What is ConstantContact? A Complete Guide to ConstantContact Email Marketing

Introduction:

For many businesses/marketers (entrepreneurs), Email Marketing remains one of the best digital marketing techniques. The best email marketing platform of which to use is ConstantContact – it has become one of the most trusted and widely used email marketing platforms throughout the world.

So, what is ConstantContact? Why do so many people use it?

ConstantContact is an all-in-one platform that allows you to design, send, and track professional email marketing campaigns. In addition to sending email campaigns, you can use Constant Contact for automation, manage your contacts, market your business on social media, promote events, and more.

ConstantContact was created in 1995: since then, it has grown to become a leading solution for millions of organizations around the world. From small businesses to large corporations, ConstantContact can help you connect with your audience and build your brand.

This how-to guide will give you everything you need to know about ConstantContact: how it works, the features and benefits it provides, the costs associated with using ConstantContact, and why it continues to be one of the best options available for marketers.

What is ConstantContact?

Constant Contact provides businesses with a way to reach their customers through email marketing. Through its online platform, users can create email campaigns in a matter of minutes and use various tools to build, manage, and communicate with their subscriber list. Constant Contact also helps businesses develop automated marketing strategies to improve responses to suggestions and achieve higher levels of customer loyalty.

Constant Contact also provides analytics for tracking email opens, clicks, and engagement. They offer several ways to promote events or products, either as part of an existing subscription or as an additional service. Also, by integrating with the business’s website or online store, Constant Contact can track traffic and conversion rates to make marketing decisions based on actual data.

Constant Contact was developed specifically for businesses that want to develop long-lasting relationships with their customers. It does so by providing its users with a variety of tools to help them achieve the following purposes:

1. Develop relationships with customers
2. Increase sales through sales and conversion
3. Promote an event or service that will create memories
4. Provide consistent communication with their audience.

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The History of ConstantContact

Founded in 1995 in Massachusetts, USA, ConstantContact started out offering small business owners new ways to use internet marketing technology.

The company has since expanded its capabilities, including:

• Automating email marketing campaigns

• Providing social media marketing solutions

• Sending surveys and polls online

• Managing events

• Integrating with eCommerce platforms

As such, ConstantContact is now one of the original innovators in the world of email marketing software and continues to serve millions of users worldwide.

How ConstantContact Works

Understanding how the ConstantContact platform can be leveraged will allow you to maximize your business’s marketing opportunities.

There are several easy steps to running the ConstantContact platform:

1. Sign Up for an Account

To get started as a user on the platform, you will need to create a ConstantContact account and select a subscription. Most subscription plans come with free trial periods, so you may try out all features prior to making a purchase.

2. Create/Import an Email List

After you complete the signup process, you can either create and upload your email marketing list:

• Upload spreadsheet file(s)

• Import contacts from your CRM system

• Create a signup form and embed it within your website

• Collect email addresses from social channels.

3. Email Marketing Design

ConstantContact offers users hundreds of templates to choose from. Users can then use the drag-and-drop feature to put together emails without any design experience or knowledge of HTML code.

4. Email Sending or Scheduling

Once the email has been designed, the user has the option of sending the email immediately or scheduling it for a later date/time. This allows users to send emails when the greatest amount of people are available to receive the email.

5. Track Email Performance

Following the sending of a campaign, ConstantContact provides analytics including:

1) The number of times people opened your email
2) The number of times people clicked on a link within your email
3) The number of times your email bounced back to you
4) The number of people who chose to unsubscribe from receiving future emails.

By reviewing these reports, the user can learn how to improve their future email campaigns.

ConstantContact’s Main Features

ConstantContact has numerous tools to make digital marketing easier. Below are some of the main features offered by ConstantContact.

1. Drag-and-Drop Email Builder Tool.

An intuitive drag-and-drop email editor makes it very easy to build emails using ConstantContact’s resources. You can add images, buttons, text boxes, videos, product listings, etc. By using these options, businesses can easily build professional-looking emails without needing to learn how to program in any language.

2. Automating Email Sending

Marketers can set up automated emails based on their customers’ behaviours.

Some examples of automated email are:

• welcome emails to new subscribers
• birthday messages
• follow up emails after purchase
• reminders of upcoming events

Using automated emails allows for consistency of communication without actually having to physically send the email.

3. Managing Subscriber Lists

ConstantContact simplifies subscriber list management for its users/marketers.

Users can:

• segment their contacts by behaviour or interest
• develop targeted campaigns
• sort their contacts into categories
• track the level of engagement their eyes/have

The better you can segment your subscribers, the higher engagement you will have with your email.

4. Professional Email Templates

ConstantContact provides users with access to several hundred professionally designed email templates.

These templates are designed to:

• work on all types of mobile devices
• be compatible with all different types of businesses (industries)
• to be seasonally campaign specific
• to support promotional campaigns

Having templates allows users to save time when creating their emails. It also ensures that their emails will contain visually appealing content.

5. Social Media Marketing Tools

In addition, ConstantContact has tools to help its users/marketers with their social media marketing efforts.

Users can:

• schedule the posting of their social media posts
• build advertising for Facebook and Instagram
• track social media engagement
• promote their campaigns on more than one social media platform

This allows users to manage both email marketing and social media at the same time through a single platform.

6. Event Marketing

For users who are involved in putting on any events, ConstantContact also has tools to help the user manage their events.

Some features available are:

• event registration form
• email invitations
• ticket sales
• tracking of RSVPs

This makes it a great tool for managing webinars, conferences and nonprofit events.

7. Analytics And Reporting

ConstantContact gives you a full report on your email marketing campaigns; what works, what doesn’t and how to improve your future campaigns from data analytics This helps businesses adjust their marketing strategies.

ConstantContact’s main metrics include:

• Email open rate
• Email click-through rates
• Email delivery rates (not bounced back)
• Subscriber ground statistics (how many people who subscribe to your email/newsletter)
• Subscriber engagement trends

Benefits of Using ConstantContact for your EMC

There are a number of reasons businesses use ConstantContact for their email marketing services:

1. The Platform is Beginner-Friendly

The platform was built to benefit users with no or minimal technical experience, the platform has a simple user interface which allows new marketers to hit the ground running.

2. High Deliverability Rate

A main reason for choosing ConstantContact is their high Email Deliverability rate, this means that your email is more likely to arrive in the inbox of your subscribers, than in the spam folder.

3. Exceptional Customer Support

ConstantContact offers superior customer support through:

• Live chats
• Telephone support
• Email support
• Multiple easy to follow Marketing Tutorials & Webinars

This makes it really easy for you to learn how to use the ConstantContact platform.

4. Powerful Integration

ConstantContact integrates with many of the most popular tools and websites including:

• Website builders
• Ecommerce platforms
• Customer relationship management (CRM) software
• Social media platforms

These integrations create a seamless ecosystem of marketing.

Pricing Of ConstantContact

ConstantContact offers a wide range of pricing plans to fit your email marketing needs based on your company needs and how large your subscriber base is.

Some of the more common plans offered by Typical Plans are;

Lite Plan

The Lite Plan is suitable for first-time or new users who are looking to start Email Marketing with only the basics.

The included features in the Lite Plan include the following;

• A selection of pre-built email templates

• An accounting manager to manage your email contacts

• Managing the performance of your marketing campaign by new subscriber growth and engagement statistics.

Standard Plan

Great for those just starting out in Marketing.

Includes:

• Email autoresponders

• Social Media Automation

• More detailed Reporting

Premium Plan

Great for experienced Marketers.

Includes:

• Segmentation

• Auto-responder Campaigns

• Customized Campaigns

Pricing can vary depending upon how many contacts you have in your email database.

Why to Use ConstantContact?

ConstantContact is a great resource for so many different types of users.

Small Business Owners:

Small businesses will use ConstantContact to:

• Promote Products

• Send out Newsletters

• Develop Relationships with Customers

Non-Profits:

Non-profit organizations will use ConstantContact to:

• Communicate with Donors

• Promote Events

• Raise Money through Fundraising Campaigns

Content Creators:

Content creators will use ConstantContact to:

• Collect Subscribers via Email List

• Share New Content with Subscribers

• Market Digital Products to Subscribers

E-Commerces:

Online stores will use ConstantContact to:

• Promote Products

• Send Cart Abandonments

• Send Loyalty Campaigns to Customers

ConstantContact vs Other Platforms

Many Marketers compare ConstantContact with other Brands such as: Mailchimp or Convertkit.

Advantages to ConstantContact

Compared to its Competition, the advantages of ConstantContact are:

• Exceptional Customer Service

• Simple User Interface, Great for All Beginners

• Amazing Event Marketing Tools

• Large Variety of Templates

Potential Disadvantages:

A few Users have complained that:

• Pricing may be higher than some other Brands

• Many features available for Advanced Automation are limited compared to larger systems.

Overall, because of the Great Benefits of Using ConstantContact for Small Business Owners, it is One of the Very Best faxing Options Available!

Successful Using ConstantContact

To optimize your use of ConstantContact, the following are recommended strategies.

Quality Email List Construction

Make sure you’re building an email list with subscribers who really want to hear from you (your business).

Do NOT buy email lists because this practice can negatively impact the ability for your emails to be delivered.

Personalize Your Communications

Email campaigns that include personalizing the message (including the name of the recipient) create better results than those that do not include personalizing the recipient’s name, which does increase engagement.

Optimize Email Designs For Mobile Devices

Since most customers conduct business through the use of smart mobile devices, it is essential to utilize email designs that can be opened on mobile devices.

Utilize Analytics to Drive Performance Improvement

Utilizing analytics from your e-mail campaigns will provide you with insights into your future email campaigns so you can do a better job with your future email campaigns.

What’s Next For ConstantContact?

As email marketing continues to evolve, ConstantContact is continuing to evolve, too, and they have been tracking trends such as:

• Marketing automation tools powered with AI

• Advanced customer segmentation strategies

• E-commerce automation

• Omni-channel marketing plans

As digital marketing continues to be a competitive marketplace, ConstantContact and similar tools will support businesses in ultimately strengthening the connections between their businesses and their customers.

Conclusion

What exactly is Constant Contact?

Constant Contact is an email and digital marketing platform that offers businesses a way to develop a relationship with their customers through effective email marketing campaigns, automated processes, and a variety of marketing tools.

As one of the most trusted solutions on the market today, Constant Contact has many beginner-friendly features to assist small businesses and other types of organizations with developing email marketing campaigns, including outstanding delivery and return rates.

In addition to great email marketing capabilities, Constant Contact offers small business owners, non-profit organizations, bloggers, and entrepreneurs, with tools they can use to create a positive brand image, generate leads and sales, and increase the number of engaged customers.

By implementing the strategies outlined throughout this eBook and using the features available in Constant Contact, businesses will be able to significantly improve their overall marketing and customer relationship management activities, thus bringing about increased operational efficiency and profitability, resulting in increased long-term growth.