Clever Elements Review - A Closer Look 2021

What Is Clever Elements?

Clever Elements is a cloud-based email marketing company founded in 2003 with over 250,000 customers currently utilizing this service. The platform is used by large and small businesses alike and aims to provide effective communication between companies and consumers.

Clever Elements Pros & Cons

Pros

• Ease of use - Clever Elements Automation features provides a hassle-free transition and an extensive range of documentation and tutorials
• Flexible pricing - A no-contract subscription approach means that you’re free to choose which payment plan suits you best from month to month; you can also cancel at any time
• Personalization - The use of personalized fields allows for custom fields to be added, in the subject and body of emails, along with the ability to create custom templates
• Effective management - Easily control all of your campaigns through lists, subscriber, and template management tools, operating through a clean UI. This is unlimited for all subscribers

Cons

• No live support - Clever Elements support offers no live support service, and phone lines are only operational between 10 am - 5 pm, Monday to Friday, German time. Email responses are also limited to these times; this is something to bear in mind if you’re operating outside of this time zone
• Lacking integration - Clever Elements Integrations cannot integrate with other services. You will also have difficulty integrating it with your own content management systems. While it does offer an API, you’ll need to be proficient in coding to be able to utilize the tool properly

Who Is Clever Elements Recommended For?

Marketing teams looking for an adaptable price plan for the number of subscribers; Clever Elements offers subscriptions between €2 - €1,365 for a whole range of subscribers/volume of emails. The service is effective for those wanting to personalize their customers' experience and is available in English and German.

Who Is Clever Elements Not Recommended For?

If you’re looking for a free trial, this service isn’t for you; Clever Elements doesn’t offer any free trials. Due to having no live 24/7 support and being centered in the EU, businesses operating outside of this time zone may experience delayed customer service responses, although my experience during working hours has returned a response in under 15 minutes.

Clever Elements Pricing

With an abundance of subscription models to choose from, Clever Elements allows you to pick a package tailored to your needs. I’ve grouped some costs together in the above table for an easy overview, but for the subscriber/email-based model, there are a total of 25 different options between €2 and €1,365. For your first free month, emails are limited to 4,000 and subscribers to 1,000, after which there is no email limitation. There’s also a credit-based system on offer for a truly diverse range. As this is a German company, they state their prices in Euros.

Cancellation / Refund Policies

There are no long-term contract requirements when choosing a plan with Clever Elements, meaning there’s no contractual obligation - but of course, you’ll need to cancel before payment is due. This system also allows you to change your subscription at any time based on your marketing needs and doesn’t nail you down to a single-price plan.

Clever Elements Features

Clever Elements offers many basic functionalities needed to create an email marketing campaign, including analytics and various personalizations. The pricing model means that features are available to everyone, regardless of what subscription you’re on.

• Dynamic Filters 

Adding specific tags and filters to groups of customers allows you to generate pools of recipients based on factors such as how likely they are to interact, allowing for effective targeted campaigns with little hassle.

• Live Analytics

A live analytical system allows you to analyze email interactions on multiple levels including, links clicked, purchases, and customer engagements.

• Customizable Content 

The Drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to create custom templates. You can also edit existing templates to comply with your brand image or corporate need. This ensures that your emails look just as great on a cell phone as they do on a laptop or tablet because you will be able to see how they will appear while designing them.

• Referral Commission 

For every new customer who registers with Clever Elements based on a referral, you will receive a 30% commission for as long as the referred customer uses one of the paid plans. 

• Constant Monitoring 

Servers and services are monitored 24/7 to sustain high-quality mail servers and remove any servers that may not be functioning optimally. This feature allows for campaigns to run smoothly without technical hiccups. 99.99% uptime in the last 12 months shows it’s working a treat.

• No Contract Subscription 

 Adapt your payment plan freely at the end of every month for your marketing needs. Choose from an almost overwhelming abundance of options on offer between monthly payments and credit formats.

• Ease Of Use 

The Clever Elements website has a section with documentation with categories for general, accounts, campaigns, deliverability, subscribers, reports, and API. Every category contains articles that include easy-to-follow, step-by-step tutorials with photos and tips. You can find help for most of your needs on the website. An automated integration also makes migrating an easy process..

FEATURES SCORE: 4/5

Clever Elements Automation Features

Email Marketing Automation –

Clever Elements has only recently started offering multilevel automation (since the end of 2020). This system allows you to connect to your customer base on a personal level. Automated messages can be triggered by factors such as date and time, like a personalized happy birthday message to keep a customer engaged. Automating these systems can free up time for you to concentrate on other business needs.

Integration Automation –

When first opening an account, you will be able to import all of your contacts from an Excel sheet; your contacts will automatically be pulled in separately. Dividers will be auto-detected, so you won’t have to reformat your Excel sheet for the system to work.

Clever Elements Software Integration

As I mentioned before, Clever Elements is lacking when it comes to software integration capabilities. The software does not really offer any clear guidance on the subject.

Clever Elements API - Although Clever Elements does not have the integration support that other competitors may offer, it does come with an API. The API allows you to connect and exchange data between systems and extend capabilities if you are missing any functionality. However, you’ll need to be proficient in coding to be able to utilize this for yourself.

Clever Elements Alternatives

Sendinblue - This is a cost-effective alternative, starting at $25/month for 10,000 emails. Sendinblue also offers a free plan for up to 300 emails/day. The automation features available are sufficient for a variety of uses, and you also have the option to send SMS as a little bonus.

AWeber - As a market leader in email marketing for small businesses, AWeber offers a simple but powerful piece of software with 24/7 support and a range of packages, including a free option for up to 500 subscribers.

Constant Contact - This is a good alternative for those looking to harness the power of social media.  While ConstantContact doesn’t offer the cost-effectiveness of others, its ability to integrate between social media and events companies, such as Facebook and Eventbrite is a big plus.

Conclusion

All in all, Clever Elements is a great tool to use if you’re looking for a flexible, scalable, non-contractual email marketing subscription. The system is easy to set up thanks to its clear interface and automated processes allowing for a bulk transfer of contacts with minimal hassle. The customization options are sufficient to create an effective, unique marketing campaign.