Bloom plugin review & guide for email marketers

Bloom is an email opt-in plugin that allows you to grow an email list via your website.

The Bloom plugin adds email opt-in forms to your website that are connected to your chosen email marketing software, such as Mailchimp or Mailerlite. When someone adds their email and details via your Bloomopt-in form, these details will automatically be added to your email list.

Bloom is one of the plugins, along with the Monarch and Divi Builder plugin, that is included in the Elegant Themes membership plan.

Bloom is created by Elegant Themes and integrates seamlessly with the Divi Theme, but can also be used on any WordPress website.

In this article, we will give you a guide and review of Bloom – an email Opt-in and lead-generation plugin for WordPress.

What is Bloom?

Bloom is a WordPress/Divi plugin that lets you grow your subscribers. It is an email opt-in plugin by Elegant Themes – a well-known WordPress developer in the market.

You can utilize Bloom to start capturing emails using opt-in forms. The Bloom opt-in forms are easy to set up, and it starts working from the time it is deployed.

Bloom makes it easy to streamline the whole process of capturing subscribers, nurturing and converting them into ever-lasting customers. Without it, you will need to set up the process manually which can take quite some time and effort to achieve, and still be hard to maintain in the long run.

And, this leads us to our next question, Why should you use Bloom?

Why should you use Bloom?

Modern websites are rarely custom-made and rely heavily on plugins. These plugins provide the necessary features that simplify the whole process — saving you time, effort, and most importantly money.

Bloom is an excellent email opt-in plugin that meets the demand of a modern business website. Bloom is compatible with WordPress and Divi, and you can use it with any theme of your choice — giving you full control.

Apart from that, you also get different design options. Overall, Bloom is a complete package that lets you automate email capturing and increase your email subscribers. With it, you can save money.

Easy steps to get started with Bloom

To use Bloom, you need to follow the steps mentioned below:

• Buy the plugin.
• Once you have the license, download, install and activate the plugin on your site.
• Now go to Bloom settings and activate the plugin.

Once installed, you can now choose the op-in-form for your blog. You can also choose the type and the way the opt-in form interacts with your site.

Next, you need to add the email service provider. It can be GetResponse, MailChimp, or Aweber. You are also free to choose from 100+ opt-in design forms and tons of form settings. Lastly, you can also do A/B testing to see which opt-in form is working the best.

Bloom Plugin Templates and Customization Options

From the onset, you get access to 100+ pre-made templates. All these templates are responsive and highly customizable, meaning you can customize the templates according to your site’s design and brand colors. 

You are also free to edit all Bloom template elements which include fonts, images, messages, animation effects, and other aspects. For developers, looking for more customization, there is also the option to add CSS with each template. The other customization options that you get include:

• Unlimited color options
• Three different form orientations: bottom, left, and right
• Easily customize the edges and borders
• Display settings
• Image orientation options

Bloom’s extensive customization option makes it a great pick for any business out there.

Bloom Opt-in Display Types

The key feature that you will spend a lot of time on is their Bloom opt-in display types. Let’s list them below.

Automatic Opt-in Fly-ins

The opt-in fly-ins are designed to work with user interaction. You can opt to activate it based on the user’s behavior including scrolling or just inactivity. You can use this opt-in to provide a seamless entry to the opt-in which may feel less intrusive to users as it is shown on the lower right or left corner of the screen.

Automatic Opt-in Pop-Up

The Automatic Opt-in Pop-up is the most used pop-up among the websites. These opt-ins are shown in the middle of the page and can be triggered based on a timer or certain other parameters such as how much a user has scrolled through the page. However, it is also one of the most annoying and disliked opt-ins, but it does bring results.

Below Content Opt-in Forms

The Below Content Opt-in forms are the least intrusive of all the opt-ins. It is placed on the bottom end of a page, generally at the end of a blog post. You can use it to capture highly interested visitors, considering that they have reached the end of the blog post or the page and that shows their interest. 

Locked Content Opt-in Forms

The Locked Content Opt-in is a strategic way to get visitors subscribed to your newsletter. Generally, it is not a good idea to lock the content, but with this approach, you lock the content and only open it once the user has joined the email subscription. 

In most cases, it is always a good idea to not lock the whole content. For example, if you are writing a long-form guide with multiple parts, you can opt to leave part 1 of the guide open for everyone and put a locked content opt-in form on the other parts of the guide. This means the user who is trying to read the other part of the guide knows what to expect and is willingly giving you his/her email, rather than being forced to do so, from the onset.

Inline Opt-in Forms

Inline Opt-in forms are also less intrusive and are included within your content. This is also an effective way to convert visitors but can hamper their reading capability when going through the content. To integrate online opt-in, all you need to do is copy the shortcode directly onto the article.

Widget Area Opt-in Forms

The last opt-in type is the widget area opt-in form. With it, you can include the opt-in on the widget areas of your site which can include the sidebar or the footer. 

Bloom Plugins Triggers

You have opt-ins, but to make them work in the best possible way, you need Triggers. The triggers tell the opt-on when to kick in. Currently, Bloom offers six triggers.

• Timed delay: With the timed delay, you can add a timer for the pop-ups or fly-ins after the page is loaded.
• After commenting: To target interested visitors, you can use the after commenting trigger which triggers when a visitor engages with the content.
• After scrolling: If the user scrolls, you can trigger the After scrolling trigger which lets you use pop-ups or fly-ins after the user scrolls a certain aspect of the page.
• Bottom of post: With the bottom of the page trigger, you can showcase the opt-in when the reader has reached the bottom of the post.
• After purchasing: With the after-purchasing trigger, you can trigger opt-in forms to upsell and give them discounted prices for more purchases.
• After inactivity: If a user is inactive for a long period, then the After Inactivity trigger is useful as it will let you recapture their attention.

Bloom Dashboard

Bloom offers an easy-to-use and intuitive dashboard so that you can manage your site. Their custom panel dashboard offers all the information you need from a single place. Here, you get access to all the opt-ins, data, conversion rates, and lists.

Bloom Integration

Bloom is highly integrative from the onset. You can integrate the opt-in forms with 19 email marketing integrations. The integrations are seamless and the process depends on the email marketing solution. Some of the well-known supported email marketing integrations include ConvertKit, HubSpot, MailChimp, ActiveCampaign, AWeber, and so on.

Other Bloom Functionality Worth Mentioning

Bloom is an excellent opt-in and offers other note-worthy features:

• Customizable Borders and Edges
• Image oriented options
• Fully responsive
• A/B testing
• Add, modify and track accounts
• Conversion and email list statistics
• Easily import and export bloom data
• 24/7 support

Bloom Plugin Pricing

Bloom is one of the plugins available as part of the Elegant Themes bundle. So, if you want to get access to it, you need to get access to Elegant membership. Currently, they offer yearly access for $89 per year which includes everything Elegant Themes makes including Bloom and Divi. You can also opt for lifetime access which will cost you a $249 one-time purchase.

Conclusion: Should you use Bloom?

Bloom is one of the finest opt-in plugins out there. It is easy to use and integrates seamlessly with popular email marketing solutions. With excellent opt-in type choices and associated triggers, you can use Bloom exactly the way you want — and improve conversion rates to new levels. Another reason Bloom shines is that it is part of the Elegant Themes bundle which gives you access to other solutions including Divi, Monarch, and Extra.

So, if you are looking for a high-quality email opt-in solution, then Bloom is for you.