3 Disappointing Truth About MailChimp Email Marketing Solutions

[et_pb_section][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text]​MailChimp Email Marketing Services. This post was published on 9th July 2013 and it is time for an update because there are a lot of things that had changed over the years. Not only MailChimp had changed, everything from list building to email marketing solutions had evolved with technology. So, are you planning to use MailChimp for email marketing or already using MailChimp but is actively looking for alternatives? Today, I’m going to share some important things you should know about disadvantages using MailChimp which can impact your email marketing strategy dearly. ​This article is not about flaming or putting MailChimp down. Instead, it is just several small information which could affect you, your website or business if you are not careful with. More importantly, these disadvantages might impact your online marketing strategies! ​BONUS RESOURCE: ​Click here to learn more about MailChimp competitors (ConvertKit and Drip) here!

​What is MailChimp (or ChimpMail)?

​MailChimp has came a long way and over the years, it had it shares of improvements done to email marketing. MailChimp is currently the market leader for free email marketing solution. Here’s what MailChimp looks like in the past. ​It’s bloody old school to say the very least!  Those days, the tagline for MailChimp is “Send Better Emails” and now, the latest MailChimp tagline is “Marketing Platform For Small Businesses.” While MailChimp may have changed its logo, branding and tagline, the same old MailChimp email marketing ​model (which are highly sought after) remains:

• ​Forever free account for email marketing
• ​Manage up to 2,000 email subscribers free
• ​Send up to 12,000 emails per month for free

I know thousands ​of businesses around the world who stand by MailChimp when it comes to ​email marketing service. ​Even bloggers (both beginners and professionals) use MailChimp to manage their email lists! So, why is MailChimp such a popular email marketing service? I bet it has nothing to do with the chimpanzee who dressed up as a postal service previously. While I think that it is a great mascot as it serves a good balance between fun and work, the new mascot for MailChimp looks better and portrays quality. ​MailChimp got its name and fame by offering pretty much forever free email marketing solutions to those who need it. Small business owners, email marketers, bloggers and entrepreneurs use MailChimp because of the excellent pricing structures and of course, very good delivery rates. In short, MailChimp is an online email marketing solution to manage your contacts, send emails and track results. It offers forever free membership for the first 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails monthly. For me, forever free email marketing solution is very tempting and mouthwatering feature especially when you are new in blogging or Internet marketing industry. We are always trying to grow our mailing list and ​if you are just starting a new venture, you wouldn’t want to spend $20 to $100 a month for premium email marketing services. ​Hey, I get it … I’ve been there myself! When I first started Marketing Lancers (digital marketing agency in Malaysia), the entire company’s was going on lean marketing/setup. Minimum staffs and leveraging as many free tools as possible to reduce the overall cost. With the very interactive user interface, excellent back-end dashboard and​ forever free MailChimp email marketing services, ​your email marketing problem is solved, right? Well, I wished that was the case but it isn’t. There are some MailChimp weaknesses and disadvantages which you should be well aware off, or else they are going to bite you where it hurts the most (destroying your email list). ​Carry on reading to learn more about MailChimp email marketing solution. ​BONUS: If you want to learn how to use MailChimp effectively, here’s an awesome guide for you. The Complete Guide In Using MailChimp Email Marketing ​Solution (Step By Step Guide).

1. No affiliate marketing with MailChimp

The single biggest problem with MailChimp email marketing solution is their legal policies. MailChimp legal policies is pretty strict especially for many bloggers and work from home Internet marketers. Why? I got this shot from the main website (source below).

​Prohibited Content on MailChimp

Please don’t use MailChimp to send anything offensive, to promote anything illegal, or to harass anyone. You may not send:

• ​Pornography or other sexually explicit emails
• ​Email offering to sell illegal goods or services
• ​Emails that violate CAN-SPAM Laws
• Alternate Comment TimesMarketing or commercial email with permission

Some industries have higher-than-normal abuse complaints, which can in turn jeopardize the deliverability of our entire system. Nothing personal, but in order to maintain the highest delivery rates possible for all our customers, we can’t allow businesses that offer these types of services, products, or content:

• ​Escort and dating services
• ​Pharmaceutical products
• ​Work from home,make money on online, and lead generation opportunities
• Alternate Comment Times​Online trading, day trading tips, or stock market-related content
• Alternate Comment Times​Multi-level marketing
• Alternate Comment TimesAffiliate marketing
• Alternate Comment TimesCredit repair and get out of debt opportunities
• Alternate Comment TimesMortgages and loans
• Alternate Comment TimesNutritional, herbal, and vitamin supplements
• Alternate Comment TimesAdult novelty items or references
• Alternate Comment TimesList brokers or list rental services

​If you send this sort of content, most email services providers won’t be able to help you. You might want to look into setting up your own mail server. MailChimp’s Delivery Guide explains how that works. Source: MailChimp Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you blown? ​For the benefit of the doubt, I understand that MailChimp wants to protect its delivery rate but do you agree that MailChimp terms is not even an advantage to consider for online marketers and bloggers? I was made aware thanks to Adrian and you can read it all here (comment section). Personally, I wouldn’t mind the first few disadvantages but not allowing affiliate marketing is definitely the stop point for me. As a​ professional and seasoned affiliate marketer, using MailChimp email marketing solution means that I’m at risk of losing my whole email list​ and more importantly, going to impact my affiliate earnings severely! I could be wrong but Internet marketing is either selling/promoting products (affiliate marketing) or creating some sort of lead generation for business. ​ ​Editor’s Note ​If you are in the affilaite marketing niche like I do, I recommend you to understand the terms and conditions of MailChimp before using it. ​MailChimp has the tendency to remove your account without any notice and this means that all your hard work will just go straight into the drain! When it comes to MailChimp abuse reports, the risk is high and you need to know that you are not allowed to promote any affiliate products (apart from your own) using MailChimp.

​2. MailChimp pricing structure is misleading

This MailChimp review is not complete without talking about the MailChimp pricing structure. MailChimp pricing structure is really bad. Take a look at both of these screenshots. ​Basic pricing structure ​When you have more than 2,000 subscribers ​For me, the MailChimp email pricing structure is really misleading. Compare both the left and right side of the images. Let’s assume you are at 2,000 email subscribers and you are required to go for paid email marketing by MailChimp. You are no longer paying $10 but $30 for 2,000 email subscribers (up to 2,500 email subscribers). Do you see the big jump in pricing? That’s an additional of $20 on top of the base $10 per month! For bloggers, this is definitely not worth the money and effort. Sure, professional email marketers (even other blog posts) will say that when you have 2,000 email subscribers, you will be able to make sufficient money from your list. But, is that the real truth? For a fact, I know many bloggers and Internet marketers who have more than 2,000 email subscribers and not making a single cent from email marketing. If I’m putting myself in the shoes of new bloggers or low-income online marketers, MailChimp pricing is definitely one of the biggest disadvantages using MailChimp. Plus when include in the terms and conditions of not allowing affiliate marketing, it gets even worse! I will not be surprised the number of bloggers who have this question in mind, “How do I make money with email marketing with MailChimp?” Personally, I rather pay for AWeber anytime of the day compared to MailChimp based on the pricing structure (no offense, MailChimp).

​3. MailChimp support is bad

​Based on industry standards, MailChimp has one of the worst support you can ever image. ​If you are using MailChimp free account, support will only be given to you on the first 30 days via email only (refer above). Yes, I know EXACTLY what you are thinking. ​It is rather safe to say that when you use MailChimp free account, there is absolutely NO support given and I can’t even imagine MailChimp has such feature. Sure the knowledge base for MailChimp is very detailed but in today’s business world, data suggests that customers see fast, friendly and consistent customer service as the gold standard. 

​Should I ​still use MailChimp?

​I think this is one important question to cover. MailChimp has many disadvantages but I still use MailChimp for some of my blogs and businesses. When it comes to email marketing, MailChimp is pretty awesome and has a very unique pricing model. If you are a small to medium sized business and doesn’t require much from an email marketing solution, MailChimp is an excellent choice. If mailing list is under 2,000 email subscribers and you are not willing to pay for an email marketing solution, this ChimpMail is worth the try. ​The most important factor when considering using MailChimp is that you are not opening in the industry or markets which they do not allow (refer to their terms above). MailChimp is just like any other email marketing solutions such as AWeber and Convertkit. It is common to have emails delivered via MailChimp going to spam. This happens! The problems (in most cases) don’t sit on MailChimp servers but most of the the time, the email domain that you used or the content in the email that triggers the spam filters. Here are some samples:

• Using Gmail or Yahoo to send email
• Having words like “free” and “sale” in the email body

What’s your thought on MailChimp?

What do you think about MailChimp and all these issues? Again, this doesn’t prove or mean that MailChimp is bad choice for email marketing. I got to admit that the above sounds a little … biased … but I promise I’m not! Maybe, just a little frustrated as an avid Internet marketer myself. If you’re able to live with it (like the thousands who do), why not right? MailChimp offers:

• ​Free and pay as you go (services)
• ​Acceptable level of reliability (delivery)
• ​Simple to use and intuitive dashboard/email marketing features

Personally, I would use MailChimp if I’m running a small blog or a non-business site. However, I would rather pay a little bit more to have a better service especially when it comes to business matters. Moreover, Internet marketing is all about the ‘list’ and without one, you are basically nothing. My only concern about MailChimp are their terms and MailChimp pay as you go mechanics which can be very expensive as you grow your email list. Are you convinced with what I have to say about MailChimp? If you are thinking that hey, MailChimp is free to sign up and no strings attached, go ahead and register your free account here. Moreover, you have nothing to lose, right? Now, what’s your take on this? Will MailChimp be able to restore confidence among its member? Hit the reply button below and tell me what you think. … … … Thinking twice of MailChimp or looking for another email marketing provider? How about AWeber? Try it out for FREE today (plus 30 days money back guarantee)! And if AWeber is not your cup of tea, here are 4 more MailChimp alternatives to start your email marketing campaigns today. Read here. Overall, there are many other MailChimp alternatives that you could use. It all boils down to your email marketing requirements and the budget you can afford to commit to every month. If you like this article, could you please share this for me using the button below?[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]