iContact Review - why 4.5 stars?

Shlomi Lavi / updated: Apr 10, 2022

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What is iContact?

IContact is an email marketing solution. The software includes support for both email and social media marketing in a unified platform designed to support a business’ requirements.

IContact was founded in 2003 and is a service of Vocus which is a leading provider of solutions for marketing and public relations. The company’s focus is to help businesses leverage email & social media marketing to attract, interact and maintain customers for the long term.

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Who is it best for?

IContact is a cross industry product that is scalable for any size of business. It is offered as a cloud based solution with a SaaS delivery model, and is accessible via the web or through web enabled smart phones.

The product offers a free trial which helps companies identify the fit of the solution to their requirements prior to investment in the priced version. Additionally as the product is cloud based this means there is minimal technology investment and no software maintenance. This is good for companies looking for a cost effective solution that can be rapidly deployed and give a quicker Return on Investment (ROI).

IContact also provides an API which allows easy integration to a variety of third party applications including Analytics, CRM & Content Management systems, Ecommerce, Online Surveys and Event Management. This enables companies to leverage on their existing software infrastructure. Additionally IContact allows users to develop their own custom integrations to other software based on their requirements.

Customers for IContact include TerriLee, Anna’s Gourmet Goodies, Triangle Family Services, Beacon South Beach, Baseline of Health Foundation and Big Peach Running Company.

Main features and functionalities

IContact includes an extensive library of email templates for companies to generate their marketing messages and these are compatible with numerous types of email clients. There is a Message Builder which can use these standard templates or customize them according to business requirements. Additionally if there is in-house experience of HTML coding, IContact provides a Message Coder to allow staff to develop their own HTML email templates. The product also has a Contact Management module that provides subscriber & list management as well as customer segmentation.

Then there is a Spam Check facility to maximize email delivery rates, as well as support for split testing to determine the best email response to design more effective campaigns. IContact is also white listed with numerous Internet Service providers to ensure that email blockage is minimized, and provides auto responders which can send a series of pre defined emails at regular intervals to existing subscribers to maximize engagement.

IContact also has integration to social media such as Facebook and Twitter that allows email campaigns to be automatically updated, as well allow all marketing activity & response on social media to be easily monitored and tracked. In addition social media sign up forms are provided to allow update of contact information and the building of a social marketing database as well. Finally there is a reporting module which provides both a library of standard reports as well as a report designer for customized report development.

The solution also includes email marketing services such as marketing advisory services to optimize your marketing efforts, special services for bulk email campaigns as well as professional design services if needed. Additionally IContact is not only focused on marketing for individual businesses, but also provides solutions for marketing agencies as well which seek to do marketing services for numerous companies.

What is the actual cost?

iContact pricing depends on the number of contacts.

• For 1500 contacts, the price is $23 per month.
• For 2500 contacts, the price is $36 per month.
• For 5000 contacts, the charge is $65 per month.
• For 10000 contacts, the price is $95 per month.
• For 15000 the price is $140 per month.
• The price is $199 for 25000 contacts.
• 35000 contacts cost around $275 per month.
• The Last, for 50000 contacts the price is $350 per month.

All the plans has same features like Unlimited Sends per month, Unlimited Hosting Landing Pages, Unlimited Landing Page Creation, Unlimited Welcome Series and Marketing Automation.

ITQlick pricing score is 6 out of 10 (10 is most expensive). Access ITQlick pricing guide for iContact. You can also find here pricing information from iContact's website.

Pros

• IContact provides a free trial for its product
• The product offers multiple packages based on subscriber base which can be tailored to a business’ requirements and scaled up as it grows
• IContact is offered as a cloud based solution so there is minimal technology investment and no software maintenance required
• Mobile device access of the application is supported by IContact
• The solution provides an API for easy integration to third party software

Cons

• IContact does not provide an on premise version of its product
• The solution does not include support for call & event management
• User driven customization of the product is not supported by IContact
• IContact does not include advanced Analytics in the product
• The product does not address website optimization for marketing performance enhancement

How it stacks up?

Access a head to head analysis of iContact vs alternative software solutions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)