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How to Use MailChimp to Send Mass Email

Are you ready to take your email marketing to the next level? In this article, we’ll walk you through how to use MailChimp to send mass emails.

Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or a newbie, MailChimp’s user-friendly platform and powerful features make it a breeze to connect with your audience. So, without any further ado, let’s dive into the world of email campaigns with MailChimp!

What Is MailChimp?

Mailchimp is a leading all-in-one marketing platform, equipping small and large businesses with robust tools to engage with customers effectively. This platform makes crafting captivating and impactful email campaigns effortless. It is also tailored to suit the unique requirements of any business.

Moreover, its influence in the email marketing landscape is well-known. It goes beyond mere utility to become an influential ally in your overall marketing strategy.

Businesses also find the necessary resources in Mailchimp to create compelling and personalized emails. As a result, it connects with customers on a deeper level and motivates them to take significant actions.

Why Use a MailChimp Account?

MailChimp’s “Forever Free” account is ideal for new businesses or those embarking on their email marketing venture.

With this plan, you receive a subscriber list capacity of 2,000 and a generous monthly send limit of 12,000 emails—at no cost! Setting up this account is also a breeze, providing you with a low-risk introduction to email marketing.

If your subscriber list expands beyond these limits (or requires a higher send capacity), upgrading is an option. However, based on our experience, the free account typically meets the needs of most users admirably.

Additionally, it boasts user-friendliness and numerous outstanding features that effortlessly streamline your email marketing campaign.

Mastering MailChimp’s features empower you to send mass emails with confidence. By staying attentive to spam filters and adhering to best practices, you ensure your emails reach their intended destinations, free from deliverability issues. Leveraging the merge tag also allows personalized and engaging content that resonates with your audience.

So, remember to preview and test your campaigns to experience firsthand how your emails appear in your recipients’ inboxes. Doing so ensures a seamless and professional presentation.

How to Use MailChimp to Send Mass Email [9 Tips]

Source: UnSplash

1. Learn to Navigate MailChimp

MailChimp’s dashboard offers an overview of your account’s performance, including recent campaign activity, audience growth, and notifications. It also serves as a central hub for managing email marketing.

In the Audience/List Management section, you can create and manage subscriber lists, import contacts, segment audiences, and view essential metrics.

Meanwhile, the Campaigns tab lets you create, design, and manage email campaigns. You can also choose campaign types, customize content, set up campaign settings, schedule or send emails, and access performance reports.

With various pre-designed templates, the Templates section allows you to create professional-looking emails that match your brand. Using Automation, you can also set up automated email sequences triggered by specific actions like welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, or birthday greetings.

On the other hand, the Forms and Landing Pages section lets you create and customize signup forms or landing pages to capture new subscribers quickly.

In Reports, you get detailed analytics on campaign performance, including open rates, click-through rates, subscriber activity, and campaign ROI.

Lastly, MailChimp’s Integrations feature lets you connect with other platforms like e-commerce systems, CRM tools, or website builders. These platforms streamline your email marketing workflows and overall marketing strategy.

2. Create Your Lists and Establish Your Signup Form

To create your lists and set up your signup form in Mailchimp for sending bulk emails, follow these steps:

Sign Up and Log In: If you haven’t already, visit the Mailchimp website and sign up for an account. Once you’re signed up, log in to your Mailchimp account.
Navigate to “Audience”: After logging in, click on the “Audience” tab at the top of the Mailchimp dashboard.
Create a New Audience/List: Click the “Create Audience” or “Create a List” button in the Audience section. This is where you’ll manage your subscriber lists.
Enter Audience Details: Fill in the necessary information for your audience. Provide a name for the list, your default “From” name and email address, and other relevant details.
Import or Add Subscribers: Once you’ve created your audience, you can add subscribers. You can also import existing contacts from a CSV file, add subscribers manually, or integrate with other platforms to sync your contacts.
Segment Your Audience (Optional): You may segment your audience based on specific criteria like location, interests, or purchase history. Segmenting helps you target your emails to different groups effectively.
Design Your Signup Form: Create a signup form to collect new subscribers. Go to the “Audience” tab, select your audience, and click “Signup Forms.” Mailchimp also offers various customizable form templates to match your branding.
Customize and Share Your Signup Form: Customize the signup form to include relevant fields and branding elements. Once you’re satisfied, share the form link on your website, social media, or other channels to encourage signups.

3. Create a Mailchimp Opt-In Form

An opt-in process ensures that you have the consent of your recipients to send them emails, which is a critical aspect of email marketing.

It is also required to comply with anti-spam laws in many countries, including the CAN-SPAM Act in the United States and the GDPR in the European Union.

An opt-in process typically involves the following:

Asking subscribers to explicitly consent to receive emails from you by taking a specific action (i.e., filling out a signup form)
Checking a box
Clicking a confirmation link sent to their email address (double opt-in).

This process helps build a list of engaged and interested subscribers who are likelier to open, read, and interact with your emails. As a result, it leads to better email deliverability and higher engagement rates.

4. Import or Add Subscribers

In MailChimp, you should add subscribers to your audience to send bulk emails. Importing your subscriber list is the most common way to add multiple contacts to your audience. Once your subscribers are added to the audience, you can now create and send bulk emails to them.

5. Design Your Email Campaign

MailChimp’s campaign creation tools cater to all experience levels, whether you’re new or a pro. With our tried-and-true drag-and-drop email creator, you can craft stunning emails effortlessly.

To begin creating your message, click “Design Email” under the Content tab, and you’ll have access to the new inline email builder.

Next, you have the choice between the Classic Builder and the New Builder, with each offering unique possibilities:

Classic Builder: This option provides you access to various email template designs, shopping cart functions, and the Creative Assistant. You can also easily edit content using the drag-and-drop editor or opt for complete code customization.

New Builder: With a streamlined user interface, the new builder enables you to add and update information on your layout seamlessly as you go.

Using the same editor for sending emails more than three times in a row will set that editor as your default choice. To modify your default email creator, head to the Account Details section, where you’ll find a link for selection or modification.

6. Set Up Campaign Settings

Setting up campaign settings in Mailchimp for bulk emails is crucial for various reasons. For instance, it lets you personalize emails by customizing the sender’s name and address, building trust with recipients. You can also set the subject line to capture recipients’ attention and encourage them to open the email.

With email tracking, you can monitor open rates, click-through rates, and subscriber engagement, gaining valuable insights into campaign effectiveness.

Meanwhile, time and date scheduling ensures that bulk emails reach recipients at the most suitable times for better engagement. Audience segmentation, on the other hand, enables targeted and relevant emails for specific groups.

Lastly, A/B testing lets you compare different email versions. This helps you find the most effective one while customizing the email design and layout maintains consistent branding, making your emails easily recognizable.

Here’s how to set up campaign settings:

Go to the “Campaigns” tab and click “Create Campaign.”
Select “Email,” enter a campaign name, and click “Begin.”
In the “To” section, click “Add Recipients” and choose the desired list to send the email to. You can also select specific segments or tags if you’ve segmented your audience.
Next, save your settings and proceed to the “From” section. Enter the name and email address you want the message to come from and save the information.
In the “Subject” section, click “Add Subject,” enter your subject, and preview text to make your email stand out. Click “Save the Changes” and move to the next section.
Under the Content section, click “Design Email” and select your preferred email template. Review the content and make any last-minute design adjustments.
You can automatically connect your Facebook and Twitter accounts to share your campaign with your followers.
Review the bulleted list at the bottom of the page to ensure you’ve included all the elements in your email.
Click “Send” to dispatch the email immediately. Or, if you prefer to send it later, click “Schedule” and select the desired sending time.

7. Preview and Test Your Campaign

Previewing and testing your campaign in Mailchimp lets you preview how it will appear to your recipients. It also ensures everything works as intended before sending it out.

Here’s how to do it:

In the Campaign Builder: After you’ve designed your email campaign and are in the Campaign Builder, you’ll find the “Preview and Test” button at the top right corner of the page. Click on it to access the preview and testing options.
Preview Mode: This lets you see how your email looks on different devices and email clients. Click on “Enter Preview Mode,” and a new window will open with your email displayed as it would appear on desktop, mobile, and tablet views. You can also switch between different devices and screen sizes to ensure the email’s layout and content are optimized for each.
Send a Test Email: In the same “Preview and Test” menu, you can “Send a Test Email.” Click on it, and you can send a test version of your campaign to specific email addresses. This is useful to see how the email appears in an actual inbox, and you can check links, images, and formatting for any issues.
Preview Text and Subject Line: While in the Campaign Builder, you can also preview how the subject line and preview text (the short text below the subject line in some email clients) will appear by clicking on the respective fields in the campaign setup.
Review Content and Links: During the testing phase, carefully review your email’s content, including text, images, and links. Ensure all links also work correctly and lead to the intended destinations.
Check Spam Score (Optional): If you want to check the email’s potential spam score, some third-party tools allow you to do that. However, Mailchimp itself doesn’t have an in-built spam checker.
Confirm Personalization (If Used): If you’ve personalized your email using merge tags (e.g., subscribers’ names), check that the personalization appears correctly in the test emails.
Proofreading: Review the email for any typos, grammatical errors, or formatting issues. Doing so ensures it appears as intended to your recipients and minimizes the risk of any mistakes or issues before hitting the “Send” button.

8. Schedule or Send the Campaign

After completing the email creator’s To, From, Subject, and Content fields, you can now send your message. At this point, you can proceed with sending your regular email.

Scheduled sending is a feature available with the MailChimp Standard plan and higher. Visit your planning page to make any required adjustments to the sending time.

Once you’re prepared to send the email to your subscribers, click on the “Send” button to activate the process. Before finalizing, take a moment to review your campaign. Once you’re satisfied with the content, you can send it by clicking “Send Now” in the Review Your Campaign box.

9. Monitor Campaign Performance

How to Use MailChimp to Send Mass Email Source: UnSplash

Monitoring campaign performance is crucial for understanding the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts and making data-driven decisions.

Mailchimp provides robust reporting and analytics tools that allow you to track various metrics and gain valuable insights into your campaigns’ performance.

Here’s how to do it:

Reports Tab: Navigate to your Mailchimp account’s “Reports” tab after sending a campaign. All the data related to your sent campaigns is in this tab.
Campaign Overview: This section provides a snapshot of key performance metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and unsubscribes. It also gives you a quick summary of how well your campaign performed.
Email Activity: In this section, you can view a timeline of subscriber activity, including email opens and clicks. It also helps you understand when your audience engages with your emails.
Click Maps: Click Maps visually represent where subscribers clicked within your email. This information can be valuable in identifying the most engaging elements of your campaign.
Link Performance: This section shows how each link in your email performed in terms of clicks. It also helps you identify which links attracted the most attention.
Subscriber Engagement: Mailchimp also provides data on subscriber engagement, showing you who opened, clicked, or didn’t interact with your campaign. It also helps you segment your audience for targeted follow-ups.
Compare Campaigns: You can compare the performance of different campaigns to identify trends and patterns in subscriber behavior.
Exporting Data: Mailchimp allows you to export the campaign reports in various formats, enabling you to analyze the data further or share it with your team.

Final Thoughts

How to Use MailChimp to Send Mass Email Source: Pexels

In the world of email marketing, MailChimp stands as a trusted ally, streamlining the process of sending mass emails while providing valuable tools and analytics to drive your success.

By harnessing the power of MailChimp, you can unlock the true potential of your email campaigns, connecting with your audience in meaningful ways and achieving your marketing objectives.

As you monitor campaign performance through MailChimp’s robust reporting tools, you gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts. These analytics also enable you to make data-driven decisions, optimize your content, and refine your strategies for better engagement and conversion rates.

With active campaigns, you maintain consistent communication with your audience, build stronger connections, and enhance brand loyalty.

So, embrace the possibilities, dive into the world of mass email, and let MailChimp be your guide to email marketing success!

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