When a company takes a step back, it can sometimes be a huge step forward. That’s what happened on January 29, 2019, when Infusionsoft announced they are offering a new, much more basic product.

But let’s take a step back ourselves.

Infusionsoft’s announcement also explained that they have been rebranded as Keap—a change that depicts their commitment to simplifying growth for small businesses. In fact, their new name and logo is all about growth, from the arrow-like “K” of the logo, which signifies upward movement, to the color green, which indicates growth.

As CEO and co-founder, Clate Mask, explains, Keap is a play on words that demonstrates their mission to help small businesses “keep going, keep serving, and keep growing.”

Mask told a personal story during a recent interview for Entrepreneur Magazine about his struggles with starting Infusionsoft and how difficult it was to keep going when the money wasn’t there. Especially for his wife, there was constant worry about whether they could survive, and the rebrand speaks to the essence of grit and tenacity that small business owners must have to succeed.

Now a highly successful company, Infusionsoft led the way over a decade ago with their CRM and sales and marketing software. If you are a user of Infusionsoft, and even if you are not a user because it offers way more than what you need, then you know the amount of marketing automation power it holds.

Now, with the rebrand to Keap and with the introduction of the new Keap product, they have expanded to a new market, serving small service providers that haven’t had the funds or means to use their fully loaded automation software.

Clate Mask stated, “We discovered small service providers waste time juggling five to seven tools just to book appointments, send communications, provide quotes or collect payments. That is 50 hours a month that could be spent servicing more clients, growing the business or at home with family.”

2 Product Options: Infusionsoft by Keap vs. Keap

The newly branded Keap now offers 2 products under one brand:

Infusionsoft by Keap

Infusionsoft by Keap remains the powerful pro tool for small businesses because it provides the most customization and control. Much more than just email marketing software, this full-service CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and sales and marketing automation tool is geared for small businesses that don’t have the budget to create their own custom CRM but who want a high level of complexity and customization. Here’s a more detailed look at what it includes:

• Automated Lead Capture – Infusionsoft by Keap makes it easy to draw in and capture leads automatically and in a variety of ways. With this software, small businesses can more easily create customized landing pages and web forms that capture leads so that they can be followed up with over time.
• Segmenting & Tagging Contacts – Users can be sure they are getting the right message to the right people by setting up automations that segment and/or tag their contacts based on their behaviors, status, or characteristics such as location. From there, creating a targeted and automated marketing campaign is actually possible.
• Convenient & Customizable Contact Data – These days, data holds the power a company needs to succeed because with it, companies are able to meet their soon-to-be clients in the right place, at the right time, and with the right offer. Infusionsoft by Keap provides fully customizable records that depict the best sales opportunities, email results, and contact status, thereby organizing their contact data in one place.
• Lead Scoring – Infusionsoft by Keap offers lead-scoring capabilities that help users identify what leads to follow up with when. From there, automatic email campaigns can be set up to nurture them through to conversion.
• Custom Fields – With 100 custom fields available to users, Infusionsoft by Keap offers the ability to better customize, organize, and track contact data in the way that works best for each unique business.

All of these features are highly customizable, and the software is powerful and complex; therefore, Infusionsoft by Keap does require a large learning curve. It costs an initial up-front fee of about $2,000 plus about $200-$300 per month.

Keap

Keap can be considered a stepping stone to Infusionsoft by Keap, and it is now Keap’s standard, more basic product. Keap’s user interface is much easier and simpler, and it intentionally doesn’t have all the power of Infusionsoft by Keap. Therefore, it is more intuitive and user friendly, which means the learning curve is much shorter and the pricing is more affordable (starting at $99/month with no up-front costs).

This new product launch marks the industry’s first smart client management software. It was created for small businesses in the home, personal, and professional service industries, such as interior designers, home repair companies, personal trainers, and business consultants.

The overall goal of this product is to help these types of businesses systematically move leads from prospects to happy clients. It does this through prompts that help spark follow-ups at the right time with suggestions as to how to do it. This leads to better communications, faster conversions, and happier clients.

Here are the features and benefits of Keap:

• Centralized Client Data – Keap offers numerous ways to add new leads and manage existing customers with immediate access on all devices. For example, you can transfer contact lists, import spreadsheets, input new data using online forms, or even scan a business card.
• Personalized & Automated Communications – Keap makes it easy to follow up with leads and perform tasks related to repetitive and client-related sales. Users can set up triggered emails, schedule appointments with leads or clients, send quotes, set up auto-reminders, and collect payments, all on autopilot, thereby reducing back-and-forth time.
• Simplified Invoicing & Payment Collection – Keap integrates with payment tools such as QuickBooks and Xero so that you no longer have to reenter information into your invoicing program. Keap invoices are branded to your company and they include a payment button, making it a snap for clients to pay you. It will even send out automatic reminders so you can avoid those awkward phone calls and get paid faster.
• Gain Referrals & Reviews – Upon completion of a job, Keap will send an email requesting a referral or a review. Referrals are the lifeline of service businesses, but it’s often not something they take the time to do, so this alone has the potential to drastically increase revenue.
• Improved Customer Service Opportunities – Customers perceive their experience with Keap communications as professional and impressive. They enjoy how easy it is to book appointments, view and accept proposals, and pay invoices with a one-click option. Keap users and their clients are able to simultaneously stay updated and informed through automations that make everyone’s lives easier.
• On-the-Go Business Management – With the user-friendly app that is included with a Keap subscription, users can access all of their client data and manage their business from anywhere, at any time.

Should You Buy Keap or Infusionsoft by Keap?

Making the decision between the standard Keap software and the advanced Infusionsoft by Keap system comes down to the following questions:

• What is your budget? Many small businesses simply can’t afford Infusionsoft by Keap. In that case, Keap can be a great alternative.
• Do you just want to get more organized and save some time? Keap is a basic follow-up system that will do just that. You’ll be able to cut down on the amount of marketing tools you use, you’ll feel more in control of your business, and you’ll have more time to spend on the parts of your business that make you money.
• Do you want to create crazy funnels? The marketing automation power of Infusionsoft by Keap is, in a word, crazy. If that will serve your business to have detailed funnels that are not straightforward for capturing business, then Infusionsoft by Keap is the way to go.
• Do you feel you’ve grown beyond products such as Mailchimp or Constant Contact? If you’re looking for more power than what these systems offer, the next step is probably Infusionsoft by Keap.
• Are you currently using HubSpot or Marketo and it’s too much? In this case, Infusionsoft by Keap would probably be a good step down because it is less advanced than those products but is still more advanced than Keap.

In the end, it doesn’t matter what size your business is. It just matters what you want to get out of a tool such as Keap or Infusionsoft by Keap. Both are great options. Which one would serve your business more?

If you’re not sure, or you’ve recently purchased one of the Keap products and need some assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out.