If you’re searching for an email marketing platform that blends simplicity with powerful features, Constant Contact might have caught your eye. But is it worth the hype? After six months of using this tool for my small business, I’ve gained a deep understanding of its strengths, weaknesses, and quirks. Let’s dive in.
In this article, I’ll take you through everything you need to know about Constant Contact based on my experience. Spoiler alert: it’s not perfect, but it might just be what you’re looking for!
Start Free Trail (No Credit Card Required)
Table of Contents
1. What is Constant Contact?
2. Easy Setup and Interface
3. Email Marketing Features
4. Automation: Simple but Effective
5. List Segmentation and Management
6. Templates and Design Flexibility
7. Reporting and Analytics
8. Pricing: Is it Worth the Cost?
9. Customer Support and Resources
10. Who Should Use Constant Contact?
1. What is Constant Contact?
Constant Contact is an email marketing platform that helps businesses and individuals create, manage, and send email campaigns. While email marketing might seem like a crowded space with tools like Mailchimp and ConvertKit, Constant Contact has stood out for years, especially among small businesses. It’s known for its easy-to-use features, excellent support, and comprehensive tools to help you manage your marketing campaigns.
But, like any tool, it’s important to understand if it’s a good fit for your needs.
2. Easy Setup and Interface
One of the first things I noticed when I started using Constant Contact was how user-friendly the platform is. Signing up is a breeze, and I was up and running in no time. The dashboard is clean and intuitive, making it easy for beginners to find what they need without feeling overwhelmed.
It reminded me of getting into a new car—the controls are familiar, the layout makes sense, and I didn’t feel the need to constantly look up tutorials to figure out basic features. This is especially helpful for non-tech-savvy business owners who don’t want to spend hours learning a new system.
3. Email Marketing Features
Constant Contact offers a wide range of email marketing features that cater to both beginners and experienced marketers. You can build emails from scratch, customize templates, or even create campaigns designed for specific industries like retail, nonprofits, or event organizers.
The drag-and-drop editor is super easy to use, but it’s not overly simplistic. You can adjust fonts, colors, and layouts while seeing real-time previews of your email. The platform also allows for advanced features like A/B testing, which was a game-changer for improving my open and click rates.
One cool thing? You can embed surveys and polls directly into your emails to engage with your audience—something I found really boosted my interaction rates.
Start Free Trail (No Credit Card Required)
4. Automation: Simple but Effective
Automation is where email marketing platforms can save you hours of work—and Constant Contact doesn’t disappoint. While its automation tools aren’t the most advanced compared to something like ActiveCampaign, they are more than sufficient for small businesses.
I’ve set up welcome sequences for new subscribers, drip campaigns for my blog content, and even abandoned cart emails for my e-commerce store. These automations run smoothly and are easy to configure without needing a tech background.
That being said, if you’re looking for complex, behavior-based automation, you might feel a little restricted here. The automation isn’t as deep or intricate as some other platforms offer. But for most small businesses, it’s more than enough.
5. List Segmentation and Management
Segmenting your email list is critical for sending relevant, targeted emails that increase engagement. Luckily, Constant Contact makes this pretty simple. You can segment your audience based on a variety of factors—geographic location, previous interactions with your emails, purchase history, and more.
For me, segmenting by engagement level made a massive difference in my campaigns. I created one segment for highly engaged subscribers and another for those who hadn’t opened my emails in a while. The result? My open rates skyrocketed once I started tailoring content to specific groups.
One downside? I noticed it lacks some of the granular segmentation options that more advanced marketers might crave. However, for the majority of users, the available segmentation options will be just fine.
6. Templates and Design Flexibility
Now, let’s talk about design. Constant Contact offers hundreds of email templates that are pre-designed and mobile-responsive, which is great because half the battle is getting your email to look good on both desktop and mobile.
In my experience, the templates are easy to customize, but there is a bit of a trade-off here. While they’re polished and professional, they’re not as modern as I’d like. Think of them as reliable—but not necessarily the most cutting-edge. If you want fully custom designs, you might feel a bit limited.
Still, if you’re not a designer, these templates can save you a lot of time. And hey, they work—they get the job done!
7. Reporting and Analytics
When it comes to tracking the success of your campaigns, Constant Contact does a good job but isn’t necessarily exceptional. The platform offers real-time analytics on open rates, click rates, bounce rates, and more. You can quickly spot trends and adjust your strategy on the fly.
What I particularly liked was the ability to track how different segments of my audience were performing. This helped me refine my targeting and improve results. However, if you’re a data nerd who loves deep-dive reports with tons of customization, you might find yourself wanting a bit more.
For small businesses though, these analytics are more than adequate.
Start Free Trail (No Credit Card Required)
8. Pricing: Is it Worth the Cost?
One of the first things people ask in a Constant Contact review is: How much does it cost? Constant Contact pricing starts at $12/month, and it scales based on the number of contacts you have.
In terms of value, I think the pricing is fair but not the cheapest option out there. If you’re just getting started with email marketing and don’t need tons of bells and whistles, this pricing is reasonable for the features you get.
That said, the more contacts you add, the pricier it becomes, which is something to keep in mind as your business grows.
9. Customer Support and Resources
Constant Contact has a great reputation for its customer support, and based on my experience, that reputation is well-earned. Whether I reached out through email, live chat, or by phone, I always got timely, helpful responses.
They also offer tons of tutorials and resources for those who prefer to figure things out on their own. I remember struggling with a feature and finding a step-by-step video that cleared things up in minutes.
This level of support is one of the reasons why many small businesses stay loyal to Constant Contact—they make sure you’re not left hanging when you need help.
10. Who Should Use Constant Contact?
Now, who is Constant Contact really for? Based on my experience, it’s ideal for small to medium-sized businesses, nonprofits, and event organizers who need a reliable, easy-to-use email marketing platform.
If you’re just starting with email marketing, Constant Contact will give you all the tools you need without overwhelming you. If you’re a more advanced marketer or running a large-scale business, you might find the platform’s limitations a bit restrictive, especially with automation and segmentation.
However, if you want a platform that you can get up and running without needing a tech team, Constant Contact might just be the right fit.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Is Constant Contact good for beginners?
A: Yes! Constant Contact is very beginner-friendly with an easy-to-use interface and simple setup. You don’t need any prior experience with email marketing to get started.
Q: Does Constant Contact offer free trials?
A: Yes, Constant Contact offers a 60-day free trial, giving you plenty of time to explore the platform before committing.
Q: How does Constant Contact compare to Mailchimp?
A: Both platforms offer similar features, but Constant Contact is generally seen as more user-friendly with better customer support. Mailchimp has more advanced features like better automation, but it can be more complex to use.
Q: Can I use Constant Contact for SMS marketing?
A: Yes, Constant Contact recently added SMS marketing to its platform, allowing you to reach customers via text messages as well as email.
Q: Is there a limit to the number of contacts I can have?
A: No, there is no strict limit, but pricing will increase based on the size of your contact list. The more contacts you have, the higher the pricing tier you’ll need.