Introduction to Constant Contact
Constant Contact is one of the most popular email marketing platforms available today, designed to help businesses of all sizes build and manage their email campaigns. With a focus on ease of use and powerful features, Constant Contact has earned a reputation for being an ideal choice for small to medium-sized businesses, nonprofits, and even individual entrepreneurs.
At its core, Constant Contact provides users with the tools to create professional-looking email campaigns, automate workflows, and analyze performance through detailed reporting. The platform simplifies what can often be a complex process, allowing users to focus more on their message and audience rather than technical aspects.
Whether you’re sending newsletters, promotional emails, or event invitations, Constant Contact streamlines the process with its intuitive interface and vast library of customizable templates. Additionally, it offers various integrations with popular third-party tools like CRMs and e-commerce platforms, making it a flexible option for different business needs.
Features & Tools
Constant Contact provides a robust set of features and tools to help businesses execute effective email marketing campaigns. Whether you’re a small business owner, nonprofit, or entrepreneur, these features can help you engage your audience, track performance, and grow your email list. Here’s a breakdown of some of the standout tools offered by Constant Contact:
1. Email Templates
One of the key strengths of Constant Contact is its extensive library of professionally designed email templates. These templates are fully customizable and responsive, meaning they look great on both desktop and mobile devices. With drag-and-drop functionality, you can easily personalize your emails to match your brand’s style and messaging.
- Key Features:
- A variety of mobile-friendly templates
- Customizable design elements (text, images, buttons, etc.)
- Industry-specific templates (e.g., retail, event invitations, nonprofit)
2. Email Automation
Constant Contact offers powerful email automation tools that allow you to create workflows and send automated emails based on triggers. For example, you can set up an automated welcome series for new subscribers or send personalized birthday emails to your customers.
- Key Features:
- Drip campaigns
- Autoresponders for specific actions (like form submissions)
- Automated follow-ups and reminders
3. List Management
Organizing and managing your contacts is essential for effective email marketing. Constant Contact provides powerful list management tools that allow you to segment your audience based on various criteria. This helps you send the right message to the right people, improving engagement and conversions.
- Key Features:
- Contact segmentation (by behavior, location, or interest)
- Tags for easy contact grouping
- Import/export contacts easily
4. A/B Testing
With Constant Contact’s A/B testing feature, you can experiment with different subject lines, email copy, and design elements to see what resonates best with your audience. This data-driven approach helps you optimize your campaigns for higher open rates and better performance.
- Key Features:
- Test subject lines, images, and call-to-action buttons
- Performance analysis for each variation
- Automatic selection of the best-performing version
5. Reporting & Analytics
Constant Contact offers comprehensive reporting tools that allow you to track the success of your email campaigns. From open rates to click-through rates, you’ll get detailed insights into how your emails are performing and where improvements can be made.
Key Features:
Real-time tracking of email opens, clicks, and conversions
Heat maps to analyze which parts of the email get the most attention
Performance comparison across campaigns
6. Social Media Tools
Constant Contact also helps you extend your email marketing efforts to social media. With tools that allow you to share your email campaigns on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, you can boost your visibility and drive more engagement from your social audience.
Key Features:
Social sharing buttons for email content
Create social media ads directly from the platform
Sync email campaigns with social media posts
7. Event Marketing Tools
If you’re hosting an event, Constant Contact provides specialized tools to promote and manage your event. You can create RSVP forms, send event invitations, and track attendance—all from within the platform.
Key Features:
Event registration forms
Automated reminder emails for events
Tracking attendance and event feedback
Pricing Plans
Constant Contact offers several pricing plans to cater to businesses of different sizes and email marketing needs. The pricing is designed to be flexible, giving users the ability to scale as their business grows. Here’s a breakdown of the key plans offered by Constant Contact:
1. Email Plan
The Email Plan is the most basic option, ideal for businesses that are just starting with email marketing. It includes essential features like email templates, list management, and email scheduling. This plan is perfect for small businesses with a moderate number of contacts and a focus on straightforward email campaigns.
Starting Price: $9.99/month
Key Features:
Email templates
List management
Reporting & analytics
Email scheduling
2. Email Plus Plan
The Email Plus Plan offers more advanced features, including automation, A/B testing, and enhanced reporting tools. It is best suited for businesses that need to go beyond basic campaigns and require more robust tools to increase engagement and conversions.
Starting Price: $45/month
Key Features:
All Email Plan features
Marketing automation
A/B testing
Event marketing tools
Surveys and polls
3. Premium Plan
The Premium Plan is the most advanced option, designed for larger businesses or enterprises that need advanced marketing tools. This plan includes additional features like personalized coaching, social media ads, and more in-depth reporting. It also supports a higher volume of contacts and provides priority customer support.
Starting Price: $95/month
Key Features:
All Email Plus features
Social media ads management
Personalized coaching sessions
Advanced reporting
Priority customer support
4. Custom Plans for Large Businesses
Constant Contact also offers custom pricing for enterprises with specific needs, such as more contacts, complex integrations, and more personalized features. Pricing for these plans is based on the scale of the business and its email marketing requirements.
Price: Custom pricing based on needs
Key Features:
Tailored integrations
Advanced automation
Priority support
How Does Constant Contact Compare to Competitors?
When comparing Constant Contact’s pricing to other email marketing platforms like Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign, it’s clear that Constant Contact offers a competitive edge in terms of ease of use and reliable customer support. Although it might be slightly more expensive than some alternatives at the entry level, the extra features (such as marketing automation and A/B testing) provide significant value for businesses that want to grow their email marketing efforts.
Email Deliverability
One of the most critical factors in any email marketing campaign is email deliverability—the ability to get your emails into your recipients’ inboxes instead of their spam folders. No matter how great your email content is, it won’t matter if it doesn’t reach your audience. Constant Contact takes email deliverability seriously, offering tools and practices that help improve the likelihood of your emails being delivered successfully.
1. Authentication Features
Constant Contact incorporates email authentication protocols such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail). These security features help verify that emails are coming from legitimate sources, which improves the chances of your emails being delivered to inboxes rather than flagged as spam. These tools help build trust with email providers like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook, ensuring better deliverability.
Key Features:
SPF and DKIM email authentication
Custom domain setup for better sender reputation
Improved trust with major email clients
2. List Hygiene Tools
Keeping your email list clean is crucial for good deliverability. Constant Contact offers list hygiene features that help you maintain a healthy list by removing inactive or invalid email addresses. By regularly cleaning your list, you reduce the risk of being flagged as a spammer and improve your overall email performance.
Key Features:
Automated list cleaning to remove invalid emails
Bounce management to identify and remove hard bounces
Re-engagement campaigns for inactive subscribers
3. Spam Testing
One of the most common reasons emails end up in the spam folder is due to spammy content or bad sending practices. Constant Contact offers built-in spam testing to help identify and correct issues before you send. The platform analyzes your email and gives you a spam score, so you can make adjustments, such as revising the subject line or altering certain phrases, to ensure better deliverability.
Key Features:
Built-in spam testing
Recommendations to improve email content
Subject line analysis for better inbox placement
4. Engagement Tracking
Constant Contact offers detailed reports on engagement metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates. Monitoring these metrics helps you understand how your emails are performing and whether they are being delivered successfully. Poor engagement can negatively affect deliverability, as email providers may interpret low engagement as a sign of unwanted or irrelevant emails.
Key Features:
Real-time engagement tracking
Bounce and spam complaint reports
Tools to improve engagement over time
5. Dedicated IP Address Option
For high-volume senders, Constant Contact offers the option to use a dedicated IP address. This means your sending reputation is built solely on your email activity, not shared with other senders. This can be especially helpful for businesses with large email lists or those sending frequent campaigns, as it helps protect your sender reputation and maintain high deliverability rates.
Key Features:
Dedicated IP address for high-volume senders
Improved control over your sender reputation
Faster warm-up process for new email campaigns
Pros & Cons
Pros of Constant Contact
User-Friendly Interface One of the standout features of Constant Contact is its user-friendly interface. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced marketer, you’ll find the platform easy to navigate. The drag-and-drop editor makes it simple to create beautiful emails without needing coding skills, and the setup process is straightforward.
Comprehensive Feature Set Constant Contact offers a wide range of features, including email templates, automation, A/B testing, and list management tools. These tools make it easy to create and manage email campaigns, track performance, and segment your audience for more targeted marketing.
Excellent Customer Support Constant Contact is known for its responsive customer support. Users can reach out via phone, chat, or email, and there are plenty of resources, such as knowledge base articles and video tutorials, to help you get the most out of the platform.
High Deliverability Rates With its built-in email authentication, list hygiene tools, and spam testing, Constant Contact ensures high email deliverability. These features help your emails reach your audience’s inbox, rather than getting lost in the spam folder.
Scalability Constant Contact is designed to grow with your business. Whether you’re sending a few emails per month or managing large-scale campaigns, the platform can handle your needs. As your business grows, you can upgrade to higher-tier plans with advanced features like automated workflows, social media ads, and priority support.
Cons of Constant Contact
Higher Pricing One of the biggest downsides of Constant Contact is its pricing. While it’s not the most expensive email marketing platform, it’s also not the cheapest. Small businesses on a tight budget may find other tools, like Mailchimp or Sendinblue, more affordable, especially at the lower-tier pricing plans.
Limited Automation Features on Lower Plans Although Constant Contact offers automation tools, many of its advanced automation features (like behavior-based triggers and extensive workflows) are only available in the higher-tier plans. This may be a limitation for businesses that need robust automation at a lower price point.
Limited A/B Testing Options The A/B testing functionality in Constant Contact is somewhat basic compared to other platforms like ActiveCampaign. While you can test subject lines and other elements, it may not offer the depth of testing features that some advanced marketers require.
Limited Reporting for Advanced Users The reporting tools in Constant Contact are solid for beginners and small businesses, but advanced users might find them lacking. The platform’s reporting features could be more detailed, especially when it comes to tracking advanced metrics or creating custom reports.
No Free Plan Unlike some competitors, Constant Contact does not offer a free plan. While it does have a 30-day free trial, you’ll need to subscribe to a paid plan to continue using the service beyond that. For small businesses just starting with email marketing, this may be a deterrent.
Customer Support
Constant Contact excels in providing comprehensive customer support to help users get the most out of their email marketing campaigns. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced marketer, having access to reliable support can make a big difference when using a new platform. Constant Contact offers multiple support channels, ensuring that help is always available when you need it.
1. Phone Support
One of the standout features of Constant Contact’s customer support is its availability by phone. Users can call the support team to get direct assistance with any issues, from technical troubleshooting to strategy advice. This is particularly valuable for businesses that need quick, personalized support without waiting for an email response.
Key Features:
1-on-1 phone support
Available during business hours
Support for both technical and marketing queries
2. Live Chat
For users who prefer quicker responses, Constant Contact offers live chat support. This option allows you to chat in real-time with a support agent, making it ideal for resolving minor issues or answering quick questions during your workday. The live chat feature is available 7 days a week, giving users flexibility when they need assistance.
Key Features:
Instant responses to queries
Available 7 days a week
Can handle both technical and account-related questions
3. Email Support
For non-urgent inquiries or detailed issues that require thorough explanations, Constant Contact also provides email support. This is a great option for users who need step-by-step instructions or have more complex queries that don’t require immediate answers.
Key Features:
Email support for detailed inquiries
Ideal for issues that require written instructions or documentation
4. Help Center & Knowledge Base
In addition to direct support options, Constant Contact provides a comprehensive Help Center and Knowledge Base. These resources include hundreds of articles, tutorials, and guides on a wide range of topics—from setting up your account to advanced marketing strategies. The Help Center is a valuable tool for self-service troubleshooting and learning.
Key Features:
Extensive library of articles and video tutorials
Step-by-step guides for setting up campaigns, automation, and reporting
Searchable database for quick access to specific topics
5. Community Forums
Constant Contact also offers a community forum where users can interact with other customers. This is a great way to get insights from fellow marketers, ask questions, and share best practices. The forum is moderated by Constant Contact experts, so you can also expect professional input from the team when needed.
Key Features:
Community-driven support and discussions
Helpful for sharing tips, tricks, and insights
Ability to learn from other users’ experiences
6. Webinars and Training
Constant Contact goes a step further by offering live and on-demand webinars and training sessions to help users improve their email marketing skills. These webinars cover a wide range of topics, from the basics of email campaigns to advanced strategies like automation and list segmentation.
Key Features:
Regular live and recorded webinars
Topics covering everything from beginner to advanced marketing techniques
Access to expert trainers and industry professionals
