Going Beyond Email Marketing + Gravity SMTP Update

10/02/23 • 39 min

The Breakdown podcast hosted by Matt Medeiros recently featured two great conversations about upcoming Gravity SMTP service and how one of our customers uses Active Campaign + Gravity Forms in her business. Here are some highlights from each interview.

Conversation with Adam Pickering about Gravity SMTP
The first conversation was with Adam Pickering, discussing the upcoming beta release of Gravity SMTP. This is the first standalone product from Gravity Forms.

Some key points:
* Gravity SMTP will migrate data from Gravity Forms mail add-ons to the new plugin
* The setup wizard is being built to streamline configuration
* Requested integrations like Gmail and Outlook were popular in their product roadmap survey
* An unexpected useful feature they built is disabling email sending during migrations

Key Takeaways:
* Gravity SMTP beta expected in mid-October
* Sign up for their beta program to get early access
* Provides a secure way to send Gravity Forms emails
* Setup wizard will ease transition from mail add-ons
* Disable email sending feature helpful for site migrations

Important Links:
gravityforms.com/beta

Conversation with Kay Peacey on Using Gravity Forms
The second conversation was with Kay Peacey of SlickBusiness.co, discussing how she uses Gravity Forms.

Some key points:
* Kay puts a survey on her opt-in thank you page to learn about subscribers' pain points
* This converts 10% into purchases for her ActiveCampaign Academy
* She also surveys customers after purchase to guide their onboarding
* Kay frequently advises clients on the best WordPress stack with Gravity Forms
* She persistently engaged with ActiveCampaign for 7 years before joining their customer advisory board

Key Takeaways:
* Use Gravity Forms surveys on opt-in and purchase thank you pages
* Identify customer pain points upfront to boost conversions
* Recommend relevant courses based on survey responses
* Advise clients on optimal WordPress stacks with Gravity Forms
* Building long-term relationships with brands can lead to advisory roles

Important Links:
https://slickbusiness.co/
https://www.gravityforms.com/add-ons/activecampaign/

Important Links:
gravityforms.com/beta

Conversation with Kay Peacey on Using Gravity Forms
The second conversation was with Kay Peacey of SlickBusiness.co, discussing how she uses Gravity Forms.

Important Links:
https://slickbusiness.co/
https://www.gravityforms.com/add-ons/activecampaign/

Previous Episode

Using Gravity Forms for Email Newsletter & User Signup Workflows

Equalize Digital and Its NASA Project: Amber explains that Equalize Digital is a company focused on WordPress accessibility, particularly for people with disabilities. They have developed a plugin called Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker, available in both free and premium versions. Notably, their premium plugin is being used in the development of NASA's website. Lone Rock Point, the company behind the NASA project, decided to use WordPress primarily because of Equalize Digital's plugin. Amber's team also played a crucial role in auditing and user testing the beta site for accessibility.

Gravity Forms and Accessibility: Matt asks Amber about her experience with Gravity Forms, a popular WordPress plugin for form creation. Amber reveals that they have been using Gravity Forms extensively in their projects, including the WordPress Accessibility Day website. She highlights Gravity Forms' commitment to accessibility and how it saves time for their organizing team, particularly in managing user registrations and creating draft posts for event speakers. They also discuss the value of Gravity Forms in creating efficient editorial workflows and how it benefits the event's attendees and sponsors.

Notable URLs and software mentioned:
* Equalize Digital's plugin: ~[Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker](https://wordpress.org/plugins/equalize-digital-accessibility-checker/)~
* NASA's website development by Lone Rock Point
* Gravity Forms: A popular WordPress form creation plugin
* Gravity Forms advanced post creation add-on
* Gravity Forms user registration add-on
* GravityWiz's "Populate Anything" add-on
* Zapier: Used for integrating Gravity Forms with Google Sheets
* WordPress Accessibility Day website: 2023.wpaccessibility.day

These two key points provide listeners with insights into how Equalize Digital is contributing to web accessibility and how Gravity Forms is aiding in the success of WordPress Accessibility Day.

ConvertKit Beta Add-On: Matt mentions at the beginning that they have a ConvertKit beta add-on available for download at the bottom of the dashboard. This is likely important for listeners who are interested in using ConvertKit or existing users looking to enhance their experience with this tool. Find the beta in your Gravity Forms dashboard.

Middle of the Funnel Importance: Jason emphasizes the significance of the middle of the funnel in email marketing, stating that about 85% of sales occur in this stage. He stresses the need for consistency in email communication, a well-planned welcome sequence, and intentionality in writing emails with a clear call to action. This insight is valuable for anyone involved in email marketing, as it highlights the often-neglected middle stage and provides practical advice for improving email engagement and conversion rates.

Important software mentioned:
* ConvertKit: The email marketing platform discussed throughout the conversation.
* WordPress: Jason mentions moving his website back to WordPress, indicating its importance as a content management system.

Overall, this conversation delves into the significance of the middle of the funnel in email marketing and announces the availability of a ConvertKit beta add-on, providing practical insights for podcast listeners interested in email marketing and ConvertKit usage.

Follow Jason on Twitter and download his NurtureKit Blueprint.