Constant Contact Vs. Mailchimp
Everyone who sends email can agree that picking the right email platform is a big decision.
In this review I will be going into all the details you should be looking at when comparing two of the most popular platforms - Constant Contact Vs. Mailchimp.
We will be taking a look at -
- Editors, ease of use along with features
- Flexibility and design
- Features
- Registration & Signup Forms
- Design Testing and Spam
- Reporting
- Deliverability
- Extras and Integrations
- Support
- Pricing
MailChimp is a program you probably have heard about before. Constant Contact, on the other hand? Maybe not so much.
Although both programs have been serving customers for the last 25 years (currently 500,000 users all over the world), Constant Contact’s market share is smaller (but growing!) in comparison to MailChimp’s.
In fact, MailChimp owns almost 63% of the market share. Despite Constant Contact being MailChimp’s second-biggest competitor, only 8.69% of the market uses it.
Editors and Simplicity
Both Constant Contact and MailChimp provide clear sections and easy navigation for users.
This is particularly beneficial to beginners, as well as individuals who don’t have a lot of time to allocate towards a learning curve about the backend. However, by contrasting one program against the other, you can see how Constant Contacts editor comes across as quicker and more modern.
Mind you, some of its advanced features take a bit of time to grasp at first. For instance, figuring out how to incorporate subscribers opt-ins took a little while for us).
Constant Contact & MailChimp’s navigation menus make creating a campaign very easy. You’ll be able to ensure that everything is doing what it is supposed to.
Several aspects of Constant Contact’s design come across as conventional (the contacts area, for example).
Flexibility and Design
Each program gives you several templates you can use to begin.
Constant Contact gives you 100, while MailChimp only gives you 80.
However, Constant Contacts templates are also broken down into categories (for example, notifications, newsletters, holidays, events, e-commerce, etc.).
Each program allows you to create a newsletter, and HTML can be used on both as well.
MailChimp gives you the option to import code either from a small zip file or a URL. It also closes the divide between templates and custom code.
Constant Contact provides layouts, which are essentially an empty canvas you can contribute content to, like text and pictures.
As far as template editing goes, Constant Contact gives you more options and versatility.
For example, more blocks of content are offered, allowing you to showcase things like product suggestions. You’ll also have the ability to get creative when it comes to displaying social media and pictures. Likes and shares can be added onto a page.
Lastly, each solution lets you save and reuse templates for your newsletters.
Features for Email Marketing
Constant Contact provides users with several autoresponders (which are essentially emails that are mailed to users during special occasions and/or whenever they decide to become part of your brand’s mailing list). You also have the option to add coupons and surveys.
Autoresponders and automation are an option (costly!) with MailChimp. They include solid features like campaigns that are triggered by a certain segment (consumers who show interest in one product will receive emails that consumers who have an interest in another product will not).
They also offer email sequences, which are ideal for sales funnel newsletters. The one thing that is lacking is a decent workflow view.
A/B testing is also an option in both Constant Contact and Mailchimp. You’ll have access to a few basic variables (for example, content, send time, or differing subject lines). For an extra fee, you have the option to try out multivariate testing as well.
Registration Forms
A subscriber list’s growth is really contingent on the form it is associated with. MailChimp allows you to make your form aesthetically pleasing when it is integrated into your website. You’ll be able to add customized feels, drag/drop current ones, and change their color (via the HEX color-coding wheel).
Constant Contact allows you to modify the background color, image banner, and font. You’ll only be able to use generic checkboxes if you need to add fields for a name, company, and the like.
Alternatively, QR codes can be created that creates a link to your submission form.
Design Testing and Spam
One key step to making sure that emails get sent to the inbox of your subscribers is to use an independent tool that Constant Contact & MailChimp provides known as “Inbox Preview.”
This tool allows you to showcase a newsletter on various devices for email clients.
Reporting
Measuring the success of your newsletter is important. Constant Contact can tell you who opened up your emails. You can also integrate Google Analytics into the program to optimize tracking conversions.
These things are also offered in both Constant Contact & MailChimp, in addition to features like click maps, social network reports, and geo-tracking. They also provide users with an e-commerce conversion feature that allows you to track products purchased from your store.
Deliverability
The deliverability of your email is a key metric that is used to quantify how successful your email campaigns are. An email will be considered delivered if it doesn’t go undelivered or is sent to a spam folder.
The undisputed winner for deliverability is Constant Contact.
It is because of this feature we recommend all small and medium size business to start with Constant Contact
Extras and Integrations
MailChimp & Constant Contact provide users with many different integrations. They can be used for all sorts of things, including website and social media integrations, ecommerce, and others.
MailChimp & Constant Contact provide the following integrations: WordPress, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Salesforce, and WooCommerce. Unfortunately, you cannot integrate MailChimp with Shopify anymore. You can still integrate Constant Contact with Shopify, though.
Support
Chat help is available for MailChimp during regular business hours. Email support is available 24/7. Those who use the free plan will be able to get a month’s worth of support when getting started.
That’s all they get, though.
MailChimp’s customer service is helpful, but the response time can be a little slow.
Constant Contact also offers phone and chat support during regular business hours. They also review Twitter and community forums on weekends, and will respond to urgent matters posted on those platforms.
Their customer support rated much higher than MailChimp’s. Further, the knowledge base and documentation are extensive.
They also have a bit of a frustrating cancellation process. You’ll actually need to phone their customer support team, as opposed to just canceling your account over the Internet.
Pricing
The free plan offered by MailChimp is quite generous, though the features that you get with it are limited. Unfortunately, things can get pricey. Regardless, a pay-per-use option is on the table for users.
No free plan is offered by Constant Contact, though they do allow you to try them out for two months. If you decide to use their services, you’ll quickly realize why the customer service is top rated.
