Constant Contact is one of the popular email marketing services. They offer a generous 60 day trial to get a feel for their service prior to purchase. Constant Contact has some of the same features as many of the other email marketing services with a few variances. Based on my review I would give Constant Contact a 3 out 5 based on the features evaluated.
Pros
Constant Contact's basic feature set is pretty standard across the board. While they do offer image hosting you are only allowed to host 5 images at a time unless you pay for more space. They also offer a survey feature which comes at an extra cost as well.
Cons
Surveys are an excellent way of understanding what your customers want and need. This is a great feature that Constant Contact offers. The only disadvantage is that you have to pay an extra monthly fee to use the service. You have the option of just purchasing email marketing services or survey functionality. If you purchase them both they do offer a discount.
Pros
Though Constant Contact is popular, the message creation interface did not appear to be very easy to use. This is a matter of opinion. They do offer a great selection of email templates. They do have a WYSIWYG editor. They also have the ability to use custom HTML templates that you built yourself. There is also a step by step wizard to guide you through the process.
Cons
One of the things that I didn't like about Constant Contact was when you use your own HTML templates, you cannot edit it in the WYSIWYG editor. So if you create a template in your own HTML editor, upload it to Constant Contact, you will not have the ability to enter your content in their editor. You will have to enter it in HTML. This is a challenge for people who do not know HTML. In my opinion, Constant Contact is an excellent tool to use if you plan on using the templates that come with the service or if you know HTML.
Pros
Constant Contact stands the test when it comes to reporting ant tracking. In my research I've found that most of the email marketing services understand the importance of this feature. Measuring results is definitely the key to success. With their tracking and reporting tool you will have the ability to see what links your customers clicked on, who's opening your emails and who isn't. You can also compare the results of your email campaigns to determine what's working and what's not.
Cons
None
Pros
Constant Contact gets 5 stars in this category. They have extensive list management features. They offer a custom form creation tool that you can put on your website to capture the contact information from your visitors. The forward to a friend feature is a key component when building a list. They have a very robust import feature. You can import from a spreadsheet or even Microsoft Outlook. You can create as many lists as you like to narrow down your target market based on the content of the email message you’re sending.
Cons
None
Pros
Constant Contact has some unique sending options. They have relationships with major ISPs to ensure your messages are delivered. In the event of an issue they have experts that can quickly work to get them resolved. You might wonder why this is important. I've personally seen where domains were banned from sending email to major ISPs due to the perception of spam. This can happen if your newsletters are "hijacked" and sent out with altered subject lines. If this were to happen Constant Contact is prepared to get the issue resolved. Additionally, their templates are tested on many platforms to ensure that they arrive formatted as you expected.
Cons
One of the features Constant Contact lacks is the ability to send to multiple lists. This could be a very important feature if you segment your lists. You would have to send your message to each list individually.
Pros
Constant Contact has a very intuitive support center. Their knowledge base is easy to navigate. The search feature brings back accurate results. This really helps with quickly finding the information you are looking for. They also offer technical support via phone, email, and an online contact form. Additionally, they offer online tutorials to getting you up and running quickly.
Cons
None
Comments
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