Company: Constant Contact, Waltham, MA
Company Description: Constant Contact is revolutionizing the success formula for small organizations through affordable, easy-to-use Engagement Marketing tools that help create and grow customer relationships. More than half a million small businesses, nonprofits, and associations worldwide rely on Constant Contact to drive ongoing customer dialogs through email marketing, social media marketing, event marketing.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Company of the Year - Computer Services

Nomination Title: 2011: A Monumental Year for Constant Contact

Tell the story about what this nominated organization achieved since January 1 2011 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

Over the last few years, Constant Contact has made it a priority to expand its product offerings beyond email marketing. In 2011, on the heels of last year’s American Business Award win, Constant Contact delivered on that vision, and as a result, it was the biggest year in company history.

Revenue in 2011 was $214.14 million, up 23% from 2010. Constant Contact’s pattern of positive growth since 2006 and double-digit revenue growth since going public in 2007 continued. The company also hit the half million paying customer milestone in early 2012 and opened a UK office to continue to establish and grow the company’s international presence; but the company story is about much more than robust financials and customer growth.

To further solidify its shift to a multi-product company, Constant Contact made two acquisitions and brought two game-changing products to market in 2011 and in the first quarter of 2012. With the launch of Social Campaigns, Constant Contact created a new category for small business marketing, allowing customers to quickly and easily run results-oriented social media marketing campaigns on Facebook. With the launch of SaveLocal, Constant Contact took on the daily deal giants and addressed critical problems with the model that were putting merchants at significant financial and operational risk. SaveLocal flips the current model on its head, giving merchants complete control and allowing them to run deals that make sense financially, attract qualified new customers, and drive repeat business.

On the acquisition front, Constant Contact acquired MobManager, a Chicago-based company with deep expertise in how to make deals work for merchants as part of its preparation to enter the deals space. Not long after, the company acquired CardStar, a Boston-based company that offers a mobile loyalty application, further accelerating Constant Contact’s entrance into the mobile marketing and loyalty spaces—two areas that are of strategic importance for future product directions.

Constant Contact also proved that email is still alive and well. According to a 2011 Aberdeen Group study, customers that used Constant Contact for email marketing generated almost 30% more revenue from their campaign versus those that used products from competitors. In addition to delivering an effective, easy-to-use product, Constant Contact continued to combine email marketing with the service needed for unparalleled customer success. In 2011, the company had more than one million coaching sessions over the phone and well over 100,000 attendees at in-person classes and workshops worldwide.

Outside parties took notice, as well. The company took home over 15 awards, including two Stevie awards; one for Customer Service (Silver, Customer Service Department of the Year – Computer Software) and one for Sales (Silver, Sales Department of the Year - Computer Services), and CEO Gail Goodman was inducted into the MITX Innovation Hall of Fame, named one of Boston’s Top 30 Innovators by the Boston Globe and honored with SCORE’s Lou Campanelli Award.

The momentum continues for Constant Contact as it evolves into a multi-product, engagement marketing company that is the go-to resource for online marketing for small businesses.

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Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader of this nominated organization:

Gail Goodman is the CEO of Constant Contact. Since joining Constant Contact, Goodman has led the company to more than half a million customers worldwide and an initial public offering in October 2007. Gail was named “Executive of the Year” at the 2009 American Business Awards and was the 2008 New England Regional Winner of Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2011, she was inducted into the MITX Innovation Hall of Fame, named one of Boston’s Top 30 Innovators by the Boston Globe, and honored with SCORE’s Lou Campanelli Award.