iContact Review 2024

Updated


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Bottom line: As one of the oldest email marketing software companies on the market today, iContact remains a top-notch provider with a lot to offer. iContact is a simple and straightforward email marketing solution that allows you to easily create and track a professional and effective email campaign, complete with surveys, autoresponders and more.

Who should choose iContact? Small businesses that are new to email marketing, and professional internet marketers.

What we like about iContact

  • Generous 30-day free trial.
  • Powerful social media integration and survey tools.
  • 700 responsive email templates to choose from.
  • Built-in data tracking and reporting tools.
  • Email spam checker.
  • Competitive pricing across all plans.
  • Split testing is available on all plans.
  • Ability to import contacts via CSV or XLS files.

What fell flat

  • Free image hosting comes with very little storage capacity. Additional fees will be incurred to acquire larger image hosting.
  • Google Analytics costs $10 extra on a normal account (although it’s included with higher-tier subscriptions).

iContact’s Editorial Review

Although it has a few shortcomings, iContact is a solid email-marketing application for beginners and advanced users alike.

It offers all of the fundamental features you need to manage an email campaign. What sets it apart is the premier service, which includes personal advisers who help customers create effective marketing plans. This platform’s social media integration is also something you won’t find with other email marketing service providers.

Overall, iContact is worth comparing alongside other top email marketing applications. The best part is iContact offers a free Test plan up to 250 contacts, so you can sign up to test-drive it before upgrading to a premium plan.

See how we review email marketing platforms.

Plans & Pricing

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  • Test (Free)
  • Launch ($14 per month)
  • Grow ($20 per month)
  • Expand ($65 per month)
  • Advanced ($95 per month)
  • Advanced+ ($199 per month)
  • Pro (Custom)

Features

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  • Drag-and-drop editor
  • Fully responsive layouts
  • Automation
  • A/B split testing capability
  • Performance analytics and reports
  • Multi-user access
  • Segmentation
  • Subscription management
  • Salesforce compatibility
  • API integration

Support

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  • Guides and video tutorials
  • Live webinars
  • Email support
  • For Premier Accounts, iContact offers advisory services

Plans and Pricing

There are seven pricing plans to choose from when you set up an iContact email marketing account: plans are priced based on the number of email addresses you have on your list, which allow you to create a list of anywhere between 500 and more than 25,000 subscribers.

  • Test: Free
    • Good for: Just testing out iContact with under 250 contacts
  • Launch: $14 per month
    • Good for: Getting serious about email marketing with up to 750 contacts
  • Grow: $20 per month
    • Good for: Social media management and up to 2,500 contacts
  • Expand: $65 per month
    • Good for: Expanding your subscriber list up to 5,000 contacts
  • Advanced: $95 per month
    • Good for: Bringing in more customers and sharing more knowledge up to 10,000 contacts
  • Advanced+: $199 per month
    • Good for: Becoming an email marketing pro up to 25,000 contacts
  • Pro: Custom
    • Good for: Over 25,000 contacts

Features

Drag-and-Drop

iContact includes a drag and drop editor designed to make it easy to customize their email templates to your company’s needs. The company includes a customizable template library. Alternatively, you can design your own email template from scratch using the editor.

Automation Features

iContact pro uses the power of marketing automation to make your everyday marketing tasks a piece of cake. Individualized workflows mean that you can target your customers with the right content at the right time based on customer type, geography, and activity.

Meanwhile, their automated marketing solution integrates email marketing, landing pages, social media management, robust analytics, and timed drip marketing campaigns to set your business apart from competitors.

Templates and Forms

Creating signup forms on iContact is super easy. All you have to do is choose from the provided templates.

Alternatively, you can create web forms with HTML and write code to customize aspects such as font, background color, and input fields.

When done, simply click save then copy the code and paste it into your homepage or any other signup page. You also have the option of creating forms with third-party apps like 123ContactForm. What’s more, iContact can add signup forms directly to Facebook pages.

Contact Management

iContact has a double opt-in autoresponder that will automatically message new members who subscribe for your newsletter with a free e-book or any other incentive you decide to offer for signing up. The autoresponder also offers the option of sending Welcome messages to new subscribers you add to the list.

Managing your subscriber list with iContact is simple. Adding new contacts can be done in one of four ways:

  • Copy and paste email addresses into a text block
  • Upload a CSV or XLS/XLSX file
  • Add email addresses manually on a form
  • Via online signup forms

Why Is Double Opt-in Better Than Single Opt-In?

When distributing a newsletter it is often better to use what is known as a double opt-in method. This means that the recipient must first subscribe to the newsletter and then opt-in a second time, usually by clicking an email confirmation link.

While this may seem like an extra wall between your customers and your message, it will, in fact, lead to fewer of your messages ending up in their trash or spam folder following an accidental subscription.

Unsubscription Process for Users

When members choose to unsubscribe, iContact adds them to your “Do Not Contact” list for easy deletion. You can easily view the entire history of each contact to understand the mindset of your subscribers. iContact tracks recipient activity and it can show you when a user joined the list, which email campaigns a particular contact opened, and overall response rates.

List and behavioral segmentation are two basic features included in every plan. These features let you create user segments based on certain events or specific filtered data from a user’s profile. The list segments can, in turn, be used to send targeted campaign messages that resonate with a particular demographic of subscribers.

Email Creation

When it comes to sending email messages to members on your subscriber list, iContact puts several email creation tools at your disposal.

  • First, there’s the MessageBuilder that lets you choose from a wide selection of 700 templates.
  • Second, the MessageCoder allows you to code your message using HTML.
  • Third, iContact provides basic image editing tools such as wrapping text around photos and resizing. For more advanced control, PicMonkey is integrated on the Pro plan.

Including buttons in your messages is not easy but possible and there’s no option for copying pages elements like text blocks and spacers.

Cross-Platform E-mail Preview

However, iContact’s email editor lets you preview your message in desktop, mobile, and tablet format before sending to recipients.

Additionally, the spam check tool scans messages to detect potential red flags that could trigger spam filters.

Once you’re ready to broadcast your message, the options are to send it immediately or schedule messages for delivery at a future date and time. The email editor also provides a series of checkboxes that let you choose to post and schedule email messages on linked social media networks.

Reporting Tools

Although Google Analytics is not included as part of the basic package, iContact still offers their own built-in tracking and analytics tool. On the analytics dashboard, you can check “List Health” and “Account Health” reports that that compile information about the general effectiveness of your e-mail marketing campaigns.

Say if the infamous Google Analytics tool is integrated, what do you get?

  • List health
  • Account health
  • Bounce rate
  • Subscription reports
  • Growth rate
  • Campaign comparisons
  • Geographical data
  • User trends
  • International targeting
  • Template specific performance analysis

Details compiled in these reports include subscriber counts, number of messages sent, overall email bounces, number of unsubscribers, and list growth rates.

Key Statistics to Help You Grow

Clicking individual campaigns on the dashboard reveals key statistics such as email opens, clicks, and bounce rates.

The data is present in a numerical form or as pie charts depending on how you want to dissect it. As an added bonus, iContact offers the ability to monitor and analyze the impact of campaign messages sent to social media sites.

Support

To assist prospective customers in learning about their email marketing application, iContact offers several online help resources. In order to access the help area, you have to sign up for an account (not to worry because free versions are available too).

Once logged in, you can access searchable guides and video tutorials to help you master your way around the program.

Webinars

iContact doesn’t have a forum where you can ask questions in public for other community members or support staff to answer. However, they do host Live Webinars, which you can attend to learn more about the program and email marketing in general.

You can get in touch with the customer service staff by sending email inquiries directly to support@icontact.com or filling out the Contact Us form on their website. Other avenues to reach out to customer support include live chat and phone calls.

Personal Advisory Services

However, these contact methods are only available during business working hours.

For premier accounts, iContact offers advisory services. Customers on lower-tier plans can call iContact and request for a quote when interested in consulting a strategic advisor to help them with their email campaigns.

Compare iContact Alternatives

See how iContact compares to some of its top competitors:

Email Marketing Platform

Pricing + Basic Plan Features

Free

  • Drag-and-drop editor
  • Automation
  • A/B split testing capability
  • Performance analytics and reports
  • Multi-user access
  • Subscription management
  • API integration

Consider iContact if:
You want to pay based on the number of contacts you have on your list and to pay as you scale

Free

  • 2,500 monthly email sends
  • 500 contacts
  • 1 user seat
  • Email support for the first 30 days
  • Pre-built email templates
  • 300+ integrations
  • Creative assistant
  • Forms and landing pages
  • Basic reporting and analytics

Consider Mailchimp if: 
You want all the marketing and commerce tools you need to help you launch, build, and grow your business

Free

  • Unlimited landing pages
  • Audience segmentation
  • Marketing support
  • Native e-commerce listing support
  • Unlimited forms and broadcasts

Consider ConvertKit if:
You want a fast, easy-to-use email marketing solution with excellent customer service

Free

  • A suite of tools for managing all aspects of digital marketing
  • Comprehensive free plan
  • Excellent integrations
  • App marketplace
  • Great customer service
  • Resources and training materials

Consider HubSpot if: 
You’re a rapidly scaling midsize businesses or established enterprise

$9.99 per month

  • Email templates
  • Post to social media pages
  • Signup forms
  • Integrations with Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce and other popular tools
  • Phone and live chat support

Consider Constant Contact if: 
You’re just starting your marketing campaigns or small business and have a tight marketing budget

$39 per month

  • 1 to 2,500 client records
  • Unlimited email sends
  • Email support with the Drip support team
  • Segmentation support
  • Automation and workflows

Consider Drip if: 
You’re looking for more in-depth CRM inclusion in your email marketing tool

Free

  • Email marketing
  • Website builder
  • Connect to a domain
  • Landing pages
  • List for up to 500 contacts
  • Sign-up and contact forms

Consider GetResponse if:
You’re seeking features that help you empower your business as it grows

Frequently Asked Questions About iContact

How do I accumulate a mailing list with iContact?

In order to build your contact list, it’s best to use a variety of methods. Some of them being social media, direct marketing, free content subscription and more. There is no one right way but there are many ways.

How do I start e-mail marketing?

Before you can actually start, you must have a solid, trustworthy e-mail service provider. Due to iContact’s broad range of features provided, you have the luxury of selecting from dozens of custom methods of reaching out to your valuable users.

Is e-mail marketing necessary or effective?

E-mail marketing is paramount. Not only is it effective but necessary when you are a business relying on customer and sales volume. E-mail marketing plays an important role in a multitude of businesses, including ones who do not directly sell via e-mail but simply communicate.

Look at it as a new avenue of information.

How I Reviewed iContact

I test sales and marketing tools based on the following factors:

  • Sale management: Does the platform offer sales tools to help with lead management and closing deals? What are its features?
  • Ease of use: Is the platform simple to set up and use?
  • Customization and automation: Can you tailor the software to your business needs?
  • Integrations and analytics: Does this software integrate easily with other business tools, and will its reporting features fit your needs?
  • The support provided: How easy is it to get help?
  • Free trial: Is a no-cost trial or demo offered?

Learn more about our review methodology.

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