Interspire is an easy, contact-first email tool with a touch of CRM functionality

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The pitch

Fortune reported that annual spending on email marketing software will reach $6.5 billion by 2018.

Will any of your marketing budget be contributing?

I certainly hope so.

Despite all the terrific audience metrics social media gives us, the challenge for attention is nothing short of Sisyphean. In contrast, email reaches your database in a relatively much quieter place, provided your message is on target.

While both tactics remain important to a comprehensive media mix, consistent email outreach should not be neglected for the instant joy of a retweet.

Interspire knows this, and might deserve its share of that 2018 purse.

The sale

If you’re not a power CRM user, or one of our CRM survey respondents who uses it primarily for contact management, Interspire may interest you.

This software puts contact management and list control right upfront, reminding you that without great contact data, email marketing isn’t worth all those billions.

In making the management of email lists and their occupants so easy, Interspire reminds users just how important segmentation has become to earning click-thrus and callbacks.

Use Interspire’s form builder to assemble event-specific lists from folks you meet at an open house or local chamber of commerce meeting. Each list can include custom fields that relate specifically to the source of the contact. This way, you can separate previous sellers from new prospects.

For example, include a multiline text field, drop-down list and numbers-only field on your capture form to get a current address, desired ZIP codes and price range, respectively.

Then, include some basic yes/no checkboxes about the event to further engage the prospect — for example, “Was the event worthwhile?” “Have you attended any other open houses?” “Are you close to making a decision?”

As your contact list builds, you’ll always have at click’s reach the exact context in which the relationship initiated. Very CRM-like, and not like so many other one-size-fits-all subscription forms.

If you happen to employ landing pages, Interspire’s custom list capability could be immensely beneficial.

The software is different in usability than tools like Emma and MailChimp. There isn’t a prevailing theme of iconography or drag-and-drop design functionality.

Interspire is easy to use and offers very familiar WYSIWYG, Microsoft Word-esque interfaces. You should need no more training than what’s provided through its help topics and support staff. You may not need any of it.

I like that subscription confirmation messages are cleanly presented in the editor window above its coded version, leaving no doubt as to what it will look like when sent.

Settings for each list, like Double Opt-In Confirmation, Send From This Address, Send From This Name and Email Subject are easy to manage and don’t leave you wondering how each message will present when landing. The same goes for “thank you” messages and pages.

Creating a campaign is a simple process driven by drop-down screens and pick lists. Highlight a template, and it shows up in the adjacent preview window.

Custom fields per list can be easily entered into templates to offer extensive personalization, which many marketing experts believe will drive the increase in email engagement.

Interspire also offers a basic notes tool for recording contact interactions, like phone calls or meetings. You can also view which emails a contact was sent and what they opened.

Its auto-responders feature gives you the power to send prewritten messages to users who click on a link, a great way to immediately follow up after they look at a listing’s Web page. Again, very CRM.

You can also send one based on specific dates, like birthdays or a month after their closing. Sharp.

The close

Interspire does a nice job of combining email marketing with a basic, easy-to-use contact manager. Call it CRM-lite. This email marketing solution is all business, rooted in efficiency and stable programming.

There is little not to like here, especially for those agents who just want a tool that is immediately familiar to use and does what email should do: reach its audience.

Give it a look.

Do you use Interspire — and what do you think? Leave a comment and let us know!

Do you have a product for our tech expert to review? Email Craig Rowe.