Feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of email marketing platforms out there?
Choosing the right one could be tricky, especially with industry giants like Mailchimp vying for your attention.
Making the wrong choice could lead to wasted time, frustration, and missed opportunities to connect with your audience.
In this review, we’ll dive deep into Mailchimp’s features, pricing, & ease of use so you could decide if it’s the perfect fit for your business needs.
Want better email results? Mailchimp helped 13 million businesses send billions of emails last year. Find your way with Mailchimp!
What is Mailchimp?
Mailchimp is a popular email marketing tool.
It’s like a super helpful email marketing software that lets you create & send emails to a bunch of people at once. Think newsletters or sales announcements!
With easy-to-use templates and a drag-and-drop editor, you can design awesome emails without any coding.
Mailchimp also helps you organize marketing campaigns by grouping your audience and sending targeted messages.
You can even see who opened your emails and clicked on links.
Need help?
Mailchimp customer service offers articles, videos, and live chat support.
Who Created Mailchimp?
Ben Chestnut and Dan Kurzius started Mailchimp back in 2001.
They wanted to give small businesses an easier way to create email marketing campaigns.
Their goal was to build an email marketing platform that was simple to use and affordable.
Back then, most email campaigns were boring and plain. Mailchimp changed that with fun designs and helpful tools.
Today, millions of people use Mailchimp, but there are also many Mailchimp alternatives available.
Top Benefits of Mailchimp
Mailchimp offers a ton of great features for businesses of all sizes. Here are a few of the top benefits:
- Ease of Use: Even if you’re new to email marketing, Mailchimp’s intuitive interface makes it simple to create and send professional emails. You’ll be sending email marketing campaigns like a pro in no time!
- Variety of email templates: Choose from a wide range of pre-designed email templates to get started very quickly, or build your own with their drag-and-drop editor. You can even use custom-coded templates for a truly unique look.
- Free Plan: Mailchimp offers a generous free plan Mailchimp option, perfect for those just starting out. This allows you to try all the features and explore the platform before committing to paid plans.
- Unlimited Contacts: Even on the free plan, you can have unlimited contacts! This is a huge plus for growing businesses.
- Advanced Features: Mailchimp offers powerful features like customer journeys, behavioral targeting, and a website builder, allowing you to create sophisticated campaigns and automate your marketing efforts.
- Unlimited Users: Collaborate with your team seamlessly, as Mailchimp allows for unlimited users on all plans.
With its combination of user-friendliness, robust features, and flexible pricing, Mailchimp is a compelling choice for businesses seeking to elevate their email marketing game.
Best Features of Mailchimp
Mailchimp is more than just a simple email platform. It’s packed with tools to help you connect with your audience and grow your business.
Let’s explore some of its coolest features:
1. Email Marketing
This is what Mailchimp is known for!
You can easily create eye-catching emails with their templates and design tools.
Want to send a welcome email to all new subscribers? No problem! Need to announce a big sale? Easy peasy. Mailchimp helps you send the right message at the right time.
2. Marketing Automation
Imagine your emails sending themselves!
With Mailchimp’s automation features, you can set up welcome series, birthday messages, or even abandoned cart reminders.
This means you can “set it and forget it” while Mailchimp does the work for you.
3. Audience Management
Keep your audience organized with Mailchimp!
You can group people based on their interests, purchase history, or how they signed up. This helps you send more relevant emails that people actually want to read.
4. Social Media Marketing
Mailchimp isn’t just for email anymore. You could create & schedule posts for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all from one place. It’s like having a social media sidekick!
5. Content Creation Tools
Need help writing subject lines or designing your website?
Mailchimp has built-in tools to help you create awesome content. They even have a website builder with easy-to-use templates.
Pricing
Plan | Price | Key Features |
---|---|---|
Free | $0 | Email support for first 30 days, Limited reporting & analytics. |
Essentials | Starting at $13/month | 24/7 Email & chat support, Limited reporting & analytics. |
Standard | Starting at $20/month | 24/7 Email & chat support, |
Premium | Starting at $350/month | Phone & priority support. |
Pros and Cons
Need help deciding? See Mailchimp’s strengths and weaknesses. This will help you choose wisely.
Pros
Cons
Alternatives of Mailchimp
While Mailchimp is a very popular choice, there are other email marketing platforms out there. If you’re looking for something different, consider these alternatives:
- MailerLite: Known for its user-friendly interface and affordable pricing, MailerLite is a great option for beginners and small businesses. It offers a generous free plan and a wide range of features.
- ConvertKit: Popular with creators and bloggers, ConvertKit focuses on building strong relationships with your audience. It offers landing pages, forms, and automation tools to help you grow your email list.
- ActiveCampaign: If you need advanced automation and CRM capabilities, ActiveCampaign is a powerful choice. It offers sophisticated workflows, segmentation options, and integrations with various other platforms.
- Moosend: This platform boasts a drag-and-drop email editor, a landing page builder, & a variety of automation features. Moosend is a strong contender with its affordable pricing and user-friendly interface.
- Sendinblue (Brevo): A comprehensive marketing platform, Sendinblue (Brevo) offers email marketing, SMS marketing, and chat features. It’s a good option for businesses looking for an all-in-one solution.
Ultimately, the best Mailchimp alternative for you will depend on your specific needs and budget.
It’s worth exploring these options and trying out their free trials or free plans to see which one fits you best.
Personal Experience with Mailchimp
My team and I used Mailchimp to launch a new product. We wanted to reach a lot of people and get them excited. Mailchimp made it easy!
We used these cool features:
- Templates: We found a template we liked and changed it to match our style.
- Signup forms: We put a signup form on our website to collect email addresses.
- Automation: We set up a welcome email for new subscribers. It introduced them to our company.
- Tracking: We watched to see how many people opened our emails and clicked our links.
Mailchimp helped us reach thousands of people. We got the word out about our new product. It helped us grow our business!
Final Thoughts
Mailchimp is a very popular email marketing tool for a reason.
It’s easy to use, has helpful features, and offers a free plan for beginners.
You can create nice-looking emails, and automated messages, and organize your audience.
But, Mailchimp can get expensive if you have a lot of contacts. It also has limits on how many emails you can send.
If you need a lot of customization or have a tight budget, you should check out other options.
Want to give it a try?
Sign up for a free Mailchimp account and see if it’s right for you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mailchimp really free?
Yes, Mailchimp offers a free plan forever! It allows you to have up to 500 contacts and send 1,000 emails per month. You get access to basic templates, a website builder, and marketing CRM tools.
What is Mailchimp’s best feature?
Mailchimp is known for its user-friendly drag-&-drop email builder. It makes creating beautiful and engaging emails easy, even without any coding knowledge.
Is Mailchimp good for beginners?
Absolutely! Mailchimp is a great option for beginners. Its intuitive interface, helpful guides, and free plan make it easy to learn email marketing basics.
What are some good Mailchimp alternatives?
If Mailchimp isn’t the right fit, consider MailerLite, ConvertKit, or ActiveCampaign. These platforms offer similar features with varying pricing and focuses.
Can I use Mailchimp to sell products?
Yes, you can! Mailchimp allows you to create online stores and connect them to your email marketing campaigns. You can promote products, manage orders, and track sales.