Use Mailchimp for Marketing Automation (Tutorial)

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Nowadays, sending counts personalized emails or Newsletter to the classic online marketingMailchimp Logomeasures and is a necessary component of the online marketing mix. For the realization of this marketing measure differentiated Marketing Automation Tools available.

Mailchimp is undoubtedly one of those programs that stands out for its high functionality, easy handling and well-scaled price-performance model.

In the following, we will briefly explain what is behind the buzzword "marketing automation" and what benefits it brings. Mailchimp offers companies to establish and maintain efficient customer communication.

A short tutorial also explains how Mailchimp can be used for marketing automation.

 

What is Marketing Automation?

Marketing automation aims to optimize communication with potential and existing customers. Depending on their behavior, customers are provided with automated Advertising messages sent - for example in the form of personalized Emails or Newsletter.

The so-called onboarding process, which is triggered when a user registers on a website, is an automated process.

Immediately after registering, the user receives an e-mail with further relevant information. Once this process has been optimized, further information is also sent to him by e-mail within the next few days, so that he is familiarized with the product or service step by step.

 

MailChimp emailSo that the potential customer to a "correct" customers, it makes sense and is important to use marketing automation tools such as Mailchimp.

It is already clear from what has been said so far that marketing automation is an advertising tool that frequently uses e-mails.

 

However, unlike a conventional newsletter, for example, the e-mails are not sent to all subscribers. Rather, emails are sent to specific times to specific persons personalized Emails sent.

Vice versa, it is of course also possible to send information to all e-mail addresses in the customer file.

 

The relevance of marketing automation

More and more companies are becoming aware that they need high-quality and interesting contentthat offers added value to the visitors of their website.

For this reason, some companies are already offering exclusive content that visitors to the website can download in return for specifying their E-mail address can download.

Subsequently, either nothing happens at all, because between 30 and 50 percent of these website visitors are not yet ready to purchase a/the product or service.

Statistics in this regard state that nearly 80 percent of all leads never advance to a customer.

It is precisely at this point that enormous potential can be found, which companies can exploit through the use of marketing automation.

Studies have also shown that the Return of Investment (ROI) can be noticeably optimized through the use of marketing automation.

And yet: To date, marketing automation has only been just under five percent of all companies are used.

However, companies that want to secure a competitive advantage should definitely use this tool. Probably the most relevant task of a marketing automation tool is to help companies with the Lead Nuturing to support.

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This is the process by which a website visitor, i.e. a lead, leaves their email address or other contact details on the company's website, is turned into a customer.

Marketing Automation with Mailchimp

Mailchimp is one of the most popular and well-known tools for marketing automation, which has been used primarily for sending newsletters to date.

Mailchimp is a cloud-based service for the Newsletter management, with the newsletter and personalized emails can be created, managed and sent, with numerous options and multiple configurations in this regard.

The company has its headquarters in the U.S. Atlanta and is one of the most successful marketing automation tools providers worldwide.

The Usability of Mailchimp is very good, the program is clearly arranged and modern.

Users can either use existing templates or create and import templates. The personalized e-mails can be provided with dynamic content and subjected to a test with regard to their display compatibility.

The customer contacts that a company has can also be easily fed in and stored in different list formats. Another positive aspect is that Mailchimp can also be used to control newsletter subscription and unsubscription.

To this comes the Double opt-in procedure for use. If a company operates in different time zones, the sending of personalized e-mails or newsletters can be scheduled accordingly.

All in all, Mailchimp helps businesses transform leads into customers and establish and maintain customer loyalty.

 

Some advantages of the marketing automation tool Mailchimp at a glance:

  • Use directly from the cloud
  • Send up to 12,000 emails per month free of charge
  • Shipping to up to 2,000 subscribers monthly free of charge
  • Subscriber lists can be flexibly managed and segmented
  • Different sign-up forms and sign-up options
  • template based WYSIWYG email editor
  • various tracking options available (who opens which e-mail, who clicks which link)
  • etc.

 

Tutorial: Create newsletter & personalized emails with Mailchimp

Anyone who wants to create a personalized email or newsletter with Mailchimp does not need a lot of prior knowledge or special expertise. In the following, we will explain step by step how to create and send a personalized email or newsletter with the marketing automation tool.

 

mailchimp signup

 

Step 1: Register with Mailchimp

The first thing to do is to create an account with Mailchimp. This is simple, fast and free of charge.

Should the number of 2,000 subscribers are exceeded, however, the use of the tool becomes chargeable.

Also for companies that use the Mailchimp logo in footer of the e-mail or newsletter, it is necessary to sign up for a paid account.

 

Mailchimp User Import

 

Step 2: Import e-mail addresses and create address lists

After registration, the second step should be a List with all relevant e-mail addresses can be created. The subdivision into specific (sub)lists makes sense here, because these are used when sending personalized e-mails or newsletters.

The created lists can also be customized for different purposes: Thus, one list can be used for downloading a specific document, another for obtaining specific information etc. serve.

The email addresses stored in a list then receive the corresponding email or newsletter when the Mailchimp marketing automation tool runs through a certain routine.

Which routine applies to a specific list is determined in advance. This is also necessary to ensure that the dispatch complies with valid law: because only when a user has signed up for a newsletter or for receiving personalized e-mails may these also be sent to him.

This process is also automated when using Mailchimp, because the user receives a confirmation link via e-mail. If the user clicks on this link, Mailchimp adds the user's email address to the specific list.

 

Mailchimp Email Template

 

Step 3: Creation of an individual newsletter or email template

Companies that already have subscribers can immediately create their own template. To do this, they simply need to click on the "Templates" menu item and select the "Create Template" option.

Now numerous templates open up - literally - at the push of a button, although these usually only serve as a basis: In addition to the colors, for example, the fonts and font sizes can also be customized. Furthermore, the so-called drag and drop function is available.

Corresponding content can therefore be conveniently created in a Word document, for example, and then copied into the template.

In addition to the "Text" option, options such as "Image" or "Social Share" can also be used. After feeding in the respective content, a mask opens that offers numerous options for formatting the same, so that the content can be individually designed.

 

MailChimp Marketing Automation Journeys

 

Step 4: The sending of personalized emails or newsletters

Actually, almost everything is done now: The list of recipients is created and the template is designed. Now it is only necessary to make the "fine adjustments": Under the menu item "Campaigns" you will find the button "Regular Campaign". A click opens the existing email lists - only those who are to receive a personalized email or newsletter may be clicked.

For example, if it is a newsletter that contains important information about the company, the Mailchimp marketing automation tool naturally also offers the option of merging different lists.

After selecting the respective lists, the setup takes place, i.e., the basic information such as the subject of the mail or newsletter must be entered. It is important that the subject line is "catchy", appeals to users and encourages them to open and read the email.

Now all that remains is to select one of the pre-created email templates and the personalized email or newsletter can be sent.

 

Step 5: Analysis and evaluation with Mailchimp

The Mailchimp marketing automation tool also offers comprehensive options for analyzing and evaluating executed campaigns.

These are possible both within the tool itself and in combination with external programs such as Google Analytics.

However, using the analysis and evaluation functions requires a little prior knowledge and preparatory work.

 

Conclusion: Mailchimp as a marketing automation tool

In fact, Mailchimp - formerly designed as an efficient tool for email marketing - has now become a marketing automation tool that offers numerous other options.

Mailchimp has developed and distinguished itself as a comprehensive marketing platform. Currently, the tool can also be used for the design of complex Automation flows is possible, whereby the component "Mailchimp Product Recommondation Engine" can also be used to send relevant content to important segments of the customer base.

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In the meantime, Mailchimp also succeeds in this way, Facebook Ads or Google Ads into the CRM mix.

Thorit is official Mailchimp Expert. We are happy to support you in the implementation of complex marketing automation.

 

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