E-mail marketing firm iContact partners with Palo Alto Software

Durham, N.C. — iContact, a provider of Web-based marketing solutions and services, will soon be getting what could be a lot more exposure in the small- and medium-sized business marketplaces.

The Durham-based firm has struck a deal with Palo Alto Software through which iContact’s e-mail marketing tools will be offered to the Oregon-based company’s clients. Palo Alto Software, a 25-year-old operation with a global customer base, is the developer of Business Plan Pro, a popular business planning software, and a similar package for marketing plans.

"iContact is revolutionary,” said Sabrine Parsons, Palo Alto Software’s chief executive officer, in a statement. “Everyday we are all constantly encountering spam filters and deleted e-mails while trying to get our messages across to potential customers. iContact provides an easy way to keep track of the performance of e-mail messages with its charts and graphs that are populated in real time.

"They've thought of everything – 300 ready to go templates for your message, RSS feed capabilities, open and click-through handling, bounce-back handling and much more,” she added.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Palo Alto Software customers can receive a 15-day free trial of iContact.

iContact’s software helps clients create, send and track permission-based e-mail newsletters and other products such as surveys. The firm recently passed the 30,000 customer plateau and recently was named among Inc. Magazine’s fastest growing privately held companies.

"We are excited to bring two world-class companies together for this alliance," said iContact Chief Executive Officer Ryan Allis. "We share a passion for serving the small and medium-sized business community with outstanding products and customer service. It's a perfect fit.”