MailChimp Reviews

The list management and segmentation options are probably our favorite feature. It allows us to manage one list but send campaigns based on segments. It’s a cleaner way to do it compared to Constant Contact where you need to have multiple lists with the same recipient on each which quickly becomes confusing and redundant.

We also love the drag and drop feature in creating and updating email campaigns! It makes it really easy to customize templates on the fly.

We also love that we can be added as managers for our clients. This allows us to login using our own account but toggle back and forth as needed.

The list management is the feature that really helps us function better. We are able to manage ONE list and segment campaigns by clients, city, whether the recipient has been to a presentation, etc.

We use Constant Contact occasionally for clients but the list management tool is not nearly as robust forcing you to add everything in a “tag” field which becomes a dumping ground for information but is the only way to segment a single list. It’s just not as usable.

One of the things that we like about MailChimp is that they are constantly improving. We are very happy with the features they offer and don’t find we are using “work around” solutions. However, if I had to say something, I would say the options for the RSS campaigns could be improved. Images from posts are fussy to add to RSS campaigns and adding excerpts vs. full posts or title only can be confusing.

Westchester Marketing Café LLC has been using MailChimp for over five years. We were first introduced to MailChimp by a client, actually, but found it to be a better solution than VerticalResponse which we were using at the time, so we made the switch.

No, set up was pretty easy. You can copy and paste your list, or import it using a myriad of options. Setting up the template was pretty easy as well.

Setting up the RSS campaign was probably the hardest part. But we ended up not using that feature since we wanted to be able to add other snippets besides just the latest blog article so we now do it manually anyway.

I vaguely recall a problem some years back but we were able to resolve it quickly and without major incident. I don’t even recall what the issue was now.

No. Along with most of our clients we are a small business so the lists we manage are all under 10K and pretty easy to manage.

We have not tried any of the other features such as the 360 integration that relates to eCommerce stuff which is where I would imagine scalability may be an issue.

I really haven’t had to use customer service much but it is only by email which is unfortunate.

Again, I really haven’t had to use technical support but it is only by email which is unfortunate. Anytime I’ve had question I search online and using their Knowledge Base which has not let me down yet. However, if someone was less familiar with HTML/coding I can see where this might be an issue.

We used to use VerticalResponse but made the switch because we found MailChimp to be easier and faster to work with. In particular, the user interface was far more user friendly. They also seemed to be more “cutting edge” and continue to add features and improve usability.

The initial setup was fairly straightforward, although obviously there was a learning curve. We had to familiarize ourselves with the interface, and make decisions about list management (i.e. what data to collect and/or add in the background as we imported our list), etc. However, we found the learning curve to be pretty short.

We implemented it in-house.

We are a service company so ROI is hard to measure. We do, however, get positive results with calls and emails from our newsletter although sometimes this is simply in the form of a “thank you.”

There was no set up cost. We spend $10/month for the option of not including the MailChimp logo on our newsletter and another $1/month for the social integration which gives us information on our readers and their social media profiles.

We have not considered switching but as I mentioned we do occasionally use ConstantContact for clients. Every time we do we feel validated that MailChimp is the way to go!

If you are not already working with a marketing person, it may be a good time to start. Having a strategy for your list, your email campaigns and social integration is key to success. A good team will help you get up and running more quickly and avoid common mistakes in the process.

Whether you are using a service to implement or going it alone, understand how you will be targeting your campaigns so you can properly manage your list. Importing your list properly will help you in the long term.

Being able to create editable templates for our clients. Once we uploaded the custom template they can then use it every month without worrying about the code, they just change the content and images. I also like the action based responses that you can set up for contacts. It allows scheduling of funnel messages based on particular action and time that has passed.

I've been creating email newsletter campaigns for over 10 years. With MailChimp I can set up an entire account with custom templates and rules in place for the client. From there they can change the content on their own. When they want another version of the email that is easy as well. Having dynamic fields built in to populate data from the contact database is great personalization that we can't do at scale.

Right now there are more features and functionality then most clients ever need or request. MailChimp is always innovating, adding new features, and functionality. I also like their lab projects which have created several very cool apps, especially the one for promoting events.

Over 9 years

No serious issues that we couldn't find a solution to.

Nope

No, even when we've had clients sending over a million emails a month we never saw a difference in delivery rates, bounce rates, etc. It scales without an issue.

I can't recall ever having to contact customer service in my 9+ years. The online guides and forums are pretty good at providing information for almost any scenario.

Top notch

Over the years we've used most of the popular platforms like Constant Contact, Vertical Response, and SilverPop. If you count the marketing automation tools as a ESP then we've also used HubSpot, Marketo, and Act-On. MailChimp is solid and easy to use for clients, but has all the power we need to build great campaigns, A/B test them, get them delivered, tracked, and report.

We usually set up complex accounts for clients, but the system is easy enough to use so while the capabilities of the account is complex and powerful...using it isn't.

In house.

That depends on clients and how much mail they send. Most clients are sending less then 250k with standard pricing while the big senders (million +) require custom pricing. When compared to other solutions the costs are competitive and the satisfaction I hear from my own clients is well worth it. I don't get calls about how to do this or that, errors, or problems. Email is usually time sensitive so I don't want anyone to have a problem at the 11th hour. With MailChimp we never ran into those issues.

Sure, from stand alone bulk email systems through the more commercial products like Constant Contact and Vertical Response. Each has their pros and I recommend all three, but I tend to recommend and use MailChimp more due to the ease of use for the client. When it's so easy for anyone in the office to use it makes managing and running campaigns that much easier.

Try it out with the free trial, here's the link for MailChimps free trial http://bit.ly/1dQHoak and also try out the other competitors. Most have free trials, so use that time to get familiar with the user interface, features, and functionality that you are looking for. A lot of times a feature on paper looks great, but when you go to use it you find that it doesn't work like you need it to. Take it for a test drive and find out for yourself.

The analytics are great for me because it helps me see who is interacting with the email and how many clicks I’m getting per edition. The templates are also very easy drag-n-drop setups that allow for quite a bit of customization.

As an author, I was going to a lot of effort to interact with fans and MailChimp has enabled me to make it easy for everyone to catch up on blogs they missed, see exclusive videos before it hits my YouTube channel, and catch up with the projects I’m working on. I feel it gives my monthly content longer life while helping me work smarter, not harder.

There are some YouTube elements that could be simplified. I’m unable to see the linked video render until I send myself a campaign (a test template doesn’t show the actual video) and that’s one thing that causes me to take extra steps before I send out the campaign.

The video embedding doesn’t render until you send a campaign, which makes it hard to see the layout. If I could test a template and see the total finished product, I’d rate this up to a 10. Also, from template to campaign, the sizing of the text changes so that certain elements look great in the template, but then skew in size when sent as a campaign. Not a huge problem, but it does throw off the look of the email. Otherwise, it does everything I need.

I’ve been sending out newsletters since December of 2014. I’m doing a monthly email to subscribers on my list and finding that is a good period of time, so right now I’m using the free plan as my newsletter is just a few months into production.

I was able to test send initial campaigns to myself before the first email went to subscribers, so deployment was smooth. The process gets faster and faster the more I use the MailChimp system.

I’ve not encountered any stability issues. Login is always fast and secure, and my account has never had any issues. All the campaigns have gone out at the exact day/time they were scheduled.

I was pleased to not have any issues. In fact, after a month, I found that a customized tab can be added to my Facebook author page to help me get more exposure. It has helped me gain traction and was very easy to link.

Emails are answered timely and follow-up is always good. They have a great site and a blog where you're connected with great content to help your knowledge build as you go.

MailChimp tech support is prompt and thorough. They helped me better understand their video element while being very patient. They have always followed up with me and don’t talk down to me, even when I have an obvious question.

I never used an email service such as MailChimp before – many others like Aweber. However, Aweber seems to have a cost to do what MailChimp’s free service matches.

Setup was easy as I just needed to login with Facebook. Understanding the creation of a template was easy as it is a drag-n-drop system. The implementation of a video element to the template was the most complex as I didn’t understand that the template doesn’t show *all* of what the campaign will look like.

I did it all myself.

I break even so far. In using the free version of this program, I have not made sales based on a buyer receiving a newsletter, and I haven’t had anyone unsubscribe. My YouTube channel has increased by at least 10 subscribers, and I consider that a decent ROI so far.

For those starting out, this free version gives you a very professional look. I feel that if you have a couple hundred subscribers on your list, you’d benefit more from upgrading to a paid program as the options really open up when you pay. I feel MailChimp offers competitive rates for the level of tech support they provide, and that the more extensive analytics would be of tremendous benefit.

I spoke with other authors who use Aweber programs and found out they were paying for elements that MailChimp already offered for free. I did not evaluate it personally and I have only ever sent out campaigns with MailChimp.

Don’t just write another blog to send out to subscribers. Really take in the options MailChimp offers and create something eye-catching and unique. Most authors I know simply write letters to fans. I have found I can offer freebie links, videos, image elements that link to past blogs, etc, and I like to keep it short and sweet. So far, this is working when competing with the valuable time of fans, and if click rates are low, don’t give up – change it up!

• Easy campaign setup
• Easy modern template creation
• It provides an easy to read results view for statistics for each campaign, or a summary for all our campaigns

MailChimp has allowed us to easily integrate it with our CRM which has reduced the amount of effort needed to setup up and track any marketing newsletter.

MailChimp should have a better offering for ready made modern templates but this is usually supplied by the community. Recently, these selections have not updated much.

I've used it for one year.

No issues encountered.

No issues encountered.

MailChimp allows us to create as many campaigns and templates as we want, so there are no issues so far with scalability. Some advanced features, like automation are offered as a paid service.

9/10.

10/10.

We previously used Constant Contact, but made the switch because MailChimp does a much better job at tracking, and managing each marketing effort through campaigns.

Initial setup is extremely easy as the interface provides breadcrumb helpers and small tutorials on the next steps on first using MailChimp.

We implemented it in-house.

We haven't really been able to gauge the value in a financial manner. As we are on the free version, it makes it easier for us to track who opens emails, as well as send out information to our clients on a monthly basis on our free webinars and new product offerings.

Our internal marketing team uses the free version of MailChimp to meet our needs.

We also looked at Constant Contact.

Look at the integrations it has with other systems, which can save you a lot of time setting up campaigns. Creating templates is a simple drag and drop process, so anyone without technical experience can build a template.

There are several features in MailChimp that make it an invaluable tool for email communications. For me, the ability to design professional-looking, responsive email templates quickly and easily is crucial. In addition to the actual email design, the other crucial feature in any email, too, is managing your lists. MailChimp has an intuitive system that allows me to segment lists in multiple ways, such as interest groups, activity and other criteria saved in the database.

We rely heavily on email to communicate with our audience. The downside of sending many emails is that the unsubscribe rate goes up. By segmenting lists, we were able to decrease the unsubscribe rate. We also can smoothly gather new leads and more information on existing constituents using MailChimp API integration with our webform tool.

MailChimp’s reports on audience engagement are not the most robust. We have the ability to see statistics on any given email, but aggregate reporting on the performance of a specific group of emails is not a native feature. This would be useful for comparing month-over-month trends or different audiences’ rates of engagement.

I have used it for four years.

MailChimp’s service is reliable. The few times we experienced problems, their support staff was able to resolve the issue within a matter of hours.

A definite advantage to MailChimp is the ability to easily scale. They will automatically check how many subscribers you have and move you up to the next level of service, if necessary.

Their technical support is excellent. I found an answer to most of my questions by consulting their knowledge base, which is an easily searchable and comprehensive collection of all their documentation including videos, screenshots and walkthroughs. Their support staff is available by chat and email, and always got back relatively quickly. Most importantly, their staff is knowledgeable and friendly.

We used Lyris before we switched to MailChimp. In Lyris, each email needed to be designed using HTML and CSS, which obviously took a lot of time and expertise. In addition, the user interface was not nearly as intuitive and the support was non-existent on the account we were on.

Setting up MailChimp was relatively painless. MailChimp provides defaults for all forms, templates and other settings, so we were able to customize what was important to us and leave everything else as the default.

MailChimp has a discount for non-profits. It’s also important to note they charge by subscriber, so it’s best to minimize duplicate records. A good way to do this is to use MailChimp’s groups feature, as opposed to setting up separate lists.

Before choosing this product, we evaluated other options, but I don’t remember which ones.

We gradually migrated to MailChimp in stages during our implementation. First, we designed some of our emails in MailChimp, then we moved over our constituent records, then we integrated with our website and so on. This way, if there are particular business needs we could not figure out how to address with MailChimp, we were always able to go back to our previous tool.

Provides easy list importing/exporting and management, easy newsletter automation setup, marketing (email) automation workflows, and simple design options.

We distribute all sales blasts, newsletters, and investor updates through MailChimp. The ease of use and price point enables us to scale our email initiatives efficiently as we grow.

Automation workflows have limited trigger options.

We have been using this solution for five years.

I have yet to see MailChimp fail in five years of frequent use.

There were no scalability issues, in regards to list size. It was only when it came to wanting more sophisticated automation capabilities that there was some scalability issues.

Technical support is fantastic.

I've dabbled with other email marketing tools. The big ones, such as IBM SilverPop and SalesForce Pardot, are clunky and expensive. Marketo is probably worth it, if you're trying to do really high-powered automation at scale.

But among the lower-tier options, in terms of price, MailChimp maintains a lead, although maybe it is tied with Emma and a couple of other new entrants.

The setup was incredibly straightforward. MailChimp has great on-boarding and initial walk-throughs, and guides.

We use the batch pricing, so it grows as our contact lists grow.

We looked at the full spectrum from small to big solutions and decided MailChimp was perfect for our needs at this stage as a startup.

The knowledge base (support center) is full of clear, easy-to-follow guides. There are few things you'll need that it can't do.

• Easy learning curve
• User friendly
• It is easy to make a new design with the basic templates available
• The statistics feature is very important to see if our newsletters are being read

We used to send a lot of emails with Microsoft Outlook but it took too much time. Now, with Mailchimp it is so much easier to send mailings to our members.

At this moment I cannot think of one.

For three years now.

No issues encountered.

No issues encountered.

No issues encountered.

Service is great! I have had some questions about mailings and I used the chat feature. I was always helped in a superb way.

Service is great! I have had some questions about mailings and I used the chat feature. I was always helped in a superb way.

Before I used Yourzine.nl which is also a web based newsletter application. We switched because of the costs as Yourzine was too expensive.

Very out of the box. No need for assistance. If you are familiar with internet and websites, you can start right away.

We did not make use of a vendor.

• Setup costs: none
• Monthly costs: about US$240

No, this product (Mailchimp) was the best option we found.

No need of advice. It works out of the box on a web browser.

Broadcasting newsletters and mail management.

Staying in touch with our clients and knowing if our clients are still interested in our services.

List management could be more scalable.

Five Years.

No issues encountered.

No issues encountered.

Yes - the list management can, at times, be somewhat confusing when using different form factors.

Excellent.

Very good.

No.

Straightforward, but I found the earlier versions to be easier in respect to the building of templates.

We implemented it in-house.