Email marketing is highly recommended in modern digital marketing strategies. It offers a direct communication with audience. It is fruitful for a seasoned marketer and even to those who are just starting out. However, selecting the right email marketing software is important. Let us explore here the two most popular options: Constant Contact and Mailchimp. Let us delve into Mailchimp vs Constant Contact discussion and find out the key features of Mailchimp and Constant Contact as both are among the most popular email marketing platforms for small businesses. Choosing an email marketing service is now easy with these.

Overview

Constant Contact and Mailchimp appears similar as both provide required tools to create, send and analyze email campaigns. However, each has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Constant Contact is made for beginners. It offers simple features, ready-to-send templates and accessible phone support. It is ideal for small businesses and marketers.

Mailchimp is made for experienced marketers who basically look for advanced features such as detailed reporting, A/B testing and extensive automation capabilities. It is equipped with flexible and robust features and these help businesses in scaling their email marketing efforts.

Pricing

Mailchimp is comparatively affordable. Its pricing is low for those who have smaller email lists. It also comes with a free plan and includes up to 500 contacts and 1,000 email sends per month. Hence, it is an excellent choice for startups and small businesses.

Constant Contact lacks free plan. However, it offers a 60-day free trial. New users can explore the platform in the trial period before opting for a paid plan. The pricing depends on the number of contacts and the features needed.

User Interface and Experience

Mailchimp’s New Email Builder

One key feature of Mailchimp is its new email builder. It basically simplifies the email creation process. Users can edit content directly by clicking on each block. This speeds up the design process. The undo and redo buttons is appreciated and especially to those who are prone to making changes on the fly.

Constant Contact’s Email Builder

The email builder of Constant Contact is comparable to the older version of Mailchimp. It is equipped with a drag-and-drop interface. Users can add text blocks, images, buttons and more from the sidebar. The method is straightforward but lacks seamless integration and ease-of-use compared to the new builder of Mailchimp.

Templates

Constant Contact

Constant Contact is rich in ready-to-send templates library. The templates cover a wide range of occasions and themes. The templates make it easy for those users who have limited design skills to create professional-looking emails. It has a template for almost every event. Hence, it is beneficial for small businesses to produce high-quality emails quickly.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp too is equipped with a variety of themes. However, the themes are not specific or in great number compared to that of Constant Contact. The templates here are more modern and visually appealing. However, they lack extensive holiday and event-specific options. Both the platforms allow coding customized templates.

List Management

Effective email marketing relies segmentation and personalization in communications with audience.

Constant Contact

Constant Contact offers basic segmentation tools and allows users to organize their audience using Lists, Segments and Tags. The simplicity makes it easy for beginners as they can easily manage their contacts.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp offers advanced segmentation capabilities. Apart from Lists, Segments and Tags, it also allows users to create Groups based on customer interests and preferences, which are often captured through sign-up forms. The feature enables more precise targeting and personalization.

Its segmentation tools are comparatively more flexible and come with a steeper learning curve. However, the advanced segmentation is available with Standard or Premium plans.

Reporting

Analytics are critical for understanding the success of email campaigns.

Constant Contact

Constant Contact offers simple and intuitive reporting interface. Users can view essential metrics such as open rates, click-through rates and bounce rates easily with the help of bar charts. The approach is straightforward and is perfect for beginners.

Mailchimp

The reporting features here are more advanced and provide users with detailed insights through charts and graphs. The Content Optimizer analyzes email content and offers recommendations. Comparative Reports allow users to track and compare multiple campaigns.

Its robust reporting tools cater to analytics-obsessed marketers who want to delve deep into their data. However, the features are pricey and this could be a drawback for some users.

A/B Testing

A/B testing is an important feature for optimizing email performance.

Constant Contact

Constant Contact supports basic A/B testing. However, it is limited to subject lines. Subject line testing helps in improving open rates. However, experienced marketers may find the limitation frustrating.

Mailchimp

A/B testing capabilities here are far more extensive. Users can test various elements such as subject lines, send times and content. The Send Time Optimizer feature calculates best time to send emails based on past engagement. The Timewarp feature ensures that emails are sent at the optimal local time across different time zones. The features make Mailchimp a powerful tool for those who are looking ahead to maximize email marketing effectiveness.

Automation

Automation is the key in managing email campaigns efficiently.

Constant Contact

Constant Contact offers basic automation features. It features include single-step automations for welcome emails, birthdays and anniversaries. Users can even set up multi-step automations based on triggers. It facilitates integration with eCommerce platforms and this allows abandoned cart reminders. It is a valuable feature for online retailers.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp’s automation capabilities are more sophisticated, with over 40 pre-built customer journeys. These include shipping confirmations, drip campaigns, split test emails, and more. The Customer Journey Builder, available with the Essentials plan, allows users to create custom workflows tailored to their specific needs. This flexibility makes Mailchimp a standout choice for businesses looking to leverage advanced automation in their email marketing strategy.

AI Features

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is gradually becoming increasingly important in email marketing.

Constant Contact

Constant Contact has lately introduced an AI Content Generator. It uses GPT technology to create email content. The feature is a good starting point. However, it has limitations. Users can only choose from three format options or five tone options. The tool is separate from the email builder.

Mailchimp

The AI features here are more comprehensive. It includes send time optimization, predictive segmentation and product recommendations. The Creative Assistant generates branded designs. It is good but still requires more refinement to make it better. However, the overall AI capabilities are more advanced.

Customer Service

Reliable customer support can make or break your experience with email marketing software.

Constant Contact

Constant Contact excels in customer service. It offers phone support and live chat. It is good for new customers. The support team makes call or sends email after setting up an account with some helpful marketing tips.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp provides robust support through its extensive Help Center. It is equipped with well-written articles and tutorials. Its live chat support is available on weekdays. However, its email support is offered 24/7 for paid accounts. The free accounts are entitled for such support within 30 days of opening. The phone support is only made available to the Premium plan accounts.

Additional Features

Both platforms offer features beyond standard email marketing.

Landing Pages

Both the platforms provide landing page builders. However, the builder of Mailchimp is free for all users. It is useful for creating targeted landing pages for specific campaigns or promotions.

Social Media Tools

Both the platforms offer tools for managing social media posts. Mailchimp allows connecting to their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. Constant Contact extends the functionality to LinkedIn too.

Ads

Both the platforms provide tools for designing Facebook and Instagram ads. Hence, users can extend their reach beyond email marketing.

Surveys and Polls

Customer feedback is crucial. Hence, both the platforms offer survey tools and these can be embedded directly into emails. The feature helps marketers in gathering valuable insights from their audience.

Verdict

Now it is time to wrap up the discussion that is mainly focused in Mailchimp vs Constant Contact. We have understood various features of Mailchimp and Constant Contact in this article and it is believed choosing an email marketing service is easy. Both the email marketing platforms for small businesses are versatile and rich with features. However, deciding between the two depends on specific needs and experience level in the segment.

Constant Contact is an excellent choice for beginners and small businesses. Its interface is user-friendly and comes with extensive template library. It provides strong customer support. Its reporting approach is straightforward.

Mailchimp is better for experienced marketers and businesses who are looking ahead to scale their email marketing efforts. Its comes with various advanced features such as detailed reporting, extensive A/B testing, sophisticated automation and robust AI tools. It also offers a level of customization and precision. However, the features come with a higher price tag.