Item: Mailchimp
Rating: 6
Author: Katie Rouse

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use Mailchimp to send weekly, monthly, and special event emails to my email list of subscribers who read my content. It helps me organize my contacts, add tags to different types of content and readers, and easily create email templates to send out. I have over 100 contacts within Mailchimp.

Pros and Cons

Tagging content
Drag and drop editor
Maintaining lists of contacts

Segments in the free plan
A wider variety of templates available on the free plan
More automations for free plan

Return on Investment

Easily scaled my list over the past year
Won't let me replace an old subscriber list with a new one

Alternatives Considered

Constant Contact and ConvertKit

Constant Contact is a bit clunkier to use than Mailchimp. ConvertKit is cheaper than Mailchimp's paid plans, though I've decided to stay on the freebie that I have instead of upgrading for now.

Usability

Mailchimp is extremely easy to use. The streamlined feel of the website is simple, and you can learn it really quickly. I also love the editor for its simplicity. Even if you've never done email marketing campaigns, Mailchimp offers exactly what you need to get started and easily learn and adapt to what you need.

All-in-One Marketing Platform

I have used the social share option that is given with every email campaign you run, but it's not the nicest looking social post, so I tend to change it up and use another tool for that. Mailchimp's strength is in the email game, not anything else, unless you want to be locked into its specific constraints.

Lessons for Success

I've successfully moved from a very closed, personal email list to a large and growing public list as my work has evolved from personal mission work to a writer and author platform. Mailchimp has allowed me to do this seamlessly and has offered me step-by-step guidance with great articles along the way.

Key Insights

Do you think Mailchimp delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Mailchimp's feature set?

Yes

Did Mailchimp live up to sales and marketing promises?

Did implementation of Mailchimp go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Mailchimp again?

Likelihood to Recommend

If you don't need to segment your audience (tag usage is enough for smaller audiences) and don't need a ton of options and templates to communicate with, Mailchimp has you covered.

However, if you are looking to have a larger audience with more segments and automation, you'll have to pay more than other, more generous email providers, as Mailchimp is pricer than many others on the market.

Mailchimp or Mailchump?

Software Version

Overall Satisfaction with Mailchimp