MailChimp
Overall Ranking: 80 out of 100
Price: Ranges from free membership to $500/mo 100,000 subscribers
Owners: Co-Founders Ben Chestnut & Kurzius
Website: www.mailchimp.com
Introduction to MailChimp
When it comes to this email autoresponder, the biggest factor that makes MailChimp different from their competitors, and why most small businesses are drawn to them, is that they offer a completely free, no credit card required, membership to use their service…..so is free really better? Let’s find out.
Pros vs Cons
Pros
- FREE account, no credit card required
- 300+ email templates to choose from
- Can design your own email templates(not recommended for beginners)
- Flexible pay options
- Has online chat 24/5(Mon-Fri, Paying Members Only)
- Can do A/B split testing
Cons
- It is more of a self-service when it comes to customer/technical support
- They have no 24/7 customer service support
- Could not find a customer service phone number anywhere
- Does not have survey forms
- Does not have live webinars
Who is MailChimp for?
Here is the deal, nothing in life is actually free. And the same goes in the business world as well. What I mean by that is, you get what you pay for. If you are the person that expects to have 24/7 customer support at your fingertips, without paying for it, then not only is MailChimp not for you, but no other service is!
If you are looking at MailChimp because of the FREE account membership, then I need to set some expectations. First, know that you are limited in the free account and are not able to access all the tools as opposed to a paid membership(and rightly so, I might add).
Also, know that after your free account has been open for 30 days you will no longer have access to online chat and email support. You have access to all the training tutorials and videos but after 30 days, say goodbye to any customer service support. You are on your own at that point.
Now if you are ok with all of the above, if you’re ok with putting in the time it will take to find the right training and to implement that training, from your own research, then the MailChimp’s free account could be for you. If not then I would recommend one of the paid memberships.
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Tell Me About the Training and Tools MailChimp Provides
Training
There are over 50+ video tutorials ranging from subjects like Getting Started, to Building a List, to Creating Campaigns, to Integration and Automation. For the newbie to email marketing, they have a Getting Started PDF and a Getting Started Newsletter Series with a step by step guide of MailChimp’s basics, that you can subscribe to.
Tools
MailChimp has all the basic tools to from templates to format an email, to sign up forms, to Analytics 360 which helps you track all your activity/click through rates of your emails sent.
What Kind of Support Should I Expect to Receive?
To expand on what was said earlier, MailChimp has no customer support phone number you can call. Now I can understand that for a non-paying, free membership type customer, but the same is true for a paying customer as well.
So if you need MailChimp at the beginning because it is free then so be it. But if you’re list is about to bust through the “free” membership account, and you’re gonna have to start a paid one, then I would expect to have access to talk to someone on the phone if needed….MailChimp doesn’t see it that way.
MailChimp Pricing
MailChimp has two categories of pricing. The most common one is paying by the amount of subscribers you have on your list. In this category, MailChimp is not as favorable as some of it’s competitors. Let’s take a look:
Once you get between the 501-1,000 subscriber category, $15/mo, there are many other competitors, like GetResponse and Aweber, who offer more templates, training, tools, support and allow for an additional 1,000 subscribers at the same cost, $15/mo.
Now what does make MailChimp different is the “Pay as you go method.” With the “free” account and the pay as you go method, it can really help the little guy get off and running, learn the basics of email marketing, with out it costing a fortune:
My Final Opinion
I think MailChimp has a niche, and it is the beginner, not in a rush to build a huge list right away, type of internet marketer. It is for the person that is still learning about what internet and email marketing is all about. And there is nothing wrong with that.
If you are on a low to no budget for your online business then MailChimp is definitely for you. In fact, there is no other email autoresponder service that provides the “free” account as MailChimp does.
But if you are not a beginner. If you already have a list of subscribers larger than 500 or you are about to create a new list, and through paid advertising like solo ads, will grow your subscriber base past 500 in just a matter of days, then there are better and more cost efficient services out there.
I Rank it 80 out of 100
MailChimp
Overall Ranking: 80 out of 100
Price: Ranges from free membership to $500/mo 100,000 subscribers
Owners: Co-Founders Ben Chestnut & Kurzius
Website: www.mailchimp.com
If you have any personal experience with MailChimp, good or bad, please share it with our readers below, it is greatly appreciated.
Jason
Owner
BestOnlineMarketingSystem.org
JohnV says
A really excellent, detailed review. You provide more than enough information to help anyone make a properly informed decision about whether mailchimp is for them.
Life just gets better!
Jason says
Thx JohnV. Please be sure to bookmark my site and come back. Every couple of days I will have new content.
Cheers.
Brian says
Jason, I love the honest review, especially the part about whether its “for you or not”. Mailchimp sounds like its right up my alley with me having little money to get started. Free is free, I like that….I’ll definitely start with them and then move on to a more advanced one as you mentioned. Thanks!
Jason says
Thank you for your kind words. You are absolutely right Brian, start with MailChimp when your budget is very tight. Once your list grows to more than 500 or a 1,000 and depending on how often you email, that is when you can start looking at the “pay as you go” option. Once that option becomes more than $10-$15/mo that is when it is time to start looking at other company providers like GetResponse or Aweber.
Thx again for the comments….to our success!
business intelligence says
Great sources. Without doubt, you’re an authority in the industry.
Jason says
Thank you for reading and thank you for the comment. Favorite my site and come back, I add new posts every couple of days.
Cheers.
Jolie says
I’m currently using the free option in mailchimp and so far I’m pretty happy with all the features. I like how there’s no sales push and options for every level of webowner. Thanks for this review, now I know what I can expect from mailchimp in the future if my business keeps growing and I need to upgrade!
Jason says
Yeah, the free option is really great to get started, especially for beginners. It gives newbies to email marketing a chance to get more familiar with this type of marketing style.
What is unique about MailChimp is that they do have a pay per email option as well as a stated monthly option.
But once your business gets to a point where you are spending at least $15/mo then I recommend you really take a good look at GetResponse. When it comes to paying for an autoresponder, GetResponse really offers the best bang for your buck. Click here to read my full review on GetResponse, I know you will appreciate it.
Best Wishes.
apps says
You’re a among a form blogger in this field. Keep up the work. It’ll pay off.
Jason says
I appreciate the kind words. My goal is to maintain a real, honest, but knowledgable blog that allows others to find value and help the succeed in their endeavorers.