Constant Contact is a popular choice for small businesses seeking to enhance their email marketing efforts. Renowned for its reliability and effectiveness, Constant Contact has earned a reputation as a trusted solution for engaging audiences through email campaigns.
However, like any email marketing platform, Constant Contact has its own set of strengths and weaknesses.
In this blog post, we’ll delve into Constant Contact’s pros and cons, features, and performance to help you determine whether it’s the right fit for your company.
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Constant Contact Overview
Constant Contact distinguishes itself by offering a comprehensive suite of features designed to meet the diverse needs of small business owners in the digital marketing landscape.
In addition to its core email marketing functionality, Constant Contact provides users with an array of additional tools and channels to expand their reach and engagement.
One notable feature is its integration of SMS marketing capabilities, allowing businesses to complement their email campaigns with text messages for more immediate and direct communication with their audience.
This multi-channel approach enables businesses to connect with customers across various touchpoints, enhancing brand visibility and customer engagement.
Furthermore, Constant Contact recognizes the growing significance of social media in modern marketing strategies.
Through its social media marketing tools, users can seamlessly create and schedule posts across popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, streamlining their social media management efforts and ensuring consistent branding and messaging across channels.
Moreover, its mobile application provides convenient access to email campaign management tools, allowing users to monitor performance, create and schedule email marketing campaigns, and engage with their audience — all at the tip of their fingers.
This flexibility and accessibility enable business owners to manage their marketing initiatives efficiently, even when they’re away from their desks.
Let’s now explore the pros and cons of Constant Contact.
Pros of Constant Contact
Let’s first take a look at the advantages of using Constant Contact for your business.
User-friendly interface
Constant Contact excels in providing a user-friendly platform that doesn’t require extensive technical expertise.
Its intuitive design makes it easy for users to navigate the various features and functionalities without feeling overwhelmed.
Users can design email campaigns with no coding or previous email marketing experience. It allows them to focus on crafting effective email campaigns rather than struggling with the tool itself.
Here’s what a user has to say:
Robust email templates and design options
With Constant Contact, users can access 100+ professionally designed email templates suitable for various industries and occasions.
These templates are visually appealing and highly customizable, enabling businesses to maintain brand consistency while tailoring their emails to suit specific campaigns and objectives.
Constant Contact offers templates to suit every need, whether a promotional offer, a newsletter, or an event invitation. Besides, these templates are designed to be responsive on every screen type.
Read also: Constant Contact vs Mailchimp and 14 Other Email Tools
Effective email deliverability
Constant Contact boasts an impressive track record when it comes to email deliverability rates. With stringent anti-spam measures and adherence to industry best practices, Constant Contact ensures that emails sent through its platform are likely to land in recipients’ inboxes rather than getting lost in spam folders.
This reliability is crucial for maximizing the reach and impact of email campaigns. Hear directly from the existing users:
Extensive integration capabilities
Constant Contact offers seamless integration across 300+ third-party software and services, allowing users to streamline their workflows and leverage additional tools to enhance their marketing efforts.
For instance, its direct integration with Canva allows users to create beautiful posts for emails, social media, and landing pages.
Similarly, it integrates with CRM platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot and eCommerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, enabling businesses to synchronize data, automate processes, and optimize their marketing strategies for better results.
Read also: What is Constant Contact? Constant Contact Review, Features, Cost, & Alternatives
Helpful customer support
Constant Contact prides itself on providing accessible and effective customer service to its users. They, in fact, have a good set of resources on their website that allows users to self-diagnose the issue.
Besides, they offer various support channels, such as live chat, phone, and email support, so that users can quickly find solutions to their queries and make the most of Constant Contact’s features.
Whether users encounter technical issues, need assistance with campaign optimization, or simply have questions about using the platform, Constant Contact’s knowledgeable support team is readily available to provide guidance and assistance.
Here’s what a user has to say about its support response:
Read also: Mailchimp vs Constant Contact — What’s Right for You?
Constant Contact Cons
Constant Contact is not perfect, though. We have meticulously listed out the most impactful disadvantages of using Constant Contact.
Constant Contact pricing
Constant Contact’s pricing model may pose a barrier for some small businesses.
Constant Contact has three pricing plans: Lite, Standard, and Premium. The Lite plan starts at $12 per month, and its Premium plan starts at $80 per month for up to 500 contacts. The price increases based on the number of contacts you choose.
They do not offer a free plan; however, you can use their 60-day free trial to determine if it aligns with your needs.
While Constant Contact pricing plans accommodate different business needs, some users may find the pricing relatively higher than competitors offering similar features.
The discrepancy in cost-effectiveness could deter budget-conscious businesses from fully embracing Constant Contact as their preferred email marketing solution.
Limited advanced features
Despite its user-friendly interface and robust feature set, Constant Contact may fall short in providing more advanced email automation, segmentation, and analytics capabilities than its competitors.
While the platform offers basic automation tools and segmentation options, users seeking more sophisticated functionalities may find Constant Contact’s offerings somewhat limited.
For instance, some users felt that the email marketing tool lacked advanced automation and customization options for email design.
The lack of advanced features for their price can be a downside for users considering using Constant Connect for their small businesses.
Read also: Constant Contact Review 2024: Pros, Cons, Features, Pricing
Complexity in cancellation
Some users have reported experiencing difficulties canceling their Constant Contact subscription or changing plans. The process for canceling or modifying subscription plans may be perceived as overly complex or cumbersome, leading to frustration among users who wish to discontinue or adjust their service.
This complexity in cancellation will have businesses think twice before choosing Constant Contact, especially if they anticipate the need for flexibility in their subscription arrangements.
Read also: Constant Contact vs. Mailchimp vs. EngageBay — Which Tool Is Better?
Conclusion
Our exploration of Constant Contact has revealed that the platform comes with both strengths and weaknesses, highlighting the importance of considering various factors before making a decision.
Constant Contact has a good reputation for reliability, user-friendly interface, and responsive customer support, including its SMS and social media marketing tools integration.
These aspects make it a compelling option for small businesses seeking to enhance their email marketing efforts.
However, we’ve also identified certain drawbacks, such as potential pricing concerns, limitations in customization options, and reported complexities in cancellation procedures. When considering Constant Contact as their email marketing solution, businesses should consider these factors.
Therefore, when evaluating whether Constant Contact is the right tool for their email marketing needs, small businesses should carefully weigh the following considerations:
Budget: Assess whether Constant Contact’s pricing aligns with your budget and offers sufficient value for the features provided.
Feature requirements: Determine if Constant Constact features, including automation, segmentation, and analytics capabilities, meet your business’s specific needs and growth objectives.
Ease of use: Consider Constant Contact’s user-friendly interface and mobile accessibility, ensuring that it can be easily integrated into your marketing workflow.
Flexibility: Evaluate the platform’s flexibility in adapting to your changing business requirements, including the ease of scaling up or down your subscription plan.
EngageBay is an all-in-one marketing, sales, and customer support software for small businesses, startups, and solopreneurs. You get email marketing, marketing automation, landing page and email templates, segmentation, drip campaigns, and so much more — making EngageBay an excellent Constant Contact alternative.
Sign up for free with EngageBay or book a demo with our experts.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What makes Constant Contact stand out from other email marketing platforms?
Constant Contact stands out from other email marketing platforms because of its user-friendliness, comprehensive feature set, SMS and social media marketing tools, and reliable reputation for customer support.
2. How does Constant Contact’s pricing compare to similar services?
Constant Contact’s pricing varies based on plan tiers and number of contacts, but it is considered costlier than its competitors. And if you need to go one contact above the normal range, it can get really expensive.
Moreover, Constant Contact has no free plan, but users can take advantage of a 60-day free trial to assess its suitability.
3. Can Constant Contact integrate with CRM and other business tools?
Yes, Constant Contact offers integration with popular CRM systems and a wide range of other business tools to streamline workflows and enhance data management.
4. What level of customer support can users expect from Constant Contact?
Constant Contact provides various levels of customer support, including phone, email, and live chat assistance, along with extensive online resources such as guides, tutorials, and webinars.
5. Are there any significant limitations in Constant Contact’s features for advanced marketing strategies?
While Constant Contact offers basic automation, segmentation, and analytics tools, some users may find its capabilities limited compared to more advanced marketing platforms.
6. How user-friendly is Constant Contact for beginners?
Constant Contact is known for its user-friendly interface and intuitive design, making it suitable for beginners without extensive email marketing software experience.
7. What are some common challenges users face with Constant Contact?
Some of the challenges experienced by users are pricing concerns, limitations in advanced features, complexities in cancellation procedures, or the learning curve associated with implementing certain marketing strategies.
8. Is Constant Contact suitable for all types of small businesses?
Constant Contact caters to a wide range of small businesses across various industries, but its suitability ultimately depends on individual business needs, budget considerations, and desired features.
