to add countless conditions. This opens the door to marketing campaigns of unprecedented finesse, tailor-made for each category of contact.
Landing pages and forms
Design captivating landing pages with Brevo to enrich your contact database. Get started right away, either from scratch or with a pre-designed template. The diversity of available templates covers a multitude of campaigns and sectors, all carefully designed.
Customize your choice with the intuitive drag-and-drop builder from Brevo. The interface, which is easy to learn if you've used a similar visual editor before, lets you easily integrate elements and layouts while fine-tuning content and style directly from the main screen.
If your page includes a form, it's easy to manage the fields and link to a specific list within your contact directory. All designs are adaptive, ensuring functionality on different devices. Once you've fine-tuned your work, publish it easily on a sub-domain or connect it to your personalized domain.
In addition, Brevo provides effective stand-alone forms to entice and automatically integrate new prospects into your lists. Take advantage of the same practical designer to fully customize your form fields - RGPD compliance included - accompanied by a variety of options that make sharing easy.
Campaigns
The application Campaigns from Brevo is the beating heart where creativity and efficiency meet. In the blink of an eye, it becomes possible to design marketing campaigns that will reach your customers via email, SMS, WhatsApp, web notifications and even Facebook ads.
To get into the action, all you need to do is click on "Create a campaign". Then, in the next window, define the type of campaign you want - an e-mail or a push notification, for example - to create a fully personalized one-off marketing operation.
If you'd rather opt for something more tried-and-tested, choose a predefined automated sequence - a subject we'll return to in detail later.
While our review doesn't allow us to delve into every type of campaign available, let's take a quick look at the e-mail campaign builder, which reveals its simplicity and effectiveness.
Subject: E-mail
To bring your e-mail campaign to life, you'll first need to decide between a classic broadcast and an A/B test. The latter allows you to measure the effectiveness of two variants by playing with elements such as subject lines or content.
Once you've made this decision, select the sender address and target recipients: complete lists, targeted segments or manual addition. Then carefully refine the subject line and preliminary text - the latter can be enhanced with a personal touch using the recipient's personal attributes to boost the open rate.
The design itself starts with the high-end tools offered by Brevo. Take the opportunity to explore the varied palette of pre-designed and customizable templates via an intuitive drag-and-drop editor. The environment is packed with practical options such as automatic integration of your brand and saving of frequently used blocks.
Before the big send, don't hesitate to fine-tune the advanced settings, which even include Google Analytics tracking. Finally, be sure to schedule a final review, run some tests and program the final flight of your message to its destination.
Statistics
Before turning the page on the Campaigns application, it's crucial to mention a disruptive tool: statistics. Browsing to StatisticsThe key metrics of emailing and SMS campaigns are revealed. You can see the number of opens and clicks, as well as unsubscribes, responses and rejections.
A magnifying glass for a specific period? Nothing could be simpler: a choice on the calendar and that's it.
The Brevo system takes care of fine-tuning your open, click and unsubscribe rates for any chosen time frame. This gives you a panoramic view of your performance, enabling you to gauge your impact accurately.
Automations
In the automation app, deploy customized campaigns in the blink of an eye thanks to predefined workflows, or design your own customized sequences with the workflow builder.
A wide range of pre-designed automations is at your fingertips, from engaging welcome sequences to abandoned basket e-mails, post-purchase messages and birthday greetings. Choose a template and go straight to the flow builder to customize it. Alternatively, start with a blank page and opt for personalized automation.
Using the manufacturer takes a little getting used to, but quickly becomes intuitive. Regular users will find it easy to find their feet. How does it work? You start by determining an entry point, and then follow a sequence of steps specifying the actions to be performed according to various criteria.
Let's take a simplistic example: a registration confirmation could mean submitting a form on your website, followed immediately by a welcome e-mail.
But why stop there? Enrich your schema with multiple steps and entry points, and integrate conditional logic that directs users to different paths within your automations to fine-tune the personalization of your campaigns.
Other applications
Brevo goes far beyond mere expectations with its palette of innovative tools. Imagine a platform where every customer conversation is meticulously managed, making it easy to reply to emails and assign discussions to your collaborators, all in perfect synergy.
What's more, arranging meetings has never been easier: Brevo offers a dedicated space for scheduling appointments without a hitch. And when it comes to personalization, nothing is left to chance: transactional emails tailored to each customer bring that much-appreciated human touch.
And don't underestimate the impact of transactional SMS - instant communication that makes all the difference. On the sales side, Brevo has established itself as an essential tool with its comprehensive sales CRM. Fine-tuned management of the sales pipeline, precise tracking of opportunities and transactions in progress, and intelligent automation of repetitive tasks are just some of its prowess.
All in all, Brevo forges customer commitment and propels team collaboration to new horizons with applications designed to optimize sales performance.
How much does Brevo cost?
Brevo stands out with a varied range of offerings, providing access to a range of marketing and sales-oriented applications. The marketingits flagship product, offers four packages to suit every need: a free version to get you started, followed by paid Starter, Business and Brevo Plus packages with progressive functionalities.
The free package opens the door to the essential tools of email, SMS and WhatsApp marketing. It includes several ready-to-use email templates and an intuitive email editor. Users also benefit from a shared inbox, real-time statistics and the ability to segment their contacts.
Upgrading to the Starter package at €25 per month frees you from daily sending limits and gives you email support with basic reports.
For companies looking for more sophistication in their marketing strategy, the Business plan from €65 per month enhances the Starter offer with options such as A/B testing, marketing automation and telephone support.
At company level, Brevo Plus offers a tailor-made solution with advanced features such as enhanced security and personalized support. Prices are adjusted to suit specific needs after a sales consultation.
Each paid subscription allows you to customize the volume of emails you can send per month, starting at 20,000 emails/month. Of course, increasing this threshold will have an impact on the cost.
For live chat with your customers or prospects, Brevo has designed "Conversations" plans. The free plan already provides unlimited service, while the Pro plan adds a number of benefits, including integration with social networks and the use of chatbots, for just €15/month.
Finally,
- the Sales Platform, completely free of charge,
- and "Transactional Emails", included in the Marketing Platform in the form of email credits.
If you ever need to send more transactional emails than initially allocated in your current Marketing Platform package at Brevo? You only pay for what you send! This should appeal to more than one ROI-conscious professional.
Advantages and disadvantages of Brevo
Now that we've explained how it works, here are the strengths and weaknesses of Brevo that are obvious.
Source Brevo
Brevo stands out as an extremely comprehensive CRM, packed with features for efficient contact management. It's a tool that centralizes everything you need to interact with your customers in one place, where each application integrates seamlessly and logically.
The value for money is impressive. Free plans from Brevo are generous with options, while paid subscriptions remain very affordable.
A particular feature is the ability to manage an unlimited number of contacts at no extra cost, which is a real economic boon for companies with a large database but little email communication.
The clean, intuitive user interface contributes greatly to a positive experience at home. Brevo. Customizing the dashboard by enabling or disabling applications optimizes the organization according to your specific business processes.
Last but not least, the system's reliability in terms of email deliverability should be emphasized. Brevo ensures an excellent probability that your messages will reach the recipients' inboxes, reinforcing the overall effectiveness of your digital communications.
Brevo: advantages and disadvantages
Brevo can sometimes feel overloaded, with such a wide range of features that it becomes suffocating for those simply looking for a basic e-mail marketing solution. Too many options can confuse rather than facilitate.
Getting to grips with advanced tools such as the automation builder and transactional email can be a daunting task for novices, and requires a certain amount of technical expertise. It's not always child's play, especially if you lack a solid grounding in these areas.
As for the assistance offered by BrevoIt does include email support, accessible to all. However, it is regrettable to note that telephone support and chat are reserved only for certain subscriptions, such as the Business or Enterprise plans. Users of standard offers may feel neglected by this lack of direct customer support options.
Alternatives to Brevo
Hesitating to opt for Brevo ? Explore other options that might better suit your needs.
MailerLite
MailerLite presents itself as a complete solution for email marketing, offering tools ranging from newsletter editing to landing page and form creation, as well as transactional and automated emails.
Unlike its competitor Brevo, MailerLite stands out with a website builder and the possibility of integrating a blog. However, it lacks the sales pipeline management tools and chatbots offered by Brevo.
Pricing, MailerLite has the advantage, with a more affordable entry price and unlimited monthly e-mailing on all its packages. In contrast, Brevo imposes a limit of 20,000 e-mails per month. But beware: if MailerLite is generous in terms of the number of emails sent, but not in terms of the number of contacts, which determines the price of the service - which can be costly for large lists.
To explore this tool further or read our in-depth review: go to MailerLite
Moosend
Moosend stands out in the world of e-mail marketing tools, sharing many features with competitors such as Brevo - including personalization, landing pages and a set of CRM tools. Its ease of use, however, is its hallmark.
With MoosendThe unlimited number of e-mails is included in all subscriptions, including the free trial period. The cost depends solely on the number of subscribers on your list.
To find out more about this service, or to access reviews, you can visit their website or consult various reviews.
Final thoughts on Brevo
In a nutshell, Brevo is a complete, high-performance solution for brands seeking a comprehensive CRM tool. With features that surpass most of its competitors, this tool integrates in-depth contact management, dynamic email marketing, SMS messaging and social networking capabilities, not to mention advanced automation.
The tool is particularly well suited to large companies and agencies, thanks to its collaborative working options. It also stands out for the unlimited contacts included in all its packages.
Nevertheless, it's worth noting that for a company looking for a more streamlined platform with only basic email marketing functions, Brevo may seem excessive. On the other hand, if your monthly sending volume reaches several tens of thousands of emails, exploring other email marketing services whose pricing is based on the number of contacts rather than the volume sent might make more sense.
For those wishing to test BrevoFree registration is available via their website.
Finally, we feel it's important to point out that our recommendation may involve a commission following a purchase made from our affiliate links. These commissions contribute to the running of the Startup Bonsai website, where Matt Moran shares his expertise gained from a wealth of experience in writing about digital marketing and financial technologies.