What is MailChimp?
MailChimp is a marketing platform that began by helping small businesses leverage the power of email for digital marketing. Since then, they have grown from simply an email service provider into a full platform assisting with other channels and marketing tools. With the help of MailChimp, businesses can automate and manage marketing campaigns all from one dashboard.
The service offers a free plan that offers 10k emails each month to 2k subscribers. Many of the tools and templates on the platform are available with this free plan. There are also monthly plans that offer additional features and more advanced support.
MailChimp’s Offerings
Email Marketing
MailChimp is perfect for creating email campaigns. The software guides you through setup with templates, with the help of a simple editor to customize your email marketing content. Those savvy with code can use HTML to design your emails.
Before sending your email out, or before even compiling your email list, you can send your email design to yourself to look over yourself and test the platform. Emails can be sent immediately or timed for a future date. Set triggers and responses to activate the automation for your campaign.
List Management Features
Create your list and automatically receive the sign-up form from Mailchimp. Take this and use it on your website or social media accounts. List segmentation is easy and offers you a variety of methods to sort the contacts on your list. Segmentation by time zone is offered on paid plans to make sure your subscribers receive your messages when they are likely awake.
Mandrill
This transactional email API is perfect for eCommerce businesses. It can be used to communicate with customers and nurture your relationship with them.
Analytics & Reporting
A/B split testing is available along with reports to track revenue, check domain performance, and subscribers. Simply scroll through the list and choose your stats like click rates, email campaign performance.
Domain, Website & Landing Page Creation
Design your complimentary website and landing pages right on the platform.
Digital Marketing Help
Use digital ads with Google’s ad network, social media marketing. Integrate your social media accounts and post to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Schedule posts up to three months in advance.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
You’ll have a hub to organize and analyze audience data and insights.
E-Commerce Automations
Send targeted messages that are based on your customer’s purchase behavior by connecting your e-commerce platform. If your customer abandons their cart, they will receive a reminder that that shopping cart is still waiting for them. You can also send thank you’s and order confirmations to customers after their first purchase.
MailChimp Pricing
Mailchimp starts with its free plan that offers a host of features and tools. The audience dashboard, segmentation, basic templates, websites, domains, landing pages, social media ads and posting, single-step automation, basic reports, and 30 days of email support. Once you have accumulated more than 2k subscribers or wish to send more than 12k emails per month, you can choose the larger plans.
The Essentials plan is the next step up and is priced at $10/month. It includes 50k emails and three audiences. Everything available in the free plan is included, plus all prebuilt templates, the ability to remove the Mailchimp footer, email scheduling, A/B testing, and 24/7 email and chat support.
The Standard plan is $14.99/month and offers five audiences and 100k contacts. In addition to everything offered in the Essentials plan, subscribers receive advanced audience insights, retargeting ads, custom template designs, event-based automation, delivery by time zone, testing for social media posts, and the Customer Journey Builder.
The top plan available, the Premium plan is $299/month and offers up to 200k contacts, an unlimited number of audiences, everything in the Standard plan and advanced segmentation, phone support, multivariate testing, and role-based access.
Mailchimp also offers discounts for security and nonprofits and charities. Add two-factor authentication and receive a 10% discount for three months. Nonprofits and charities receive a 15% discount.
Pros of Mailchimp
- Free Plan has a variety of features
- 100’s of Integrations of Other Software
- Combined CRM and Email Marketing Campaigns
- Simple Newsletter Creation
- Reasonable Monthly Costs
- Too Many a la carte Options
- Email and Live Chat Support for Paid Plans
Cons of MailChimp
- Automation set up is not intuitive
- Limited Support unless you have the Premium plan
Overall MailChimp offers several email marketing features and is constantly improving its offerings with more services. The price is reasonable in comparison to other providers and keeps user accounts secure. The software is user-friendly with tutorials and guides to help you along. It can be frustrating to not have phone support and only offers 30 days of email support for free plans. MailChimp is a comprehensive email marketing and CRM platform that is worth giving a 30-day test run.
