New SMS Feature from Constant Contact Enables Instant Mailing List Sign-Up from Any Mobile Phone

Small businesses and nonprofits now have another easy tool from Constant Contact,® Inc. (Nasdaq: CTCT) for adding names to their email subscriber lists. Text-to-Join allows customers and prospects to sign up for subscriber lists right from their mobile phones, enabling small organizations to capture contact info when their customers or donors are most engaged. It also creates an opportunity to offer promotions and incentives at the moment people sign up by offering coupons, discounts, or a free gift right in the confirmation text message.

"With Text-to-Join, customers and prospects can join your email list right then and there when they are most interested in continuing a relationship using their ever-handy mobile phone. It’s a real win for businesses and nonprofits looking to expand the reach of their email marketing efforts,” said Ellen Brezniak, senior vice president of product strategy at Constant Contact. "This feature is exciting because it makes it easy to capture a contact in real-time and enables our small business customers to genuinely benefit from mobile technology.”

A recent survey from Constant Contact, the trusted marketing advisor to more than 450,000 small organizations worldwide, reports that growing their business is the number one concern of small organizations. Text-to-Join makes it fast and easy for small businesses and nonprofits to grow their organizations by using text messaging for email list sign-ups.

Text-to-Join takes less than a minute to set up. Constant Contact customers select a keyword for their business or nonprofit and are assigned a short code associated with that keyword. A short code is short phone number that subscribers send text messages to from their mobile phones. The keyword and short code are activated immediately and can be instantly shared with customers and donors.

Subscribing to an email list is equally easy. Users text the keyword to the designated short code. A confirmation text from Constant Contact requests that they reply with their email address, which is automatically added to the organization’s pre-selected Constant Contact list. Subscribers instantly receive a customized thank you message and future communications from the organization as long as they choose to remain on the mailing list. It’s that simple.

Robert Turley, marketing promotions manager for Bowl Haven Lanes in Alton, Illinois, reports a significant lift in his business from using the Text-to-Join email sign-up. During a six-month trial, he grew his email subscriber list by more than one hundred percent. "Practically everyone has a cell phone and texts. Having an easy way to tap into this trend to help grow my subscriber list is simply fantastic. It’s easy for them and a real business driver for me,” he said.

According to Brezniak, small businesses and nonprofits can share their short code, keyword, and offers in all sorts of ways—at point-of-sale terminals, on table top displays, on signs, receipts, ads, brochures, tent cards, or any other marketing materials. "When you’re at events, in the field, or networking, include your Text-to-Join short code and keyword on business cards. If you are giving a presentation, include that information on the last slide of your PowerPoint and on any handouts provided to attendees. The more you share your information with your customers, the quicker your list will grow, and the sooner you’ll be building relationships.”

Text-to-Join is available free for Constant Contact customers. New customers can sign up for a 60-day free trial of Constant Contact email marketing, event marketing, and online survey products at: http://conta.cc/4BiXPB. For additional tips on how to build your email lists, please visit: http://conta.cc/99vzZ5. To learn more about Constant Contact’s Text-to-Join feature, please visit: http://conta.cc/iEP0WY.

About Constant Contact, Inc.

Constant Contact is revolutionizing the success formula for small organizations through affordable, easy-to-use Engagement Marketing (TM) tools that help create and grow customer relationships. More than 450,000 small businesses, nonprofits, and associations worldwide rely on Constant Contact to drive ongoing customer dialogs through email marketing, social media marketing, event marketing, and online surveys. All Constant Contact products come with unrivaled KnowHow, education, and free coaching with a personal touch, including award-winning customer support.

Constant Contact and the Constant Contact Logo are registered trademarks of Constant Contact, Inc. All Constant Contact product names and other brand names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Constant Contact, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.

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