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Constant Contact

ABA11 Winner / How to Enter

Company: Constant Contact
Company Description: Constant Contact®, Inc. helps small businesses, associations, and nonprofits connect with their customers, clients, and members. Launched in 1998, Constant Contact champions the needs of small organizations and provides them with an easy and affordable way to build successful, lasting customer relationships.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Overall Company of the Year - Up to 2,500 Employees

Nomination Title: Constant Contact

    Tell the story about what this nominated company achieved since January 1 2010 (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:

        2010 was a transformational year for Constant Contact, as the company grew
significantly and put into place the foundation to support continued, long-term
growth. The company has established itself as the leading email marketing vendor
for small businesses, but Constant Contact is more than “just an email marketing
company.” Constant Contact has evolved as an engagement marketing platform by
offering  an expanding set of affordable, easy-to-use email marketing, social
media marketing, event marketing, and online survey tools that help customers
build successful, lasting customer relationships; coaching with a personal
touch; and powerful KnowHow that empowers small businesses and enables success.

        Product Growth
In 2010, Constant Contact increased investments in product development,
education, and customer support to maintain its delivery of world class customer
experiences, and to help customers effectively integrate a broadening array of
technologies into their marketing strategies.

        In addition to enhancing our email marketing solution, we significantly expanded
our social media marketing capabilities. In May 2010, we acquired NutshellMail,
a free tool which customers (and others) can use to monitor conversations about
their business on social media networks. Social media marketing capabilities
were also  integrated throughout our products, including integrations with
Facebook, Twitter, HootSuite, Yola, Yelp, foursquare and CitySearch, making it
easier to expand reach of messages, attract new customers and generate buzz. A
“Social Stats” tool was also added to give customers the ability to easily track
and monitor their social media marketing reach. And, a dedicated Event Marketing
Business Unit was created to focus on driving increased success for our event
marketing product, and its users. 

        In early 2011, the company acquired Bantam Live, a social CRM tool.  This
acquisition was an important step in Constant Contact's ability to offer small
organizations a platform to launch and monitor customer engagement campaigns
across multiple channels. Social CRM functionality will eventually be built into
all of the company's products, including a paid social media marketing offering,
which the company expects to release in the second half of 2011.

        Expanding Resources
Constant Contact added to its team of regional development directors (RDD's),
expanding educational efforts to 20 metro areas in the U.S. and Canada. These
experts provide free, in-person seminars on best practices in email and social
media marketing in a totally “pitch-free” environment. More than 100,000 small
businesses and nonprofits have attended these workshops to date

        Constant Contact also introduced “Marketplace,” the only free, online resource
of its kind exclusively focused on small businesses and nonprofits looking for
marketing tools and services.

        Company Growth
Today, more than 435,000 small organizations worldwide rely on Constant
Contact's tools to create and deliver personalized, professional communications
that engage customers, members, prospects, and passionate customers wherever
they congregate online — from their email inboxes to their social networks.
185,000 of these customers were acquired in 2010, representing a record
performance and up from approx. 175,000 customers added in 2009. Revenue grew
dramatically to $174.2 million, an increase of 35% compared to revenue of $129.1
million for the full year of 2009.

 

    List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

        •     Constant Contact 2010 Annual Report:
https://www.proxydocs.com/edocs/request?b=ctct   

        •     Constant Contact Acquires NutshellMail; Adds New Social Media Tool to Help
Small Businesses Build Engaged Customer Relationships
http://www.constantcontact.com/about-constant-contact/press/press_2010_0524.jsp

        •     Constant Contact Adds New Social Media Marketing Features to its Email
Marketing and NutshellMail Products
http://www.constantcontact.com/about-constant-contact/press/press_2010_1210.jsp

        •     Constant Contact Releases New, Free iPhone Application
http://www.constantcontact.com/about-constant-contact/press/press_20101101.jsp

        •     Constant Contact Launches One-Click Tools to Track the Social Reach of Email
Campaigns
http://www.constantcontact.com/about-constant-contact/press/press_2010_0920.jsp

        •     Constant Contact Adds New Social Sharing Functions to Online Marketing Solutions
http://www.constantcontact.com/about-constant-contact/press/press_2010_0830.jsp

        •     Constant Contact Creates Event Marketing Business Unit; Appoints Christopher
Litster General Manager
http://www.constantcontact.com/about-constant-contact/press/press_2010_0922.jsp

        •     Constant Contact Extends Local Presence to Deliver Educational Seminars for
Small Businesses in Four New Markets
http://www.constantcontact.com/about-constant-contact/press/press_2010_0407.jsp

        •     Constant Contact MarketPlace Introduced to Connect Small Organizations with
Tools and Services to Grow Their Business
http://www.constantcontact.com/about-constant-contact/press/press_2010_0608a.jsp

        •     Constant Contact Adds Social CRM Capabilities with the Acquisition of Bantam Live
http://www.constantcontact.com/about-constant-contact/press/press_2011_0216.jsp

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

        Gail Goodman
CEO, Constant Contact
A small business expert and visionary, Gail Goodman has revolutionized the way
that small businesses and organizations can effectively and affordably
communicate with their customers. Since taking leadership in 1999, she has led
the company to more than 435,000 customers worldwide and an IPO in 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.
A frequent industry speaker, Gail develops and tracks best practices in small
business success, email marketing, customer communications, and entrepreneurship.