If you have recently signed up for the platform, you may have noticed that things are not as simple as they seemed at sign-up. The sales pitch sounds amazing—membership site, email marketing, marketing automation, segmentation, webforms, and CRM all in one system! It sounds like a no-brainer.
After years of servicing clients, I have seen a pattern of frustrated customers of the platform. I hear things like "I don't know how to set it up" or "I don't have time to grow my business and manage Ontraport." "I just want things to work." All of these complaints are valid.
What is Ontraport?
Ontraport is a small business platform designed to help companies understand, market, and manage online business activities all in one system. The platform allows businesses to manage client records, email marketing, digital offers such as courses, memberships, subscriptions, and other business automation efforts.
How much does Ontraport cost?
The platform will run $79 for the Basic plan and up to $497 for Enterprise. Keep in mind that the price may be higher if you cross the contact limits set for each plan.
Is Ontraport worth the cost?
Return On Investment (ROI) is a common question for almost all software. And the answer is, it depends. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but let me be more transparent about my answer.
If you plan to use the software to run and grow your business over a revenue of $497 per month, it pays for itself. But things are not that simple. Consider the cost of development, content creation, and email marketing. Most underestimate what growing a business entails.
One of the things that you will hear me say more than once in this article is that the platform is just a tool, not a magic wand. Here’s what I am saying, if you understand who your target audience is and where to find them, the platform can be an asset for your business. But, if not, the platform can become a liability.
What Ontraport is used for, and what can it do?
- How to use Ontraport
The platform can be used for many business types if you get creative. For example, the most common use cases are courses, memberships, and subscriptions. However, with their custom objects and API, almost anything is possible with the right strategy. - Upsells with Ontraport
The platform has a built-in upsell feature that can help increase sales more as customers move through your funnel. Is it the best in this area, no. But it does work.
The platform has some duplicate features as they transition to more advanced functionality to keep up with customer demand and competitors.
What are alternatives to Ontraport?
There are many systems and apps like Ontraport out there. However, they're not all the same. Some platforms aren't even on the same field. Let's take HubSpot for example.
Ontraport and HubSpot focus on two very different audiences resulting in two very different sets of features and priorities. If you're looking to operate a digital membership or course offer, Ontraport may be a better fit. The cost is lower, the features are built for it, and the platform is focused on innovation for businesses like you.
However, if your business requires a strong set of relationship-building tools and you have or are planning to build a team focused on marketing, sales, and customer service. HubSpot may be a better option in the long run.
Ontraport and Infusionsoft (Keap) focus on very similar audiences but take two different approaches to support their customers. While they both offer email marketing, landing page design, customer management, and automation features, the focus is important to note.
Ontraport is great for companies looking to build complex online products and offerings. They have invested in features that allow you to scale to a one-to-many business model. This is for businesses looking to offer an online course, workshop, or membership-based content.
Infusionsoft (Keap) on the other hand is great for businesses looking to build advanced automation and offers for one-to-one products and offerings. While you can offer one-to-many, it usually requires a hand full of add-ons and integrations. If your company sells a physical product or services Keap may be the platform for you.
But here is the ugly truth
Ontraport is a tool, not a solution to root challenges your business may be facing. It is extremely important to understand your audience, business strategy, and the processes you need to accomplish your goals.
Is Ontraport complicated?
For simple opt-ins and email marketing, the platform makes it pretty easy. However, if you are looking to build campaigns and processes that result in intentional outcomes, it will be more complicated and may require a professional to get the job done efficiently and cost-effectively when you consider time invested and strategies that only experience can bring to the table.
What can you do to get the most out of Ontraport?
- Do your research before you buy. More than not, business owners sign up for Ontraport with just an idea and not a plan, or strategy. Take note of what data in Ontraport you will need to be successful and if it offers an easy way to collect it.
- Do I need to hire an Ontraport specialist or expert? I believe that anything worth doing is worth doing right. If you have 100% confidence that you can strategize your business processes and build your system without an Ontraport Expert, give it a try.
However, if you’re not a technical person, consider outsourcing the project to an expert with experience and a proven track record to avoid wasting time and lost revenue.
You may want to consider an expert even if you know what you’re doing. Every hour spent trying to build out your system is an hour less selling or an hour less spending quality time with family and friends.
As your business scales on the Ontraport platform, you find that outsourcing Ontraport management may benefit your business in the long run. Management services allow you to focus on bringing value to your customer instead of spending your time on development.
- Learn about business processes. Business processes are the key to any successful business strategy. Processes help you lay out how the business will operate and who is responsible for process execution and maintenance whether that is a person, system, or partner.
- Map out your workflows and campaign. Business Process Mapping can have a huge impact on your business’ success. Find improvement opportunities and bottlenecks before they affect your business or identify the root cause of a current problem. Improving Ontraport is extremely difficult without a visual model of your desired process and outcome.
Is Ontraport good for my business?
The big question, “Is Ontraport for my business?” After reading this article, I hope you have found your answer. There is a lot to take into consideration. Without knowing your business and a systems assessment, I can’t be sure. However, if you start with strategy, planning, and process, you can discover the answer for yourself.
We have covered a lot in this article. I hope you have found it valuable. I highly recommend reading our article on Business Process Management to start familiarizing yourself with this topic as it will play a huge role in the success of your company.