Tag: email marketing

  • The ULTIMATE Guide In Using MailChimp [How-To]

    The ULTIMATE Guide In Using MailChimp [How-To]


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    What Is MailChimp?

    When it comes to free email marketing services, nothing beats MailChimp. MailChimp is an email hosting service that offers free and premium plans for website owners. If you are wondering how to use MailChimp, you are in luck. This article is all about “How to use MailChimp” like a professional.

    MailChimp is one of the best free email marketing provider that offers free email marketing services up to 2,000 subscribers and deliver 10,000 email per month. MailChimp offers premium email marketing services that starts from $9 per month. If you don’t have a MailChimp account, you can register one for free here.

    Table of Contents

    Is MailChimp Right For Me?

    MailChimp isn’t a one-size-fit all type of email marketing service.

    MailChimp is best for those who have a small email list, including:

    • Bloggers
    • Business owners
    • Website owners

    MailChimp is a great option if you don’t require much from email marketing. This is because it gets rather expensive once you have more than 2,000 email subscribers or require more email marketing features such as email automation.

    Plus, if you are an affiliate marketer, MailChimp doesn’t play nice with affiliate marketers like us too. You read more about it here.

    Looking For The Best MailChimp Alternative?

    Try AWeber today. For only $19 per month, you get premium support and excellent email delivery services.

    Try AWeber For 30 Days Free (No Credit Card Needed)

    How To Use MailChimp (And Use It To Its Best)?

    The most important part to using MailChimp is to understand that MailChimp has a lot to offer as an email marketing solution. However, There are limitation especially in the free account.

    What’s included in the free plan?

    • 2,000 or less email subscribers
    • 10,000 email deliveries per month
    • One audience type (segmentation)
    • Ability to tag audience
    • Behavioral targeting
    • Basic templates only
    • Landing pages

    The features above are great especially for bloggers and website owners who are just starting an email list. You might find it challenging especially when you email list grows and when you have more email subscribers.

    How To Register For A Free MailChimp Account?

    If you don’t have a MailChimp account, this is the time to get one (before we can get started with this MailChimp tutorial).

    MailChimp is absolutely free to use. There is no MailChimp trial or whatsoever. All free plan are free for life and you can get a free account using this link.

    Upon sign up, you will get greeted with a simple dashboard view as below.

    MailChimp Dashboard

    The dashboard is very straightforward and at once glance, it gives you a snapshot of your account.

    How To Create An Email List In MailChimp?

    Creating an email list in MailChimp is the first step you do. Lucky for you, this is done automatically.

    Free MailChimp account only gives you ONE list to work with. By default, you will see it in the Audience tab.

    How To Create Email List In MailChimp

    Right below the Weekly Newsletter, you are given an overview of your list. Based on the sample above, it shows that I have a list of 56 contacts and 54 are subscribers. This means that 2 had unsubscribed to my email list.

    The Manage Audience lab allows you to add, delete and import subscribers if needed.

    For those of you who had used other paid email marketing services, MailChimp offers a very lightweight email marketing solutions with limited features.

    How To Segment And Tag Your Subscribers In MailChimp?

    Tagging an email subscriber is almost as valuable as gold. MailChimp allows you to tag a subscriber either manually or automatically.

    You can tag a subscriber automatically via automation and the below is how you tag a subscriber in MailChimp manually.

    Audience » View Contacts » Select email address » Tag

    How To Add Tag To Subscribers In MailChimp

    The above is a sample of a subscriber’s database in MailChimp. MailChimp allows you to add notes, edit the profile information and tags to the email subscriber.

    Plus, this gives you data of the subscribers—how active they are and how responsive they are to your emails. 

    I use OptinMonster email list builder plugin to build my email list. Therefore, it shows that it is added via API – OptinMonster. If you want to build an email list fast, I recommend you to take a look at wat OptinMonster can do for you.

    How To Create Newsletter With MailChimp?

    Looking for how to use MailChimp to create newsletter? Carry on reading!

    Create » Email » Select Regular, Automated or Plain text

    How To Send Newsletter using MailChimp

    Regular. This is a drag and drop builder that allows you to create newsletters. You can use this option to create email drafts to be send out at a later time or drafts for automated email (autoresponder).

    Automated. This option allows you to create emails based on automation. The free MailChimp account gives you ONE automation and I recommend you to use this to welcome your new subscribers or send out automated email for perks or courses that you are offering.

    Plain text. This option is for you to create an email without any beautiful layout. This is good if you know what you are doing. If done correctly, you can experience a super high reach rates.

    How To Schedule Newsletter With MailChimp?

    You can schedule an email newsletter using MailChimp only after you had completed the email draft. This security feature ensures that you do not send a blank email or a draft email by accident.

    To schedule your campaign, here’s how you can do it. Take a look at the image below.

    How To Schedule Email Delivery Services Using MailChimp

    The free MailChimp plan does not allow you to schedule email delivery based on your sender’s location. Therefore, it will be in one batch.

    If you are using a premium MailChimp plan, you have more delivery options such as sending in batches (best when you have a large email list) and even sending based on your subscriber’s local time.

    How To Clean Email Lists In MailChimp?

    Cleaning up an email list is always important to ensure that you have higher open rates and clicks. Here’s the guide on how to clean email list(s) in MailChimp.

    Audience » Manage Audience » Manage Contacts » View All Contacts

    Next, click on New Segment to create a custom segment.

    How To Segment Subscribers In MailChimp

    There are many options you can choose from to create a custom segment. My preferred segment categories are:

    • Email Marketing Status
    • Campaign Activity (Did Not Open)

    The above settings allow me to segment out the less active subscribers. 

    Before removing inactive subscribers, it is best to send one last email to see if they opens it. Most of the time, around 5% will open the email (if you draft it with personalizations).

    How To Get Better Email Delivery Rate Using MailChimp?

    Email delivery rates. There isn’t a bulletproof way to have better email delivery rates. However, there are certainly some tips to help you achieve such!

    • Avoid spam words
    • Personalize your email with their names
    • Avoid spamming with links
    • Create engaging emails and get them to reply you directly
    • Create call-to-action for every email delivered

    How To Create Autoresponder Using MailChimp?

    Autoresponder is gold in email marketing and the free MailChimp plan only allows ONE automated email per account.

    Yes, that sucks but it is okay if you are just starting out.

    Here’s how it looks like.

    Automate » Email » Single email

    How To Create Email Automation Using MailChimp

    Once you see the page above, you can change the campaign name and the dropdown button below allows you to choose the draft or published email you had created.

    I recommend you to use a customized welcome email since you only can send out one email in automation mode.

    Need more email automation? I use AWeber to create unlimited autoresponders without burning a hole in my wallet. You can try AWeber for free (no credit card required) using this link.

    Summary: How To Use MailChimp Properly?

    I hope that this MailChimp how-to tutorial gives you some detailed insights on using MailChimp.

    Are you using MailChimp for email marketing? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think of this guide!

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  • MailChimp vs Drip: Which is the best email marketing tools?

    MailChimp vs Drip: Which is the best email marketing tools?

    MailChimp vs Drip — These are two of the best email marketing solutions but which is the better option?

    I love writing about email marketing solutions. Email marketing is a powerful digital marketing strategy that provides super high return of investment (ROI) for many companies and industries.

    Even if you are a blogger, you should start building an email list because it will come in handy when you are promoting a product, services or even keeping your subscribers engaged with the latest posts.

    In this article, I will give you some quick insights on what MailChimp and Drip does and how they compare to each other.

    Ultimately, I’ll also share my reviews on both the email marketing solutions with the hopes that it will help you in your decision making.

    MailChimp

    • checkFree for life (up to 2,000 email subscribers)
    • checkSend up to 12,000 emails a month for free
    • checkMost intuitive drag and drop visual builder (when creating emails)
    • checkHeavily based on HTML and images
    • checkLow learning curve
    • checkFree account comes with automation and workflow
    • Automation and workflow are limited
    • Advantaged tagging is not user friendly
    • Coding skill is needed to maximize MailChimp features
    • closeIs the worst email marketing solutions for affiliate marketers
    • closeVery basic landing pages
    • closeUgly form to collect emails
    • closeBasic reporting dashboard

    Try MailChimp today!

    Drip

    • checkBeautiful analytic dashboard and reporting
    • checkFree for first 100 email subscribers
    • checkAdvantaged tagging and workflow
    • checkAbility to segment subscribers based on their activities (clicks, open etc.)
    • checkLess dependent on HTML
    • checkLow to medium learning curve
    • checkOne of the best automation and workflow in the industry
    • checkMultiple widgets and plugins to help you collect emails
    • checkAdvanced ‘smart’ forms to collect leads at the right time
    • checkBest for eCommerce and website owners who are serious in email marketing
    • The lowest pricing is $49 per month and is often considered heavy for many beginners
    • Some users find the Drip’s feature overwhelming (because there are a lot of things you can do with Drip)

    Get started with Drip for free!

    MailChimp vs Drip — Detailed Comparison

    As a disclaimer, I use both MailChimp and Drip, alongside with ConvertKit for that matter.

    MailChimp is my favorite email marketing solution for my personal blog while Drip is used for my creative agency.

    Without further adieu, let’s dive into the MailChimp vs Drip comparison.

    MailChimp

    For me, MailChimp is an affordable email marketing solution for bloggers. It is easy to use and doesn’t cost a dime (for the first 2,000 email subscribers).

    Low learning curve and good delivery rates make MailChimp a no-brainer choice for many (including myself).

    What I love most about MailChimp is the newsletter template builder. MailChimp is heavily based on HTML and the visual builder is one of the best you can find in the market.

    BONUS: The Beginner’s Guide Using MailChimp

    MailChimp’s free account also comes with the ability to use the marketing automation which is pretty awesome.

    This is what it looks like.

    what is mailchimp automation

    Everything on MailChimp is very much into drag and drop — therefore, you can easily start email marketing almost to instantly.

    MailChimp also comes with a ever growing list of ready-made templates to help you get started on the right foot.

    templates on MailChimp

    As you can see, MailChimp is very much into beautiful designs and low learning curve.

    If you are a beginner, you are going to love MailChimp. Try MailChimp now!

    MailChimp is not for you if …

    There is no love from MailChimp if you are an affiliate marketer.

    MailChimp doesn’t allows you to use it for affiliate marketing purposes.

    The only way to solve this is through sharing a link to your blog post (and having great call-to-actions to drive website visitors to your affiliate products — which is of course the biggest hassle.

    Drip

    I first came across Drip because I wanted to better manage my email subscribers and sending emails to a highly targeted audience.

    On the surface, Drip beats MailChimp in every aspect except for the price.

    Drip comes with free account but only for 100 email subscribers.

    Using Drip, you can easily monitor the progress of your email marketing campaign in a beautiful dashboard.

    Plus, Drip comes with super detailed reports even for the free account as you can see below.

    drip dashboard for reporting

    Drip’s automated workflow does wonders and it is one of the best I have seen and experience in the market.

    When I first use Drip workflow, I was blown away … big time!

    This is what I mean.

    drip advanced workflow

    Drip email marketing solution is the best option if you are selling a product/service or serious in understanding how your subscribers react to your email.

    Drip allows you to tag your email subscribers based on the actions they take and therefore, you are able to send super targeted emails to them for a higher conversion.

    Last not least, Drip comes with form widget which is really awesome. If you are not using lead generation plugins such as Thrive Leads or OptinMonster,

    drip form widget

    Drip form widget is easy to configure and can easily integrate to major CMS including WordPress.

    Drip is not right for you if …

    You are concern about money. Drip comes with a forever free account which is applicable up to 100 email subscribers. After that, the pricing starts at $49 per month which can be pretty hefty for beginners.

    MailChimp vs Drip — Summary

    There is no denial that both MailChimp and Drip are two awesome email marketing tools.

    On one hand, MailChimp is a super cost efficient email marketing tool but offers limited features compared to Drip with a slightly higher cost.

    If you are just starting out, I recommend you to go with MailChimp and once you are ready to make email marketing work harder for you, Drip is the best email marketing tool!

  • MailChimp Competitors: 4 Free and Paid Email Marketing Tools For Your Business

    MailChimp Competitors: 4 Free and Paid Email Marketing Tools For Your Business

    ​Looking for the top ​MailChimp competitors?

    In this post, you will discover the top 4 MailChimp competitors in today’s market.

    But before that, what is MailChimp and why only the top 4?

    ​Yes, there are many email marketing softwares today but not many of them are able to compete head on with MailChimp especially with the generous forever free MailChimp account.

    The 2,000 email subscriber limit is one of the biggest and most important factor that helped MailChimp grew to what they are today.

    ​​MailChimp is one of the leading email marketing platforms that offers easy-to-use interface which is perfect for beginners who want to send newsletters and automated emails with little to no learning curve.

    ​While MailChimp is often consider the go-to choice for email marketing, MailChimp has several downsides and may not be the best choice for you.

    For starters, you can ​only truly leverage MailChimp if you have design and coding skills to create beautiful email templates.

    Apart from that, MailChimp isn’t the best option if you are an affiliate marketer or planning to use emails to sell affiliate products. If you do so, your account may be terminated or closed without any notice.

    ​Make no mistake. MailChimp is a good email marketing software but it certainly has some major disadvantages especially with affiliate marketers. You may want to take a look at this article where I highlight some of the biggest disadvantages using MailChimp.

    ​Without further a due, let’s dive into the top MailChimp competitors for 2018.

    ​Top MailChimp Competitors Worth Checking Out

    • ​AWeber
    • ​GetResponse
    • ​ConvertKit
    • Drip

    ​1. AWeber—​Email marketing software for affiliate marketers

    aweber better than mailchimp

    ​If you are an affiliate marketer, you are going to to love what AWeber can do. AWeber is a great MailChimp alternative because provides a lot more email marketing features compared to what MailChimp can offer.

    ​Advantages using AWeber

    • ​Split testing ability
    • checkDrag and drop visual editor
    • ​Supports HTML and plain text emails
    • Automation based on ​RSS to Email
    • checkEasy to use (low learning curve)
    • check​Mobile application available
    • checkFast support (respond under 10 minutes)
    • checkHigh delivery ratio
    • checkConstant features upgrade
    • checkIntuitive dashboard and reporting tools
    • check​Mobile responsive templates
    • checkIntegrated popup and lead generation forms
    • checkUsed by top influencers such as Neil Patel (CrazyEgg) and Brian Dean (Backlinko)
    • checkHighly affordable (starts at $19 per month)

    ​Disadvantages using AWeber

    • ​Doesn’t come with a forever free plan

    ​AWeber vs MailChimp

    I am a huge fan for both AWeber and MailChimp. Personally, I hate the fact that AWeber doesn’t come with a forever free plan. In terms of email marketing features, AWeber offers more detailed reporting and more importantly, zero coding skill is required for using AWeber.

    ​Try ​AWeber for 30 days free (no credit card required)

    ​2. GetResponse—Affordable and yet powerful

    is getresponse better than mailchimp

    ​GetResponse is not only one of the top MailChimp competitors, it is also a competitor to many other email marketing solutions including AWeber.

    ​In terms of features, GetResponse offers more than most of the market leaders when comparing side by side with pricing in mind.

    ​Advantages using GetResponse

    • check​Inbuilt landing pages
    • check​Drag and drop visual builder for email automation and funnel building
    • check​Integrated with stock photos from iStock at no extra cost
    • check​Detailed reporting tools
    • checkTagging and segmenting subscribers with ease
    • checkUnlimited mobile preview to ensure that your newsletter looks good all the time
    • checkDynamic content allows you to deliver only the most relevant, highly-personalized emails to your audience
    • checkAutomate your email marketing with autoresponders
    • checkOptimize message delivery using GetResponse ‘Perfect Timing’ feature
    • checkSuper high delivery (99% delivery rate)
    • checkAbility to track and optimize your email marketing campaigns in just a few clicks
    • checkGetResponse is super affordable ($15 per month for 1,000 email subscribers)

    ​Disadvantages using GetResponse

    • ​Pricing is slightly step after the entry level plan

    ​GetResponse vs MailChimp

    ​For me, GetResponse knocks MailChimp out of the park instantly with the drag and drop visual builder.

    getresponse mailchimp competitors

    ​Do you get what I mean now?

    ​Try GetResponse for 30 days free (no credit card required)

    ​3. ConvertKit—Plaintext email, anyone?

    is convertkit better than mailchimp

    ​If you love plaintext email marketing, you are going to love what ConvertKit can offer. Period.

    ​ConvertKit understands what it takes to grow a successful online business and therefore, ConvertKit comes with features tailored to your needs to help you achieve success faster.

    ​ConvertKit?

    ​ConvertKit is as powerful as Infusionsoft but as simple as MailChimp. Plus, ConvertKit is way much cheaper compared to Infusionsoft (and doesn’t cost you a dime to get onboarding too)!

    ​Advantages using ConvertKit

    • check​Easy-to-embed, customized opt-in forms
    • check​Detailed homepage dashboard
    • check​Simple workflows with “if this, then that” style automation rules
    • checkPowerful drag-and-drop sequence builder helps you create personalized automated emails to grow your list
    • checkConvertKit is subscriber-centric (that means you can easily organize your subscribers from one list with tags and segments)
    • checkConvertKit’s plain text emails not only give your marketing efforts a personal feel, they also help you avoid spam filters (that means you’ll start seeing higher open rates that turn into more conversions to help you grow you business)
    • checkExtreme high delivery rates making sure that your emails get delivered to inboxes without fail
    • checkExcellent and reliable support around the clock

    Disadvantages using ConvertKit

    • Not suitable for those who require HTML or image-rich emails
    • close​Slightly more expensive than other MailChimp competitors
    • ​Doesn’t come with a forever free plan

    ​ConvertKit vs MailChimp

    ​ConvertKit is a great email marketing software if you are serious in building an email list and staying engaged with your email subscribers.

    ​ConvertKit pricing starts at $29 per month and while it is slightly higher than most of the MailChimp competitors in the market, it is still considered very affordable with the features which ConvertKit offers.

    ​See what ConvertKit has to offer!

    ​4. Drip—Powerful eCommerce email marketing software

    drip is mailchimp competitors

    Drip is another top MailChimp competitor. Unlike ConvertKit which focuses heavily on bloggers, Drip put its focus on businesses (brick and mortar, and eCommerce).

    ​Drip used to be covered with ‘blue’ and now, it had redesigned, making it more interesting and effective for eCommerce.

    ​Advantages using Drip

    • check​Easily integrate your most used marketing tools with Drip
    • check​Drip’s tracking code delivers insights into who your customers are and what they want
    • check​Learn about your subscribers and website visitors, with Drip, and track the data any way you like
    • checkDrip allows you to apply custom tags, fields, or events to your customers in just a few clicks
    • checkIncrease customer engagement with workflows that adapt to your customers’ interests and behavior
    • checkDrip’s email builder makes it easy to customize every detail of your messaging for individual people
    • checkAvailability of custom conversion tracking
    • checkOffers forever free account (up to 100 email subscribers)

    ​Disadvantages using Drip

    • ​Steep pricing structure
    • ​Rather steep pricing structure for beginners

    ​Drip vs MailChimp

    To be honest, ​Drip is a great MailChimp alternative. It is easy to use and setup, Drip offers very professional display and interactive features so that you can spend less time on email.

    Drip stands as one of the top MailChimp competitors because it offers forever free marketing plan (up to 100 subscribers) and $49 per month for the next tier pricing.

    ​Another huge advantage using Drip is that you do not need to spend thousands of dollars on web design or coders. Everything can be done easily through their visual builder and their pre-made templates are best to none.

    ​Create a free account on Drip now!

    ​Which is the best MailChimp competitor/alternative?

    ​This is a tough question. Seriously.

    ​Here’s what I think.

    ​Go for AWeber if you are looking for an all-in-one email marketing solution that is affordable and easy to use.​

    Go for GetResponse if you need landing pages to be included in your email marketing. You can also take a look at this article for the ​best landing page builder for 2018 (that is way better than GetResponse).

    Go for ConvertKit if you are a blogger and love sending plaintext emails. This is by far the best choice for performance and money.

    Go for Drip if you are running an eCommerce business or require an email marketing software to make your email list work harder for you (and generates you more money).

  • How To Use MailChimp: Step By Step Guide For Beginners

    How To Use MailChimp: Step By Step Guide For Beginners

    If you are looking for an extensive tutorial on How To Use MailChimp, this is it.

    MailChimp is recommended by web developers and used by bloggers around the world. Make no mistake — MailChimp is the best email campaign management software that doesn’t cost you a dollar.

    The standard MailChimp plan comes with 2,000 email subscribers and 12,000 email delivery cap per month. For small businesses and bloggers who are looking to start with email marketing, MailChimp is certainly a no-brainer option.

    I hope you enjoy this extensive MailChimp tutorial and here’s the table of content before we dive in.

    Note: You will learn more than just how to use MailChimp to send emails and newsletters. You will discover some nifty tricks within this posts that you can use to multiple your email marketing campaigns.

    Quick NavigationThe MailChimp IntroductionPart 1: Register a free MailChimp accountPart 2: Familiarizing with the MailChimp dashboardPart 3: How to create email lists with MailChimp?Part 4: What is MailChimp segments and groups?How to send emails using MailChimp?Step 1: Creating a campaignStep 2: MailChimp campaign builderStep 3: Create an email using MailChimpStep 4: Basic MailChimp email setupStep 5: Design email using MailChimpStep 6: Craft your email contentStep 7: Final step before sending the email outMailChimp AnalyticsSummary: is MailChimp worth it?

    The MailChimp Introduction

    • checkWhat is MailChimp
    • checkHow good is MailChimp
    • checkAdvantage using MailChimp
    • checkWhy MailChimp is the right email marketing software for you

    MailChimp is an email marketing solution that offers both free and paid plans.

    In terms of features, MailChimp offers very competitive features which are often comparable to many MailChimp alternatives.

    what is mailchimp

    MailChimp allows you to:

    • checkMultiple sign up forms
    • checkCreate newsletters and emails using drag and drop editor
    • checkHTML-ready templates
    • checkPowerful and monitored servers for best delivery ratio
    • checkManage all your email subscribers under one roof
    • checkSend different types of emails to build engagement with your subscribers
    • checkAnalyze and track performance of your email campaigns

    Part 1: Register a free MailChimp account

    create mailchimp account

    The first step is pretty simple. Click on this link and you can create a free MailChimp account in minutes. No credit card required.

    Part 2: Familiarizing with the MailChimp dashboard

    mailchimp dashboard

    This is what the MailChimp dashboard looks like. It is very simple and above all, straightforward.

    Part 3: How to create email lists with MailChimp?

    create lists on MailChimp

    An email list is where you use to segment your subscribers. I recommend you to create different segments to deliver highly specific and customized newsletters to your subscribers.

    You can create unlimited lists on the free MailChimp account. You should also take sometime to understand the differences between segments and groups in MailChimp.

    Why?

    MailChimp calculates email subscribers based on number of times they are subscribed to a list. This means that if an email subscriber is subscribed to 3 of your email list, the total number of email subscribers is calculated as 3 instead of 1. This is one reason why many people opt for MailChimp alternatives as it will affect your bottom line in a long run.

    If you want to use MailChimp for email marketing, you should consider using both segments and groups.

    What! What is MailChimp segments and groups?

    Part 4: What is MailChimp segments and groups?

    MailChimp Segments and Groups

    Segments — Your list contains a lot of information about your contacts, like when they were added to your list, where they live, and how they interact with your marketing. You can use this information to filter contacts into segments, and then target them with email or ad campaigns.

    Segments are used to create target audiences based on shared data. When you create a segment, you’ll set conditions to filter contacts based on the information that’s available in your list. Each segment can include up to five conditions.

    Groups — You can use your MailChimp list to sort your subscribers into custom groups based on their interests and preferences. Groups function like categories in a list, and are an excellent way to manage diverse subscriber profiles in the same MailChimp list. Groups can be the basis for building list segments for sending to targeted audiences.

    In other words, group is a collection of subscribers, categorized by their interests or preferences. A group consists of a group category and group names.

    How to send emails using MailChimp?

    • checkStep by step guide using MailChimp
    • checkLearn how to create email campaign, creating email lists and sending out email newsletters without coding skills

    Here’s where the juicy part is. The process of sending emails (or newsletters) using MailCHimp is very fun. Seriously!

    MailChimp drag and drop UI is extremely intuitive and big brands such as Buffer uses them.

    Here is the step by step guide on how to use MailChimp to send email newsletters and mage your email subscribers.

    Step 1: Creating a campaign

    create campaign on mailchimp

    Click on the ‘Campaign’ tab on the top and select ‘Create Campaign’.

    Step 2: MailChimp campaign builder

    create campaign using mailchimp

    MailChimp campaign builder is pretty cool. You can choose from the generic three options below, or using the ‘Let us guide you’ option. Here’s what you will get if you choose ‘Let us guide you’ option.

    mailchimp campaign builder

    As you can see, there are different goals you can accomplish with MailChimp. Currently, there are 22 campaign options for you to choose from.

    For this tutorial, I will not use the above option and go with the generic email creation (I choose ‘Create an email’ option).

    Step 3: Create an email using MailChimp

    sending email using MailChimp

    You can opt for Automated, Plain-text or A/B Test apart from the Regular. Choose the one that fits your need.

    Step 4: Basic MailChimp email setup

    how to create newsletters using mailchimp

    Again, very straight forward. Click on the grey buttons on the right to toggle the settings.

    You can also link your Facebook and Twitter accounts with MailChimp to reach a wider range of audience!

    Click on the ‘Design Email’ option for the next step.

    Step 5: Design email using MailChimp

    design emails using MailChimp

    There will be a lot of designs you can choose from in this step.

    Tip: Hover your mouse to each template will give you a quick preview of the design.

    Step 6: Craft your email content

    After selecting an email template to work with, this is what you will see next.

    creating newsletters using MailChimp

    The left column will represent the template that you choose and the right column is the drag and drop editor where you can customize your email.

    You can add content to your email by clicking on each element.

    craft emails

    Once you have done adding the content for a particular element, remember to click ‘Save & Close’. By default, MailChimp has a 20 seconds automatic saving to ensure that you don’t lose any important changes you had done.

    Step 7: Final step before sending the email out

    The last step before sending out any email is to take a final look at it. Thankfully, you can do that easily with MailChimp.

    how to use MailChimp

    Once the final check is done, the blue ‘Send’ button will be clickable.

    MailChimp Analytics

    • checkPowerful reporting feature
    • checkEasy to understand reports
    • checkLow learning curve
    • checkAbsolutely free to use
    • checkAbsolutely beginner friendly

    I love MailChimp for it’s simplicity. It is really super easy to use and doesn’t require you to spend hours to learn it.

    Here’s how it looks like.

    mailchimp stats

    MailChimp reporting comes with industry average open rates. So, it serves as an excellent benchmark for you to improve your email marketing campaigns.

    mailchimp detailed reports

    You can also use MailChimp’s detailed reports to understand the open rates, clicks and reach for each email campaign.

    Note: The stats are pretty old because I am currently using ConvertKit as my main email marketing software. You can check out the demo or read the comparison.

    Summary: is MailChimp worth it?

    It really depends. Personally, MailChimp is one of the best email marketing software in the market for the price and user friendliness.

    If you are looking for an email marketing solution that is simple and beginner friendly, you should go for MailChimp. Morever, you can use MailChimp up to 2,000 email subscribers and 12,000 emails per month with the free account.

    If you are looking for other MailChimp alternatives, you can try AWeber (with 30 days for free trial) or ConvertKit (no free trial but with 30 days money back guarantee).