Item: Mailchimp
Rating: 8
Author: Tiffany Rachann

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We create cultural communications campaigns based on the strategy opted for by our clients. Such typically includes digital, print, and mass comms. We use Mailchimp as part of the digital reach to expand awareness, inform, and prompt audiences to engage with the project assets and goals.

Pros and Cons

Offers a reasonable amount of start-up templates
Drag & Drop features are simple and appealing
Allows color customization
Has a considerable API catalog

Easier "connected funnels"
Offer free/essentials plan for training team members with several seats
Move "go" buttons around so that they head on the dashboard and not in the footer
Add diagram "logic" to pages while creating campaigns

Return on Investment

Data Analytics has been a positive
Multi-lingual A/B Testing for audiences have been positive
Ease of use for novice team members have been positive

Alternatives Considered

Constant Contact and Emma

Constant Contact was my initial go-to years ago, but I disliked the dashboard and interface. It was as if the developers didn't use their right brains at all. Very difficult to navigate. Send Fox has been a considerable alternative, especially with the one-time cost and Emma is similar, but the pricing is a tad higher than a start-up might be able to spend.

Usability

Even with updates over the years, the platform has remained fairly easy to use and navigate. The added features offer comprehensive external communications SAAS with desirable API options. All in all, I'd suggest it for start-ups and small businesses that are looking for a grow-with-you kinda platform. Even so, I'd suggest that the user identify very specific engagement goals and objectives before purchasing. It'll boost ROI tremendously.

All-in-One Marketing Platform

The all-in-one ability has allowed us to design, schedule, and measure campaigns instantaneously and effectively. The features have allowed us to customize campaigns with brand colors and duplicate such quickly for bi-lingual integration. Our last client wanted to maximize exposure on Facebook, so having a versatile API available was a win-win for them. Especially where it regarded virtual event marketing. The dashboard is easy to peruse, so we could hand off easily once the campaigns were finished and included several "how-to" videos in their final training.

Lessons for Success

The data reporting has been really good. Because we are tracking and reporting stats on engagement per audience and based on factors such as appeal and timing, the system has allowed us to be agile with our overall strategy. As for learning, when managing a team that is unfamiliar, I've learned that having a portal that offers additional seats and assignments can be very helpful. Much of the backlog falls on me to keep the project moving but I could have assigned certain responsibilities to others if there was an opportunity to do so with seats.

Key Insights

Do you think Mailchimp delivers good value for the price?

Not sure

Are you happy with Mailchimp's feature set?

Yes

Did Mailchimp live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Mailchimp go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Mailchimp again?

Yes

Likelihood to Recommend

If a project is well-tailored with specific outreach goals and the PM has identified the audiences that are likely to engage via email then Mailchimp is a really good option. Creating a customer experience via the platform with a landing page, logical funnel, and follow-up emails is best for a beta launch. The only place I'd suggest Mailchimp not being an option is if someone is only interested in the email marketing feature. There are other platforms that offer email marketing only. It's not economical.

Critical Ecommerce Features

Landing Page
Sign-up forms

Mailchimp Audience Management

Yes and no. Having another platform for CRM makes the Mailchimp CRM features redundant.

Clever lil monkey!

Software Version

Overall Satisfaction with Mailchimp