Item: Mailchimp
Rating: 10
Author: Madhavi Ghare

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use Mailchimp to send out regular newsletters to my subscribers and clients. In it, I often talk about my new videos or blog posts, I talk about offers and discounts, and occasional nuggets of information and knowledge. My work is all about consulting with my clients on various issues, and I also teach and mentor students who want to learn to do what I do. I use Mailchimp to create and send out nice newsletters to all of them. I have a WordPress website, and I use some really nice plugins to implement sign-up forms on my site. Plus, the newsletters are also mobile-friendly, which means my subscribers can read them on their computers or phones, wherever they prefer.

Pros and Cons

Email Series that introduces a new subscriber to my products & services.
An intuitive & user-friendly method to design your newsletter.
A nice way for people who have a smaller subscriber base to run a newsletter service.

In the free plan, one can only have one mailing list. It shouldn't matter as long as you don't exceed a certain total subscriber count.
It isn't easy to change the content and email sequences of introductory email series.

Return on Investment

I receive more orders than usual once I send out my newsletter.
It is a great way to keep in touch with clients & subscribers.
Having various WordPress plugins that work for different purposes is useful.

Alternatives Considered

ConvertKit

I did take a look at ConvertKit when it came out. But it didn't offer a free migration tool for the free plan. Therefore I didn't get a chance to try it out. Again, their interface to set up drip email sequences (at the time) was something I didn't understand. It may have changed by now, but I am not sure. Mailchimp is intuitive and easy to understand & use.

Usability

You don't need any special training or learning to start using Mailchimp. It is rather simple to use, even for a newbie.

All-in-One Marketing Platform

I was able to integrate my WordPress website, and my WooCommerce store with Mailchimp. I can easily get people to sign up for the newsletter on my website. And the WooCommerce integration is useful - especially when I have to send out a newsletter with blocks containing my service offerings. I can share discount codes etc. And each time I send out a newsletter, they blast it on my social network as well, making it easy for others to sign up and to read my updates.

Lessons for Success

I always see an increase in orders after I send out the newsletter. It has helped me connect with my clients & subscribers on a regular basis.

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

Mailchimp is a great starting point for anyone who wants to start running a newsletter -- especially if they don't have many subscribers. While it is easy to upgrade, it may not be necessary if you don't have more than a certain number of subscribers. However, if you need to reach out more frequently or have more subscribers, you may want to look at the paid plan. The free plan won't be enough.

Critical Ecommerce Features

Sign-up forms
Integrations (i.e., WooCommerce, Facebook, etc.)

I can have sign-up forms on my website, and thanks to the WooCommerce integration, I can easily share service offerings to my subscribers in each newsletter.

Mailchimp Audience Management

Segmentation allows me to send emails targeted to specific segments of my subscribers -- such as students, or clients.

Keep in Touch with Clients & Subscribers using MailChimp

Software Version

Overall Satisfaction with Mailchimp