How to use Mail Chimp for email-marketing ?

First, what is Email Marketing?

 

Email marketing is simply the effort of communicating your business’s value to your customers and prospects through email.  Email marketing is typically opt-in meaning people have signed up to receive your communications through a web site or on a subscription form at your office or store.

What kind of information should you send in an email marketing campaign?

• Newsletter: A newsletter can provide updates on your organizations activity, helpful information and specials. 
• Announcements:  Share information about local events that you are sponsoring or that are relevant to your audience. 
• Email: Are you offering a new product or service that you want to make sure people are of? Email promotions are a way to communicate your business offerings.

How do you create an email-marketing template?

1. Using Mail Chimp as the sample vendor, create a user account on the site.
2. From the home page choose to create a campaign, located in the lower right corner of the screen. Select the “Regular ol’ Campaign” to begin.
3. You will be prompted to select a recipient list (you can built that list from signup page) for your email. The next screen prompts you to provide a title, a return email address and other specific information about your email.
4. In the next screen you are given the choice to select the method for creating your email, I recommend you choose the predesigned templates. The templates offer a lot of ease of use for users who are just getting started with email marketing.
5. Peruse the templates available and then choose the format and design that meets your needs. Once picked, you can easily replace the photos with your own images and replace the content with your own content.
6. Once you have finalized your email, select the button on the upper right hand corner “preview and test” your email. Make sure you preview your email before you finalize it.
7. The last step before sending is to send a test version of the email to your own email inbox, this feature is also available under the preview and test button.
8. Mail Chimp does a nice job of error checking your communication and stepping you through this process. As you move to the final step of sending your email, Mail Chimp will offer you a chance to review all of the pertinent details of your email.
9. And now, send it! Select “Send Now” button at the bottom of the final review page.

Here are three vendors who offer email marketing:

 

Constant Contact: Great user interface but they charge a fee after an initial trial. So, if you volume is low they may not be the best option.
Mail Chimp: Great user interface and they do NOT charge for up to 2,000 emails so this is a perfect choice for people who are just starting out.
Mobility Mix: Offers email templates and the ability to market using email along with texting services, QR code creation, and social media integration. Low monthly fee. *Mobility Mix is product of Breezy Hill Marketing.

Please feel free to contact us if you have questions about implementing an email marketing campaign for your business!