What we know
Tools we've used properly, not just watched a demo of.
Anyone can list logos. Here's the same list with an honest opinion attached to each one, because knowing when not to use something is the useful part.
Email & SMS
Mailchimp
Mailchimp gets more criticism than it deserves. For a lot of businesses it does the job perfectly well, and the real problems are usually list hygiene and sending habits, not the platform.
What it's good at
- Getting a decent looking campaign out without a designer
- Familiar to almost everyone, so training is quick
- Straightforward reporting on opens, clicks and unsubscribes
- Plenty of ready-made connections to other tools
Where it gets awkward
- Audience-based pricing punishes you for keeping old contacts
- Automation is fine, but shallow next to the dedicated tools
- Segmentation gets fiddly once the data is messy
- Costs creep as the list grows, whether or not it's engaged
Our experience with it
We're often asked whether to move off Mailchimp. Sometimes the answer is yes, and often it's cheaper to clean the list, fix the sending setup and use what's already there properly.
Things we've built or connected
List clean-ups that cut cost and improved delivery at the same time
Sign-up flows that capture consent properly from the start
Syncs keeping CRM and Mailchimp in agreement about who's who
Usually in the same conversation