MailChimp "How To:" Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices

1. Lunch & Learn
MailChimp "How to"
tips, tricks, and best practices

2. Agenda
PART 1 PART 2
Intro to MailChimp Cool Tools
● Campaigns, Lists, Reports ● Autoresponders
● Segmentation
● Social media integration
● Subject line research/split testing
Best Practices ● Archive list
● Handling e-newsletter design
● Avoiding spam filters
● Avoiding spam abuse reports

3. Future Topics
Today we will not be covering:
● List acquisition
● Email capture and offers
● Designing a full campaign strategy
● Who reads these newsletters anyway?

4. My Objectives
In this hour we will:
● Focus on the "how-to" of sending e-newsletters
● Send you off with one action step for your company's own e-newsletter
and several advanced ideas to try down the road

5. Intro to MailChimp
The 10 Minute Version

6. Campaigns, Lists, and Reports
Quick Demo

7. Best Practices
Three Important Things to Watch Out For

8. Handling E-newsletter Design
● Use or customize a MailChimp template, custom html is tricky
● Test:
○ Send yourself and friends draft tests, or
○ MailChimp's Inbox Inspection tool (available to subscribers), or
○ 3rd party (e.g. litmus.com)

9. Avoiding Spam Filters
Most common mistakes resulting in accidental spam filtering.
● Using spammy phrases, like "Click here!" or "Once in a lifetime opportunity!"
● Going crazy with exclamation points!!!!!!
● USING ALL CAPS, WHICH IS LIKE YELLING IN EMAIL (especially in the subject)
● Coloring their fonts bright red, or green
● Coding sloppy HTML (usually from converting a Microsoft Word file to HTML)
● Creating an HTML email that's nothing but one big image, with little or no text (since spam filters can't
read images, they assume you're a spammer that's trying to trick 'em).
http://kb.mailchimp.com/article/how-spam-filters-think

10. Avoiding Spam Abuse Reports
People think their email spam button is the same as unsubscribe, but it's not
● Offer easy unsubscribe
● Permission, permission, permission
● Make it look like it's from your company, not a scammer
● Set and meet expectations for content and frequency
http://kb.mailchimp.com/article/how-legitimate-marketers-can-prevent-spam-complaints

11. Cool Tools
Just a Handful to Pique Your Interest

12. Autoresponders
5 Practical Autoresponder Ideas
● Product-based: tips and tricks sequence, getting started, replacement parts and accessories
● Share your expertise: emails that are extremely helpful, show your personality, and build up to
your call-to-action (use MailChimp's segmentation tool to target recipients who took action in each
campaign!)
● Non-profits: donation impact updates and annual reminders
● Prep for an event: let attendees sign up for updates leading up to the event
● Countdown to a big event: e.g. collect bride's wedding date and send scheduled planning tips
leading up to the big day.
http://blog.mailchimp.com/5-practical-autoresponder-ideas/

13. Autoresponders
But, don't let the recipient feel like it's automated!
More tips on autoresponders:
http://blog.mailchimp.com/autoresponder-triggers-in-mailchimp/
Note: Welcome messages are different. Use the list settings to set an
automatic welcome message: http://kb.mailchimp.com/article/why-cant-your-
autoresponders-send-immediately-after-signup/

14. Segmentation
Improve relevance of content!
Examples of easy to create segments:
● Target the most engaged subscribers
● Segment by date added to remind them why they're getting emails from you in the beginning
● Target subscribers who have purchased items from your store to announce new products or
updates
● Sort your list into groups to segment based on interest
● Target a location (uses geo-data based on reader's IP when email was opened if address data
is not included in list)
http://mailchimp.com/features/segmentation/

15. Social Media Integration
Interlink your communication efforts easily
● Tweet and Facebook share a campaign via the Campaign Dashboard
● Connect your accounts to automatically post all your campaigns
● Automatically display your Facebook profiles (e.g. status updates) in your newsletter
● Add Facebook Like and Send buttons and Tweet buttons to your content
● Use the sharing merge tag to show a selection of social media icons
● Set up an RSS-driven campaign
http://mailchimp.com/features/social-sharing/

16. Subject Line Research
Research subject lines is available under the message subject field
http://kb.mailchimp.com/article/how-do-i-know-if-im-writing-a-good-subject-line

17. Subject Line Split Testing
A/B split campaign is available under the Create Campaign drop down
http://kb.mailchimp.com/article/how-do-i-create-an-a-b-split-campaign

18. Archive List
● Build a “newsletter archive” page on your website
● It automatically updates whenever you send a new campaign.
● Put your campaigns in an campaign folder
● Add a snippet of code to your web page.
http://blog.mailchimp.com/embed-email-archives-on-your-website/

19. Some Reassuring Data
Benchmark open, click-through, and unsubscribe by industry
http://mailchimp.com/resources/research/email-marketing-benchmarks-by-industry/

20. Exercise
Leave with a plan!

21. Exercise
Pick one, write it, share it with a partner
A. Write a welcome message for new subscribers
B. Write 2 headlines for future newsletters
C. List content topics for one newsletter per month for the
next 6 months

22. Recap, Questions & Answers

23. Hannah Ferber
www.synotac.com
hannah@synotac.com
503-715-0298
Additional resources
www.synotac.com/lunch - weekly lunch & learns on digital
marketing
www.synotac.com/resources & www.synotac.com/blog -
resources related to digital marketing