Item: Constant Contact
Rating: 1
Author: Stephanie Gaughen

Overall Satisfaction

Pros and Cons

Pros

You can build an application using the logic of Constant Contact and API. For example, we built an application for a client that uses ConstantContact to send automated emails to subscribers of an emergency notification service. The users don't see ConstantContact at all, but it's the coding that we could use to build the new application.

Cons

For email marketing, the templates were very frustrating to use. I have some background in graphic design so it was difficult to customize how I wanted newsletters and other emails to look. There was always little coding errors that prevented me from doing some type of formatting.

Return on Investment

ROI wasn't very strong for us and difficult to measure through ConstantContact alone. Now we use a complete automated marketing system where we have visibility over the contact through every digital touchpoint with us.

The needs of our marketing program have changed and we need a more sophisticated system. ConstantContact was good in terms of keeping a database of contacts for email marketing but the technology has run its course. People need a program that will do more things and give them more insight to consumer behavior. Email marketing is only one aspect of the marketing program. If you are using multiple software applications to run your marketing, it's difficult to measure that ROI. New marketing automation applications such as HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot, ExactTarget and many others are more expensive but much more useful.

Likelihood to Recommend

ConstantContact was considered a great tool a few years ago but technology innovation is rapidly advancing and ConstantContact never expanded their branding beyond email. Email marketing is only one digital marketing tool and its really not effective for a lot of people anymore. You have to do more and have more visibility over other digital outposts such as your website, blog, social media, organic search, paid ads, etc. I always recommend HubSpot as an all-in-one application.

Comments

Please log in to join the conversation

ConstantContact - Technology Has Run Its Course