Knowledge Base

What is Mailchimp?

Mailchimp is a leading email marketing platform that allows businesses and marketers to create, send, and manage email campaigns. It not only sends emails but also offers a range of features such as audience management, automations, targeted advertising, and analytics. Mailchimp is designed to meet the needs of businesses of different sizes, from small businesses to large organizations.

Key Point: Mailchimp has evolved into a marketing automation platform, going beyond email marketing. You can create landing pages, manage social media campaigns, and use CRM (Customer Relationship Management) functions.

Why Should I Use Mailchimp?

There are many advantages to using Mailchimp:

• Ease of Use: Thanks to the drag-and-drop interface, you can create professional-looking emails without coding knowledge.
• Wide Range of Features: In addition to email marketing, it offers advanced features such as audience segmentation, automation, and A/B testing.
• Integrations: It can easily integrate with other marketing tools and platforms (Shopify, WordPress, Salesforce, etc.).
• Scalability: It offers different plans according to the size of your business, so you can find a solution that suits your needs.
• Analytics and Reporting: You can track the performance of your email campaigns in detail and make data-driven decisions. You can track metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.
• Free Plan: It offers a free plan for small businesses or those new to email marketing, albeit with limited features.

Real-Life Example: An e-commerce company increased its sales by 15% by sending abandoned cart emails using Mailchimp. Thanks to Mailchimp's automation features, reminder emails were automatically sent to customers who did not complete their carts within a certain period.

How to Create an Email Campaign in Mailchimp? (Step by Step)

1. Create an Account: Go to the Mailchimp website and create an account. You can start with a free plan or choose a paid plan according to your needs.
2. Create or Import an Audience: Create a list (audience) of people you will send emails to. If you have an existing list, you can import it in CSV, TXT, or Excel format.
3. Select or Create an Email Template: Choose one of the ready-made templates offered by Mailchimp or create your own template using the drag-and-drop interface.
4. Customize the Content: Add text, images, videos, and other elements to your email. Personalize your email using your brand's colors and logo.
5. Determine Recipients: Select the audience or segment to which you will send your email. For targeted marketing, you can segment your audiences based on demographics, interests, or behaviors.
6. Configure Settings: Configure the email subject, sender name, and other settings.
7. Send a Test Email: Send a test email to yourself or your colleagues to check how your email looks and works.
8. Send or Schedule: You can send your email immediately or schedule it to be sent later. Mailchimp offers a "Send Time Optimization" feature to send your emails at the times when your recipients are most active.
9. Monitor Reports: Monitor the performance of your email campaign. Track metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and optimize your campaigns.

Important Point: Remember to comply with data privacy laws such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). Make sure you have the consent of people who subscribe to your email list and offer an unsubscribe option.

What are the Differences Between Mailchimp's Paid and Free Plans?

Key Takeaway: The free plan is ideal for those new to email marketing and small businesses. However, if you need more advanced features and a larger audience, you should consider a paid plan.

How to Do Audience Segmentation in Mailchimp?

Audience segmentation allows you to divide your email list into groups based on specific criteria. This allows you to send more personalized and targeted emails to each segment. To do audience segmentation in Mailchimp, you can follow these steps:

1. Go to Audience: In your Mailchimp account, go to the "Audience" section.
2. Create a Segment: From the "Manage Audience" menu, click on the "Segments" option.
3. Determine Segmentation Criteria: Choose the criteria you will use to create your segment. These criteria can be demographic characteristics (age, gender, location), interests, purchase history, email engagement (open rates, click-through rates), or custom fields.
4. Save the Segment: After creating your segment, save it.

Example Segmentation Criteria:

• Location: To send special campaigns to subscribers living in a specific city or country.
• Purchase History: To offer related products to subscribers who have purchased a specific product.
• Email Engagement: To send re-engagement campaigns to subscribers who have not opened your emails in the last 3 months.
• Interests: To send personalized content based on the interests that subscribers indicated in the registration form.

Key Point: Audience segmentation can significantly increase the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns. By sending targeted messages, you can engage your subscribers and increase your conversion rates.

How to Use Mailchimp API? (Example Code)

The Mailchimp API allows you to exchange data between your Mailchimp account and other applications and systems. You can use the API to manage your email lists, create campaigns, download reports, and perform many other operations.

Example: Adding a Subscriber to Mailchimp with PHP

<?php

require_once 'vendor/autoload.php'; // Load the Mailchimp PHP library

use MailchimpMarketing\ApiClient;

$mailchimp = new ApiClient();

$mailchimp->setConfig([
    'apiKey' => 'YOUR_API_KEY', // Enter your Mailchimp API key here
    'server' => 'YOUR_SERVER_PREFIX' // Enter your Mailchimp server prefix here (e.g., us19)
]);

$listId = 'YOUR_LIST_ID'; // Enter the ID of the list you want to add the email address to here
$emailAddress = '[email protected]';

try {
    $response = $mailchimp->lists->addListMember($listId, [
        'email_address' => $emailAddress,
        'status'        => 'subscribed', // Mark the subscriber as "subscribed"
        'merge_fields'  => [
            'FNAME' => 'John', // Optional: First Name
            'LNAME' => 'Doe'  // Optional: Last Name
        ]
    ]);

    print_r($response); // Print the successful response

} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo 'Error: ' . $e->getMessage(); // Print the error message
}

?>

Step-by-Step Explanation:

1. Load the Mailchimp PHP Library: Load the Mailchimp PHP library using Composer: composer require mailchimp/marketing
2. Get Your API Key and Server Prefix: Get your API key and server prefix (e.g., us19) from your Mailchimp account.
3. Get Your List ID: Get the ID of the list you want to add the email address to from your Mailchimp account.
4. Customize the Code: Customize the code with your API key, server prefix, list ID, and email address.
5. Run the Code: Run the PHP script.

Key Point: Store your API key securely and do not share it with others. Be careful not to exceed API usage limits.

How to Use Automations in Mailchimp?

Mailchimp automations allow you to send automated emails based on specific triggers (e.g., new subscriber signup, birthday, abandoned cart). This allows you to engage with your subscribers in a more personalized and timely manner.

Example Automations:

• Welcome Email: An email automatically sent when a new subscriber signs up. This email can introduce your brand, direct to important resources, or offer a discount code.
• Birthday Email: An email automatically sent on the subscriber's birthday. This email can convey a birthday wish or offer a special deal.
• Abandoned Cart Email: An email automatically sent when a subscriber adds products to their cart but doesn't complete the purchase. This email can remind the subscriber of their cart and offer an incentive to complete the purchase.
• Re-engagement Email: An email automatically sent to subscribers who haven't interacted with your emails for a certain period. This email can try to re-engage subscribers or offer an unsubscribe option.

Steps to Create Automation in Mailchimp:

1. Go to the Automations Section: In your Mailchimp account, go to the "Automations" section.
2. Create Automation: Click the "Create Automation" button.
3. Select Automation Type: You can choose one of the ready-made automation templates or create a custom automation.
4. Determine the Trigger: Determine when the automation will be triggered (e.g., new subscriber signup, birthday, abandoned cart).
5. Create Email Content: Create the content of the emails that the automation will send.
6. Configure Settings: Configure the sender name, subject, and other settings.
7. Start Automation: Start your automation.

Important Point: Automations can be an important part of your email marketing strategy. By using the right automations, you can interact with your subscribers in a more personalized and effective way.

How Do I Measure Email Marketing Performance with Mailchimp?

Mailchimp offers a range of analytical tools to measure the performance of your email campaigns. By using these tools, you can understand how effective your campaigns are and optimize your future campaigns.

Basic Metrics:

• Open Rate: Indicates how many of your emails were opened by recipients. A high open rate indicates that your email subject is engaging and that your subscribers trust you.
• Click-Through Rate (CTR): Indicates how many people clicked on the links in your emails. A high click-through rate indicates that your email content is engaging and relevant.
• Conversion Rate: Indicates how many people completed a specific action (e.g., making a purchase, filling out a form) through your emails. A high conversion rate indicates that your email marketing campaigns are achieving their goals.
• Unsubscribe Rate: Indicates how many people unsubscribed from your emails. A high unsubscribe rate may indicate that your email content is not interesting to your subscribers or that you are sending emails too frequently.
• Bounce Rate: Indicates how many of your emails could not be delivered. A high bounce rate may indicate that your email list is not up-to-date or that you are being caught by spam filters.

Using Mailchimp Reports:

1. Go to the Reports Section: In your Mailchimp account, go to the "Reports" section.
2. Select Campaign Report: Select the report of the campaign you want to review.
3. Review Metrics: Review metrics such as open rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, unsubscribe rate, and bounce rate.
4. Review Reports by Segments: Review campaign performance based on your audience segments. This way, you can understand which segments are performing better and optimize your campaigns accordingly.
5. Review A/B Test Results: If you conducted an A/B test, review the test results and determine the winning variation.

Important Point: Regularly measuring and analyzing your email marketing performance is crucial for optimizing your campaigns and achieving better results.

Tips for Email Design in Mailchimp

An effective email design is crucial for attracting your subscribers' attention and ensuring that your emails achieve their goals. Here are some tips for email design in Mailchimp:

• Reflect Your Brand Identity: Use your brand's colors, logo, and fonts in your emails to reflect your brand identity.
• Use a Simple and Clean Design: Use a simple and clean design instead of a complex and cluttered one. This will make your emails easier to read and understand.
• Use Visuals Effectively: Use high-quality visuals in your emails. Visuals can increase the visual appeal of your emails and convey your message more effectively.
• Use Call-to-Action (CTA) Messages: Use clear and prominent call-to-action messages in your emails. CTAs should encourage your subscribers to complete a specific action (e.g., making a purchase, filling out a form).
• Use a Mobile-Friendly Design: Ensure that your emails display properly on mobile devices. A mobile-friendly design will allow your subscribers to read your emails comfortably anywhere.
• Conduct A/B Testing: Determine which design performs better by testing different email designs. A/B testing will help you optimize your email design and achieve better results.
• Create an Accessible Design: Make sure your emails are accessible to people with disabilities. Add alt text, provide sufficient contrast, and use a design that is compatible with screen readers.

Important Point: An effective email design is crucial for attracting your subscribers' attention, increasing your brand awareness, and boosting your conversion rates.

What Integrations Can I Use with Mailchimp?

Key Point: Mailchimp integrations can help you manage your marketing activities more efficiently and effectively. By choosing the integrations that best suit your needs, you can optimize your marketing strategy.