You've probably heard them, too – lots of smart radio ads for Constant Contact, the email marketing company that enables small businesses and organizations to create email marketing campaigns.
I know lots of people who use Constant Contact, and I often look at the bottom of email blasts I receive to see whether the company has picked up another client.
Constant Contact is a huge success story. In the middle of this great recession, they racked up a 50% revenue increase last year. And they hired 170 new employees in '09, and are looking to increase their ranks this year.
Here's another success story: they are heavy radio advertisers, relying on national radio campaigns to tell their story.
As their CEO Gail Goodman recently noted, "During one of the most challenging economic environments for the small business community … (Constant Contact) delivered significant revenue growth and profitability that was well ahead of our original expectations."
This is an incredible sign that radio can deliver eyeballs – and new customers – to a "new media" company like Constant Contact.
Radio works, when the campaign is strategic, clever, and consistent – all attributes that define the Constant Contact effort on radio.
At a time when radio continues to be positioned as a punching bag as ad dollars move to social media, advertisers, planners, and marketer need to hear about success stories like Constant Contact. By the way, they're even "testing" radio with a link on their website (below):
Constant Contact isn't an auto parts company, a tattoo parlor, a bar, a fast food chain, or a mattress discounter.
They are a new media, email marketing success story.
And radio has played a key role in their rapid growth.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Email is an essential part of my marketing efforts and Constant Contact is an excellent service.
On a qualitative level, it makes radio sound more up to date when this sort of service is advertised. Gotomeeting is another web/new business service that uses radio.
The bigger question is how web companies and radio can team up in marketing relationships to help each other the most. Is the “heard it on the radio?” link the furthest it can go?
I look forward to yours (and the other readers’) responses.
Thanks for your comment, John, and I hope to hear from others, inside and outside of radio to contribute to the conversation. Advertisers like Constant Contact bring value to radio just by their presence.
They also communicate that digital companies can benefit from having relationships with traditional media outlets. Radio needs to do a better job of telling these stories, in much the same way that Chevy is aggressively going after Toyota on gas mileage and warranty – stats that probably surprise consumers and possibly make them rethink their assumptions.
Advertisers aren’t getting the full story from radio or the RAB about just how effective the medium can be. A success story from companies like Constant Contact or Go-To-Meeting have more value than 1-800-Mattress.