eMarketing: One-Stop Shop

When I was twelve, I lied about my age on a job application (I was supposed to be thirteen) to deliver newsletters and flyers door to door. The owner of the marketing service would pick me up in his van and we’d go to neighborhoods where his clients wanted to reach new and existing customers – Door2Door Marketing 1.0. This was the first experience that helped me understand the importance of marketing and how some companies communicated with their customers. Oh, how things have changed since then!

Today, if your company offers products or services, chances are they’ve sent out newsletters via some email marketing service to reach new and existing clients, not to mention hopping onboard the bandwagon of social media. With the evolution of Web 2.0 technology, Constant Contact and MailChimp are two email service providers (ESP) to emerge as leaders in the field of user-friendly marketing tools and services. Both ESPs offer small businesses, organizations, and individual professionals an array of services including email marketing, event marketing, social media marketing, and online surveys all in one place.

Though users of these services are conflicted about which is better – almost in the way of Apple vs. PC – both Constant Contact and MailChimp ultimately do the same thing; they help organizations connect with customers in a Web 2.0 world. The platforms are designed to develop e-newsletters using existing or customizable templates. They also offer easy, yet sophisticated, ways to manage email lists and contacts ensuring customers and subscribers will receive your information in their inbox, and not as spam or junk. In addition to giving newsletters a chic professional look, both services allow for integration with social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, and Pinterest, as well as providing reports to track the results of marketing campaigns.

Costs for the services range anywhere from free to $240 per month, depending on how many customers are contacted. Included with the services are help centers with live agents as well as application help wizards. With the growing demand to inform and connect with customers online, both Constant Contact and MailChimp provide an easy one-stop shop to promote your brand.