When you hear people talk about email marketing platforms, you probably hear the top choices right now: ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign, MailerLite, or Flodesk. As a tech lover, I’ve tried and used them all. But what if I told you that there was an even better option out there?
In this blog post, I’m sharing why Drip is the best B2B marketing automation tool for course creators.
What is Drip?
Basically, Drip helps businesses automate their marketing campaigns through email, SMS, and other channels. You know those emails you get from companies that seem to know exactly what you're interested in? That's the kind of thing Drip helps businesses achieve!
What's great about Drip is that it's super user-friendly and flexible. So, marketers can create personalized campaigns that are tailored to their customer's preferences and behaviors quickly and easily. Plus, Drip provides detailed analytics to track the success of each campaign, making it easy for businesses to see what's working and what's not.
If you're looking to take your marketing game to the next level, Drip might be just what you need!
Drip Price: How Much Does it Cost?
Drip charges based on your email list size. Currently, plans start at $39 per month for a list of up to 2,500 people. You can also sign up for a completely free 14-day trial.
Overall, the pricing is similar to other popular options like ConvertKit or ActiveCampaign, but it comes with so many more features!
5 Reasons Why Drip is the Best Choice for Course Creators
1) They focus on people and loyal customers – not just leads.
Drip's entire mission statement and values should resonate with any heart-based entrepreneur. All of Drip’s features are focused on rewarding your customers and loyal audience.
So if a great customer or client experience is important to you, I can promise that your brand values are likely aligned with Drip.
2) Their ecommerce automation software works well with others.
3) They have better email list management and email marketing analytics.
Want to know how much money each email has made? Drip can tell you that. They have some of the most robust reports and analytics I’ve ever seen.
4) They go way beyond email marketing.
With their onsite marketing tools, you can create upsells, product recommendations, surveys, quizzes, countdown timers, and more! I am absolutely in love with their spin-to-win popup and have it set up as a special reward to new subscribers when they visit my other site, DamaJue.com.
5) They have exceptional customer service.
One of most entrepreneurs' biggest complaints about ConvertKit and ActiveCampaign is the lack of support. Because focusing on clients and customers is their main brand value, Drip has some of the best support around. I made extensive use of their chat support when I was just getting started with Drip and love that they usually respond (a real person) within about 2 minutes, sometimes, within seconds!
They will even migrate your account for free, depending on your email list size.
Nothing is worse than investing in and using a tech tool with horrible customer service.
6) Drip has advanced email features that help me monetize my list better.
Some of my favorite features are global content snippet, being able to send webhooks, conditional content, triggering automations with behaviors such as a custom field being updated, a page being visited, a certain lifetime value amount, plus great integrations that normally cost extra, like Facebook Lead Ads and custom audiences.
Final Thoughts
While plenty of options are available for email marketing platforms, Drip stands out as the ultimate marketing tool for course creators. Not only is it user-friendly and flexible, but it also provides detailed analytics and exceptional customer service. Plus, with their focus on rewarding loyal customers and their ecommerce automation software, Drip is a perfect fit for heart-based entrepreneurs who prioritize great customer experiences. And, with plans starting at just $39 per month and a free 14-day trial, there's no reason not to give Drip a try and take your marketing game to the next level.
Why are we always so focused on getting more leads, more traffic, and more new customers? Sure, we always need new people to discover our business and offers, but we should be paying more attention to the customers we already have! Many entrepreneurs overlook the importance of increasing customer lifetime value (CLV).
Knowing and maximizing your CLV can unlock your profit potential and help you scale your business over time. In this post, we'll explore what CLV is, why it's important for course creators, and how to increase it.
What is customer lifetime value (CLV)?
Customer lifetime value is the amount of revenue a customer is expected to generate throughout their relationship with your business. It's a crucial metric for understanding the long-term value of your customers and helps you make informed decisions about how much to invest in acquiring new customers.
To calculate CLV, you'll need to estimate the average customer lifespan, the average purchase value, and purchase frequency. The formula for CLV is:
CLV = (Average Purchase Value x Average Purchase Frequency x Average Customer Lifespan)
Why is customer lifetime value important for course creators?
Understanding CLV is crucial for course creators because it enables you to make smarter marketing and business decisions. By knowing your CLV, you can invest more in customer acquisition and retention, optimize your pricing strategy, and identify growth opportunities.
Additionally, increasing your CLV can significantly impact your bottom line. By retaining customers for longer and increasing their lifetime value, you can boost your revenue without having to acquire as many new customers.
How to calculate customer lifetime value
Calculating CLV can seem intimidating, but there are several tools that can make it easier. If you use ThriveCart, for example, you already have a lot of sales data at your fingertips. You just need to use it!
Alternatively, you can use a tool like Fathom Analytics to track your customers' behavior over time and help calculate their lifetime value. This approach is especially useful if you have a lot of data to work with and want to optimize your marketing efforts based on customer behavior.
How to increase customer lifetime value
Now that you understand the importance of CLV and how to calculate it, let's look at some strategies for increasing it. Here are a few actionable tips to get you started:
1) Improve customer experience:
By providing excellent customer service and ensuring that your customers have a positive experience with your brand, you can increase their loyalty and encourage repeat purchases.
Retaining existing customers is often more cost-effective than acquiring new ones. By prioritizing your long-time customers and offering them special incentives, you can increase their loyalty and lifetime value.
4) Use marketing automation tools:
Platforms like Drip and Deadline Funnel can help you automate your email marketing and create personalized campaigns encouraging repeat purchases.
Customer acquisition cost (CAC) vs. customer lifetime value (CLV)
Another essential metric to consider alongside CLV if you are running ads or spending money on marketing is customer acquisition cost (CAC). CAC is the cost of acquiring a new customer, while CLV represents the revenue generated by that customer over time.
By comparing these two metrics, you can determine whether your marketing efforts are generating a positive return on investment.
Ideally, your CLV should be significantly higher than your CAC. This indicates that you're generating more revenue from your customers than you're spending to acquire them, which is a key indicator of a healthy business.
Measuring customer lifetime value with KPIs
You can use key performance indicators (KPIs) to track your CLV over time. Here are some KPIs to consider:
Customer retention rate: This metric measures the percentage of customers who continue to purchase from your business over a given period. A high retention rate indicates that your customers are loyal and engaged with your brand.
Average purchase value: This metric measures the average amount of revenue generated by each customer per purchase. By increasing this value, you can boost your CLV and revenue.
Purchase frequency: This metric measures how often customers make purchases from your business. You can increase their lifetime value by encouraging customers to make more frequent purchases.
By tracking these KPIs over time, you can identify areas for improvement and optimize your marketing and business strategies accordingly.
Tools to help you increase customer lifetime value
Finally, there are several tools and platforms that can help you increase your CLV and grow your business. Here are a few worth considering:
ThriveCart: If you’re a ThriveCart user, you have a lot of sales data. Make sure you’re exporting this data into something like Airtable, Google Sheets, etc., so you can use it. You can click into any customer in ThriveCart and see their CLV amount.
Fathom Analytics: This tool can help you track customer behavior and calculate lifetime value a lot easier than using Google Analytics.
Drip: This email marketing platform offers features to help you automate your campaigns, segment your audience, and create personalized messages that encourage repeat purchases. Heads up: Drip is one of the very few email service providers that integrates natively (aka no Zaps needed) with Thrivecart and can track customer lifetime value for you automatically.
Deadline Funnel: Scarcity and countdown timers work; there’s no doubt about it. Using Deadline Funnel is an excellent option for using countdown timers in an ethical way.
ConvertBox: Along with Deadline Funnel, ConvertBox is a great tool for offering special discounts and offers to specific website visitors. These are in no way the normal annoying ‘can’t wait to close this’ pop-ups. They actually convert! I also use ConvertBox in so many other ways – to let folks know about current promos, to keep in touch with my students, and so much more. Read my full review of Convertbox here.
By introducing even just a few of these tools and strategies, you can increase your customer lifetime value and better serve your customers too.
Are you a course creator looking to make more money on your courses and digital products? Have you tried using tripwires in your sales funnel? If not, you're missing out on a powerful tool that can help convert more customers and increase your revenue.
In this post, we'll explore the power of tripwires and how you can use them to convert more customers in your sales funnel.
What are Tripwires?
Tripwires are low-priced, high-value offers that are designed to entice customers to make a purchase. They differ from lead magnets and other types of offers because they are low in cost and are a small financial commitment from the customer. They’re also unique in that they’re offered with a fast-action discount only available for a few minutes.
The goal of a tripwire is to create a low-risk, high-reward opportunity for customers to try out your product or service.
How Tripwires Help Convert More Customers
Are you tired of having an email list filled with freebie seekers?
The solution: TRIPWIRES!
Tripwires effectively convert customers because they create a sense of urgency and scarcity. Customers are more likely to make a purchase when they feel like they're getting a great deal that won't last forever. Additionally, tripwires help build customer trust and loyalty because they provide a positive experience with your brand.
Let's look at some examples of successful tripwires used by businesses:
A fitness company offering a 7-day trial for $1.
A software company offering a limited-time discount on a premium feature.
A digital marketing agency offering a free consultation for new potential clients.
A course creator offering a special one-time offer on a workshop for new leads.
These tripwire offers give customers a low-risk, high-reward opportunity to try out a product or service. Once the customer has made the purchase, they're more likely to make additional purchases because they've already had a positive experience with your brand.
How to Create Effective Tripwires
To create an effective tripwire, you need to make the offer irresistible. This means setting the right price point and providing a high-value offer.
Here are some tips on how to create compelling tripwires that encourage customers to make a purchase:
Offer a discount or limited-time offer.
Provide a high-value offer that complements your main product or service.
Make the offer easy to understand and purchase.
Use persuasive language and imagery to sell the offer.
Incorporating Tripwires into Your Sales Funnel
To incorporate tripwires into your sales funnel, you need to place them strategically in your sales process. Typically, tripwires are placed after the initial opt-in or lead magnet offer and before the main product or service offer.
Once the customer purchases the tripwire, you can follow up with additional offers and promotions.
Additionally, you can use tripwires to upsell and cross-sell to customers. For example, if a customer purchases a tripwire for a fitness program, you can offer them an upsell for a premium nutrition plan.
No tool or system makes setting up successful tripwires easier than ThriveCart!
Final Thoughts
Tripwires are a powerful tool that can help you convert more customers and increase your revenue. You can build customer trust and loyalty by providing a low-risk, high-reward opportunity for customers to try out your product or service. To create effective tripwires, make sure to set the right price point and provide a high-value offer.
By incorporating tripwires into your sales funnel, you can create a seamless customer journey that leads to more sales and revenue.
Want to learn more about the power of tripwires, including get a ready to use Tripwire sales page template designed exclusively for Thrivecart? Learn more inside Freebie to Flash Sale!
As a course creator or coach, you likely know the benefits and financial impact of a well-designed sales funnel to guide your potential customers through the buying process. However, creating a sales funnel from scratch can be a daunting task that requires time, effort, and expertise. That's why I created the ThriveCart Template Shop, a collection of customizable, mobile-optimized funnel templates designed to make the process of building a sales funnel easier and faster.
Why I Created The ThriveCart Template Shop
As an experienced marketer, I have helped many clients build successful sales funnels that have generated high conversions and revenue. However, I noticed that many entrepreneurs and small business owners struggled to create sales funnels themselves for their specific business needs, yet weren’t in a position to hire a funnel strategist or funnel builder.
Some folks get stuck on the technical aspects of building a funnel, aren’t confident in their design skills to create one from scratch, or didn't have the budget to hire a professional marketer to do it for them.
That's when I decided to create the ThriveCart Template Shop. I wanted to provide entrepreneurs and small business owners with an affordable and efficient solution to their struggles with sales funnels, and demystify Thrivecart along the way. My goal was to create a collection of high-quality ThriveCart templates that could be easily customized to fit any business's needs and goals.
Because, let’s face it, most ThriveCart templates are kinda ugly and basic. Our templates are the only premium, high-end Thrivecart templates in the market, designed to look professional and attractive, as well as conversion optimized so you never have to worry if your design is costing you sales.
Who My ThriveCart Templates Are For
My ThriveCart templates are designed for entrepreneurs, small business owners, and marketers who want to create a high-converting sales funnel without the hassle of starting from scratch. Whether you're just starting out in your business or looking to optimize your existing sales funnel, my templates can help you save time, money, and effort. One fun bonus is if you’re tired of paying LeadPages or some other page builder to host your sales pages, you can just use Thrivecart and say BYE to your page builder subscription.
My templates are also ideal for those who want to launch a new product or service quickly. With my templates, you can have a fully functional sales funnel up and running in no time. All you need to do is customize the templates with your own branding and messaging, and you're ready to launch.
Here are a few of the ThriveCart sales page and funnel templates in the shop right now:
Creating a sales funnel from scratch can be a time-consuming and expensive process. It requires technical skills and expertise that many entrepreneurs and small business owners don't have. Even if you have the technical skills, creating a sales funnel that works for your business can still take weeks or even months. The words on your pages – your sales copy – should be strategic and intentional, guiding the reader through a journey that leads to purchasing.
My templates are pre-designed and pre-tested to ensure high conversions and revenue. All you need to do is customize them with your own branding and messaging, and you're ready to launch. My templates include everything you need to create a high-converting sales funnel, including landing pages, checkout pages, upsell pages, thank-you pages, and more.
How to Easily Customize ThriveCart Templates
Customizing my ThriveCart templates is a straightforward process that anyone can do, even if you don't have any technical skills. All you need to do is follow these simple steps:
Customize the templates with your own branding, messaging, and product information.
Test the sales funnel to ensure everything works as expected.
Launch your sales funnel and start generating revenue!
Final Thoughts
Building a sales funnel is essential for any business that wants to generate revenue and grow. However, creating a sales funnel from scratch can be a daunting task that requires time, effort, and expertise. That's why I created the ThriveCart Template Shop, a collection of customizable templates designed to make the process of building a sales funnel easier and faster.
My templates are ideal for entrepreneurs, small business owners, and marketers who want to create a high-converting sales funnel on ThriveCart without the hassle of starting from scratch. With my templates, you can save time, money, and effort.
Let’s be honest, there isn’t much that ThriveCart can’t do. Did you know you can even host a virtual summit using ThriveCart and ThriveCart Learn? If you’re already using ThriveCart in your business, you don’t need to spend money on fancy virtual summit software or a different virtual summit platform. Using ThriveCart will make your entire virtual summit experience much easier for both yourself and your attendees.
Step-by-Step Guide: Host a Virtual Summit in ThriveCart
Thanks to Tara for sharing screenshots of how she’s created her annual Introvertpreneur Virtual Summit using ThriveCart and ThriveCart Learn.
If you have ThriveCart Learn Plus, you could create one Learn product and use tags, but from experience, this process isn’t as streamlined as it could be.
The best option is to create 2 access products in Learn. One for free attendees and one for VIP attendees who have purchased an all-access pass (AAP). Using this method, you’ll want to create the VIP Learn product first and build out all of the pages (lessons).
Most likely, this would look like a welcome lesson that is published – for people who register before the summit begins. Give them the essential information they’ll need – a calendar of events, how to contact you, links to the community or Facebook Group, etc.
Then, you’ll want to create all of the additional lessons for each speaker presentation and a lesson for any VIP goodies or extras. These pages can be created and saved as drafts until you’re ready to release them.
Once most or all of the presentations are added, you can easily duplicate this product to create the free ticket access product in Learn. You’ll just need to remove the extra VIP goodies lesson from the duplicate product.
Extra tip: Make sure you consider the product names so it’s clear to buyers.
This is especially important because if people upgrade after, they might have both products showing in their dashboard. Having clear names will ensure VIPs enter the correct product for their extra bonuses and watch time.
2) Create Your ThriveCart Products
The next step is easy, you’ll create your normal ThriveCart products for checkout. Depending on how your virtual summit and all-access pass are set up, you might need 3 products created:
$0 Product for Free Ticket Attendees
This free product will replace an opt-in form. Don’t add an upsell or funnel directly to the free product. If you do, it will require them to enter a credit card number for a $0 order and might result in fewer signups or lots of extra customer service requests.
Instead, you’ll want to have your success page redirect to the second ThriveCart product checkout page below.
Fast Action All-Access Pass
The second product you’ll want to create is a fast-action all-access pass checkout page. This is basically your upsell to encourage attendees to upgrade right away. Creating this as a second ThriveCart product, with a countdown timer that redirects after it expires, is a great way to build everything in ThriveCart.
Regular All-Access Pass Checkout Page
This is your virtual summit's normal all-access pass checkout page. When someone’s evergreen countdown timer runs out for the fast action pricing, you can set it to automatically redirect to this checkout page URL.
This is also the URL you’ll want to have linked on your sales page and in promo emails to encourage attendees to upgrade before the summit starts.
You can easily duplicate the Fast Action Product to create the regular checkout page. You’ll just need to remove the countdown timer, tweak some copy, and update the pricing.
3) Connect Your Tech
Once you have everything ready in ThriveCart Learn and the checkout pages are completed, it’s time to connect the tech (if you didn’t already)!
To automate things, you will just need to make sure each product is connected to the correct page redirection and the right ThriveCart product here:
Then, you’ll need to connect your email marketing provider under each product’s Behaviors tab:
4) Add a Subdomain
Want to make it even easier for attendees to log into the summit? Set a subdomain on both ThriveCart Learn products for easy access.
For example: year.yourdomain.com
Don’t forget, you can also customize your login page to make it specifically branded for the virtual summit under Course Options.
5) Test Everything
Once the first 4 steps are complete and ready to go, it’s important to test everything before moving on to the next steps. In test mode, you can go through each product and create a test purchase to ensure everything works.
6) Add Your Affiliates
I like to do this next step here because as soon as you add affiliates (if you have auto-approvals turned on for affiliates), they’ll get a notification email immediately. But now that everything is set up and has been tested, we can go back into each ThriveCart product and turn on the affiliate option.
Extra tip: Make sure you hide 2 out of 3 ThriveCart products from your affiliate's dashboards so your affiliates aren’t confused about which product or link to share.
You’ll also want to update the affiliate link so it goes to your actual main registration page for the virtual summit:
7) Add Your Speakers to ThriveCart Learn
If you’ve offered your speakers a free VIP ticket, you’ll want to add them to Learn. You can either provide them with a 100% off coupon code to sign up themselves or add them directly to Learn by importing all speaker info in a CSV file.
8) Managing Your Virtual Summit in ThriveCart Learn
You have your virtual summit officially set up using ThriveCart and ThriveCart Learn!
But I wanted to touch on a few things to make managing the summit a little bit easier.
The first thing is to set reminders to publish/unpublish lessons each day of the summit or as needed for access limits for free ticket holders. This is the main reason why it’s better to create 2 different Learn products, as I shared in step one of this blog post. It means you won’t have to mess with the VIP Learn product, just the free ticket Learn product.
Another fun tip is to remember that you can embed anything into Learn – not just videos.
Want to embed questionnaires or feedback forms under each presentation? You can do that! I personally would embed an Airtable form for this.
Want to embed a chat box for each presentation? No problem!
Need more in-depth tutorials or summit strategy? Be sure to check out this free masterclass from my friend and summit expert Krista Miller from Summit in a Box.
As the online business world continues to evolve, so do the tools and strategies that businesses use to attract, engage, and convert customers. One of the most effective tools for driving sales and revenue is ConvertBox, a powerful lead generation and conversion optimization platform that has helped countless businesses grow their online presence and boost their bottom line.
In this post, we'll explore what ConvertBox is, its benefits and uses, pricing, and why it's the best tool to increase your sales. Let’s dig into my ConvertBox review!
What is ConvertBox?
ConvertBox is a web-based platform that allows businesses to create personalized and targeted opt-in forms and call-to-action messages for their website visitors. It’s a versatile tool that provides a variety of features and options to help businesses grow their email list, increase sales, and optimize their website for conversion.
With ConvertBox, businesses can create custom opt-in forms, exit-intent popups, welcome mats, and other types of on-site messages to engage with their visitors and drive them toward conversion.
What Are The Benefits & Uses of ConvertBox?
1) Email List Growth and Lead Generation
One of the primary benefits of ConvertBox is its ability to help businesses grow their email list and generate more leads. With ConvertBox, you can create customized opt-in forms that match your brand’s look and feel, and target them to specific pages or sections of your website. ConvertBox also provides various trigger options, such as exit-intent popups (great for abandoned cart sequences!) or time-based triggers, that can help increase opt-in rates and capture more leads.
2) Offer Deals and Discounts
Another powerful use case for ConvertBox is to offer exclusive deals and discounts to your website visitors. ConvertBox allows you to create custom messages that display targeted offers and promotions to your visitors based on their behavior and interests.
You can also set up rules and conditions to ensure that the right people see the right offers at the right time, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
3) It’s Completely Easy to Use
One of the most significant advantages of ConvertBox is its user-friendly interface and ease of use. The platform is designed to be intuitive and straightforward, even for those with little or no technical experience. The drag-and-drop editor and pre-built templates make it easy to create professional-looking opt-in forms and messages without the need for coding or design skills.
No coding skills are required to get started, and use ConvertBox to grow your business!
4) No Monthly Fees or Recurring Subscriptions
I love a good lifetime deal on things I use because who doesn’t want to save money?
ConvertBox is a one-time payment tool with no recurring fees or monthly subscriptions, making it a cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes. Once you’ve purchased a license, you have access to all of the platform’s features and updates, with no additional costs or hidden fees.
ConvertBox Pricing: Is It Worth It?
ConvertBox pricing is currently $495, which is a one-time fee.
Sure, the lifetime pricing may seem a bit steep upfront compared to other opt-in form tools, but trust me, the investment is well worth it. If you're serious about taking your business to new heights, ConvertBox is the way to go. Plus, when you see my affiliate bonus for grabbing ConvertBox with my link, it’ll be an even easier yes.
Especially if you are making email marketing and sales funnels a priority in your business. No other lead generation tool compares to ConvertBox.
Final Thoughts
ConvertBox is an incredibly powerful tool that can take your online business to the next level. With its user-friendly interface, customizable opt-in forms, and advanced targeting options, you can grow your email list, increase sales, and optimize your website for conversions like a pro.
Ready to purchase ConvertBox? I have a huge affiliate bonus if you buy the ConvertBox lifetime deal through my affiliate link! Check out the details here.
When ThriveCart first came out with ThriveCart Learn, I was beyond excited and knew that it would change the game for course creators. Because ThriveCart Learn is still relatively new as a course platform, I get asked about it all the time. In this blog, you will learn everything you need to know about using ThriveCart Learn.
If you’re thinking about purchasing ThriveCart or switching your digital products and courses to ThriveCart Learn, keep reading!
What is ThriveCart Learn?
ThriveCart Learn is a course hosting platform from ThriveCart that was introduced in 2021. You can host courses, programs, digital products, and even memberships on ThriveCart Learn.
ThriveCart Learn Pricing:
ThriveCart Learn is included with your purchase of a lifetime ThriveCart account. The option to upgrade to the Learn+ version is available for an additional one-time price of $195.
ThriveCart Learn vs ThriveCart Learn Plus
What are some of the big differences between ThriveCart Learn and ThriveCart Learn+? I strongly recommend adding on the one-time upgrade to Learn+ because of these fabulous features included:
Bundles
You can easily create ‘bundles’ of products that someone will automatically be enrolled in by purchasing one product. This is an excellent feature if you want to sell bundles of products or automatically add access to a bonus.
Advanced Tagging and Sequences
With Learn+, you can tag certain purchasers and give them access to exclusive lessons (like for pay-in-full bonuses). There are many ways you can use the advanced sequences and tagging features!
Custom Subdomains
Want to have a custom subdomain for your courses and login? You can easily set this up in minutes with Learn+.
Student Imports
With Learn+, you can easily import students using a CSV file.
How to Use ThriveCart Learn and Learn Plus
ThriveCart Learn is super easy to use! Probably the most significant benefit of using ThriveCart Learn (especially if you’re already using ThriveCart for your checkout pages) is no recurring fee. For the same type of features, on Kajabi, for example, you could be paying upwards of $199 per month.
Here’s what it looks like when a student is logged in to my ThriveCart Learn Dashboard:
And here’s how I’ve branded some of my individual courses hosted on ThriveCart Learn:
Your Biggest ThriveCart Learn Questions:
1) Is it possible to easily import students from another course platform?
Yes! If you purchase the one-time upgrade of Learn+, you can easily import students from a CSV file.
2) Can you host a membership on ThriveCart Learn?
You can! You would set up your checkout pricing as a subscription model and host the membership content inside ThriveCart Learn. The only drawback to a membership is that ThriveCart doesn’t automatically figure out end dates.
For example: A customer signs up for an annual membership in March and cancels in August. They paid for a year, so they should still have access until the following March. However, ThriveCart removes access immediately. So, you might have to set up some back-end admin processes to make it work for you and your membership. See this article for tips on how to handle that.
3) How tech-savvy do I need to be to use ThriveCart Learn?
ThriveCart Learn is pretty easy to use once you get the hang of it. There are certain hacks you can learn to make things easier. If you get stuck, check out this epic resource for Thrivecart.
4) How can I add videos to lessons?
ThriveCart is not able to host videos. Any videos in ThriveCart Learn need to be embedded into the lesson from another video hosting service. The most popular options are Vimeo or, my personal choice – Screencast-O-Matic. I use it to record, edit and host all my course content..
5) How can I easily brand and customize ThriveCart Learn?
ThriveCart Learn is the most customizable course platform out there! You can customize everything to make it your own and match your brand. There are so many design settings!
Time-saving hack: For every new product you create – set up the branding, style, and various blocks as a ‘template lesson’ that you can duplicate. That way, all of your design settings are saved and will look cohesive.
ThriveCart Learn Review: Final Thoughts
I can’t recommend ThriveCart Learn enough! If you’re ready to say goodbye to the costly monthly fees and move things over to ThriveCart Learn – you won’t regret it. ThriveCart Learn is powerful, easy to use, and flexible – the perfect combination for your online course business.
A new threat in Thrivecart account security are scams called Card Testing scams. In this post, I'll share my best tips for protecting your Thrivecart account from Card Testing scams and other security risks.
Along with protecting your Stripe and Paypal accounts, protecting your Thrivecart is also crucial for protecting your business, your digital assets, and ensuring you and your customers have uninterrupted access to their purchases if you use Thrivecart Lear to host your courses and digital products.
What are Card Testing scams and are Thrivecart accounts at risk?
Card testing scams are one of the most common scams and have recently become more prevalent with Thrivecart accounts. Here's what happens: scammers purchase or otherwise acquire -aka steal- lists of credit card numbers. Before they make big purchases with them, they first want to test and see which cards are still valid, active accounts, so they make a LOT (hundreds, or sometimes thousands) of small purchases, often for $0.00 or as little as $1 or as much as $10, to see which transactions go through. They need a valid payment processor for their scam, so they might use an unsuspecting Thrivecart account or checkout to test their purchases. Once their small purchase goes through, they then move on to make bigger purchases with that credit card, for luxury goods, clothing, electronics or other expensive purchases.
How to know if you are under a Card Testing attack and what to do
I recently spoke with two creators who had to deal with a Cart Testing attack on their Thrivecart and Stripe accounts. Each scam will be different, but I want to share some similarities so you can recognize what's happening and take immediate action.
Both creators sell digital products via their website and take payment via Thrivecart. Their attacks occurred between December 2022 and January 2023.
Here are the similarities between two recent card testing attacks involving Thrivecart and Stripe:
Neither creator saw any unusual activity in their Thrivecart account – no new transactions, purchases, refunds, etc.
Their Thrivecart and Stripe logins had not been compromised and they did not lose access to their dashboards or accounts. Their real customer data was not breached or compromised
Their attacks started gradually, with just one or two small charges, either for $0 or $6, a day, and then increased. It's clear that these were processed via a bot
The customers whose cards the scammers were using were not charged, as the charges were either $0 or were marked as pending in Stripe, but in some instances, the attempted charge still showed up on the customer's credit card statement
These creators only became aware they were under attack when they saw the pending charges when they logged in to their Stripe accounts – again, there were no transactions or changes on Thrivecart, or when they were contacted about the attempted charges customers saw on their credit card statement.
Stripe may or may not notify you of a potential attack – one of these creators received a single email from Stripe after weeks of being under attack, the other was never contacted by Stripe
In both instances, Thrivecart and Stripe both claimed the breach was on the other's platform. The transactions were processed via Open API via Stripe, but associated with Thrivecart products (as in, there was one product singled out and used to test thousands of cards). If any funds had actually been processed, the creators would have had to refund the charges and eat the Stripe fees.
Both creators could only stop the attack by pausing or requesting a temporary hold on their Stripe account. Their Thrivecart accounts were able to function normally using Paypal as a payment processor.
If you think you may be under a card testing attack, immediately open support tickets with Thrivecart and Stripe. You may also want to have Stripe freeze your account. Lastly, consider creating a notification for your site (such as a pop up or a footer bar notification) that you are aware of the transactions and are taking action. While that may seem scary and vulnerable, it's never a bad thing to be as transparent as possible and have documented proof that you notified site visitors of a potential issue as the people who are innocent victims of the scam may be looking up your site to investigate the problem.
As with all things Thrivecart account security and general online security, the best course of action is to prevent falling victim to card testing scams and other potential security issues for your e-commerce business in the first place with a few basic preventative steps.
Here are 5 tips to protect your Thrivecart account security:
1) Enable two-factor authentication for your Thrivecart account
You're likely already very familiar with this security protocol, but it can go a long way to protecting your account from spammers or when your favorite password storage app has a breach, like LastPass did in December, 2022.
How to enable two-factor authentication on your Thrivecart account
Log in to your ThriveCart account
Click on your profile icon in the top right corner
Select “Profile”
Scroll to the bottom of your profile page and enable 2FA by clicking the button “Set up your 2-factor auth” and following the prompts.
NOTE: Many Thrivecart users find that despite checking the box “remember me on this computer for the next 30 days,” they still need to authenticate their login credentials every single time they log in to their account. While annoying, it's still better than risking potentially losing access to your account.
2) Enable fraud prevention via Captcha security protocols on your Thrivecart account
We've all seen Captcha (or ReCaptcha) boxes before: they usually look like a checkbox that says, “Click here to confirm you're a human” or something like that, and sometimes they make you do a puzzle or identify traffic lights or fire hydrants. However, enabling Fraud Prevention for your Thrivecart account with Captcha will not add a Captcha checkbox to your Thrivecart checkouts. In most instances, it will be invisible. In the instance that the system is not sure a real person is attempting the purchase, or their appears to be an issue or risk with that card, a traditional Captcha box will appear.
I've been told that adding this feature to your Thrivecart account may slow your checkouts down by a second or two, but I strongly recommend it anyway. Card Testing scams are now common and I've had 2 friends whose accounts have been impacted. Enabling the anti-fraud Captcha on their checkouts could have prevented this.
How to enable Fraud Prevention in Thrivecart with Captcha
Log in to your ThriveCart account
Click on “Settings” in the left-hand menu
Click on “Account-wide Settings”
Click “Fraud prevention”
Enable “Google reCAPTCHA”
I recommend using “Google ReCaptcha” but you may wish to test both. If you don't have either of these settings enabled, I strongly recommend you GO NOW to set this up.
3) Grant your VA or team members access to your Thrivecart account via the Users feature, not by sharing your login.
I can't stress this enough – for the absolute strongest Thrivecart account security, no one should have full admin access to your Thrivecart account other than you if at all possible. Instead, never share your Thrivecart login and grant access to your account via the subusers feature. If you have Thrivecart Pro, you're able to add up to 5 additional users with customizable access to your account, for a total of 6 logins, including your own. I believe this is not available for regular Thrivecart accounts, but if it were me, I'd upgrade to Thrivecart Pro just to get access to this.
Within the Users settings, you're able to create a new user account and customize, down to a product-by-product level, which courses and products your team member has access to, whether or not they can delete products, see statistics like sales data and conversion rates, look up customers, perform refunds, or manage your affiliates.
How to create user accounts for your team members or contractors in Thrivecart
Log in to your ThriveCart account and go to the “Settings” section.
Click on the “Subusers” tab. You can also find the Users menu by clicking your profile picture in the upper right corner and then clicking Users.
Click the “Add Subuser” button to add a new subuser.
Enter the subuser's first and last name and email address. The rest of the fields (Country, State, Zip code, etc.) are optional.
Choose the App Permissions tab to customize what access you want to give to the new subuser. ThriveCart offers a variety of permission levels, from read-only access to full control over your account, broken down into these categories: Coupons, Learn, Statistics, Affiliates, Users, and Settings.
Click the Product Access tab to customize which products the subuser will have the ability to see and edit inside their dashboard. NOTE: Your subuser will not have the ability to create new products, only the primary user (you) can do that. However, you can create a product, Save and Exit, and then allow your subuser to handle all the other settings, design, and set up tasks.
Last, click the Course Access tab to customize which courses your subuser will be able to see and edit within their account. Approvals are given on a project-by-project basis. Projects inside Thrivecart Learn are simply folders used to organize your courses. You cannot grant access on a course-by-course basis.
Click the Save button to create the subuser.
Thrivecart will send your new subuser an email notifying them they've been added to your account and prompting them to set up a password.
To manage your subusers, head back to the Users menu to edit their permissions, reset their password, or delete their account. If you make any changes, such as removing access to a product or project, they will be notified via email.
4) Create a unique, strong password for your Thrivecart account and don't add it to your LastPass or save it to your browser.
Start with a strong, complex password and consider not storing it anywhere. This is totally optional, but services like password-storing apps have data breaches often and it might just be one more step to protecting your account and preventing you from losing all your valuable work and products.
Suggestions for creating a strong, secure Thrivecart password:
Use at least 12 characters
Use a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols
Avoid using common words or phrases, especially avoiding meaningful words like your name, a spouse or child's name, or your birthdate or birth year
Don't reuse passwords across different accounts – only use this password for your Thrivecart account
5) Check your transactions regularly, both in Thrivecart and in your payment processors like Stripe and Paypal
It's never a bad idea to keep an eye on your ThriveCart transactions and be alert to any suspicious activity, like a sudden uptick in orders or a high number of refunds. I also routinely, usually weekly, log in to my Stripe account and keep an eye on how many failed payments have occurred that week.
Failed payments are not necessarily a sign of an attack, as sometimes cards simply get declined, but I do pay attention if its a customer trying to purchase multiple times, or if there are several failed purchases all occurring close together. I'd recommend checking your transactions at least once a week to stay on top of any trends or sudden increases in failed payments or purchase attempts.
If you suspect you're under a card testing attack, immediately contact Thrivecart and Stripe and see our recommendations and guidelines as listed at the top of this article.
Bonus tip for extra fraud prevention if you use Stripe as one of your payment processors in Thrivecart
Stripe recently introduced a new layer of security to all payments processed via their service, Radar. You can find more details on Stripe's site here, but the basic premise as of 2023 is Stripe will charge you an extra $0.05 USD per transaction to process extra checks to prevent fraud. I recently enabled this after my friends experienced Card Testing attacks and have not noticed any adverse affects, lost sales, or conversion dips. If you offer split-pay or payment plans on your digital products, this can also help to reduce the number of defaulted/incomplete payment plans you have to deal with.
Spam or scam attacks are not going away, and scammers will continue to innovate and find new ways to make a quick buck, but by following these tips and best practices, you can help protect your ThriveCart account from scammers and spammers. While not fail-proof, implementing security and fraud prevention measures like limiting enabling 2FA, using CAPTCHA on all your checkouts, creating a strong, secure password, and adding your team members to your Thrivecart account as subusers rather than sharing your login details with them directly, can all help to make your Thrivecart account, transactions, customers, and digital assets like your courses and products stored in Learn, more secure.
When choosing the right tools for your business, it can be hard to decide with all the options available. If you're looking for a ClickFunnels replacement, you're in the right place. In this blog post, we will compare ThriveCart and ClickFunnels to see which is the best tool for your sales funnels.
Both of these tools are great for creating sales funnels, but they have different strengths and weaknesses. So let's take a closer look at each of them!
Before we dive in, I think it's clear that my sales funnel builder of choice is ThriveCart. But I know many people are familiar with ClickFunnels, and I've been asked what the difference is many times! I wanted to compare these two tools and explain why I love ThriveCart so much.
ThriveCart vs Clickfunnels – Pricing
When it comes to pricing, ThriveCart tends to be a bit more expensive at first than ClickFunnels. ThriveCart has a lifetime pricing structure, whereas ClickFunnels is a monthly or annual fee.
ThriveCart lifetime cost is $495 + an upgrade to Pro for an additional $195.
ClickFunnels has a sliding scale model. Their basic plan is $147 per month, and their highest plan, which is more comparable to ThriveCart, is $297 per month.
The winner? Definitely ThriveCart! While it is more of an up-front investment, you will have paid more for ClickFunnels in only 3 months.
ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels – Free Trials
One spot where ClickFunnels wins over ThriveCart is that they have an option for a 14-day free trial. Because ThriveCart is a lifetime purchase, they don't offer a free trial to get familiar with the system. They do, however, offer a 30-day refund period, so if you get in there and don’t love it, you can request a refund. Want a look at how ThriveCart funnels work? Sign up for my free 15-minute training to see behind the scenes of setting up a funnel with ThriveCart!
ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels – The Design & Templates
One place where ThriveCart was lacking was beautiful checkout and sales page templates. But I solved that problem for you with the ThriveCart Template Shop!
ClickFunnels does have hundreds of built-in templates. However, most people aren't happy with the selection of templates or how easy they are to customize. With ThriveCart, you can easily use our templates and customize them however you want.
ThriveCart is NOT Just For Building Checkout Pages
Some blog posts and articles state that ThriveCart is “a shopping cart.” This is true, but it's so much more than that!
You can use it for more than just checkouts – you can create upsells and downsells, add coupons and discounts, create tripwire offers, offer payment plans, build membership sites, host your courses, set up affiliate programs, and much more!
What's the Big Difference Between ThriveCart and ClickFunnels?
At a glance, ThriveCart and ClickFunnels might seem similar – they're both tools for creating sales funnels and collecting payments. But there are some key differences that make each tool better suited to different use cases.
With ThriveCart, you get more flexibility and power over your checkout pages, plus added features like membership sites and affiliate programs. And while ClickFunnels has beautiful templates and built-in funnel creation features, it doesn't offer quite the same level of customization as ThriveCart.
Is ThriveCart a Good ClickFunnels Replacement?
Yes! Whether you're looking to build one-time checkout pages or complex sales funnels, ThriveCart is an excellent option.
With advanced features like upsells, downsells, payment plans, and more, you'll be able to create powerful sales funnels that get results – without another hefty monthly payment for a tool.
ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels – Final Thoughts
So which one is the best tool for your sales funnels? While ClickFunnels may have some advantages over ThriveCart regarding built-in design and templates, in my opinion, ThriveCart is a better all-around solution. If you're looking for a long-term investment with tons of features, ThriveCart has everything you need to build successful sales funnels.
Overall, ThriveCart and ClickFunnels are both great options for creating sales funnels. Obviously, my recommendation is ThriveCartfor any business that wants to create sales funnels that convert without a costly monthly fee.
Selling courses or coaching programs with an online community platform is perfect for coaches and course creators. It also adds massive value to your program or offer! Lately, many new options have been popping up for creating a community, especially if you want to avoid having your community in a Facebook Group.
There are many options to choose from regarding online community platforms, but some of the best include Mighty Networks, Circle, and Heartbeat. These platforms make it easy for coaches and course creators to create online communities and connect with their audience more meaningfully.
If you're looking for an online community platform, keep reading!
Why Online Community Platforms Are Great for Coaches and Course Creators
A coach or course creator wears many hats. They need to be experts in their field, able to engage and motivate their students and have a clear vision for their course. In addition, they also need to be able to build and maintain an online community.
Online community platforms are great for coaches and course creators because they provide a central place for students to connect with each other and the instructor. They also offer a variety of features that can make it easier to manage a community, such as forums, private messaging, and group chat rooms.
In addition, online community platforms can also be a great way to promote a coach or course creator's business. By creating a branded space for their students, they can build name recognition and attract new customers.
The Benefits of Using an Online Community Platform
An online community platform can provide many benefits for its users. For starters, it can help to build a sense of connection and belonging among members. This is especially valuable for people who live in isolated areas or who have difficulty meeting new people in person. In addition, an online community can be an excellent resource for information and support. Members can ask questions, offer advice, and share helpful resources.
Whether looking for social interaction, emotional support, or practical information, an online community platform can be valuable.
In the past, most online communities were created as private Facebook Groups. That can still be an option for most coaches and course creators, but great options are available if you want something separate from Facebook.
Choosing the Best Online Community Platform For You
When it comes to online community platforms, there are many options to choose from. It can be difficult to figure out which is right for you. Here are a few things to think about that can help you narrow down your options.
First, think about what kind of community you want to create. Do you want a tighter circle of connections or a more open network? Platforms like Circleand Mighty Networks are great for creating smaller, intimate groups, while platforms like Facebook Groups are better suited for larger, more open communities.
Next, consider what kind of features you need.
For example, if you want people to be able to connect with each other in real time, then you'll need a platform that offers chat features. Or, if you need to be able to sell products or memberships directly through your community site, then you'll need a platform that supports e-commerce.
Finally, think about your budget. Most platforms charge monthly fees or discounted annual rate plans. Free community options are also available, like creating a private Slack channel for your students. Decide how much you're willing to spend and then narrow your choices down based on that.
Choosing the right online community platform can be easy. By considering your needs and budget, you can easily find the perfect platform for you.
Circle vs Mighty Networks
Two of the most popular choices are Circle and Mighty Networks. Both platforms offer a range of features that can help you build and manage your community effectively.
But which one is right for you?
If you're looking for an open, more social platform, Mighty Networks is probably a better fit. Its chat features and social feed are great for connecting with people in real-time and building relationships with your members. However, if you're looking to create a closed network or offer paid products or services through your community site, then Circle may be a better choice.
My Recommendation – Heartbeat
After considering all the factors, my recommendation is to use Heartbeat. This platform offers a range of features to help you build and manage your online community effectively. Plus, it's priced competitively and has an excellent reputation for customer support. They are constantly releasing new features, are super user-friendly, and their mobile app is straightforward to use!
Here's a look at how Heartbeat looks on desktop, along with some of my favorite features:
And here's a look at the mobile app:
So if you want to create an effective and engaging online community, I highly recommend using Heartbeat. It includes all of the bells and whistles that the more popular choices have, but it's much more budget-friendly!
Final Thoughts
If you’re a coach or course creator, an online community platform can provide a great way to connect with your audience and build a following. There are many advantages to using an online community platform, including the ability to create content, build relationships, and offer support.
When choosing an online community platform, it’s important to consider your needs and goals. There are various features to look for in an online community platform, so be sure to research before making a decision. Getting started with your online community platform is simple on Heartbeat– all you need is a plan and some time to set things up. With these tips in mind, you’ll be well on your way to creating a thriving online community that helps you achieve your business goals.
