Tag: aweber vs mailchimp

  • MailChimp vs AWeber: The Complete Review Between Two Of The Best Email Marketing Solutions

    MailChimp vs AWeber: The Complete Review Between Two Of The Best Email Marketing Solutions

    Can’t decide between AWeber vs MailChimp?

    Both AWeber and MailChimp has long been in the email marketing industry. I don’t know how blogs and websites had did email marketing comparison between AWeber and MailChimp.

    So, why did I publish this article? The answer is simple.

    I want to share my personal point of view using AWeber and MailChimp.

    As a disclaimer, I use AWeber for business and MailChimp for personal use, along with ConvertKit (sorry, got to mention them all to be honest)!

    In order to make this review an excellent resource for you (and not wasting your time), this article is going to be packed with tons of information to help you decide which email marketing solution is best for you.

    Before that, allow me to share my first video for 2018. Enjoy!

    I hope you like the video and remember to subscribe to my daily YouTube videos!

    Disclaimer: This article is over 2,000 words. Use the table of content below if you are looking for specific information.

    Table of ContentWhy Should I Use Email Marketing In 2018?AWeber Review 2018Overview of AWeber featuresTop AWeber Feature – Automate your email marketing funnelAWeber Feature #2 – Craft your best HTML-rich email (without coding skills)AWeber Feature #3 – Easily collect and email addressesAWeber Feture #4 – Analyze, tracking and improvingAWeber Feature #5 – AWeber is on mobileHow much AWeber costs?Is AWeber worth it?MailChimp Review 2018Overview of MailChimp FeaturesTop MailChimp Feature – Email marketing automationMailChimp Feature #2 – Email templates MailChimp Feature #3 – Email delivery ratesHow much does MailChimp costs?Is MailChimp worth it?What Are The Differences Between AWeber and MailChimp?1. Pricing structure2. Email automation feature3. Customer support4. Feedbacks and customer testimonialsDecide now! AWeber vs MailChimp?Summary: AWeber vs MailChimp 2018

    Why Should I Use Email Marketing In 2018?

    Email marketing continues to be a vital communications channel with the DMAs latest Email tracker showing that email receives 30 times return on investment on average. 95% of respondents rated it as ‘important’ or ‘very important’ to their organization.

    While we are on this topic, here’s an important article you need to read: The Ultimate Comparison Between ConvertKit, Drip and MailChimp.

    AWeber Review 2018

    aweber review 2018

    AWeber been in the business for years and this is the first paid email marketing service that I had used.

    Why did I choose AWeber for my business?

    • Affordable
    • check-circleEasy to use
    • Availability of autoresponder
    • Excellent delivery rates
    • check-circleReady-made email templates

    I don’t need an email marketing service that is expensive and full with features. All I need is an email marketing service that is affordable and easy to use — that’s why AWeber is my top choice.

    If you are just starting out with email marketing or running a small-medium sized business, you certainly doesn’t need an expensive email marketing software to get the job done. I know, there are marketing consultants that are asking you to subscribe to email marketing services that cost thousands of dollars a month and trust me, those are not worth it. At least for now.

    Overview of AWeber features

    • Automatically create emails from your newest blog posts
    • Choose from over 700 mobile responsive email templates
    • Create and send professional email newsletters with ease
    • check-circleEasily create automated email sequences with our drag and drop editor
    • check-circleApply tags to trigger automated email campaigns based on clicks and opens
    • check-circleSend a sequence of automatically delivered emails
    • check-circleAutomatically create emails from your newest blog posts
    • check-circleConnect your email list with your favorite online tools to automate your list growth
    • check-circleGrow your email list with mobile responsive sign up forms
    • check-circleIntegrate third-party apps with AWeber’s API
    • check-circleDownload our suite of mobile apps
    • check-circleGet account support when you need it
    • check-circleEasily collect, track and manage your subscriber list
    • check-circleCreate subscriber segments to send targeted emails and campaigns
    • check-circleTrack email performance with analytics like open rates, click-throughs and more
    • check-circleGet industry-leading deliverability and ensure your emails make it to the inbox
    • check-circleAWeber is constantly adding new features for their customers

    Top AWeber Feature – Automate your email marketing funnel

    Email automation is critical for year 2018. And AWeber implemented this back in 2017.

    email automation using aweber

    Now, the system is fully ready and you can start making your email marketing work harder (and smarter) for you.

    The single, most important advantage AWeber has is the drag-and-drop email editor allows you to tag your subscribers based on their actions.

    AWeber Feature #2 – Craft your best HTML-rich email (without coding skills)

    When you use AWeber, the options for email amrketing is endless. You can choose from over 700 ready-made email templates which are HTML ready, craft your own email template using the drag-and-drop editor or even automate email marketing using RSS to email feature.

    Using AWeber, you can now keep your email subscribers up to date without touching a single line of code.

    mobile responsive email templates

    Everything (and I mean everything) is done through drag-and-drop. So, you can now focus on creating beautifully designed emails without having to worry about the creation part.

    The best part? AWeber email templates are all mobile responsive and therefore, it looks good no matter on mobile, desktop or tablet!

    AWeber Feature #3 – Easily collect and email addresses

    By default, AWeber comes with a wide range of tools which you can immediately implement to collect emails. Sign up forms can be embedded or added to your website by just copy pasting and if you are using Thrive Leads like me, integration with third party plugins is a breeze.

    Have an existing email list? No worries! AWeber allows you to import existing email lists directly to AWeber in just a few clicks. Your email subscribers do not need to opt-in again for the matter. Zero hassle!

    Note: AWeber connects perfectly well with third party lead generation plugins such as Thrive Leads and OptinMonster. You can also read the comparison between Thrive Leads and OptinMonster here.

    AWeber Feture #4 – Analyze, tracking and improving

    If you want to do email marketing, don’t do it blindly. You need to keep track of the stats to maximize your open and click through rates.

    Not sure how to go around this? AWeber allows you to get a holistic view of all your email campaigns under one roof.

    email analytics using aweber

    Bonus: Do you know that you can use link AWeber with payment gateway like PayPal and Stripe?

    AWeber Feature #5 – AWeber is on mobile

    I love AWeber’s email marketing app. With AWeber ‘on-the-go’, you can now curate and craft emails wherever you are (I love doing craft emails in the morwhen when I’m communiting to work).

    aweber mobile suites

    One of the questions I always get is “How good is AWeber mobile suites?”

    The answer is simple. AWeber mobile suites are life savers. It saves me a lot of time, and more importantly, it allows me to work on the go.

    I can check the stats of my email campaigns, current and new subscribers, and unsubcribers. It gives me good idea on what my current email marketing strategy.

    How much AWeber costs?

    AWeber offers a free 30-days trial without credit card. I recommend you to sign up for an account here and now.

    AWeber pricing starts at $19 per month which allows you up to 500 email subscribers and unlimited email delivery in a month.

    Take a look at the table below for more AWeber pricing options.

    aweber pricing 2018

    Bonus: Looking for AWeber discount? You can automatically enjoy discounts when you sign up either for quarterly or annually payments!

    Is AWeber worth it?

    The answer is “yes.” AWeber is more than just an email marketing solution!

    For starters. you can utilize AWeber to understand the behavior on your customers through email and segmenting them accordingly.

    AWeber makes it easy for you to create and send emails through their high performance servers.

    Last but not least, the entry level for AWeber is extremely low. Therefore, affordability is one of the main factors that makes AWeber an excellent email marketing solution for business.

    Get Started For Free!

    MailChimp Review 2018

    mailchimp email solution review

    MailChimp is famous. MailChimp is good. MailChimp is recommended by nearly every web developer I know in the planet.

    I use MailChimp as well. For me, MailChimp is okay, but it is not the best among paid email marketing solutions. For free email marketing services, MailChimp is one of the most popular in the market.

    Well, it makes all the sense though. It is free for life — up to 2,000 email subscribers and up to 12,000 emails delivery in a month. What else can you ask for, right?

    I use MailChimp for my personal blogs because MailChimp is:

    • Easy to use
    • Great option if you have less than 2,000 email subscribers
    • One of the most intuitive drag-and-drop editor (for email creation)
    • check-square-oLow learning curve

    When it comes to personal blogs, you don’t need a super powerful email marketing solution and MailChimp fits perfectly well into the picture.

    Overview of MailChimp Features

    • Flexible email designs for any industry
    • Built in analytics to grow your email list
    • Basic landing page builder
    • check-circle-oAutomated marketing automation
    • check-circle-oInbox preview
    • check-circle-oRSS-to-Email
    • check-circle-oDelivery by time zone (paid feature)
    • check-circle-oGood email delivery stats
    • check-circle-oStraightforward segmentation and groups
    • check-circle-oMerge tags

    Top MailChimp Feature – Email marketing automation

    MailChimp started rolling out email automation in 2017 for all free accounts. That was a good move to be honest.

    What I love about MailChimp is the simplicity of their email marketing automation.

    mailchimp email marketing automation

    For an email marketing service that doesn’t cost you a single cent, there is definitely no complains here.

    With MailChimp email automation, you can set and forget those email automation based on your settings:

    • checkEmail delivery based on dates
    • checkEmail delivery based on action (open, clicks, etc.)

    MailChimp Feature #2 – Email templates

    I have to give this to MailChimp. It has one of the best, most intuitive and interactive email templates among most of the email marketing services.

    You can start choosing the right templates through a set of layout options.

    mailchimp email templates

    I recommend you to work with layouts if you love to customize your emails.

    mailchimp preloaded templates

    What I love about MailChimp is that all its preloaded email templates are mobile responsive (as the image above).

    MailChimp Feature #3 – Email delivery rates

    MailChimp has one of the best email delivery rates in the market because it is extremely strict. This means that it doesn’t allow much affiliate links (or affiliate marketers) in its email delivery. Of course, this is also leads to massive MailChimp disadvantage.

    But assuming that you are sending legit emails to your subscribers, you are bound to get awesome reach rates because the delivery is just so darn good.

    Now, if you are an affiliate marketer like me, you got to rethink of your strategy right now. If you are just running a blog and sending daily/weekly/monthly newsletters without affiliate links, then that’s fine under the MailChimp rules.

    How much does MailChimp costs?

    It’s free — if you have under 2,000 email subscribers and sending less than 12,000 emails a month.

    Pretty cool, right?

    Here’s the pricing structure for MailChimp for paid plans. As you can see, it starts from $10 a month for 500 email subscribers.

    mailchimp pricing

    Is MailChimp worth it?

    The answer is “yes” — if you are not an affiliate marketer. For the free for life account, MailChimp will always be a great option for many bloggers since there is no commitment (ever) until you break the 2,000 email subscribers mark.

    In terms of features, MailChimp certainly offers very competitive features and can easily comparable to big brands such as AWeber.

    Create A Free Account On MailChimp Now!

    What Are The Differences Between AWeber and MailChimp?

    In this part, we will go through some obvious comparison between both email marketing solutions.

    1. Pricing structure

    Here, MailChimp has the upper hand and won the battle (even before stepping into the ‘battlefield’).

    AWeber offers free 30-days trial while MailChimp offers free-for-life account.

    The smallest AWeber plan starts at $19 while MailChimp starts at only $10.

    Therefore, MailChimp is definitely the clear winner in terms of value for money.

    2. Email automation feature

    The clear winner is AWeber because its email automation feature is more roburst compared to MailChimp’s.

    While MailChimp offers email automation, it is very limited and is not sufficient especially for larger email lists or businesses.

    AWeber’s email automation wins the match because it makes MailChimp’s email automation system look like a youngerster fresh from college.

    3. Customer support

    In terms of customer support, AWeber wins hands down because it has live chat and email support. In business, customer support is utmost important as every second counts.

    MailChimp doesn’t offer support for free account (they will refer to to their knowledge base) and for paid accounts, they offer email support. Again, I rather speak to a real person when having a problem than being greeted with an automated support email.

    4. Feedbacks and customer testimonials

    Last but not least, feedbacks and customer testimonials are important to prove the track record. I could be bias here but AWeber has way more feedbacks and customer testimonials compared to MailChimp.

    Personally, I rather work with an email marketing service that has a proven track record of constant delivery and therefore, AWeber is my personal winner here.

    Decide now! AWeber vs MailChimp?

    Click here for 30-days free trial on AWeberCreate A Free Account On MailChimp Now!

    Summary: AWeber vs MailChimp 2018

    There goes, folks! I hope you find this email comparison between AWeber and MailChimp useful and which is your favorite option?

    Leave a comment below and tell me more about your choice of email marketing service!

  • 3 Disappointing Truth About MailChimp Email Marketing Solutions

    3 Disappointing Truth About MailChimp Email Marketing Solutions

    [et_pb_section][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text]​MailChimp Email Marketing Services. This post was published on 9th July 2013 and it is time for an update because there are a lot of things that had changed over the years. Not only MailChimp had changed, everything from list building to email marketing solutions had evolved with technology. So, are you planning to use MailChimp for email marketing or already using MailChimp but is actively looking for alternatives? Today, I’m going to share some important things you should know about disadvantages using MailChimp which can impact your email marketing strategy dearly. ​This article is not about flaming or putting MailChimp down. Instead, it is just several small information which could affect you, your website or business if you are not careful with. More importantly, these disadvantages might impact your online marketing strategies! ​BONUS RESOURCE: ​Click here to learn more about MailChimp competitors (ConvertKit and Drip) here!

    ​What is MailChimp (or ChimpMail)?

    ​MailChimp has came a long way and over the years, it had it shares of improvements done to email marketing. MailChimp is currently the market leader for free email marketing solution. Here’s what MailChimp looks like in the past. mailchimp reviewmailchimp reviewmailchimp review ​It’s bloody old school to say the very least!  Those days, the tagline for MailChimp is “Send Better Emails” and now, the latest MailChimp tagline is “Marketing Platform For Small Businesses.” While MailChimp may have changed its logo, branding and tagline, the same old MailChimp email marketing ​model (which are highly sought after) remains:
    • ​Forever free account for email marketing
    • ​Manage up to 2,000 email subscribers free
    • ​Send up to 12,000 emails per month for free
    I know thousands ​of businesses around the world who stand by MailChimp when it comes to ​email marketing service. ​Even bloggers (both beginners and professionals) use MailChimp to manage their email lists! So, why is MailChimp such a popular email marketing service? I bet it has nothing to do with the chimpanzee who dressed up as a postal service previously. While I think that it is a great mascot as it serves a good balance between fun and work, the new mascot for MailChimp looks better and portrays quality. new MailChimp looksnew MailChimp looksnew MailChimp looks ​MailChimp got its name and fame by offering pretty much forever free email marketing solutions to those who need it. Small business owners, email marketers, bloggers and entrepreneurs use MailChimp because of the excellent pricing structures and of course, very good delivery rates. In short, MailChimp is an online email marketing solution to manage your contacts, send emails and track results. It offers forever free membership for the first 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails monthly. For me, forever free email marketing solution is very tempting and mouthwatering feature especially when you are new in blogging or Internet marketing industry. We are always trying to grow our mailing list and ​if you are just starting a new venture, you wouldn’t want to spend $20 to $100 a month for premium email marketing services. ​Hey, I get it … I’ve been there myself! When I first started Marketing Lancers (digital marketing agency in Malaysia), the entire company’s was going on lean marketing/setup. Minimum staffs and leveraging as many free tools as possible to reduce the overall cost. With the very interactive user interface, excellent back-end dashboard and​ forever free MailChimp email marketing services, ​your email marketing problem is solved, right? Well, I wished that was the case but it isn’t. There are some MailChimp weaknesses and disadvantages which you should be well aware off, or else they are going to bite you where it hurts the most (destroying your email list). ​Carry on reading to learn more about MailChimp email marketing solution. ​BONUS: If you want to learn how to use MailChimp effectively, here’s an awesome guide for you. The Complete Guide In Using MailChimp Email Marketing ​Solution (Step By Step Guide).

    1. No affiliate marketing with MailChimp

    The single biggest problem with MailChimp email marketing solution is their legal policies. MailChimp legal policies is pretty strict especially for many bloggers and work from home Internet marketers. Why? I got this shot from the main website (source below).

    ​Prohibited Content on MailChimp

    Please don’t use MailChimp to send anything offensive, to promote anything illegal, or to harass anyone. You may not send:
    • ​Pornography or other sexually explicit emails
    • ​Email offering to sell illegal goods or services
    • ​Emails that violate CAN-SPAM Laws
    • Alternate Comment TimesMarketing or commercial email with permission
    Some industries have higher-than-normal abuse complaints, which can in turn jeopardize the deliverability of our entire system. Nothing personal, but in order to maintain the highest delivery rates possible for all our customers, we can’t allow businesses that offer these types of services, products, or content:
    • ​Escort and dating services
    • ​Pharmaceutical products
    • ​Work from home,make money on online, and lead generation opportunities
    • Alternate Comment Times​Online trading, day trading tips, or stock market-related content
    • Alternate Comment Times​Multi-level marketing
    • Alternate Comment TimesAffiliate marketing
    • Alternate Comment TimesCredit repair and get out of debt opportunities
    • Alternate Comment TimesMortgages and loans
    • Alternate Comment TimesNutritional, herbal, and vitamin supplements
    • Alternate Comment TimesAdult novelty items or references
    • Alternate Comment TimesList brokers or list rental services
    ​If you send this sort of content, most email services providers won’t be able to help you. You might want to look into setting up your own mail server. MailChimp’s Delivery Guide explains how that works. Source: MailChimp Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you blown? For the benefit of the doubt, I understand that MailChimp wants to protect its delivery rate but do you agree that MailChimp terms is not even an advantage to consider for online marketers and bloggers? I was made aware thanks to Adrian and you can read it all here (comment section). Personally, I wouldn’t mind the first few disadvantages but not allowing affiliate marketing is definitely the stop point for me. As a​ professional and seasoned affiliate marketer, using MailChimp email marketing solution means that I’m at risk of losing my whole email list​ and more importantly, going to impact my affiliate earnings severely! I could be wrong but Internet marketing is either selling/promoting products (affiliate marketing) or creating some sort of lead generation for business. ​ ​Editor’s Note ​If you are in the affilaite marketing niche like I do, I recommend you to understand the terms and conditions of MailChimp before using it. ​MailChimp has the tendency to remove your account without any notice and this means that all your hard work will just go straight into the drain! When it comes to MailChimp abuse reports, the risk is high and you need to know that you are not allowed to promote any affiliate products (apart from your own) using MailChimp.

    ​2. MailChimp pricing structure is misleading

    This MailChimp review is not complete without talking about the MailChimp pricing structure. MailChimp pricing structure is really bad. Take a look at both of these screenshots. MailChimp PricingMailChimp Pricing ​Basic pricing structure MailChimp 2000 SubscribersMailChimp 2000 Subscribers ​When you have more than 2,000 subscribers ​For me, the MailChimp email pricing structure is really misleading. Compare both the left and right side of the images. Let’s assume you are at 2,000 email subscribers and you are required to go for paid email marketing by MailChimp. You are no longer paying $10 but $30 for 2,000 email subscribers (up to 2,500 email subscribers). Do you see the big jump in pricing? That’s an additional of $20 on top of the base $10 per month! For bloggers, this is definitely not worth the money and effort. Sure, professional email marketers (even other blog posts) will say that when you have 2,000 email subscribers, you will be able to make sufficient money from your list. But, is that the real truth? For a fact, I know many bloggers and Internet marketers who have more than 2,000 email subscribers and not making a single cent from email marketing. If I’m putting myself in the shoes of new bloggers or low-income online marketers, MailChimp pricing is definitely one of the biggest disadvantages using MailChimp. Plus when include in the terms and conditions of not allowing affiliate marketing, it gets even worse! I will not be surprised the number of bloggers who have this question in mind, “How do I make money with email marketing with MailChimp?” Personally, I rather pay for AWeber anytime of the day compared to MailChimp based on the pricing structure (no offense, MailChimp).

    ​3. MailChimp support is bad

    ​Based on industry standards, MailChimp has one of the worst support you can ever image. mailchimp supportmailchimp support ​If you are using MailChimp free account, support will only be given to you on the first 30 days via email only (refer above). Yes, I know EXACTLY what you are thinking. MailChimp Support EmailMailChimp Support Email ​It is rather safe to say that when you use MailChimp free account, there is absolutely NO support given and I can’t even imagine MailChimp has such feature. Sure the knowledge base for MailChimp is very detailed but in today’s business world, data suggests that customers see fast, friendly and consistent customer service as the gold standard. 

    ​Should I ​still use MailChimp?

    ​I think this is one important question to cover. MailChimp has many disadvantages but I still use MailChimp for some of my blogs and businesses. When it comes to email marketing, MailChimp is pretty awesome and has a very unique pricing model. If you are a small to medium sized business and doesn’t require much from an email marketing solution, MailChimp is an excellent choice. If mailing list is under 2,000 email subscribers and you are not willing to pay for an email marketing solution, this ChimpMail is worth the try. ​The most important factor when considering using MailChimp is that you are not opening in the industry or markets which they do not allow (refer to their terms above). MailChimp is just like any other email marketing solutions such as AWeber and Convertkit. It is common to have emails delivered via MailChimp going to spam. This happens! The problems (in most cases) don’t sit on MailChimp servers but most of the the time, the email domain that you used or the content in the email that triggers the spam filters. Here are some samples:
    • Using Gmail or Yahoo to send email
    • Having words like “free” and “sale” in the email body

    What’s your thought on MailChimp?

    What do you think about MailChimp and all these issues? Again, this doesn’t prove or mean that MailChimp is bad choice for email marketing. I got to admit that the above sounds a little … biased … but I promise I’m not! Maybe, just a little frustrated as an avid Internet marketer myself. If you’re able to live with it (like the thousands who do), why not right? MailChimp offers:
    • ​Free and pay as you go (services)
    • ​Acceptable level of reliability (delivery)
    • ​Simple to use and intuitive dashboard/email marketing features
    Personally, I would use MailChimp if I’m running a small blog or a non-business site. However, I would rather pay a little bit more to have a better service especially when it comes to business matters. Moreover, Internet marketing is all about the ‘list’ and without one, you are basically nothing. My only concern about MailChimp are their terms and MailChimp pay as you go mechanics which can be very expensive as you grow your email list. Are you convinced with what I have to say about MailChimp? If you are thinking that hey, MailChimp is free to sign up and no strings attached, go ahead and register your free account here. Moreover, you have nothing to lose, right? Now, what’s your take on this? Will MailChimp be able to restore confidence among its member? Hit the reply button below and tell me what you think. Thinking twice of MailChimp or looking for another email marketing provider? How about AWeber? Try it out for FREE today (plus 30 days money back guarantee)! And if AWeber is not your cup of tea, here are 4 more MailChimp alternatives to start your email marketing campaigns today. Read here. Overall, there are many other MailChimp alternatives that you could use. It all boils down to your email marketing requirements and the budget you can afford to commit to every month. If you like this article, could you please share this for me using the button below?[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]