LISTSERV Maestro & Constant Contact Side-by-Side Comparison

 

Constant Contact

Maestro

Description

User-friendly web-based email broadcast service and mostly designed for small businesses with list sizes of up to 50,000 email addresses with the need for email metrics, scheduled email campaigns.  Larger lists can be accomodated.

Email broadcast service hosted on campus; accommodates nearly any list size.  Provides some basic email metrics.

Cost Depends on list sizes.  For example, use an account with list size of between 2500 and 5,000 costs $800/yr. See Pricing Sheet. No cost to campus departments/colleges
Support

Good customer support from Constant Contact

Strong knowledge base content for self-directed learning

DoIT does not provide support for this product beyond account creation

This on-premise service is supported by DoIT on a limited basis for users that will have enough technical ability to manage their own account and communication campaigns, including creating their own HTML template(s) or having one created for them.  Standard training will be provided by DoIT.
Usability Features

User-friendly interface

Must manually import and maintain your own email lists

Many email campaign features

Provides meaningful metrics to observe and learn the effectiveness of your communications

LESS user-friendly, but DoIT can provide basic training

Will require knowledge of some basic HTML, so assistance from a web master/developer is needed for creating templates

Can import your own lists

Can use L-Soft listserv lists

On a very limited basis, can interface with our campus identity management system to query for active staff, faculty, and students

Provides some basic metrics for observing and learning the effectiveness of your communications

Requirements

Must use a standard University Template

Must comply with Web Accessibility standards

Must use a standard University Template

Must comply with Web Accessibility standards

Other Important Differences

By default, your communications include the opt-out option so recipients can elect to stop receiving your messages

DoIT does not use this product so we have limited knowledge of the product; currently, we only manage the “parent” account for creating campus "child" accounts.

Your communications can include or exclude the opt-out option in the footer depending on the templates you or your department’s web master/developer builds.

Sample of Current Users

  • Office of the Provost /Provost's Message
  • Graduate Studies
  • Department of Economics
  • Division of Admin and Finance / News & Notes
  • Annual Giving
  • Alumni Relations
  • Carpenter Center
  • Division of Student Affairs
  • Select messages sent by President Conoley
  • Human Resources - Training & Development newsletter
  • Division of IT / CIO Messages and Spring and Fall newsletters
  • Strategic Communications - Beach Bulletin newsletter
  • College of Education
  • Office of Research & Economic Development's Quest Magazine
  • University Honors Program's student newsletter