Beginners Guide to MailChimp
Newsletter or email marketing is one of the best avenues to communicate with existing and new customers. In this article we will look at how to setup and integrate MailChimp, one of the most popular email marketing platforms.
MailChimp is one of the easiest e-mail marketing solutions to implement. It is also very simple to use, that is why it mostly preferred by beginners and experts around the world. It’s has a drag and drop designer function which makes developing your newsletter a piece of cake. Mailchimp is free to use for up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month.
Let’s look at how to get yourself a MailChimp account with this simple guide:
Signup for MailChimp.
The sign-up process couldn’t be easier. You simply sign up for free by filling out a short form. A credit card is not required to start using MailChimp. Once you’re finished signing up, you will receive an account activation email. When you activate your account, it’s important to quickly setup your profile. Once your finished configuring your account, it’s time to build your first email list.
Create a List of Subscribers
The subscriber list is the place that you’ll collect your subscribers. To create your first list, simply navigate to the “Lists” tab and click on “Create List”. You can manually enter contact information into your list manually or import contacts. A variety of formats are accepted included tab delimited text and csv files. MailChimp requires you to acknowledge that you have permission to e-mail people in your lists to comply with spam laws and common courtesy. Always get permission first before e-mailing someone you do not know or have a business relationship with.
Sign Up Form Designing
When you finish creating your lists and have saved them, then you’ll be directed to your lists’ dashboard. It is the area where you can see a list of all your subscribers, design your sign up forms, check statistics about newsletters and a lot more. Now this is the stage you will design your sign up forms. When you click on “Sign Up Forms” and then “General Forms,” you will be directed to a page that says “Sign Up Form”. You can then scroll down and customize your form the way you like including the fonts, colors and images. It’s quite easy!
Lastly, take note of the URL for your signup form that you will use on social media or your blog, to encourage your audience to sign up for your list.
Mailing Address
It’s important to put your physical address for your business or home. This is because it is a requirement by law that your address should be in your email. A P.O. Box address is sufficient enough.
Create and Send Your Newsletter
It’s now time to send out your very first newsletter. Scroll to where it is written “Campaigns” at the very top. Click the button that says “Create Campaigns” at the top right side. You will see several options, however for a beginner send a “Regular Campaign” and then select the list you would like to send to, then click next button. The next stage is where you write the campaign name, make an interesting subject and also adjust other settings depending on your taste in design. The beauty about MailChimp is it has a drag and drop editor. This makes it easy to customize your emails to almost the way you desire.
It is as easy and simple as that to use MailChimp making it a favorite for most e-newsletters beginners.
