How to Use Mailchimp

Before You Start Emailing

Your next step is to choose an email marketing platform. Founded in 2001, Mailchimp is an easy-to-use email automation and marketing platform that provides pre-designed email templates with drag-and-drop functionality, most of which is intuitive for first-time users. Ready to get started?

What Mailchimp Can Do for You

Specifically, here’s what you can do with this remarkable automaton platform:

• Use attractive templates to identify your brand
• Send emails to engage your audience and grow your list
• Integrate messages with WordPress
• Add videos to automations
• Perform targeted data analysis

Sound too good to be true? Without a doubt, Mailchimp can achieve these goals. If it seems challenging at first, hang in there. Regardless of your automation experience, we’ll show you how to swing from vine to vine—easily and effortlessly.

Get Started with Mailchimp in Four Easy Steps

To access your Mailchimp sign-up form, follow these steps:

1. Click the Audience icon on the left-hand toolbar.
2. Then select the Audience Dashboard.
3. Click the Manage Audience drop-down and choose Signup forms.
4. Select Form Builder.
5. Click the Forms and Response Emails drop-down menu and choose which form you want to edit.
6. Click the Design It tab.
7. Then select the Page, Body, Forms, and Referral tabs to review the customization options. Use the fields and drop-down menus to make any changes you want to the styles, colors, and fields. (Mailchimp will save your changes automatically.)
8. When you’re finished, click Save & Close.

For more detailed information, learn how the form builder works.

It’s that simple to get started. For additional information on what to do next, check out how to create a regular email campaign.

How to Use Mailchimp Templates

Once you decide to take the plunge with a Mailchimp template, things move quickly. Here’s a quick step-by-step tutorial to get you started.

1. Firstly, select a template from Mailchimp’s library. Protip: Use a fluid layout to convey communication and connectivity or a structured blueprint to symbolize stability and reliability.
2. Next, set your logo, colors, styles, and fonts in the template. Obviously, your subscription level determines how much customization you can perform. Once you’re happy with the effect, click Save as a Template to keep this layout ready to insert campaign-specific content.
3. Whenever you want to use your template for a new campaign, go to your Dashboard. Next to the Create Campaign button, click the my templates button. This gives you access to all the templates you create.

How to Use Mailchimp to Send Emails

Overall, sending emails with Mailchimp is a straightforward process. In summary, here are the steps:

1. To begin with, go to Mailchimp and click the Create button.
2. In the pop-up window, click Create an Email.
3. Depending on your needs, select one of the following: Regular—A bulk email sent to many contacts at the same time, Automated—Emails created with pre-set triggers and timelines (these messages can be fully customized), Plain-text—Simple, no-frills emails without images or text formatting, A/B Test—Two versions of an email that send to different audience segments and are tracked to see which one gets the most opens or clicks
4. Enter your Campaign Name. (This name is only for your identification purposes and isn’t visible to subscribers.) Protip: Include the name and intended date of launch as part of the title to easily sort through messages.
5. Next, input information for the From line and Subject line (Important: this information is visible to subscribers.)
6. In the To section, click Add Recipients and choose the list of subscribers you want to receive your email.
7. After that, click Campaigns and open your project.
8. Choose Design Email, then click Select a template. This button will take you to a drag-and-drop editor where you can design your email. You can also write the text of your email by placing your cursor on the text block on the left and then clicking the pencil icon.
9. When designing your email, click Save after finishing each section but do not press Save & Close at this stage.
10. After you design and write your email, open Preview & Test in the main menu. Use the Link Checker to make sure all the links in your email take you to the intended place. Protip: Send yourself a test email to see how it will appear in your subscribers’ mailboxes.
11. When you’re happy with the way your email looks, click Save as Template, which allows you to use the same design for future messages.
12. Click Save & Close in the bottom right corner.
13. When you’re ready to unleash your message on the world, hit Send.

How to Use Mailchimp with WordPress

1. Get your website’s RSS feed URL.
2. At this point, open Mailchimp and go to Campaigns>Create Campaign>Create an Email>Automated.
3. Select Share blog posts.
4. Name your Mailchimp campaign. Protip: Again, it helps to include the name and intended date of the launch as part of the title for quick location purposes.
5. Click Begin.
6. Next, enter your RSS feed URL and select a sending time.
7. Select Recipients and make any Setup changes (for instance, to the Subject field).
8. At this time, choose your Mailchimp Template and Design options.
9. Lastly, click Confirm. Your WordPress newsletter will be sent according to your instructions.

How to Use Mailchimp to Embed a Video Into an Email

1. Firstly, upload your video to a streaming platform like YouTube or Vimeo.
2. After that, choose a thumbnail image that serves as a preview for the video.
3. Enable sharing options to make the video available to the public.
4. At this point, get the video’s embed code from the streaming platform. Protip: Even better, create a blog post or landing page on your website to host the video and drive people directly to your website.
5. Create your email with copy, images, logos, and CTAs.
6. Insert the embed code in the body of your email.
7. Finally, send the email to your target audience.

How to Use Mailchimp to Share a Video Thumbnail

1. To begin with, upload your video file to a streaming platform of your choice.
2. Secondly, enable sharing options to make the video viewable to the public.
3. Now, generate an embed code for your video that you can use on your website.
4. Create a custom landing page on your website with the video and CTAs.
5. Next, make the video on the landing page available through the embed code.
6. At this time, create a custom thumbnail image with a play button logo.
7. Draft your email layout with copy, images, logos, and CTAs.
8. Insert the thumbnail and link it with the URL of the landing page.
9. Finally, send the email to your target audience.