Question for Those That Use Constant Contact

[FHL]

Do you use one of the newsletter templates they provide? I signed up for my free trial but quite frankly I am lost. Does it just take a while to get used to?

 

[chefann]

I use the newsletter template from the "Restaurant pack." It just takes a little to get used to how to put together the emails. But once you get the hang of it, you can do some really nice ones. There are also some good ones in the Holiday section that can be used this time of year. I just sent one based on one of the Thanksgiving templates to my list.

 

[ltkacz]

I typically use the newsletters from the Restaurant pack, but sometimes I'll take a format from someplace else and adapt

 

[FHL]

ok - thanks ladies. That will be my obstacle to tackle for the weekend.

 

[chefmeg]

I have a question regarding Constant Contact~how do I get them my emails? I have waaaay too many contacts to individually type them all out~is there a way to upload me address book thru my internet provider to Constant Contact?

TIA

 

[ltkacz]

You can upload your contacts - it's really easy. The system walks you through it

 

[Chef Kearns]

I tried it for awhile and didn't like it. I never got the hang of it and thought it was too complicated. However, there are plenty of people who love Constant Contact, so you might like it. I use Benchmark Emails now and have like that service. I found it gave me more independence and was more customizable than the C-C.

 

[chefmeg]

do I have to use their templates or can I make emails of my own and use C-C to send them?

This is what I have been doing~I have groups of 7-8 people per group (I have ALOT of groups) and I make one email and then cut & paste the body of text into enough for each group to get an email~this takes me a long time!! I would love something where I can just do my own email (I could use templates as long as I can add text & stuff) and just have to do ONE email!

 

[chefann]

You can do your own, but you have to have the HTML to paste in. You can create that by doing your email in Word and saving it as a web page, then open it in a text viewer, copying all of the code, and pasting that into the Constant Contact blank note.

 

[chefmeg]

thanks Ann~I may have to give this a try as I am just swamped with the way I have been doing it!

 

[chefann]

Feel free to sign up for a trial using the link in my siggy - you'll get $30 off if/when you switch to a paying membership. And let me know if you need a hand.

 

[chefmeg]

what exactly am I paying for?????

 

[chefann]

You pay to use Constant Contact, for the service to send email messages from their site. It tracks opens, clicks and forwards, so you can see who actually opened the messages and what they clicked on. They have agreements with most internet service providers so that (unlike notes sent through PWS) most people on your list will actually receive what you send. Their fees are based on the total number of people in your address book, not the number of notes you send each month. You can get discounts for pre-paying for 6 or 12 months. I have lists set up for customers, my overall cluster, and my team, so that I can send notes whenever to a specific group of people. With about 400 people in my book, it's $15 a month.