Constant Contact vs Gist: The Best Email Marketing Tool

Welcome to the ultimate face-off between two giants in the email marketing world – Constant Contact and Gist. As we step into 2024, the stakes are higher than ever for businesses to choose the right tool that not only delivers results but also aligns with their marketing strategies. In this comprehensive article, we’ll dissect each platform, compare their features, and help you decide which one reigns supreme for your email marketing needs. Let’s dive in!

User Experience and Interface – Navigating with Ease

In the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape, the user interface (UI) and overall user experience (UX) of an email marketing platform can significantly impact your workflow and productivity. Let’s compare how Constant Contact and Gist stand in this crucial aspect.

Constant Contact – Classic and User-Friendly

Constant Contact has been a familiar name in email marketing for years, and its interface reflects its rich experience. Designed for user-friendliness, the platform provides a straightforward and intuitive dashboard, making it accessible to users of all skill levels. From crafting your first email to analyzing campaign results, the process is smooth and hassle-free.

The platform’s email editor is a standout, offering a seamless drag-and-drop experience. This feature allows even those with no design background to create professional and engaging emails quickly. Constant Contact’s approach is to remove complexity and make email marketing as simple as possible, which it achieves with its clean layout and easy navigation.

However, for those seeking highly advanced customization or unique features, Constant Contact’s user interface might seem a bit too straightforward. While it excels in simplicity, it may not satisfy users looking for complex functionalities.

Gist – Modern and Feature-Rich

Gist, on the other hand, offers a more contemporary approach. Its interface is sleek and modern, catering to the needs of tech-savvy marketers who are looking for advanced functionalities. The platform combines email marketing with other tools like live chat and marketing automation, making it a comprehensive solution.

While Gist provides a range of advanced features, its interface is designed to be intuitive. The dashboard is well-organized, making it easy to navigate through various features. However, the sheer range of functionalities might be overwhelming for beginners or those who prefer a more streamlined approach.

Gist’s email editor offers flexibility and a host of customization options, which is great for creating tailored emails. However, this might require a steeper learning curve compared to Constant Contact’s more straightforward editor.

Pricing

Constant Contact

Email Plan: Starting at $20/month based on the number of contacts. Includes email marketing, customizable templates, and reporting.
Email Plus Plan: Starting at $45/month based on contacts, including additional features like automated email series, online donations, and surveys & polls.

Gist

Gist offers a range of tools including email marketing, live chat, and marketing automation.
Free Plan: Includes basic features with limits on the number of contacts and emails.
Professional Plan: Starting at $29/month when billed annually, includes full marketing automation, live chat, and other advanced features.
Premium Plan: Custom pricing based on the specific needs of a business, offering additional customization and dedicated support.

Automation Features – Streamlining Your Marketing Strategy

A crucial aspect of any email marketing tool is its ability to automate tasks, saving time and increasing efficiency. Let’s delve into how Constant Contact and Gist compare when it comes to automation capabilities.

Constant Contact – Automation Made Easy

Constant Contact excels in providing straightforward and effective automation features. The platform allows you to set up basic automated campaigns such as welcome series, birthday emails, and anniversary messages with minimal effort. These features are essential for maintaining regular contact with your audience and ensuring timely communication based on subscriber actions.

The simplicity of Constant Contact’s automation tools makes them highly accessible, even for those new to email marketing. You can easily create automated sequences, segment your audience, and personalize content without needing a deep understanding of complex automation logic. This ease of use is a significant benefit for small businesses or solo entrepreneurs who need efficient, hassle-free automation solutions.

However, for more advanced users looking for intricate, multi-level automation workflows, Constant Contact might fall a bit short. Its focus is on simplicity and effectiveness, which might not meet the needs of users seeking highly customizable automation paths.

Gist – Advanced Automation for Sophisticated Campaigns

Gist steps up as a formidable contender with its advanced automation features. The platform caters to those who require a more nuanced approach to email marketing. Gist offers a comprehensive set of automation tools that allow for the creation of complex, behavior-based email sequences.

With Gist, you can segment your audience based on a variety of criteria, trigger emails based on specific actions, and even integrate automation with other marketing channels like live chat and event tracking. This level of sophistication in automation is invaluable for creating personalized and dynamic email campaigns that resonate with your audience.

However, Gist’s advanced automation capabilities come with a steeper learning curve. Users who are not as familiar with automation concepts or who prefer a more straightforward setup might find Gist’s automation features overwhelming at first.

WinSavvy helps grow VC-funded startups digitally

Related: Check out our free SEO suite

Integration Capabilities – Connecting Your Marketing Tools

In today’s digital marketing world, the ability of your email marketing tool to integrate with other applications can dramatically enhance the effectiveness of your campaigns. Let’s assess the integration capabilities of Constant Contact and Gist.

Constant Contact – A Hub of Integration

Constant Contact offers a wide range of integration options, allowing it to seamlessly mesh with various CRM systems, e-commerce platforms, social media networks, and other essential marketing tools. This extensive integration ecosystem ensures that Constant Contact can adapt to your existing marketing stack, enhancing your overall strategy.

The platform’s integrations are user-friendly, making it easy for those without extensive technical knowledge to connect their various business tools. This simplicity is particularly beneficial for small businesses or individuals who might not have the resources for complex integrations.

However, while Constant Contact provides a broad spectrum of integrations, the depth of some of these may not satisfy users with specialized or advanced integration needs. It’s a great choice for standard, widespread integration requirements but might fall short for more niche or custom integrations.

Gist – Focused and Functional Integrations

Gist, while offering fewer integrations than Constant Contact, focuses on providing functional and essential integrations that align with its core features. The platform offers integrations that enhance its capabilities in marketing automation, CRM, and customer support.

For users whose primary focus is on creating an integrated marketing and sales funnel, Gist’s targeted integrations provide the necessary tools to streamline their processes. This approach ensures that while the number of integrations may be fewer, they are highly relevant and add significant value to the platform’s core functionalities.

However, businesses or marketers looking for a broader range of integrations, particularly in areas outside of Gist’s primary focus, might find the options somewhat limiting. The platform is geared toward specific integration needs but may not cover as wide a range as more generalized email marketing tools.

Email Deliverability – Ensuring Your Messages Reach Their Destination

In the competitive landscape of email marketing, deliverability isn’t just a feature; it’s the cornerstone of a successful campaign. Let’s delve deeper into how Constant Contact and Gist ensure that your emails not only get sent but more importantly, get seen.

Constant Contact has built a robust reputation for its deliverability. This reputation stems from its consistent and reliable delivery rates, ensuring that emails reach subscribers’ inboxes effectively. The platform achieves this through a combination of cutting-edge technology and adherence to industry best practices. Constant Contact actively works to maintain strong relationships with internet service providers and stays updated on the latest email regulations, ensuring compliance and minimizing the risk of emails being marked as spam.

Moreover, Constant Contact empowers users to enhance their deliverability rates. The platform offers insights and guidance on creating compelling content, optimizing email subject lines, and maintaining a clean and engaged email list. These aspects are critical as they contribute significantly to improving overall deliverability. Constant Contact’s proactive approach in educating users on these fronts is a testament to its commitment to not just delivering emails, but also ensuring they achieve the desired impact.

On the other hand, Gist approaches deliverability with a keen focus on reliability and user responsibility. The platform incorporates reliable sending servers and follows best practices to maximize the chances of emails reaching their destination. Gist recognizes that deliverability is a shared responsibility. While the platform provides the necessary tools and infrastructure, it also places importance on how users manage their email campaigns.

Gist encourages users to adopt best practices in email marketing. This includes crafting engaging and relevant content, segmenting email lists effectively, and avoiding common spam triggers. By guiding users on these aspects, Gist aims to enhance the overall health of email campaigns, which in turn positively affects deliverability rates.

Constant Contact provides a comprehensive solution that combines advanced technology with user education, making it ideal for businesses that want a high level of support in achieving strong deliverability rates.
Gist, while offering reliable tools for deliverability, places more emphasis on user practices and campaign management, appealing to those who appreciate a more hands-on approach in optimizing their email marketing efforts.

Deliverability is more than just a technical feature; it’s about ensuring your message is heard. Both Constant Contact and Gist offer the tools and guidance to help you succeed in this critical aspect of email marketing.

Customer Support and Learning Resources – Navigating with Assistance

In the dynamic and often complex world of email marketing, having access to responsive customer support and comprehensive learning resources can significantly enhance your experience with a platform. Let’s compare how Constant Contact and Gist fare in supporting their users.

Constant Contact – Dedicated Support and Extensive Resources

Constant Contact is known for its strong focus on customer support. The platform offers multiple channels for assistance, including phone, email, and live chat, ensuring that help is readily available when needed. The support team is noted for its responsiveness and expertise, capable of addressing a wide range of queries, from technical issues to strategic advice.

Beyond direct support, Constant Contact places a strong emphasis on education and knowledge sharing. The platform offers an extensive library of resources, such as detailed guides, webinars, video tutorials, and a regularly updated blog. These resources cover a wide array of topics, from basic email marketing principles to advanced strategies, providing valuable insights for users at all levels.

For businesses or individuals who value having robust support and comprehensive educational materials, Constant Contact offers an all-encompassing solution, ensuring that users are well-equipped to maximize their email marketing efforts.

Gist – Targeted Support with a Modern Twist

Gist, with its modern approach to email marketing, offers customer support that aligns with its platform’s capabilities. The support channels include email and live chat, with a team that is adept at handling both technical and strategic queries. Gist’s support is efficient and tailored to the needs of its user base, focusing on providing quick and effective solutions.

In terms of educational resources, Gist provides a range of learning materials, including an informative blog, how-to guides, and webinars. These resources are particularly beneficial for users looking to leverage Gist’s unique combination of email marketing, CRM, and automation tools. The content is geared toward helping users understand and make the most of Gist’s multifaceted platform.

While Gist’s support and resources are comprehensive, the focus is more on leveraging its specific set of features, which might be more aligned with users who have a clear focus on integrating their email marketing with broader marketing and sales activities.

Conclusion

Constant Contact stands out as a highly user-friendly platform, ideal for businesses of all sizes looking for a comprehensive and straightforward email marketing solution. Its strengths lie in its intuitive interface, extensive range of templates, robust automation features, excellent deliverability, and exceptional customer support. Constant Contact is well-suited for those who seek an all-in-one solution that combines ease of use with a rich feature set, making it a top choice for businesses that want a reliable, efficient, and supportive email marketing experience.

Gist, on the other hand, presents a more modern approach, integrating email marketing with CRM and automation tools. This platform is perfect for users who need advanced automation capabilities, targeted integrations, and a focus on sales and customer relationship management. Gist caters to the needs of tech-savvy marketers and businesses looking to leverage a multifaceted tool that goes beyond traditional email marketing. Its emphasis on a comprehensive marketing suite makes it a strong contender for businesses that aim to integrate their email marketing efforts with broader business strategies.

In making your decision for the best email marketing tool in 2024:

Opt for Constant Contact if you prioritize user-friendliness, comprehensive support, and a wide range of features that cater to various aspects of email marketing.
Choose Gist if your focus is on a modern, integrated approach that combines email marketing with CRM and automation, and you are comfortable navigating a more sophisticated platform.

Both Constant Contact and Gist are powerful tools in their own rights, and the best choice depends on your specific business needs, marketing goals, and technical expertise. Whichever platform you choose, remember that the success of your email marketing efforts hinges not just on the tool, but also on your strategy, content, and understanding of your audience.

Read next: