myasmine

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Constant Contact, it is one of the leaders in e-mail marketing services. They allow small businesses to create and manage e-mail lists and professional looking newsletters. The site boasts to have serviced over 130,000 customers. The company went public earlier this month and nearly doubled its offering price on the first day.

We use the service ourselves at Team and a Dream and are extremely satisfied with it. However, I wondered what other companies offered the same service after I heard about the IPO. After talking to some of our clients and browsing through the web, I’ve compiled a list of seven alternatives to Constant Contact (in no particular order).

1. iContact – In addition to creating, sending and tracking e-mail newsletters, you can also create and send surveys, blogs, and RSS feeds. Prices start at $9.95 a month. This service charges you on the number of contacts you have - not the number of e-mails sent or a flat fee basis. They also offer a 20% discount to non-profits.
2. Zookoda – This site is exclusively for bloggers that want to e-mail posts to readers on a periodic basis. They offer template customization and scheduled recurring e-mails. In addition, they also offer deep reporting features to see what’s being read, clicked on, etc. The service is free and the company was recently acquired by PayPerPost.
3. Newsberry – Another e-mail campaign service that allows you to create your e-mail, send it to your list, and track the results. The difference is that they offer a pay as you go model – not a monthly subscription like Constant Contact.
4. ReachMail – The company services small businesses in addition to large enterprises. They also offer XML integration to keep your e-mails frequent and streamlined.
5. ennectMail – Also has a pay as you go model, charging five cents per e-mail. A unique feature I noticed here is what they call “HotPlots.” This shows you who your hottest prospects are, how well your e-mails are working, as well as your contacts participation over time.
6. MailerMailer – Offer a range of packages from free - where you can send 200 e-mail messages a month - to platinum for $349.95, where you can send up to 500,000 e-mails.
7. Emma – This company is praised for their customer service as well as their intuitive features. Their service includes custom designs, which are available for a fee. It is the only site I’ve seen that charges a one-time setup fee of $250.

If you’ve encountered or use a service we haven’t mentioned, please share your experiences with us by adding a comment below.