Email Marketing Software - A Review of Two Popular Services
by Brandon Cornett
When it comes to web-based email marketing software, IntelliContact and Constant
Contact are two of the most popular providers.
I've used both for my email marketing campaigns, and while both are quality
products I lean more toward IntelliContact. (For the sake of simplicity, I'll
refer to them as I.C. and C.C. from here on out.)
Both are entirely web-based, which means you don't have to install the software.
Rather, you log into your account, prepare your email marketing message or
newsletter, broadcast it, and let the service handle the rest. Using a hosted
form of email marketing software (like these two) has its advantages. There's
nothing to install, and nothing to update or maintain.
At first glance, cost is the most noticeable difference between these email
marketing providers. IntelliContact comes in a few dollars less per month than
Constant Contact (as of this writing).
But the big difference in my opinion is usability. While both are relatively
easy to use, I found C.C. to be more challenging, with more of a learning curve
to overcome. For me, I.C. was more accessible and navigable. I could find things
quicker with I.C., especially my first time using their email marketing
software.
Keeping customers informed is another area where I.C. excels. Both companies
offer plenty of "how to" tips on email marketing, but I.C. goes beyond that by
providing industry news. They seem to be in regular contact with the big
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in order to maintain good relations, and they
do a good job keeping their customers in the loop.
Conclusion
Though IntelliContact is my personal choice, anyone interested in web-based
email marketing software and service providers would do well to evaluate both
companies.
* Copyright 2006, Brandon Cornett. You may republish this article if you retain
the byline, author's note, and the active hyperlinks.
About the Author: Brandon
Cornett manages the Software Learning Center, a holy shrine for software geeks
looking for independent
software articles and advice.
Online at:
http://www.LearnAboutSoftware.com.
Source of this article:
www.goarticles.com
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