Editor’s note: The following is a guest post by Michael Essany.
It seems the creative marketing specialists at Constant Contact are constantly striving to expand their company’s robust lineup of products and services.
Just this week, we’re learning more about the venerable email marketing outfit’s most recent acquisition. This time, it’s digital startup MobManager – a daily deal management solution for small businesses.
If you’re keeping score at home, Constant Contact – once chiefly known for its email marketing prowess – has had an insatiable appetite for acquisitions of late. Social media firm BantamLive and the mobile loyalty specialists at CardStar are other recent additions to the Constant Contact family, which is bound and determined to aggressively develop a full suite of comprehensive marketing tools.
Daily deals manager MobManager, however, is a unique purchase for Constant Contact, as it marks the first time the company will help business clients develop and manage daily deal campaigns while presumably using other tools and acquired talent to measure ROI.
“At Constant Contact,” says Joel Hughes, SVP of Strategy and Corporate Development at Constant Contact, “we aim to simplify complicated marketing tasks for our half a million small business customers. MobManager’s technology makes it easy for small businesses to capture customer contact information at the point of sale and bring it online, helping business owners build long-term relationships that generate repeat business.“
According to Hughes, Constant Contact will integrate MobManager technology into his company’s various products over time. “We anticipate a number of applications for this technology that will complement our growing suite of engagement marketing tools by making it easier for small businesses to collect and maintain critical contact information,” he confirms.
Making a Move in Mobile Marketing
On Tuesday, Constant Contact was once again making headlines, but this time for making headway in mobile marketing with the announced integration of DIDMO’s Magmito.
The fusion with Magmito, a cross-platform mobile application creation solution, will allow customers of both companies to create and promote marketing campaigns through handheld devices.
“More and more small businesses are connecting with customers through social media and email marketing, and mobile engagement is the next new frontier for them,” said Kevin O’Brien, director of the AppConnect Program for Constant Contact. “Today’s consumers are relying on their mobile devices more and more to find information. DIDMO’s mobile app creation tool gives our customers an easy and effective way to engage with mobile right from our Constant Contact MarketPlace.”
According to Constant Contact, the integration will help its half a million small business customers create mobile apps to better promote their businesses.
All told, say the new partners, it’s a match made in mobile marketing heaven.
“Constant Contact is clearly best-of-breed when it comes to email marketing, event marketing and social media marketing campaigns for SMBs and with Magmito, the clear leader in mobile campaign creation for SMBs, the partnership is a natural fit,” said Angelo Biasi, DIDMO’s vice president of business development. “Our mutual goal is to make it as easy as possible for SMBs to enter the mobile marketing space and optimize their marketing and communications using this channel. This integration is the first step towards achieving that goal.“
