How to Use Constant Contact

Get the Most Out Of This Popular Opt-In Email Marketing Provider

Jul 15, 2009 Miranda Miller

Massachusetts-based Constant Contact, Inc. is one of the leading email marketing and survey software providers. Get the most of their free 60-day trial with these tips.

Opt-in email marketing allows businesses to connect with clients (or potential clients) on a regular and ongoing basis. The opt-in method of list building ensures that those people receiving the blast emails are already interested in the product or service, and are seeking more information.

Constant Contact Offers a Free 60 Day Trial

Starting a new online business can be expensive. Ecommerce entrepreneurs can take advantage of free trials, business software and discounts on B2B services to cut costs until the business is better established.

Constant Contact launched in 1998 and now provides survey and email marketing services to over 275,000 customers worldwide. They offer a free 60 day trial to give new users a chance to explore the benefits and features of their service, while working on building a list from their website or email campaign. No credit card is required.

Two Ways to Build a List with Free Constant Contact Trial

Free trial users can add an opt-in button or text link to their website's HTML code, or add a text link to a mass email sent to their existing contacts.

Constant Contact generates a string of code that even the least technically savvy e-commerce entrepreneurs can install. Clear instructions are given as to where the opt-in button code must be placed in the page's HTML. The system collects contact information according to the preferences set by the free trial user.

Tip: When setting the contact form fields, only ask for as much information as is absolutely necessary. Are home addresses and phone numbers needed for an email campaign? If not, don't ask.

Opt-In Email Marketing Simplified with HTML Email Templates

While Constant Contact's software is collecting information and building an email marketing list, the user can design customized emails, invitations, newsletters, and more using their HTML email templates. Simply choose a template and add content to create a professional document to send out to the list.

Tip: Create an HTML newsletter autoresponder (or a series of them) that automatically sends to new subscribers. Thank them for their interest and provide a few articles or tips to give something of value in thanks for their participation. This gives new sign-ups a taste of what type of information they can look forward to as a list member.

Organizing Email Blasts

Constant Contact allows users to organize and manage contact lists by setting a field for subscribers to check off which topics they are interested in. The email marketer can then design different newsletters or email blasts for different types of customers.

Email campaign materials can be prepared in advance and set to launch at a specific time and date. This ensures a steady flow of relevant content for subscribers.

Take Advantage of Free List Management Software and Email Marketing Advice

Constant Contact follows up new free trial subscriptions with a courtesy call to offer assistance in setting up a successful email marketing campaign. Several interactive tutorials and help documents online contribute to Constant Contact's accessibility. New e-commerce entrepreneurs will find this an inexpensive way to learn the ropes in email marketing.

For more information on different marketing strategies for online businesses, see Online Marketing Programs Defined.

The copyright of the article How to Use Constant Contact in E-Commerce is owned by Miranda Miller. Permission to republish How to Use Constant Contact in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.