Constant Contact Review: Features and Pricing 2021

In this Constant Contact Review, I look at the strengths and weaknesses of this email marketing software. I discuss in depth what each feature offers and who this software is best suited for. This review will give you a better overview of the overall product and help you make an informed decision.

Constant Contact Review
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Table of Contents

    Professionally Reviewed by:  Alex Gurevich
    Digital Marketing Expert

    Updated: 10/03/2021

    Written By Jason Rowse - Digital Marketing Expert


    Constant Contact in a NutShell

    Free Plan:No
    User Accounts:Basic and Plus accounts
    Segmentation and Geo:Yes
    Time-zone-based Delivery:Yes
    Free Trial:First Month Free
    Means of Use:Mobile, tablet, social media
    Industry:Advertising, events, eCommerce

    Constant Contact Video Review

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    Constant contact is assumed to be among the fastest growing, largest email marketing software providers on the market with currently over 600,000 customers and counting. Many customers praise constant contract for its versatility, unique selection of attractive templates and other advanced features.

    What is Constant Contact? 

    This is an email marketing software which aims at businesses which host in-person or online events. This software makes it easy to manage events by sending invites, registering participants and distributing tickets. Basic features offered include basic automation, integration, reporting and segmentation. 

    Constant Contact introduction

    Constant Contact Pros and Cons 

    PROS

    CONS

    • Event Management 
    • 91.5% Deliverability Rate 
    • Social media campaign integration 
    • Site and online store builder 
    • Basic Automation 
    • No Spam testing 
    • Premium pricing 

    PROS 

    • Event Management: It is a unique feature that offers ability to send email invites which match a brand's aesthetic. Additionally, a person can also see real-time registration, number of tickets sold and payments collected straight from the event page. 
    • Deliverability Rates:Constant Contact has best deliverability rates when compared to other email software providers. In order to have a successful email campaign, subscribers are needed for opening and reading emails. For this, emails need to reach a subscribers' inbox and not in the spam 
    • Social media campaign integration:This feature allows to create content for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. You can either post to an individual platform or set it to distribute a particular content piece over multiple Additionally, it allows to save time by creating a series of content that you can schedule for a later date.
    • Site and online store builder:Constant Contact has everything you need to build a beautifully designed eCommerce Not having to pay for an additional platform like Shopify or WooCommerce can save significant amount of money. Even though it is not incredibly advanced, it still gives you the option to have an online store while also paying for email marketing. 

    Constant Contact themes

    CONS

    • Basic Automation: This is a far more superior email marketing software which offers advanced automation. Unfortunately, Constant Contact isn't one of them. It will help set up basic automation. The automation is easy to use, where sometimes super-advanced automation is quite overwhelming and much time is spend figuring things out.  
    • No Spam testing:there is a feature which checks whether emails have any errors or missing links. To check if your emails are landing in your subscribers' inbox, 3rd party providers need to be integrated like Mailtester or Mailgenius
    • Premium Pricing:There certainly are other softwares which offers advanced features with better value for money. Unfortunately, Constant Contact doesn't offer a free plan and only gives 30-60-day free trial, depending on where you live.

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    Who is Constant Contact Good for? 

    Beginner-friendly software- Any beginner can easily navigate their way through the software and create a successful email campaign. The editor has some limited features, but it works fast. If you ever get stuck using the software, it offers an extensive library filled with video tutorials that take you step-by-step through the software.  

    If you are in a niche-specific industry- The software list segmentation isn't the most advanced but still allows the basics. If you are a business that has built a brand around one product, you will find it much easier to segment your list into people who want daily updates or people only looking to hear from you when you have a 20% OFF sale. 

    If you want a variety of template designs- Create templates from scratch or choose from over 240+ templates. You can even use one of their features that generates a template for you based on your website's colors and logo. Having a wide variety of templates to choose from is great since some softwares is lacking in this department. 

    Constant Contact is not recommended for:

    If you are on a tight budget- Constant Contact's entry-level plan offers 500 contacts. The price starts to climb once you add more contacts. This can be a considerable expense if you are a small business heavily focused on email marketing. 

    If you are focused on lead capturing- Their opt-in forms are very basic with minimal customization. You can't add more field options which means you will get little information. On top of that, there is a limit of 200 signups per day when using embedded forms. 

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    Constant Contact Deliverability (Rated: 3/5)

    The deliverability rates for Constant Contact are generally high, outperforming market leaders such as MailChimp and Aweber. However, I found that it only deserved a score of 3.

    Constant Contact has a deliverability rate of 91.5%, which is one of the highest in the industry, supporting time zone delivery to maximise the number of emails that are opened.

    Constant Contact Pricing (Rated: 4/5)

    The absence of a free plan does mean that Constant Contact is a pricer option, and there are systems with similar features for less. However, Constant Contact does offer great features and so receives a score of 4.

    Constant Contact does not offer a free plan and instead has a 1-month free trial. Both plans can send an unlimited number of emails, and the price changes with the number of contacts added. Email Plus includes the following features: eCommerce segmentation, polls, coupons, and online donations.

    Email:

    Starting at $20/month with a free 1-month trial

    (Price will varies based on the total number of contacts)

    • Unlimited emails
    • Customizable templates
    • Pop-up forms
    • List segmentation
    • Tracking and reporting
    • Apps and integrations
    • Google Ads
    • Landing pages
    • Ecommerce Marketing Basic 

    Email PLUS:

    Starting at $45/month with a free 1-month trial

    (Price will vary based on the total number of contacts)

    • All features of the basic Email plan
    • Ecommerce Marketing Advanced
    • Customizable pop-up forms
    • Subject line A/B testing
    • Event marketing
    • New customer consultation
    • Dynamic content
    • Automated email welcome series
    • Surveys and polls

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    Cancellation/Refund Policy

    For this you will have to directly contact the billing team by requesting a cancelation which can take up to 24 hours before they reply to you with an email confirming your cancelation. Constant Contact offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

    Constant Contact Key Features and Workflows

    Creating Email Campaigns

    Constant Contact’s email creation feature allows you to customize your emails that match your branding.

    The best part is that you can do so by simply entering your website’s URL.

    You also have the option to use their built-in templates alongside the drag-and-drop editor to get started. Even if using a template, you still have a lot of editing options such as adding images, videos, polls, and social sharing.

    • Emails Sent/Opened and Links Clicked– Constant Contact provides statistical reporting which offers deep insights into your campaigns. This includes the number of emails you sent, how many of them are opened, how many have their links clicked, and more. All these are viewable in a graphic display which you can see in your account. You also have the option to export into a spreadsheet based on the data you need.

    • Deliverability Rates and Delivery by Time Zone– Constant Contact has an impressive deliverability rate, even surpassing that of popular brands like MailChimp and AWeber at approximately 89%. It also supports time zone scheduling to allow you to deliver your emails across varying time zones.

    • Creating and Importing Email Lists– You can create your email list at Constant Contact with ease. You can include up to 50,000 subscribers, although it requires signing up for the most expensive plan at $335 per month. You can also import your current email list from Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, and various CRM tools. Alternatively, you can upload a file containing your email list in either XLSX, TXT, CSV, or XLS format.

      Creating a list with Constant Contact is easy. You can start by navigating to the “Contacts” section in the top menu. 
      Create a list with Constant Contact
      Next, you will click on the “Create List” button in the top right-hand corner.
      Create A new list
      After you named your list, you will be directed to a section where you can add contacts. You need to click on the “Add Contacts” option.
      Add Contacts
      You will then be given a few options to choose from. These options show the different methods by which you can upload or add new contacts. I chose the option to upload a file.
      Upload Contacts
      You will have to upload the file so that it will match the field names, so it is important to choose the right field names when you get to the next option.
      Choose field names
      Select what list you want these contacts to be added to and click “Upload”.
      Upload List
    • Split Tests and A/B Testing– Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any built-in automatic A/B testing feature in Constant Contact. However, there is a subject line A/B testing function, though you will have to manually create each campaign you wish to test. This can make it somewhat complicated for newer users, although it becomes easier once you’ve familiarized yourself with the process.

    • Personalization– Constant Contact does offer customizable templates which can be modified using unique fonts, colors and images. However, personalization is largely aesthetic, as it will only allow you to insert your contact details or a simple greeting.

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    Constant Contact Reporting and Analysis (Rated: 5/5)

    Constant Contact simplifies the reporting process by offering all key metrics in a single graph. This makes it easy to read and to understand, and so I give them a score of 5.

    Constant Contact Reporting

    Reporting is a key feature as it allows you to see the overall performance of your emails.

    Key analytics like sends, clicks, bounces, opens, and more are shown in a single graph.

    This allows you to easily compare each metric side by side in real-time. With every campaign you have, you will be able to see the more granular details which might affect their performance.

    • Engagement Reports– Constant Contact’s reporting tools give you immediate visibility into your campaign right after sending out your emails. You will be provided with a graphical view of all the important statistics like open rates, click rates, bounce rates, unsubscribes, did-not-opens, and more.

    • Heat Maps– The heat maps are a recent and useful addition to Constant Contact’s reporting and analytics. I find this helpful as it lets you know which parts of your email your subscribers are interacting with and make better decisions for future campaigns to improve your engagement rates.

    • Campaign Comparison Report– Aside from engagement reports and heat maps, you also get campaign comparisons at the left panel of your Constant Contact account. This lets you compare your campaigns to learn which of them are progressing well and which are producing the best results.

    • Segmentation– I’m glad that Constant Contact has a segmentation feature, although it does come with some limitations. Even so, you can segment your list through the use of tags to provide your subscribers with more relevant content.

    • Social Media Tracking– Constant Contact also offers social media tracking which allows to track social media statistics for your campaigns. Metrics such as the number of Likes, Shares, Tweets, Views, and more for your emails can be viewed in your dashboard. Recently new features like Social Stats were added to the software providing stats for how many emails or events have been shared on social media plaform. 

    • ROI Analysis– There’s no ROI tracking or analysis feature integrated into Constant Contact. This will make it harder for you to track your investment and figure whether you’re getting returns from your campaigns or not.

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    With Constant Contact, it is easy to find your reports. You can start by navigating to the “Reporting” section in the navigation bar.

    ConstantContact Reports

    From the drop-down, select a date range to view your email statistics during that time.

    Reporting timeline

    When your email stats are displayed, you will see an overview section where your spend, opens, and clicks are displayed.

    Email Stats Overview

    In the “Trends” section you can see how your numbers compare over time. 

    Trends Report

    In the “Campaigns” section, you can see how specific emails are performing in a specific time period.

    Campaigns Report

    Constant Contact Integration (Rated: 5/5)

    Constant Contact’s integration offering is broad, offering both free and paid integrations. These are useful for extending your marketing efforts. I give Constant Contact a score of 5.

    ConstantContact Integrations

    Constant Contact offers more than 400 apps and integrations that give you added functionality and connect to your existing workflows. As of now, Constant Contact has approximately 482 integrations, both free and paid.

    Additionally, Constant Contact has native integration with various e-commerce solutions, allowing marketers to process cart emails and more.

    There’s also integration to several event management tools like EventBrite.

    • Google Analytics – The software’s integration with Google Analytics allows users you to monitor how much traffic you’re getting from your email campaigns. It also details various other metrics that could help you improve your campaigns even further.
    • API Integrations – You can also create your own custom forms via Constant Contact’s API. I really like that it’s easy to use and lets you create your own forms by embedding the code on your own website. You can even customize its input fields and background color.
    • Integrations with eCommerce Tools – Constant Contact has one-click integrations to various major eCommerce tools like Magento, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Shopify. There are several hundred others that allow integration with just a single click.
    • CRM Integrations – Constant Contact also has one-click integration to several CRMs such as Zoho, Highrise, and more. This is very useful as it lets your marketing and sales team work collaboratively to create effective campaigns since they have access to relevant customer data.
    • Social Media Integration – You can quickly connect to your business’ social pages via Constant Contact’s social media integration tools. Through this, you can extend your social media reach and send highly targeted emails through various social media platforms.
    • Apps – As mentioned earlier, Constant Contact has a wide selection of app integrations. It even has a mobile application which can be handy if you want to check the performance of your campaigns using a mobile phone.
    • Plugins – Constant Contact also features a selection of plugin integration which increases the scope and abilities of the platform. Some of the well-known and highly useful plugins such as Facebook and Gmail plugins are available for free. However, some come with an additional fee.

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    Constant Contact Automation (Rated: 3/5)

    The Automation, while user friendly, is limited, earning a score of 3. If you are needing more advanced automation features, you may need to consider an alternative platform.

    Constant Contact Automation

    Compared to other email marketing software, Constant Contact has automation on a more basic level. This means that its automation capabilities are limited and only have a few trigger options offered including:

    • Click any link
    • Open the email
    • Click a specific link
    • Subscriber joining the list

    This is a drawback as a few of the email tools also feature options like “unsubscribe from a list” or “make a purchase”. Some of the tools have options for adding your campaigns to another list, send them via SMS or push notification, or place them in a segment.

    The interface is easy to use and navigate. To start email automation, you simply have to go to the Campaigns tab in the navigation menu. 

    Automation Campaigns

    Click on “Create” and select Email Automation from the list.

    Email Automation

    After this, you will click on the “Automated Series” option and name your Automation.

    Automated Series

    After you named your automation, you will select a trigger type. For this example, we are going to choose “A contact joins a list”.

    Automation List Type

    After this, you will choose the contact list you want to use with your Automation.

    Automation Contact List

    Now it is time to build your Automation! On your Automation dashboard, you will see, 1 - The trigger for your automation, 2 - The wait condition, and 3 - Your first email.

    Automation Dashboard

    To edit your wait condition, you will simply click “Edit” on the right side. You can choose to either “Send after a delay” or “Send immediately”.

    Wait Condition

    To edit your first email, you can click on “Create new email”.

    Edit Email

    The next step is where you will select a template. I chose to work with the “B2C Welcome” template.

    Choose your template

    After choosing your template, you will firstly edit your subject line and send details by clicking on them.

    Email Subject line

    To customize your email template is very straightforward. The drag and drop editor works exactly like in the previous section where we created an email campaign.

    After you customized and designed your email, you will continue with your automation setup. You can add another wait time and email to the sequence.

    When you are happy with your automation, you can click on “Activate” in the top right of your automation to make your automation live.

    Make automation Live

    Constant Contact Design and Ease of Use (Rated: 4/5)

    Constant Contact allows for simple and intuitive design and management of email campaigns, whether you are a beginner or more experienced, which earns it a score of 4.

    Constant Contact Ease-of-use

    Design-wise, Constant Contact is intuitive enough to make it easier for beginners to use. It’s created with simplicity in mind, featuring a drag-and-drop user interface and providing a wide selection of customizable templates you can use.

    Apart from that, you can also collect important information with ease, analyze real-time data and statistics, manage your email lists, create and monitor campaigns, and integrate with other third-party programs with ease. 

    • Drag-and-drop Interface– I really love Constant Contact’s drag-and-drop interface. It makes it easier to integrate various elements such as images, videos, texts, and buttons. It’s also surprisingly smooth compared to most drag-and-drop editors.

    • Landing Page Creator– You also have the option of creating custom landing pages with the tool’s landing page creator. You can customize them according to your preference and even add background images to represent your brand.

    • Email Templates– It was really surprising to find over 400 templates available for various types of messages. There’s also an easy-to-use template editor which lets you create your own template from scratch.

    • Sign Up Forms within Newsletter Tool– There’s also a Form Builder that lets you build your own Sign-Up form without the need for coding. You can choose from either a Pop-up, Inline, or a Landing Page form, each with its own different format.

    Try Constant Contact Now

    To create an email campaign on Constant Contact, you will navigate to the “Campaigns” option in the navigation bar and click to create an email.

    Create an email

    You will need to choose a campaign type and for this, we will choose to create an email campaign.

    Email Campaign

    You will be taken to the section where you need to choose a template to work on. I chose the “Basic Newsletter” template.

    Choose a template

    After you have chosen your email template and named your campaign, you will be taken to the section where you can customize your email as you wish. To edit a block in your email template, click on the block and select image.

    Customize Your Email

    If you want to add any additional elements to your template, on the left-hand side, you will find blocks that you can drag and drop into your template.

    ConstantContact Drag and Drop Editor

    When you are happy with your email design, you can click “save” to save your updates and once your template is customized to your liking, you can “Preview” the email, “Send a test” to yourself, and “Check for errors”. After this, you can click “Continue”.

    Preview Email

    You now have to choose the list you want to use to send your email out and fill out your sending details such as subject line, from name, from address and physical address.

    Email Information

    If you have a paid plan, you will have to option to schedule your email otherwise you can send it out when you are done.

    Send email

    Constant Contact Customer Service (Rated: 4/5)

    Constant Contact’s support team is available via a few channels, but they are limited in terms of their working hours and region. This earns them a score of 4.

    Constant Contact has a Help option located at the top navigation bar so you can access help whenever you need it. Their Knowledge Base has a wide variety of help articles and tutorials to help you whenever you encounter an issue. The company’s support team is available via telephone, though not 24/7. If you live outside the US, this means you may have to wait sometime to reach a customer support agent. In addition to that, they also provide their contact details for their billing, customer, and international customer support.

    Constant Contact Contact Info

    •     Australia – 1-800-290-803
    •     France – 0800-918-694
    •     Germany – 0800-151-6954
    •     India – 000-800-040-2304
    •     Spain – 900-958-714
    •     UK – 0808 234 9315
    •     US & Canada – 1-866-289-2101
    •     International – +1 781-472-8120

    You can also contact them via Twitter @ctcthelp during Saturdays and Sundays.

    Constant Contact Alternatives

    SendinblueIf Constant Contact's premium prices push you out of your spending limit, you can use Sendinblue’s email marketing software that offers a free lifetime plan with unlimited contacts with up to 300 emails per day. 

    Benchmark: This software offers similar features and is a much cheaper. Benchmark provides excellent support and an extensive resource library that you can use to navigate your way through the software. The library includes videos, webinars, and eBooks.

    Mailerlite: This is a beginner-friendly software with a generous free plan. Even though they are a newer software on the market, they offer advanced segmentation, with automation included in their free plan. 

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    My Verdict

    After testing the software, I found that Constant Contact is a valuable tool for small businesses looking to jumpstart their email marketing and online engagement.

    What I Liked about Constant Contact

    If you’re new to using email marketing services, then you’ll like Constant Contact. In fact, it’s my most favorite as far as ease of use and navigation go.

    Apart from that, I really liked its function which automatically scours your website to detect its color scheme and even find your logo as well as social media profiles. This can be really useful for customizing the template you want to use for your campaigns.

    Of course, you have the option of choosing from its over 400 selection of free templates.

    That aside, the availability of various help articles, customer support options, and a wide Knowledge Base makes it really for those who need answers with their questions. Lastly, its 400+ integration alongside native integrations are useful for extending the reach of your brand.

    What I Didn’t Like about Constant Contact

    Despite Constant Contact’s positive features, it’s not without its flaws. Among its many downsides is the lack of automated A/B testing.

    Also, its automation functions are quite limited. It has been designed for most beginners, although some of its plans have a high premium.

    Finally, even though it offers a free 30-day trial, you can find several email marketing programs that come with their own free plan as well.

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    Constant Contact FAQ

    1. How can I export contacts?

    You can easily export your contacts by heading to the Contacts menu in your dashboard. In the left sidebar, click on your contact or email lists. This will display all of your contacts alongside their email addresses on the right panel.

    Simply check the checkbox in order to export specific contacts.
    After that click:

    • Choose the export option
    • Choose the fields
    • Click at the Export Contacts option.
    • Click the Activity option

    Choose to download the exported contacts via Excel or CSV.  

    2. How can I delete an account?

    As of now, there’s no way to delete your account.

    However, you have the option to either Suspend or Cancel it.

    If you choose to Suspend, you can still access your contacts and view your reports, though other important features are not available.

    If you choose to cancel, you’ll no longer be able to use their services. Your monthly payment is stopped as well. However, you will have to contact the Billing Team to process the cancellation.

    3. Are there any other payment methods other than credit card and PayPal?

    Aside from credit cards and PayPal, you can also pay for the service using an e-check. For now, this service is only available for US bank accounts.

    4. Do they have discounts for prepayment?

    Prepayment plans provide discounts depending on how advanced payments are made. For prepayments which are 6 months’ advance, there is a 10% discount. For prepayments made 12 months ahead, 15% discount can be availed. For non-profit organizations, they can enjoy 20% and 30% discounts for 6 months and 12 months respectively.

    5. What happens if I want to send more emails then my current plan?

    Both Email and Email PLUS plans allow to send unlimited emails to your contacts. However, their basic prices are only limited to a maximum of 500 active contacts.

    If you send emails to more than that number, monthly charges will increase. Unlimited number of contacts can however be added.

    Only the active contacts are charged. Both plans allow a maximum of up to 50,000.

    6. Do they have training materials available?

    There are tons of educational video tutorials which helps go through the process of using the platform from creating your account to managing campaigns. These videos are available on Knowledge Base page.

    7. Do they accept marketing affiliate links?

    It has an affiliate program which rewards a person with one-time commission for each trial account opened using affiliate link and another one-time commission when a referral subscribes to a monthly paid service. There are no major requirements except that there has to be at least one trial referral every six months.