MAIL CHIMP VS. CONSTANT CONTACT

E R I N S M U L E V I T ZA L A N ’ S B A K E R Y

A U G U S T 3 0 T H , 2 0 1 6

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Background

• Business objectives/needs

• Target Audience

• Strategy/Tactics

• Comparison

• Summary/Final Recommendation

BACKGROUNDAs we know, Alan's is a popular, and one of the best known, Deli/Bakery/Confectionary restaurants located in the Metro Atlanta area with 10 locations. Restaurants are located near offices downtown and near the northern suburbs. Alan's is popular during the breakfast and lunch hours of the day. We want to reach out to repeat customers (200k) via email campaigns using a robust analytics package. The best way to do this is to create an email program where we can stay in touch with our customers.

BUSINESS OBJECTIVES/NEEDSThe objective is to encourage repeat business using an email program where Alan's can stay in touch with their customers.

An easy to use interface with templates that show off Alan's brand in the best, most professional way.

A robust analytics package that will allow insights into marketing efforts.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Repeat customers

Brides

Customers who purchased specialty cakes or desserts

STRATEGY/TACTICSSend out emails that include: • Menu Specials of the day/ Ability to place order online• Reminder about catering options for 10+ people • Send special emails targeting brides for wine/cake tasting parties • Invite VIPs to “best customer events” • Offers to cater office Christmas parties, summer picnics, etc.

Send out emails twice a week to the lunch crowd (200,000)

Segment brides based on wedding month and send 12 emails per campaign

Send out a special email to customers who have purchased specialty cakes or desserts, reminding them that an anniversary of their special day is coming and that Alan's can help them celebrate

LET’S COMPAREFeatures MailChimp Constant Contact

Segmentation Target customers based on behavior, preferences, and previous sales. Trigger a series of emails with a single API request. Use our built-in segmentation to build custom rules.

Contact lists. Can add contacts to list and they will receive emails when scheduled

Price 185,001-200,000: $875/monthPro Marketer: add one time fee of $199 (automation)

150,001-200,000: $895/month

Reporting Monitor sales and website activity with revenue reports, and inform your email content with purchase data using Google Analytics. Many reporting features. Interactive graphs, trends, activity, revenue, location, bounces, unsubscribes, industry comparison, domain preference, click maps

Opening, clicking, and sharing your emails and social posts in real time. Engagement report, revenue report, contact growth report, mobile open rate.

Easy to use interface

Drag and drop designer. Templates. Integrates with the apps and web services you use every day

Templates, drag and drop interface. Upload lists from Excel, Gmail, and Outlook

Customer service/Support

Hard to find a phone number. Have to login to receive support. Many FAQs and blog articles on site.

Call, email, chat. Seminars and training (online and in the neighborhood). Blog

Other Features E-commerce integration. Collaboration options. Suite of mobile apps let you check reports, add notes to a contact, or send a campaign —no matter where you are. Integrate with popular apps and services like Salesforce, Eventbrite, Google, Twitter, Facebook, Shopify, and SurveyMonkey.

Personalized emails, schedule automatically for birthdays or milestones. Suggest captions and images when you post to social media

SUMMARY AND FINAL RECOMMENDATIONBoth MailChimp and Constant Contact are great email programs to reach out to our repeat customers. Both programs have their pros and cons.

MailChimp ProsPrice: $199 + $875/monthReporting: More reporting features, integrates with Google AnalyticsEasy to Use: Drag and drop designer. Templates. Integrates with the apps and web services you use every dayOther Features: Offers many features. Integrates with other programs such as SurveyMonkey, Google Analytics, and Salesforce

Constant Contact ProsSegmentation: Update contacts list real timeCustomer Support: Call, email, chat. Seminars and training (online and in the neighborhood).

Final Recommendation

Overall the pros outweigh the cons using MailChimp. The price is better. Ultimately, you are getting more bang for you buck. It’s a very easy to use interface because of the drag and drop features and integrations with other web services we use every day. MailChimp integrates with Google Analytics which would help us monitor website and mobile traffic and integrates with Salesforce, a great CRM program.

At my past internship we have used MailChimp for our demand generation team. MailChimp gave the company a seamless, easy way to send out email campaigns and many drip email campaigns. My past company also used it for our weekly marketing updates. Their template was simple and easy to follow and was very easy to duplicate each week.