Set Up Email Marketing and CRM in One Tool With Brevo
You're using one tool for email, another for contact management, and a spreadsheet to track who's a lead and who's a customer. Here's how to get email campaigns, automations, SMS, live chat, and a built-in CRM in one platform — with a free tier that actually works.
Tools You'll Need
| Tool | What It Does | Cost | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) | Email marketing, CRM, marketing automation, SMS campaigns, live chat, and transactional email in one platform | $0–$25/month (free tier: 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts) | Get it → |
The Walkthrough
Step 1: Create Your Account and Import Contacts
What to do: Sign up at Brevo. Create your account and verify your domain (Brevo sends you a DNS record to add — this improves email deliverability). Import your existing contacts via CSV upload or connect directly from another email tool.
Why you’re doing it: Brevo’s free tier gives you unlimited contacts and 300 emails per day. Most competitors limit contacts on free plans. Getting your contacts in is step one.
What to expect: 15 minutes for account setup. Domain verification takes a few hours to propagate but you can start building while it processes.
Common mistakes: Importing contacts who never opted in. Sending to unverified lists hurts deliverability and can get your account flagged.
Step 2: Set Up Your CRM Pipeline
What to do: Go to CRM and create your sales pipeline. Add stages that match your business: Lead → Contacted → Proposal Sent → Negotiating → Won/Lost. Add your existing leads and customers as deals in the pipeline.
Why you’re doing it: The CRM gives you a visual pipeline of every potential deal. Instead of guessing who you need to follow up with, you see it at a glance. And because it’s connected to your email, every email interaction is logged automatically.
What to expect: 20–30 minutes for pipeline setup. The drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to move deals between stages.
Step 3: Build Your First Email Campaign
What to do: Go to Campaigns and click “Create an email campaign.” Use the drag-and-drop editor to design your email — Brevo has templates for newsletters, promotions, and announcements. Write your subject line, preview text, and content. Choose your recipient list. Send a test email to yourself first.
Use this prompt to write your email campaign: Ask Claude: “Write a [monthly newsletter / promotional email / product announcement] for [business name], a [business type], targeting [audience description]. Include: a subject line with 3 variations to test, preview text under 90 characters, a headline, body content under 200 words focused on one clear message, and a CTA button text. Conversational tone — sounds like a real person, not a marketing department.”
Why you’re doing it: Consistent email campaigns keep your business top-of-mind with customers and leads. The drag-and-drop editor means you don’t need design skills.
What to expect: 30–45 minutes for your first campaign. Future campaigns take 15–20 minutes once you have a template you like.
Step 4: Create an Automation Sequence
What to do: Go to Automations and create a workflow. Start with a welcome sequence: Trigger → “Contact joins list” → Wait 1 day → Send welcome email → Wait 3 days → Send second email (tips or value) → Wait 7 days → Send third email (offer or CTA).
Why you’re doing it: Automations work while you sleep. Every new subscriber gets the same nurture sequence without you lifting a finger.
What to expect: 30 minutes for a basic 3-email welcome sequence. The visual automation builder is point-and-click.
Step 5: Add Live Chat (Optional)
What to do: In the Conversations section, set up Brevo’s live chat widget. Copy the code snippet to your website. Customize the chat bubble color and welcome message. Chat messages flow into the same inbox as your email responses.
Why you’re doing it: Live chat on your website lets visitors ask questions in real time. Because it’s built into Brevo, the chat history is linked to the same contact record as their emails and CRM data.
What to expect: 10 minutes to set up. Everything from one visitor — emails, chats, CRM deals — lives in one place.
Confidence Level
This workflow is Beta — Based on Best Available Knowledge. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is an established platform with strong email deliverability and a generous free tier. The CRM and automation features are well-documented. Pricing reflects February 2026 plans.
What to Do If It Doesn’t Work
- Emails going to spam: Verify your sending domain (SPF, DKIM records). Brevo provides instructions in Settings → Senders & Domains.
- Free tier email limit too low: 300 emails/day works for small lists. If you need more volume, the Starter plan ($25/month) removes the daily limit.
- CRM feels basic compared to HubSpot: Brevo’s CRM is designed for simplicity. If you need advanced pipeline customization, HubSpot may be a better fit — but it costs more.
- Need more help? Brevo Support or email us at hello@thenewsbakery.com.