Squarespace	Very user-friendly Professionally designed templates E-commerce functionality	Visit Squarespace
	Gator Website Builder	Competitive pricing Email campaigns included 24/7 customer support	Visit HostGator
	GoDaddy	Get started quickly Affordable plans with free trials Easily launch online storer	Visit GoDaddy

Choosing a website builder can be one of your first major decisions when you start a small business. There are many out there and all have their unique advantages. Picking one depends on many other factors beyond cost like functionality, scalability, and the type of website you want. This guide will help you find the right website builder for your needs.

What is a website builder?

Before we review a handful of builders, let’s define what a website builder is and what it does. 

A website builder is a program that allows you to easily create your own website and launch it without the help of a website designer. Most utilize drag-and-drop editors, which means no coding is required. 

They come with templates to choose from and customize. Some also have things like keyword analysis and analytics so you can promote your site as well.

Website builders do offer free versions, but most offers paid plans that provide additional web design features.

Website builder recommendations

Squarespace

Pros

• Has more than 60 themes
• Has plenty of apps, like a booking calendar, to integrate with
• Lots of functionality in e-commerce

Cons

• Only has a 14-day free trial
• Glitches in e-commerce offerings

What makes it different from the rest

Squarespace is different because of the number of apps that can be integrated into any site. It also manages things like email marketing, money in and money out, and even provides thank you cards.

Who it’s best for

Squarespace is good for those who have a lot of things to manage, like nonprofit donations or regular purchases. It isn’t meant for those who have large e-commerce stores but works well for those with smaller stores or who are selling services.

Summary of features

The website creator has easy-to-use editing tools, although it isn’t highly customizable. It’s easy to add a store and there’s a wealth of e-commerce features like automatic tax calculation and the ability to create mailing lists.

See the full review of Squarespace here.

Hostgator

Pros

• Free domain, free hosting, and free SSL certificate
• 45-day guarantee
• 24-7 customer service including a live person

Cons

• No window server option with every plan

What makes it different from the rest

Hostgator is one of the few plans that offer the same customer support to those on all the paid tiers. It also has some cool features like the appointment keeper and is an excellent value for shared hosting.

Who it’s best for

Hostgator is best for someone who wants rich features and 24-7 customer service for support. It will serve those who want everything in one place well.

Summary of features

Hostgator has Linux VPS hosting so there’s scalability. It also offers dedicated servers and cloud hosting. Everything is accessible on your control panel so it’s always easy to use. You can also get a free domain name for 12 months.

See the full review of Hostgator here.

Godaddy

Pros

• Easy-to-use
• Offers Windows-based hosting
• Unlimited bandwidth

Cons

• Expensive
• Doesn’t back up your site automatically
• No SSL

What makes it different from the rest

The GoDaddy website builder has the largest amount of storage of any web builder out there. It is also different in that it doesn’t measure or limit your traffic. 

Who it’s best for

Godaddy is best for those who have plenty to spend on a business or personal website and who need a lot of storage. Those who want to try VPS web hosting will find this an easy choice too.

Summary of features

Godaddy gives you a custom domain name for free the first year and has a generous email account setup. It also has a number of apps in its control panel like WordPress and Magento.

See the full review of GoDaddy here.

Web.com

Pros

• One of the cheapest options with a $1.95 introductory offer
• Has search engine optimization
• Puts your site in pro-business directories

Cons

• No free trial and pricing plans are higher than others
• No cloud or VPS plans 
• Can’t switch templates

What makes it different from the rest

Two things make Web.com different. First, it has lots of stock photography so your site will have great visuals. Second, you can choose to work with a website designer if you don’t have the time or aren’t confident in building your own site.

Who it’s best for

Web.com is best for those who want to get a site up quickly and aren’t interested in a lot of fancy website-building tools. It’s heavy on analytics and directories and is great for those who need that type of support.

Summary of features

Web.com has a complete set of features from finding a domain name and stock photography to helping you find the right niche to promote your site. It has online store options as well as typical website options, both with excellent upload times.

Square

Pros

• Free unlimited hosting
• Support for in-store pickup
• Integrated and advanced reporting features

Cons

• Awful shipping strategy with non-adjustable rates
• Has account stability issues

What makes it different from the rest

Since Square began as a payment system first, everything it does revolve around that which means its website builder is seamless with Square products. It’s easy to pay for too because it’s connected to your Square account. This product is different because it’s built with the merchant aspect in mind. 

Who it’s best for

This website builder is best for someone looking to build a small online store, who has products and inventory to track. The builder is easy to use and can help online retailers get set up quickly. 

Summary of features

Square has templates to pick from but they aren’t as many as other website builders. It offers a lot of flexibility to developers with its interfaces. One of its best features is its product management.

See the full review of Square here.

Wix

Pros

• Provides a great user experience for both beginners and experienced builders
• Mobile friendly
• Most templates are free

Cons

• It doesn’t allow payments from you through electronic wallets like PayPal
• You have to buy a premium plan to get analytics

What makes it different from the rest

There are many apps available to you through Wix including video and payment integrations. Unlike other website builders, a Wix website also has an app you can download to allow comments on your page so you can communicate with potential customers.

Who it’s best for

Wix is best for those who want scalability. It has a free plan option as well as premium plans, hundreds of templates, and a robust tool kit so you can continue to work on your site as you grow.

Summary of features

Wix comes with features for more than 70 different business categories, SEO, and a mobile editor you can use to affect ranking.

See the full review of Wix here.

Weebly

Pros

• Lets you sell for free as an e-commerce platform
• You can switch themes
• One-click app integration

Cons

• Not the best for large stores
• Not highly customizable

What makes it different from the rest

Weebly is one of the few sites that has marketing tools built into the website builder. Web hosting and security is included in your plan too.

Who it’s best for

Weebly is best for those who want an easy-to-use e-commerce website builder that makes editing a site a breeze.  

Summary of features

Weebly has business themes that are specific, strong SEO tools and support, and e-commerce tools on all plans, even the free plans. It has seamless integration with Square and includes marketing and analytic tools.

See the full review of Weebly here.

Shopify

Pros

• Has abandoned shop recovery
• Implements automated shipping calculation
• It has its own POS system

Cons

• Not a lot of free themes
• Can be complicated to use

What makes it different from the rest

Shopify is the one website builder designed specifically for large e-commerce stores so it has everything you want for a store. This includes shipping, inventory tracking, and customer reviews. 

Who it’s best for

Shopify is best for those with a lot of products who do a good amount of online business. It is the most popular website builder for those who want all their store management, even their brick, and mortar store, in one place.

Summary of features

Even the basic account allows you to sell unlimited products and have unlimited storage. There is 24-7 phone support and it even has a fraud analysis. The abandoned cart recovery is a nice feature that can amount to more sales.

See the full review of Shopify here.

Webflow

Pros

• More flexibility than other site builders
• Great tutorials
• Can use CMS content is Webflow Designer

Cons

• High learning curve

What makes it different from the rest

Webflow is the one professional website builder that teaches you how to build a simple website as you go. It also has some good front-end features like an automatic shopping cart and checkout pages.

Who it’s best for

Webflow is great for those working on a team or with a client because the content management system(CMS) features allow you to see your work along the way.

Summary of features

Its features allow you to be more creative without a lot of constraints. It has many automatic things for e-commerce, like checkout, and you can customize all of it.

See the full review of Webflow here.

BigCommerce

Pros

• Fully hosted
• A lot of business management capabilities
• Multiple payment integration methods

Cons

• No native POS
• Themes are expensive
• Some design elements aren’t flexible

What makes it different from the rest

The key difference in Bigcommerce is that it includes management support options. It’s nice to have all of that in one place rather than through several companies. 

Who it’s best for

Bigcommerce is best for those who are launching a larger e-commerce store and want things like inventory tracking and fulfillment applications. It is also the best choice for someone willing to put some money into their website because it isn’t the cheapest out there.

Summary of features

Bigcommerce has an all-in-one order management panel, a library for your products, customer profiles and information center, and marketing and analytics.

See the full review of Bigcommerce here.

Duda

Pros

• Large range of apps and widgets
• A lot of creative control
• Simple to use

Cons

• Doesn’t have strong additional features like SEO
• It’s expensive
• Gets difficult if you push the limits of creativity

What makes it different from the rest

You can make quick changes with Duda, which is different from other systems. It has 98 beautiful templates and is super easy to use.

Who it’s best for

Duda is best for website designers who need to get a site up quickly for clients or someone who is running multiple sites and needs to regularly update them with ease.

Summary of features

Duda has more than 100 font styles and a built-in photo editor. It even guides you through the process of tailoring your own widgets with customization options. It also has e-commerce functionality with discount codes, low stock notifications, and digital downloads.

Zyro

Pros

• Intuitive and responsive
• Simple to use
• Has AI tools for content

Cons

• No flexibility
• Domain name handling is complicated

What makes it different from the rest

Zyro is unlike other sites because it offers simplicity even with its e-commerce solution. It still has lots of design choices and allows you to get a site up and running really quickly.

Who it’s best for

Zyro is best for someone who cares more about how fast the site can get up rather than creativity. It’s user-friendly so those who want a high-quality, well-functioning site would be pleased.

Summary of features

Zyro gives you a lot for your money including many free images, a logo and slogan maker, multiple payment processing, and a lot of handy apps like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and WhatsApp.

WordPress.org and WordPress.com 

Pros

• Has lots of add ons
• Gives you complete control
• Easy to customize

Cons

• It doesn’t come with a drag-and-drop interface
• Must manually do things like making backups and updating security

What makes it different from the rest

WordPress is the only website builder that gives you complete control over every aspect of your site. That also means you need to know more about creating and maintaining a site. For some, especially small business websites, the customization is worth it.

Who it’s best for

WordPress is for those looking to have a professional-looking website that can make money and grow. It is a great tool for bloggers since that is how the platform started. Those who use WordPress want complete freedom to change things on their site and move in a different direction if required.

Summary of features

WordPress has more than 250 business themes and advanced design customization. It has plug-ins for those purchasing the business plan or higher upgrades.

See the full review of WordPress.org and WorPress.com here.

How to choose a website builder

There’s a lot to look at when choosing a website builder. Here’s a list of what to look for: 

Ease of use

Business owners want a drag-and-drop website builder and that’s user-friendly. 

Template options

Look at the number of templates you have to choose from and how customizable they are. In some cases, you can have a lot of templates, but can’t make adjustments to them. You’ll need to do some research to find one that offers a template you like and the customization you need. 

Responsive options

You need a responsive website, which is to say you need a site that looks good on mobile devices. Look for responsive templates and features to ensure your site resizes to fit small screens. 

Image library

You’ll likely need some sort of stock photos or icons to add some visual appeal to your site. A builder that has a built-in image library is ideal for this purpose. 

SEO features

To help customers find your site, you’ll need some SEO help. Some builders offer basic SEO tools for free and charge a monthly fee for premium features. 

Affordability

Cost is a factor. Many builders offer a free plan, but if you want certain features, you’ll have to upgrade. The monthly fees are usually $15 or less for the basics like a domain name, free SSL certificate, no ads, and a few gigs of storage. Sites that need more features could pay upwards of $50 a month.

FAQs

Which website builder is the easiest to use?

It’s hard to say. It really depends on what kind of site you want to build, but many people agree that Wix is beginner-friendly. Plus, it has tons of templates and features that make it fun to use. 

Is it best to use a website builder or build your own site?

The reason many choose website builders is that it’s quicker and those who don’t have a lot of website knowledge can get one up and running quickly. The trade-off is customization and personalization. You are going to have less of it with a website builder than if you built one from scratch.

Do all website builders provide social media integration?

For the most part, social media integration has become a standard feature for website builders, including free website builders. 

Is CSS or HTML knowledge needed? 

If you have coding know-how, it will help you build a site. However, you don’t need any coding experience to create an online presence with a website builder. 

Does every website need website hosting?

Yes. Once you create a site, you’ll need web hosting services. Some builders offer web hosting services alongside their builders. 

Does your website need landing pages? 

To start, focus on building the core site. You can add landing pages, which often serve as a lead capture tool, later on. 

What builder should I use if I need to accept credit cards?

Look for a builder that has e-commerce plans, like Shopify or BigCommerce.

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• Onsite paper surveys are the traditional route, but there are inherent challenges with this strategy. Customers may pick one up when they visit the business, but that requires filling it out and returning it. Also, this does not reach non-customers. 
• There’s also the option of mailing surveys, but this comes with the obvious cost of paying for postage. Plus, there is no guarantee that the surveys will be returned.
• Email makes it easy (and more affordable) to connect with survey participants.  The main drawback is that this removes the anonymity some people appreciate when returning a survey. If people don’t feel like their responses are anonymous, then they may either offer responses that won’t paint them in a negative light or worse, simply not respond at all. Both scenarios obviously reduce the value of the data received.

This is where online survey tools come into play. These tools solve many of the challenges posed by more traditional survey methods, and most importantly, give businesses access to the type of data needed to make important decisions about products, services, and policies.

Of course, not all surveys are used solely for conducting market research. They can also determine employee satisfaction or follow up on previous interactions like customer service experiences. 

There have been a number of innovations as it relates to surveys. The traditional method of asking questions may not always be the most effective or exciting, especially when lots of businesses are conducting surveys that use unique features to make the surveys more engaging, like gamification.

Survey tools need to be as easy-to-use for the creator as they are for respondents. Spending hours creating a survey isn’t always the best use of time, which is why many survey tools offer templates and other methods that speed up the process on both ends. 

There are a number of different variables that make the right tool for your business different than what may work for others. Here’s everything you need to know.

Why do you need online survey software?

There is a wide range of uses for surveys in a business where a selection of data is needed to base a decision, internally or externally.

Customer engagement and feedback

Getting new customers often requires a considerable amount of effort – from marketing to customer service to sales – all working towards the common goal of turning prospects into paying customers – and retaining them.

Customer feedback is the most important information that a business can collect for retention. A survey, when done properly, is the perfect way to gain insight into the thoughts and feelings of customers. 

One of the most common ways is to send surveys after a customer has interacted with a business in some way. For example, follow-up surveys after customer service interactions are incredibly common and very helpful in identifying what’s working well, and what needs improvement. These surveys may also highlight staff members making a difference, policies causing friction with customers, and potential processes that affect someone’s willingness to spend their money.

Sending a follow-up survey after a customer completes an order can help understand what they like about the website, the sales staff, product availability, and pricing. All of this is valuable information when growing a business.

Regardless of how feedback surveys are used, they help drive customer engagement. People appreciate it when they are heard and staying in touch is important for any relationship. 

Conducting market research

Understanding the market outside the four walls of the business is important for staying competitive. What do customers want? What do they like? What do they dislike? What drives them to make a purchase? Who are they purchasing from? Without knowing this information it can be hard to make the right decisions to grow the business.

Market research surveys can be used to help identify top competitors by simply asking customers the names or brands that they know, trust, and spend their money with. These surveys can also identify shortfalls within a business and highlight areas where customers believe the business is ahead of the competition.

Market research surveys can also be used to determine other aspects of customer behaviors. When do they like to shop? How much do they spend, on average? How often do they make a purchase? This data can help drive future marketing efforts and promotional efforts to grow sales in an effective way, as opposed to creating costly marketing plans that may or may not work.

Gathering employee feedback

Employees often have the best insights about what works, what doesn’t, and how improvements can be made. The problem is that many employees are hesitant to openly share this information for fear of reprisal or upsetting others. A survey is a great way to quickly glean information from employees in a way that’s secure and anonymous.

Employee engagement surveys are becoming very common in businesses that are seeking to improve the morale within their operation. These surveys highlight areas where employees may be dissatisfied. They also offer employees an opportunity to share thoughts or solutions that may only be visible to those working in the heart of the business day-to-day.

An employee engagement survey doesn’t just serve to highlight the areas where employees may not be happy; it can also have a positive effect just by itself. Employees like to know that their opinions are valued and enjoy having the opportunity to share their thoughts. 

Employee retention is always important for any business. Finding qualified, high-quality staff isn’t always easy. Maintaining the existing staff can help secure a businesses’ future and reduce the costs associated with hiring and training new staff. 

Crowd-sourcing decisions

For many small and medium businesses, there’s no time or budget to send out a team to conduct market research and report their findings. A survey is a quick way to gather input from a number of different people and help make important decisions.

Things like new product launches, changes to products, or even launching a new logo can all be tested through the use of surveys. This is a very cost-effective way to get opinions from a wide range of people in a relatively short time frame. Best of all, the people that take part in the survey will feel like their opinion matters and may be more likely to support your business in the future as compared to a business that doesn’t seek crowd-sourced opinion.

Cost-effective

As mentioned previously, surveys can be a very cost-effective way to gather data. For small businesses, there simply isn’t money available to conduct large-scale research efforts. Many survey tools offer free surveys that are quick and easy to create. Anyone can make a survey regardless of their experience level so there is no need for large marketing teams and campaigns that cost a lot of money.

Delivering these surveys is equally budget-friendly. With the many sharing methods available from online survey builders, there’s no need to print hard copy materials, pay for postage, or even conduct paid social media campaigns. Surveys can be shared through the channels that a business already uses, like Facebook, or sent out to email subscribers that have already been compiled into an email marketing list.

Check out our roundup of the Best Online Form Builders

When do you need online survey tools?

There are a number of scenarios where a survey proves to be a handy tool for gathering data quickly and without breaking the bank.

Launching a new business

Launching a new business is a daunting task. There are countless moving parts that all need to come together to make a business successful. A survey is a great way to get some insight as to what potential customers may want to see or what the competitive landscape is like. With this data, business owners can then make educated decisions about how to move forward with the launch of their business.

The information gathered from surveys prior to a business launch could reveal which competitors have a majority share of the market, where consumers feel that businesses are currently falling short, products people may want to see, and the kind of service they expect from businesses in order to earn their money.

Even things like hours of operation, new logos, and location can all be decided with the help of crowdsourced information gathered through surveys. Best of all, for new businesses with limited budgets, surveys are one of the most affordable ways to get data from consumers.

Discovering new opportunities

It can be incredibly difficult to get into the mind of a consumer. A survey can help with this, especially when trying to find new ways to earn business from customers. This could be through new product launches, improved services, and any number of other opportunities that may help boost the bottom line.

Without actionable data, businesses are simply playing a guessing game as to what it is that customers actually want. Surveys can deliver this kind of data and may reveal areas where customers feel underserved. It’s also possible to use surveys for A/B testing of different ideas like new product launches, promotional materials, or policy changes.

Day-to-day business operations

It’s important to understand that surveys don’t have to be just for some kind of large event like a new product launch. They can also be used in regular day to day business operations to gain consistent insight on customers. One great example of this is in follow up surveys after a customer has placed an order.

Using this data, businesses can map out the changes and improvements in their operations over time. Perhaps customers identify the checkout process as being clunky or slow. Using survey data, you can monitor how changes impact customer survey responses and see if the desired results are being achieved. The same can be done for customer service experiences to discover employees that are delivering exceptional experiences and working with those who need to improve.

These surveys can also help identify top performers within the business when it comes to customer feedback. Employees with great reviews can be more easily rewarded to increase retention once there is hard data to view and analyze.

Building a marketing list

It can be challenging to build a marketing list for reaching out to customers with new promotions or announcements. A survey is a great way to draw people in, gather information, and add them to the list for future communications.

One way to incentivize people to join the list is to offer a reward for completing a survey. Even something like being entered into a draw for a gift certificate is enough to drive survey engagement and increase the number of responses. Not only can a lot of helpful data be gathered, but there is now a list of people that have shown willingness to engage with you. This can come in handy when it’s time to send out that next email blast.

Generate leads

Finding new business is always a challenge. A survey is a fantastic way to help funnel leads through the sales process. Of course, not every lead will be hot, but a survey can identify those who may be in the market for certain products or services and help sales focus on the leads most likely to produce results.

How to choose the right online survey tool

There is a wide range of survey software available on the market, each with its own unique features and offerings that helps set them apart from the competition. Finding the right one is important.

Create surveys quickly

One of the main reasons to choose a survey platform is to reduce the amount of time and money spent on doing market research or gathering feedback. So, it should only make sense that creating a survey should be a quick and easy process. Otherwise, the main benefit of using an automated survey platform has been completely negated.

Many of the top survey tools offer fast survey creation. Some platforms may even offer one-click surveys based on pre-existing templates that can be either used as they are, or customized to meet your unique needs. Editing surveys should be simple with nothing more than a few clicks and strokes of the keyboard.

Of course, there are some more complicated survey tools that offer deeper customization like the ability to include custom images or logos. Even still, these tools have attempted to make the survey creation process as fast and seamless as possible. The more time spent creating a survey, the less time that survey is actually out in the wild gathering information.

Unique survey design

Different survey platforms offer a number of unique ways to make customized and engaging surveys.

One popular way that surveys have evolved is by gamification. This adds a game of competition element to completing the survey in order to drive engagement and increase the chances that the respondents will actually complete the survey to the very end. 

Other surveys allow the ability to ask questions or provide answers using images that can be easily uploaded. For people who prefer a visual experience to one more based on typing and reading, this could be the solution to help increase completion scores.

Chatbot surveys engage the respondent using a chat-like experience. Based on the answers provided, the chatbot may be able to ask different questions in a more conversational manner. With this type of survey, people may not actually feel like they’re doing a survey but, rather, having a normal discussion.

Not all types of surveys are appropriate for all uses. It’s important to find the right one for your specific needs and the demographic you’re trying to reach.

Asking smarter survey questions

With modern survey platforms, there are essentially two ways to design a survey: there is the traditional question and answer method and then there are smarter questions that are based on previous answers. This is typically referred to as question branching.

Question branching uses the answers from previous questions to determine the next question to ask. This can be very helpful as it eliminates irrelevant questions and asks the most important questions based on the unique person’s answers earlier in the survey.

With question branching, you get better data and a higher likelihood that someone will complete the survey. However, it should be noted that this feature is not available from all survey solution providers, and is typically a premium feature that requires payment in order to use.

Deeper analysis

Many platforms offer advanced survey results and analytics for review and sharing. Results can be exported to a variety of formats like Excel, for those that love spreadsheets.

What’s more, some survey platforms will even go as far as to identify bottlenecks in the survey. For example, if a number of people choose to close the survey without completing a specific question, this can be identified and the question can be changed or removed in order to help increase completion statistics.

Other interesting stats to know about surveys could be where people were referred to the survey from, how long they spent completing the survey, where they’re located, among other details. For some businesses, this information may not be incredibly important while for others it could be an essential piece to a larger puzzle.

Reaching the masses

The data from a survey is only useful if people are actually completing the survey. One or two people completing a survey generally doesn’t provide a wide enough set of data to be of any value. It’s also important to note that not everyone who receives the survey will actually complete it. Getting your survey out to as many people as possible is important to ensure the data that you get back is actually valuable.

Most survey tools offer basic sharing options like the ability to share a link, share on social media, or email to a list of people. However, there are some more advanced sharing options that may prove to help increase survey responses.

One example of this is the ability to embed a survey into a webpage or email for easy completion. People who get the survey can quickly answer the questions without having to be redirected to a new window in their browser. This only serves to help lower the barrier to completing the survey and increasing the range of data sets that you get in return.

Other platforms may offer offline surveys that can be used on a device like a tablet or a smartphone. This is handy for completing surveys on-the-go where there may not be an internet connection. The survey is created and then the data is stored on the device until an internet connection is established where the data can be compiled and exported for analysis.

Get paid through surveys

There may be times where a survey is designed to collect information and payment. In many cases, this would have to be a separate transaction, however, some survey platforms allow businesses to embed payment options directly within the survey itself.

A good example of when this would be necessary is if there was a survey for an event where tickets had to be purchased. At the end of the survey, after the respondent has completed all of the information, the survey would be able to collect payment. This makes it simple for both consumers and businesses as the information and payment are all in one place.

This also helps to reduce the chances that someone may complete the survey and then have second thoughts about actually following through with payment later down the line. When people have the opportunity to pay right away, it can help increase on-time payments and reduce the number of people that back out.

Platform support

The wide range of available platforms can be a huge benefit to businesses that are trying to find the best way to connect with their audience.

The standard survey platform directs customers to a website where the survey is completed in their browser. While this is the most popular option, it is far from the only way to complete a survey. There are self-hosted surveys, surveys that can be embedded into websites, and even chatbot surveys that can chat with people through popular messaging apps like Facebook Messenger. All of these are unique ways to connect and ensure the greatest return of survey responses.

What is the cost of running a survey?

There are a number of free online survey tools available for small businesses and individuals to use. Many of the most popular survey platforms have a free option that allows users to easily create customized surveys and begin connecting with their audience.

With that said, free plans are often very limited in what they offer. For example, free plans may limit the number of surveys a user can operate at any one time. This number is typically around 3 surveys. In addition, the number of responses is limited when using free survey tools. Often, they are capped at around 100 responses. This means that a free survey is probably not the best solution for those who are hoping to reach thousands of people. However, they could be a great solution for more basic survey needs like small businesses that want to conduct an employee engagement survey among a staff smaller than 100 people.

Most online survey companies also offered tiered subscription pricing that unlocks more features for businesses to use. These paid tiers will usually start by offering a greater number of active surveys at any one time, increasing the number of responses allowed for each survey, and introducing features like the ability to create white label surveys. 

Within paid tiers, you will also find a number of more advanced features like better data analysis. Those who live and die by Excel will likely find that exporting to an Excel spreadsheet is only available on a paid plan although this largely depends on the survey provider being used.

Other features like chatbot surveys, testing surveys, branched questions, and image upload are premium features that will come at a monthly cost. Depending on the size of the team and the number of surveys being run, the cost for these tiers can range from around $20 per month to $100 per month, and even higher for enterprise needs.

The best survey platforms

SurveyPlanet

SurveyPlanet is a very popular option with a full-featured free offering. This easy-to-use survey platform allows users to create an unlimited number of surveys, with unlimited questions and responses. This is unusual to see and offers a lot of value for budget-conscious businesses. There are dozens of pre-written surveys to choose from, so creating a survey is as easy as just making a few clicks. Sharing surveys by email or embedding the code on a webpage is also included in the free plan.

The $20 per month paid tier unlocks advanced features like question branching, data export, image uploading, and custom themes. This still includes unlimited surveys and responses, in addition to all of the other free features. When it comes to value, SurveyPlanet has packed in a lot of features for a price that is amongst the most competitive of all the survey platforms on this list. Some specific features like the ability to add a chatbot are missing but, overall, SurveyPlanet has everything a business needs (and then some) when creating a survey for any number of purposes.

SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey is one of the most well-known and popular survey platforms on the market. The company offers a wide range of features across several different pricing tiers for both personal users as well as business teams. The free version is somewhat limited, as it only allows 10 questions per survey, with a limit of 100 responses per survey. It still includes full use of its mobile app for easy survey creation and response collection on the go, however. At higher pricing levels, users have the ability to accept payments through the survey, as well as collaborate with team members on survey creation. Priority support is also included, with responses promised in under 1 hour.

Users can also use SurveyMonkey to do more than just create basic surveys. For example, quizzes can be built using one of the many survey templates available, with quiz results delivered immediately to respondents. There are also advanced analytics and the ability to export data into a format that is most desirable, including .xls and .csv. The pricing for SurveyMonkey is higher than other options on this list but for the cost, there are a ton of features packed into each pricing tier. Best of all, SurveyMonkey makes it easy to create surveys, and simple to share them with a number of available third-party plugins, including Zapier.

Typeform

Typeform is a modern platform that lets you easily create surveys through a conversational interface that is design-focused and fully-customizable. Questions are presented one at a time with options to add images, GIFS, videos & themes to keep users engaged. The result? You get higher completion rates and higher quality data to power your business. 

The company is based on a freemium model and includes several different pricing tiers in order to get access to more complex features and remove response limits. The free version allows you to store a maximum of 3 surveys, each with a limit of 10 questions and 100 responses. A few integrations exist within the free version such as Google Sheets and Slack allowing you to download data and share the results with your team. However, in the paid plans, more powerful features become available such as Logic Jump and Hidden Fields, as well as access to other integrations with Mailchimp, Hubspot, and Facebook Pixel. 

Although Typeform is first and foremost an online survey and forms tool, it provides other use cases too including quizzes, polls, and even a job application maker. If you’re looking for a tool that can reflect your brand with high customizability, Typeform is one to consider.

LimeSurvey

LimeSurvey is an open-source survey platform with a free option that users can dive into to begin creating custom surveys. The company offers both self-hosted surveys, as well as surveys hosted by LimeSurvey. Unfortunately, the differences in hosting methods and the various tiers below each method can make the pricing somewhat confusing. While there are free options for using LimeSurvey, the free plans are amongst the most limited in the industry. For example, the free hosted plan only offers 25 responses per month and includes advertisements on the final completion page. For small survey needs like an employee engagement survey, however, this may not be a huge negative.

Stepping up to paid tiers enables more responses, but unfortunately, there is no plan that offers unlimited responses. And thankfully, ads are removed at even the lowest-paid tiers. Where LimeSurvey shines is in the customization of each survey. Questions can be asked and formatted in dozens of different ways, deep analytics and survey timing are available with all paid plans, and branching of questions is also available. LimeSurvey promises to have users up and running in 5 minutes or less, but the number of customization options could mean that creating the perfect survey takes a little longer. For users that want to dive deep into customization and analytics, LimeSurvey is one of the best options available.

QuickTapSurvey

QuickTapSurvey is a survey platform owned by FormStack, which is one of the more popular online form building tools available. For businesses that already using FormStack and are familiar with the platform, using QuickTapSurvey is a logical and easy next step to make. The company promises easy setup, with form creation taking just a few minutes using one of the many available templates. QuickTapSurvey also allows for offline surveys to be completed using mobile apps, which makes it a fantastic option for those who want to make a kiosk-style survey with a tablet or smartphone sitting out for customers to complete surveys.

One downside of QuickTapSurvey is that there is no free plan. Free trials are available, however.  Plans start at $16 per month, which includes unlimited surveys and responses. For more advanced features, like the ability to custom brand a survey, enable email notifications, and deeper analysis with survey scoring, users will have to step up to more expensive tiers. QuickTapSurvey aims to offer one of the easiest-to-use platforms, which it certainly delivers on. This ease-of-use does come at a cost, however, which means more advanced features may be missing.

YesInsights

YesInsights promises better customer engagement with easy to complete one-click surveys. These simple surveys that can be answered by users with just a single click, which is designed to increase the number of responses businesses collect. YesInsights allows you to embed surveys right into the email body or into your website using their survey widget, which makes it super easy for people to respond to. While this can help to increase response rates, surveys tend to be more limited in scope, which may not make this survey format ideal if you’re trying to get deeper answers to a wide range of questions.

There are free trials available for all levels of pricing tiers, but unfortunately, there is no free plan available. Also, the number of responses is limited to each tier. Unlimited responses are only available with the enterprise plan, which is based on custom quotes. YesInsights surveys are best suited for quick answers rather than in-depth data collection. Ideally, you would use this type of survey for something like customer service follow-ups or an email unsubscribe survey where a single answer is all that’s needed to get the insight you need.

SurveyMethods

SurveyMethods promises one of the most advanced, easy-to-use, and affordable survey platforms. The company puts major emphasis on data analysis and third-party API integrations like the ability to integrate with MailChimp, Facebook, and Gmail. Plus, SurveyMethods can help with newsletter marketing efforts.  This platform offers simple survey creation, with dozens of templates to choose from, which makes it quick and easy to create a professional-looking survey in just a few minutes. Once the survey is completed, analysis tools make it just as easy to break down data into graphs and charts that are ready for boardroom presentations and team discussions.

In addition to these features, users can enjoy branched questions, poll creation tools, and even set quotas to shut down surveys once a specified number of responses have been received. Best of all, their free plan includes many of these features, but limits responses to 500 per month. Paid tiers are affordable and very competitive with other options on this list. Moving up to even the lowest-paid tier unlocks features like unlimited responses, reminders for survey participants, and event creation. At the highest level, users can take things to the next level with hands-on live training with a dedicated support rep. For value, SurveyMethods is one of the best survey tools available.

Survey Anyplace

Survey Anyplace helps businesses create beautiful and stunning surveys. It’s easy-to-use images and design functionality will have you creating professional-looking surveys in just a few minutes. One of the most innovative features of Survey Anyplace is the gamifying of surveys available. For example, users can scratch to win through the survey or complete a spin wheel-style game as part of the survey. This makes interacting with customers more engaging, which means that more people are likely to follow through and complete the survey. Plus, when the survey is complete, Survey Anyplace offers detailed, refined reporting that can be exported to the file format of your choice.

There is no free plan with Survey Anyplace, and pricing is higher than some competitors, with base plans starting at $25 per month for 400 monthly response. For a higher number of responses, as well as access to other features like email support and third-party plugin integration, businesses will have to opt for the higher-priced tiers. 

Surveybot

Surveybot puts a unique twist on collecting survey responses. It’s actually a chatbot survey platform that connects with Facebook messenger to give users a unique way to connect. Best of all, chatbots make completing a survey feel more like having a conversation rather than actually completing a survey. Based on customer answers, the chatbot will ask smart questions, which makes it easier to get quality answers from directly inside Facebook Messenger, which is one of the most popular messaging platforms available today.

The obvious downside of choosing Surveybot is that it only supports Facebook Messenger. This means things like email surveys would have to be done through another platform, which would add an additional cost. Also, the pricing for Surveybot can get pretty expensive quickly. Their pricing is based on the number of responses received. The first 50 responses are free. 100 responses are $6 and pricing increases from there. For businesses that receive thousands of responses per month, this could prove to be a very expensive platform. 

SmartSurvey

SmartSurvey is a very user-friendly survey platform with a lot of customization and power built-in. Businesses can create beautiful surveys and then send them out via a number of different channels including email and SMS, to help increase the number of responses. One truly unique feature of this platform is the ability to buy survey responses based on target demographics. This can help increase the pool of data available, and deliver survey responses even more quickly. What’s more, data analysis is king with SmartSurvey. Businesses can monitor responses in real-time, create custom reports, and analyze data in a number of unique ways, like using word clouds.

While a free plan is available, it’s limited to just 100 responses per month, and paid tiers for SmartSurvey are amongst the most expensive paid survey options on the market. For the data-oriented business owner, however, SmartSurvey certainly delivers some of the most advanced tools.

JotForm Survey Maker

JotForm Survey Maker is an easy to use and intuitive survey tool that comes with a fully functioning mobile app as well. Users can create forms in a matter of minutes or pick from hundreds of free templates to run engaging surveys with high completion rates. JotForm runs on a freemium model that has all features unlocked in the free version and only limits usage numbers. The free plan limits users to 5 forms and 100 submissions but all of the integrations and features are usable. Users can collect payments, add custom widgets, upload files, and use conditional logic to create more engaging surveys.

JotForm is an online form builder that is not restricted to the survey niche and boasts an extremely high number of integrations available. The platform has strong reporting capabilities and a lot of collaboration features that increase the efficiency of collecting data.The mobile app also pushes the survey game to the next level with its KIOSK mode that transforms any mobile device into a KIOSK that can be filled by a large number of people in public places, restaurants, social events, etc.

Client Heartbeart

Client Heartbeat is a survey platform dedicated to customer relations and following up with clients to collect their feelings on your business. In fact, every feature of Client Heartbeat is geared toward businesses that want to connect with customers for feedback. CRM integration is available, which makes surveying customers and logging data quick and easy. All plans include custom branding, which is important for businesses that are looking to put their best professional foot forward. Another unique feature is the ability to compare results with competitors in the same industry so that you can gauge where your business stands.

For businesses that want the most professional appearance, coupled with easy integration, Client Heartbeat is a great option. Pricing is higher than other competitors in the market, with plans starting at $29 per month and a limited number of connections. For larger businesses, expect to spend hundreds of dollars per month on surveys. 

SurveyGizmo

SurveyGizmo excels at integrating with business services that you already use. For example, companies that use Salesforce can connect SurveyGizmo to workflows and retain relevant customer data in the correct profiles. Because of these integrations, SurveyGizmo does all the legwork to centralize data in one convenient place, which is easier to analyze when it comes to making big decisions. With data-oriented dashboards and countless integrations, SurveyGizmo is built for the business that loves data and wants all of its systems to seamlessly work together.

While there is a free account available with SurveyGizmo, but it’s limited to 3 surveys with 100 responses per month. Stepping up to the next paid tier unlocks unlimited responses, email support, and 25 additional question types. For more advanced users, the customization power of SurveyGizmo is seemingly endless. It’s not the most affordable solution for surveys, but it is competitive and offers some of the best data collection methods available.

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	Vistaprint	Reputable company Easy-to-use design platform No design experience required	Visit Vistaprint
	PsPrint	Excellent pricing No-frills platform	Visit PsPrint

When you think of modern marketing strategies, you probably think of things like text message marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, and other cutting-edge advertising methods that have become standard pieces of the marketing puzzle for businesses of all sizes.

Despite all of the latest and greatest marketing strategies being employed by businesses, however, direct mail marketing is still going strong. In fact, businesses that use direct mail see 10 to 30 times higher responses from customers in comparison to digital marketing. That’s a pretty significant jump in responses, and something you should definitely be excited about if increasing company revenue is important to you.

So, why does direct mail marketing work so well? And most important, what are the downsides of using direct mail advertising for your business? Can you manage the costs, or is this just one more thing on your plate?

There are many reasons why you should consider direct mail marketing. Having a solid foundational understanding of its advantages and disadvantages, as well as the options available to you, will ensure you make the best decision for your marketing budget – and your business.

Why do you need direct mail marketing?

If you own or operate a small or medium-sized business, then you already know that your marketing budget isn’t exactly an unlimited pool of money. You need to utilize the most cost-effective means of reaching your target audience and get the best return for every dollar. In recent years, the growth of online advertising has led many budget-conscious marketers and business owners to spend an increasing portion of their budget online. In fact, nearly half of all marketing dollars go to online advertising.

Of course, this means marketers are still spending a lot of money offline too. And one of the most effective ways to reach people in this modern, connected world is good old-fashioned mail. That’s right, you get your bills online, you do your banking online, and you can even buy groceries online. But, one of the most effective ways to get a person to act on a marketing message is to send them a piece of direct mail.

There are a number of theories as to why this is true. Some people believe online advertising has become oversaturated, and this theory makes a lot of sense.  A recent study found that people working in an office environment receive an average of nearly 80 emails per day. What this means is that you’re competing against a lot of other “noise” to make your message stand out. Would you rather have your email mixed in with dozens of other marketing emails, or be one of the few pieces of mail sitting in someone’s mailbox?  One method gives you a much higher chance of actually catching the eye of the person you’re marketing to.

There’s also something to be said about physical communication in our increasingly digital world. People can hold your offer, coupon, or invitation in their hands. They may place it on their counter where it may catch their attention or the attention of someone else multiple times. Something like a coupon can be put in the car for easy use. Many advertising mediums give you one opportunity to capture the attention of the person you’re trying to reach. If they walk away from the TV for 30 seconds or delete an email without opening it, that opportunity is gone. With a physical piece of marketing, you stack the odds in your favor that your message will be seen.

Plus, even though our world is moving to more and more digital communication methods, people still enjoy checking the mail to see if they have received anything. In fact, 40% of people say they actually look forward to checking the mail. Perhaps most surprising from that survey is that age groups below 65 didn’t report much of a difference in their enjoyment of getting mail. That’s right, even Millennials like to check the mail. The myth of the online-only young person is a dangerous trap to fall into if you’re developing a marketing plan.

The bottom line?  Direct marketing through the mail flat-out works.

Check out our roundup of the Best Email Marketing Software

When do you need direct mail marketing?

There are a few situations when you’ll find direct mail marketing to be an important part of your overall marketing plan. Of course, when you develop a marketing plan, you need to create a budget and strategy. Without a clear plan and budget, any marketing strategy will ultimately fall short of expectations.

Determine the message you are trying to get to people, how you want them to act on that message, and how you plan on delivering that message. If direct mail seems like a good way to help get the message out, then you’ll need to figure out how much of your budget to allocate to it.

There are some specific types of campaigns when it may prove to be more helpful than others, particularly when it comes to direct mail marketing for real estate. Another great example is for limited-time sales events at a car dealership or retail store. These direct mailers are like getting a physical invitation to a party. It’s much different than getting an email invitation or hearing about it on the radio. Best of all, someone can keep your direct mail piece in their home or vehicle leading up to the event, so that they are reminded of the date. This, in turn, means they are more likely to come.

Coupons are also a great form of marketing that works well with direct mail. People enjoy having physical coupons that they can take with them to the store. If you send out several coupons, people can review all of the options and see the products and deals you have available. It’s almost like getting them to visit the sales page on your website.

Another great time to use direct mail marketing is when you want a great, easy way to track marketing response. Not all small and medium businesses have the time or marketing staff to do deep data analytics on marketing campaigns. When someone brings in a piece of direct mail, you can easily track the success of your marketing. This is incredibly helpful if you are testing several different types of marketing to see which will work best for you in the future. With direct mail, you can often see the results of your marketing walk right back into your business with the customers you mailed.

How to choose the right direct mail marketing company

Like with many other marketing strategies, there’s an almost limitless number of direct mail marketing companies you can work with. But what should you look for when comparing direct mail marketing companies to ensure you that make the right decision for your business?

There are a handful of important features you’ll want to look for based on your own unique needs. Many direct mail companies will attempt to help you make the most of your budget by taking care of some of the more challenging parts of direct mail marketing themselves. Design is one of those aspects of direct mail marketing that can prove to be difficult for inexperienced designers. Unfortunately, however, hiring a professional designer is cost-prohibitive for many small and medium-sized businesses. Luckily, many direct mail marketing companies include powerful design tools that are easy and intuitive to use. Simply choose from basic templates and then drop in the images and text you wish to include. This makes it quick and easy to create an effective direct mail campaign.

Of course, once you have created a great direct mail campaign design, you actually have to get that design into the mailboxes of your prospective customers. This can prove to be a time-consuming task, especially if you don’t have a list already created. Many direct mail marketing companies allow you to buy pre-created lists or target specific areas that are relevant to your business. Now, instead of knowing the exact addresses of people you need to target, you simply need to know the type of person you want to target and the locations you’re looking to reach, and the direct mail company will do the rest.

You also need to get your direct mail pieces into the mailboxes of the people you are trying to reach. Printing out your own mailers and taking them to the post office to send out can be an expensive and time-consuming process. Perhaps one of the most valuable features of direct mail marketing companies is their ability to print and mail your direct mail campaign at the best bulk prices available. This way, you don’t actually have to worry about mailing everything out yourself, nor buying postage, or printing anything. This is perfect for busy business owners and marketers who simply don’t have the time to be standing in line at the post office. Many direct mail companies will handle the entire process for you, from A to Z.

One final thing to consider is the types of direct mail products offered by the companies you are considering. For many businesses, a basic direct mailer is sufficient. Some businesses, however, may want specialized direct mail campaigns with complicated printed materials that may not be readily available from all companies. At the end of the day, being able to identify the right company for your needs begins with creating a marketing plan and imagining what you hope to see from your direct mail campaign, and then finding a company that can supply those needs.

How much will your direct mail campaign cost?

Of course, one of the most important parts of any direct mail campaign is the cost. After all, you need to make sure that the return on your marketing investment is worthwhile. So, how much will your direct mail marketing campaign actually cost you? There are several factors that determine the cost of this kind of campaign.

First, there is the cost of the materials and printing. Generally, direct mail marketing companies will charge you based on a bulk order with the price per unit going down as your total number of units increases. The type of paper used, the number of colors in the images and text, and the size of the printed materials have the greatest influence on the per-unit cost. More elaborate direct mail materials like flyers with multiple folds will ultimately cost more than a simple postcard-style piece of mail. When considering pricing, you’ll need to balance your budget with the quality of materials you want to deliver.

If you don’t have your own mailing list that you will be using, there may be a cost associated with buying a mailing list or having one compiled for you. This can be very valuable if you’re running a broad campaign to bring in new customers.  The good news is that most direct mail marketing companies do a great job of building effective lists that will meet your targeting requirements. One thing to note, however, is that you can save money by using your own direct mail list for existing customer promotions. This demonstrates the importance of building a complete list of customers with contact information. Once you have a complete list, you can then use it for a variety of marketing purposes, and save costs on your future direct mail campaigns by eliminating the need to buying marketing lists.

The final cost of direct mail marketing relates to the actual cost of mailing out your marketing materials. Direct mail companies have a distinct advantage over DIY mailing campaigns because of the volume of campaigns they send out. As a result, they are typically able to offer far better rates for direct mail campaigns than if you were to walk into the post office yourself. Regardless, depending on how many pieces you are sending out, mailing costs will likely be one of the most significant costs for your direct mail marketing campaign.

For most direct mail marketing companies, the total cost for printing, list building, and mailing is typically presented as a combined cost, which allows you to calculate the actual cost per mailer that you’re sending out. Using this information, you can then project a targeted response rate to predict your return on investment. If your costs are creeping to a point where you require a 5% response rate or higher to break even, you may need to consider whether this campaign is going to be worth it. Direct mail campaigns tend to see an average of around a 4.5% response rate.

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Vistaprint

Vistaprint is one of the most well-known names when it comes to custom printing. Their services span a wide range of printing needs, one of which is direct mail marketing. Perhaps the best feature of Vistaprint, especially if you’re new to designing direct mail marketing campaigns, is their easy-to-use design platform. The intuitive platform allows you to create a professional direct mail postcard with no need for prior design experience. This simplicity does come with a downside, however, as Vistaprint doesn’t offer the same range of direct mail products as some competitors. In addition, their cost per unit is higher than comparable services. If you need simplicity, the cost may definitely be worth it in the end.

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PsPrint

For budget-friendly options, PsPrint is one of the best direct mail marketing solutions on the market. However, the service does require a bit of design experience as they do not provide a self-serve design platform like other companies in the market. However, you can pay for a designer from PsPrint to create your direct mail marketing campaign materials at an additional cost. The platform and service feels very no-frills and basic but the cost savings when looking at your materials on a per unit basis may be worth it, especially if you are operating on a limited marketing budget. If you do have a design background or an employee in your marketing team that can take on that challenge, PsPrint can be an effective service to control costs.

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Gunderson Direct

Gunderson Direct is a direct mail marketing company headquartered in Hayward, California. They offer a suite of useful marketing services and cover every aspect of the mail marketing process. 

Businesses can go to Gunderson to run their mail marketing campaigns from start to finish. They offer creative design services, strategic planning, production, and mailing, plus detailed analytics to review campaigns. They can also help blend physical mail and digital marketing efforts, resulting in a more effective overall marketing strategy. 

Gunderson takes an ROI-focused approach to every campaign and aims to make every launch a profitable one for their clients. They specialize in B2B and particularly aim to serve Software as a Service (SaaS) companies. With that said, they do accept clients from most industries, with a focus on medium to large firms. 

Pros

• All-in-one services 
• 15+ years of industry experience
• Creative design services for mailers
• Advanced analytics provided after each campaign
• Expertise in B2B direct mail
• ROI-focused marketing campaigns
• Experience working with hundreds of high-profile clients
• Offers a free ROI calculator on their website
• Can handle large scale marketing campaigns
• Option to use your own mailing lists, or Gunderson’s resources

Cons

• Primarily works with larger companies – minimum orders may be high
• Pricing information requires a custom quote

See the full review of Gunderson Direct here.

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PrintingforLess.com

PrintingforLess.com is, above all, a discount printing service. No matter what marketing materials you need, they can help you get it printed at some of the most competitive rates in the business. They’re also an EDDM vendor which means they help support the USPS direct mail program for your small business. The service is not as friendly to use as some of the more advanced options on this list and the analytics for building highly targeted lists are not available but, for an affordable EDDM solution, you will find exceptional service and guarantees from PrintingforLess.com.

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Mail Shark

Mail Shark tailors their direct mail marketing solutions to your specific needs. If you want to DIY your direct mail campaign, their EDDM print solution puts the power (and cost savings) into your hands. If you want a full-service direct mail campaign from design, to printing, to mailing; they can do that too. And, finally, if you just want your materials printed and dropped at your door, they offer low-cost professional printing services. The free design services and weekly payment plan makes Mail Shark a very budget-friendly solution for small businesses working on a tight budget. Plus, best of all, they have support staff to walk you through the process. Think of them as a part of your marketing team.

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Modern Postcard

Modern Postcard has one of the largest ranges of products for your business to use in direct mail marketing campaigns. In addition to standard postcards, Modern Postcard offers brochures, folded cards, and many different sizes or formats. The design tool can be used to create a professional direct mailer or you can use the in-house Modern Postcard designers if you are willing to pay the additional cost. Perhaps the best feature from Modern Postcard is the advanced targeting and tracking to build a truly data driven campaign that will, hopefully, yield better results. You can target specific demographics and lifestyles which provides you with even more control than some other direct mail platforms and a level of targeting usually expected from digital marketing platforms.

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InfoUSA

InfoUSA puts a heavy emphasis on data for marketers which can give you unique insights to help you build the best direct mail marketing campaign for your business. They offer deep, pre-created databases of customers to help you build a customized, targeted solution. Once you have settled on a target demographic and a design, their next day print and ship guarantee means that you aren’t waiting for weeks to even begin seeing results from your campaign. Customers will begin getting their mail materials quickly. Plus, even with all of these additional features and integrations, InfoUSA has very competitive pricing to other direct mail marketing companies.

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PrintLabelandMail

The website for PrintLabelandMail looks like a bad advertisement from the glory days of popup advertising but don’t judge a book by it’s cover. This flexible service offers you a range of ways to get your direct mail marketing campaign out to your customers. Whether you need full-service mailing from design to list building to mailing or whether you simply need mailers printed and delivered to you for a DIY campaign, PrintLabelandMail has the right option for you. Not only that, their marketing services can help connect other areas of your marketing to make one cohesive campaign from direct mail to door hangers to flyers to magnets and more. Their drip mail service also takes the effort and planning out of continuous direct mail campaigns for you. Simply set it and forget it!

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Every Door Direct Mail

Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) is a service provided by the United States Postal Service. Since most people are familiar with using USPS, and may even already have an online account, this makes EDDM a logical and convenient next step for direct mail marketing. Every Door Direct Mail offers an easy-to-use online platform that allows to create a direct mail marketing campaign from initial design, to targeting, and even scheduling of mailings based on dates. Once everything is built to your liking, you can pay online and simply drop off the materials at the post office. EDDM has approved third-party vendors for printing and design if you need more than what the service offers and, using those vendors, you can customize a marketing plan to suit your unique needs at a cost that fits your budget.

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SmartPress

SmartPress rolled in the popular service PostcardBuilder to make one complete direct mail marketing company to serve small and medium businesses. Their full-service marketing offering gives you the ability to utilize their professional design team, advanced marketing lists, and large suite of print products from basic postcards to more complex brochures. The website is clean and simple to navigate to help you easily build an effective campaign. Their costs are higher than some competitors but that reflects the full-service offering they have. If you are an experienced designer or have your own marketing list developed, this may not be the right platform for you.

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Cactus Mailing

Cactus Mailing is a direct mail marketing provider that offers design services, printing, and mailing. Their platform is dated when compared to other options on the market and doesn’t have a design tool that puts control in your hands. If you already have designed materials then the ability to simply send in designs and have your campaign started is a nice benefit. However, for businesses that want more features and support, the limited offerings from Cactus Mailing may prove to be too limited with a lack of benefits for your investment.

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Why use a business card printing company?

Besides creating a professional brand, there are some other reasons that business owners should have these cards, which are mentioned below:

Affordable

Most business owners have many startup expenses and other miscellaneous expenses. However, business cards are very affordable, as the general price range for 100 basic cards ranges from $8 to $30. It’s generally more cost-effective to buy more cards than a few individual ones as the majority of companies offer bulk discount options. Also, some business card printing services charge a shipping fee which is around $5. Fortunately, some providers like Staples don’t charge shipping.

Check out our guide on How to Start a Business

Attract attention

Having a thick, paper-based card with a well-designed logo can really attract attention. In fact, small details like a small logo, or catchphrase can make the difference between a lasting brand or a forgettable firm. For example, larger firms like UK based oil company BP spent £136m in the entire process of creating and marketing its current sunflower logo. Conversely, large clothing store, GAP, almost changed its logo in 2010 which caused a public outcry. Luckily, they were able to revert back to the original logo, which prevented dissatisfied customers and lost revenue.

Easy to distribute

These cards are pretty easy to distribute as they don’t take up too much space in a wallet or briefcase. Business owners and their employees can easily share them either in person at networking events, meetups or other seminars. They can also share them with prospects in random situations like waiting in line at the supermarket. Fortunately, many business card services also offer digital cards, which can be shared via email, social media and other online methods. Besides this, online cards are more customizable as clients can add items like videos, sign up forms and more to them.

Simple to update (digital cards)

This reason primarily pertains to digital, not print cards. Many online business card providers make it easy for business owners to update key information online without constantly printing new designs. Business owners can still keep the original design and template but can add more information with the click of a button. Having these simple to update cards save the business owners and employees money and time.

Vistaprint

Features

Vistaprint is a famous design and marketing company that is known for its many TV commercials. It’s a fairly established brand as it was founded by Robert Keane in 1995 and has printed billions of cards since its inception. Besides being a business card printing service, it has expanded to offer other services like online marketing assistance, clothing design, signs, trade show displays, and stationery for special events.

Since this company is more established than others; its design features are more intricate. For example, it has templates for a plethora of industries ranging from art, healthcare to finance and everything in between. Also, it provides users with three shapes like square, rounded corners, and standard.

Besides this, customers can choose between 10 paper stock options like linen, soft-touch, recycled matte and glossy. On top of this, customers can choose additional style features like metallic or spot UV finishes to make the cards shiner. In addition, users can even upload Facebook or Instagram images when selecting “upload your design” option to create cards. This makes it more convenient to create these cards, especially if the business owner is active on these social media platforms.

Price

Vistaprint allows users to start designing cards without inputting payment information nor creating a Vistaprint account. The pricing can vary based on the card size, style, full color, quantity or MOQ, and shipping which is around $4.99. This site has frequent discounts and users should check it before purchasing any package. Vistaprint charges users a starting rate of $7.99 per 100 cards and it charges more for cards made of premium quality like the soft touch and colored paper, which start at $32 per 100 cards.

It also charges more for card shapes like rounded corners and square at $24 and $22.79 per 100 cards, respectively. These extra charges are justified as these shapes are more intricate and larger than the standard form. The two main packages aside from the standard 14pt card stock with 4 paper finish options are premium and premium plus. Premium cards cost $21.59 per 100 cards, with each one having 16 point paper stock and 6 paper finishes. Premium Plus is similar to this, but its cost starts at $32 per 100 cards, with each one having 18 point paper stock and 2 paper finishes.

Customer service

As Vistaprint is a large company with various services; it has very mixed customer service reviews. Per Consumer Affairs, it has an aggregate 2.1-star rating out of 120 reviews. It has received negative feedback for having customer service reps in many different departments, which forced some customers to be re-routed several times. Some other complaints mentioned that the customer service was slow and that there were some miscommunications regarding printing cards. For instance, users that wanted Kraft cards inadvertently received Linen cards.

Fortunately, it has good reviews for having ethical reps that sent prompt next day refunds or adjustments for any errors. The business card printing service has also received praise for being easy to use and update. Also, customer service reps can be reached via phone, email or live chat. Lastly, this firm has an extensive FAQ resource that will help business owners answer their own questions via helpful guides.

MOO

Features

MOO differentiates itself by being a very technically savvy firm since it has a sleek website and its NFC cards open a business owner’s site automatically.  This is possible due to the NFC chip which lets users program the card with certain actions once it’s opened. For example, the cards could play a video or show a form once opened. This feature can make it easy to increase website traffic and even grow an email list automatically.

Besides this type of card, it also has sleeker paper versions that have silver and gold markings on them. Users can also choose to add metallic or tactile shine on both sides. Another unique perk of their business cards is that they let customers print multiple images on the card free of charge which is branded as Printfinity. This perk also applies to its other products like flyers, stickers, posters, and letterheads.

Price

One of the biggest pricing advantages that MOO has is its calculator that lets users generate a free quote in minutes. For instance, users can choose between various products, add ons, MOQ and location. All of these greatly influence costs, but the total fee for 100 original business cards without any features delivered to California would be $50.33. This is pricier than most options, but MOO has discounts and provides users with more advanced features than smaller firms.

NFC cards are more complex than other typical choices and 100 cards cost approximately $170. One of the reasons why it’s so expensive is that the chip isn’t easy to create and there are many costs associated with it. Luckily, cost-conscious business owners can elect to have mini cards which are just 2.75″ x 1.10″ in size and cost only $31 for a pack of 100. Also, these mini cards are available in original, luxe, and paper finishes, which also impact pricing. For instance, the luxe finish costs slightly more than the original as it’s sturdier and has a glossier coating.

Customer service

MOO’s customer service team can be reached by phone, email or live chat. Its phone line is also open from 3 am to 9 pm EST time, which makes it convenient for users to reach a representative. Also, the chat is open all day throughout the week and from 8-4:30 PM EST on weekends.

It also has a 5-star rating on Trustpilot out of 11,000 total reviews. MOO has been lauded for having quick, friendly, and knowledgeable customer service reps. It doesn’t have excessive phone trees nor hoops to jump through in order to speak with a live person. They’re also very understanding and have often given free reprints based on small user mistakes like logos or misspelled words.

Unfortunately, it has received negative feedback for the miscommunication regarding quick print guarantees. One complaint stated that MOO failed to deliver an order for an express delivery even though it promised that it could fulfill it. However, the company responds to each negative review and has offered to fix any problem, showing that it truly does care about the customer experience.

GotPrint

Features

GotPrint is another business card printing service that differentiates itself from the rest by having low prices, various services, and quality cards that can be printed in multiple forms. For instance, some companies like VistaPrint offer three shapes, but this service offers up to 8 card forms which included leaf, slim, half-circle, oval and square options. It also helps businesses that need more hand-holding with services like online marketing and graphic design. While some customers want to try to design their own logo; others see the value in hiring a professional designer. Luckily, GotPrint caters to this type of customer and offers basic design services as well as four revisions for just $100.

Also, the order process is pretty simple and users can choose from 5 sizes, horizontal vs. vertical orientation, paper styles, front and back logo along different quantities. Regarding quantity, its minimum order is 100 cards, which start at just $6.93 without shipping. This makes GotPrint an affordable option, but users have stated the quality isn’t as sleek as other competitors like MOO.

Price

As mentioned earlier, GotPrint is a very economical option and it’s the cheapest business card printing provider on this list at just $6.93 for 100 cards. Unlike other options, it does charge for shipping on a sliding scale with same-day shipping costing $23.33 and 14-day shipping costing $6.34.

Like other providers, it does charge more for larger sizes and more intricate designs. For example, the trifecta style is triple-layered and has 24 to 38 Pt font. This style along with the other business card styles are tailored for other industries like real estate, photography, and DJs. It also lets users print on both sides but it charges slightly more for this service as can be seen between the different Trifecta packages.

Customer service

Per TrustPilot, GotPrint has good reviews and a total of 4-star review. People have given it praise for consistently meeting deadlines and for having quick customer service. It also has positive reviews for having an easy to navigate logo platform and for having quality designers at affordable prices.

While it has mostly positive reviews, it’s received negative feedback for having high shipping. It does have the lowest prices, but users need to factor in shipping on top of this. If shipping is cost-prohibitive, it could be wise to go with a free same service pickup option like Staples. Some customers also gave it poor feedback for its checkout process and its out of date forms. In fact, the client stated that the forms used technology from the 1990s and made the process much harder. Therefore, GotPrint should invest in modern technology to improve workflows.

Staples

Features

Staples is a large chain store that is similar to Office Depot and sells computers, tablets, office supplies and of course, business cards. As a larger online business card provider, it can offer more features and lower prices than others as the starting price is only $9.99 for 250 cards. Keep in mind that this is for basic business cards and not for more complex options. Also, the basic cards can be designed in the morning with the proprietary online design tool and be picked up on the same day at any Staples location. This makes it a very convenient option and it doesn’t charge extra for this perk.

It has card types with various print quality like standard to raised print and ultra-thick. The raised print feature lets the words rise slightly higher on the card, which makes them stand out. Like VistaPrint, it also has solutions that are tailored to various industries like art, construction, and real estate. However, it doesn’t offer graphic design services nor high tech cards like the NFP design, which can be a deal-breaker for those wanting something sleeker.

Price

Unlike other competitors, its pricing is very simple and is based on quantity along with the material. For instance, 250 basic, one-sided cards would cost just $9.99. A two-sided basic card package with 250 cards or standard package would be more expensive at $14.99. Also, its same-day in-store delivery can help business owners save time and money if they want to order custom business cards.

However, it’s important to note that only certain styles like the basic and premium packages are eligible for this. The other styles including the standard two-sided package can only be received through delivery. Its minimum quantity is 50 cards, but users get the best deals when they order at least 250 cards as each individual card would only cost $.04! Therefore, Staples would be an excellent option for budget-conscious buyers that want large quantities.

Customer service

Staples has mixed reviews as can be seen by its aggregate 3.5-star review on Consumer Affairs. These reviews talk about other products and services like bridal shower invitations along with DVD cases. However, it has received praise for having reps that go above and beyond their job. For instance, many of the reps took extra time to confirm the details were correct and offered speedy, complimentary reprints for mistakes. Other positive reviews stated that the service was prompt and that even the basic cards were made of fine material.

One negative review that stands out is that Staples didn’t honor a discount coupon. A dissatisfied customer tried to order business cards with a coupon for an online order, but this only delayed receiving the package. They also didn’t provide him with free benefits to make up for this mistake.

PsPrint

Features

Like Vistaprint, PsPrint is another large online business card provider that not only offers cards, but related products like banners, booklets, calendars, sales letters, and menus. However, unlike Vistaprint, it doesn’t offer comprehensive services like website design or online marketing consulting. This provider also specializes in business card design more than other larger firms and which can be seen via its greater variety of card shapes and premium paper options. For instance, it has folded business cards, uncoated options and even die-cut business cards that let users create cards in any shape. So, a business owner that has a dog food business can design a card that looks like a dog bit the top right portion of the card.

The design options are more simple and it has a straightforward three-step process which is product selection, design, and delivery. Under the product selection, users can choose between six colors, two sizes and the quantity which starts at 25 cards for most packages. This low MOQ is great for businesses that want to initially test the service and don’t need to have tons of cards. It also lets them save money based on their needs. Similar to other providers, users can upload their own designs or choose from various business card templates. While these design templates are helpful; they aren’t customized to specific industries like Vistaprint.

Price

Like most companies, pricing varies based on card type and print quantity. However, many options like the Ultra Business card, don’t have shipping charges. They also have frequent discounts as can be seen with the Ultra Business card option. Currently, users can print 100 ultra business cards for $47.51.

The Ultra Business card is much larger and made with finer material compared to the standard business cards. Luckily, business owners can obtain 100 standard business cards for just $27.75 that can be delivered in one business day. In addition, business owners can choose to have a UV coating on their cards, which uses UV technology to make the cards more durable and shiner. Therefore, this option increases the cost, as 100 standard cards with UV coating would be $33.30.

Customer service

PsPrint has decent customer service reviews as can be seen by its 3.5-star rating out of 189 total reviews on Facebook. Some complaints were that users were charged extra for packages that didn’t arrive on time and that the customer service was slow. They also mentioned that it took several phone calls to speak with a human representative and that the email response rate was greater than a day. PsPrint should ensure that emails are responded to in under 24 hours as most companies have this guarantee.

Despite its negative reviews, some customers wrote that the customer service representatives were very understanding and took the time to walk them through the products. While the service can be hit or miss, at least it has well trained, empathetic workers. Some positive reviews highlighted that some representatives like Richie went above and beyond by expediting projects that had short deadlines.

Bottom line

Despite that more businesses operate exclusively online; it’s a good idea for business owners to invest a nominal sum to create their own business cards. This will establish them as professionals and facilitate new connections which can include potential customers through a well-designed card. While there are many business card companies; business owners should consider working with those that have low fees, minimal shipping charges, and easy to use templates.

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