Why is Email Marketing a Big Deal?
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2025 5:27 am
Think about it: Almost everyone uses email! It's like a direct line to your customers. Here’s why it’s awesome:
You Own Your List: Unlike social media, where the rules can change, your email list is yours. No one can take it away.
Direct Connection: Your message lands right in someone's inbox. It's personal!
Cost-Effective: It's much cheaper than sending out physical mail or running lots of ads.
Easy to Track: Mailchimp shows you who opened your emails, who clicked on links, and what they're interested in. This helps you get better at sending messages.
Builds Relationships: When people get helpful or interesting emails from you, they start to trust and like your brand more.
What is Mailchimp?
Mailchimp is like a friendly helper for email marketing. It makes sending emails easy, even if you’ve never done it before. It helps you:
Gather email addresses (build your list).
Design beautiful emails without needing to be an artist.
Send emails to lots of people at once.
See how well your emails are doing.
And the best part? Mailchimp has a free plan that’s perfect for beginners! You can send up to 1,000 emails per month to up to 500 contacts without paying a dime. That’s a great way to start.
Getting Started with Mailchimp: Your First Steps
Ready to dive in? Let's get your Mailchimp account set up.
Step 1: Sign Up for a Free Account
Go to the Mailchimp website (just search for "Mailchimp" on Google). Look for the "Sign Up Free" button. You’ll need to enter your email address, create a username, and set a password. It's like signing up for any other online account.
Once you sign up, Mailchimp will send a confirmation email to your inbox. Click the link in that email to activate your account. This tells Mailchimp that you're a real person.
Step 2: Set Up Your Profile
After activating your account, Mailchimp will ask you a few questions about your business or what you want to use Mailchimp for. This helps them give you a better experience. Don’t worry too much about getting everything perfect right away. You can always change these settings later.
You’ll be asked for things like:
Your business name
Your website (if you have one)
Your physical address (this is a legal requirement for email marketing, even if you work from home)
Step 3: Understand the Mailchimp Dashboard
When you log in, you'll see your Mailchimp "dashboard." Think of this as your control panel. It might look like a lot of buttons at first, but don't worry, we'll break it down.
On the left side, you'll see a menu with options like:
Create: This is where you'll start making new emails.
Audience: This is where all your email contacts live.
Campaigns: This shows you all the emails you've sent or are planning to send.
Automations: This is for setting up emails that send automatically (we'll talk about this later).
Content Studio: Where you can store your images and files.
For now, we'll focus on Audience and Create.
Building Your Audience: Gathering Email Addresses
Your "audience" is your list of people who want to receive your emails. This is the most important part! No audience, no one to send emails to.
How to Get People to Join Your List (Legally and Ethically!)
Never, ever buy email lists! It's against Mailchimp's rules, and it's a terrible way to do email marketing. People who didn't ask for your emails will just mark them as spam, and your messages won't reach anyone.
Here are the best ways to get people to willingly give you their email address:
Sign-Up Forms on Your Website: This is the most common way. You can put a small form on your website that says "Join our newsletter!" or "Get updates!" When people type in their email, they get added to your Mailchimp list.
How to do it in Mailchimp:
Go to Audience in the left menu.
Click on Sign-up forms.
Mailchimp offers different types of forms: Embedded forms (you put them directly on your website), Pop-up forms (they appear when someone visits your site), and Landing pages (a special page just for signing up).
The Form builder lets you design a simple sign-up form that Mailchimp hosts for you. You can then share the link to this form.
Offer Something Valuable (Lead Magnet): People are more likely to give you their email if they get something cool in return. This is called a "lead magnet." Examples:
A free e-book or guide
A discount code
Access to exclusive content
A checklist or template
You'd set up a sign-up form, and once someone fills it out, they automatically get the freebie.
Collect Emails In-Person: If you have a physical store or attend events, you can have a paper sign-up sheet or use a tablet to collect emails. Just make sure you get permission to add them to your email list!
Important: Double Opt-In
Mailchimp often uses "double opt-in." This means that after someone signs up on your form, they get an email asking them to confirm their subscription. They have to click a link in that email to officially join your list. This is super important because:
It makes sure people really want your emails.
It protects you from spam complaints.
It keeps your list clean and full of engaged people.
Designing Your First Email (Campaign)
Now for the fun part: creating an email! In Mailchimp, an email you send is called a "campaign."
Step 1: Start a New Campaign
Go to Create in the left menu.
Choose Email.
Select Regular Email. This is for a standard newsletter or announcement.
Step 2: Give Your Campaign a Name
You’ll be asked to name your campaign. This name is just for you so you can find it later (your subscribers won't see it). Something like "August Newsletter" or "New Product Launch" works well.
Step 3: Set Up Your "To," "From," and "Subject" Lines
This is crucial!
To: This is your audience. Mailchimp will automatically select your main audience. If you have different groups of people (we’ll talk about "segments" later), you can choose them here.
From: This is who the email is from. Use your business name or your name. Make sure the email address is professional (e.g., [email protected], not [email protected]).
Subject: This is the most important line! It's what makes people decide whether to open your email or not. Make it catchy and tell people what's inside.
Good examples:
"50% Off All Summer Dresses!"
"New Blog Post: How to Train Your Dog"
"Your August Newsletter is Here!"
Bad examples:
"Check this out" (too vague)
"URGENT!!!!" (spammy)
"Newsletter" (boring)
You can also add emojis to your subject line (like
or 
) to make them stand out, but don't overdo it.
Step 4: Design Your Email Content
This is where you build the actual look and feel of your email.
Click on Design Email.
Mailchimp offers different Templates and Themes.
Layouts/Templates: These give you a basic structure, like columns for text and images. Choose a simple one to start.
Themes: These are pre-designed templates with colors and fonts already set up.
Drag-and-Drop Editor: This is the magic! On the right side, you'll see "Content Blocks" like:
Text: For writing your message.
Image: To add pictures.
Button: For call-to-action buttons (like "Shop Now!" or "Read More!").
Divider: To separate sections.
Social Share: To link to your social media.
Video: To embed videos.
To use a block, just click it and drag it to switzerland email list where you want it in your email. Then, click on the block in your email to edit its content.
Tips for Designing Great Emails:
Keep it Simple: Don't overload your email with too much text or too many images. People read emails quickly.
Use Clear Headings: Break up your text with big, bold headings so it's easy to skim.
High-Quality Images: Use clear, attractive pictures that relate to your message. Mailchimp has a built-in "Content Studio" to store your images.
One Main Goal: What do you want people to do after reading your email? Buy something? Read a blog post? Sign up for an event? Make that one main goal clear with a strong "Call to Action" button.
Mobile-Friendly: Most people check emails on their phones. Mailchimp emails automatically adjust, but always check the "Preview" mode to see how it looks on a phone.
Personalize (Optional for Beginners): You can add the recipient's first name to the email (e.g., "Hi [first name],"). This makes it feel more personal. Mailchimp has "merge tags" for this.
Step 5: Preview and Test Your Email
Before you send, always, always, ALWAYS do this:
Preview Mode: Click the "Preview & Test" button (usually at the top right). This shows you how your email will look on a desktop and mobile.
Send a Test Email: Send the email to yourself and a friend or two. Check it on different devices (phone, tablet, computer) and in different email programs (Gmail, Outlook, etc.). Make sure all links work!
Step 6: Send or Schedule Your Email!
Once you're happy with everything:
Click the Send button.
Mailchimp will ask you to confirm.
You can choose to Send Now or Schedule for a later date and time. Scheduling is great for planning ahead.
Understanding Your Results: Mailchimp Reports
After you send an email, Mailchimp provides awesome reports that tell you how well your email performed. Go to Campaigns and then click on the email you sent.
You'll see metrics like:
Opens: How many people opened your email.
Clicks: How many people clicked on links inside your email.
Bounces: Emails that couldn't be delivered (e.g., wrong email address).
Unsubscribes: People who decided they no longer want your emails. Don't worry, this happens! It's better to have a smaller list of engaged people than a huge list of uninterested ones.
These reports are super helpful. If lots of people are opening but not clicking, maybe your links aren't clear, or your offer isn't exciting enough. If few people are opening, your subject line might need work.
Taking Your Mailchimp Skills Further (Beyond the Basics)
Once you're comfortable with sending regular emails, here are some things you can explore:
Segments: Divide your audience into smaller groups based on what you know about them. For example, customers who bought a specific product, or people who live in a certain city. Then you can send them super-targeted emails.
Tags: Similar to segments, but more flexible. You can add "tags" to contacts based on their interests or actions.
Automations (Customer Journeys): These are emails that send automatically when something happens.
Welcome Series: Send a series of emails to new subscribers to introduce your brand.
Abandoned Cart: If someone puts items in their shopping cart on your website but doesn't buy, you can send them a reminder email.
Birthday Emails: Send a special discount on their birthday.
Automations save you a lot of time and are very effective.
Landing Pages: Create simple web pages in Mailchimp for specific purposes, like collecting emails for a new product launch or promoting an event.
Surveys: Get feedback from your audience directly within Mailchimp.
Integrations: Connect Mailchimp with other tools you use, like your e-commerce store (Shopify, WooCommerce), social media, or other website builders.
Best Practices for Successful Email Marketing
To make sure your emails are always a hit:
Be Consistent: Don't send one email and then disappear for a year. Decide on a schedule (e.g., weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) and stick to it.
Provide Value: Don't just always sell, sell, sell. Offer helpful tips, interesting information, or exclusive content.
Be Authentic: Let your personality shine through in your emails. People want to connect with real people, not robots.
Clean Your List Regularly: If people aren't opening your emails for a long time, it might be good to remove them from your list. This keeps your delivery rates high.
Always Have a Clear Call to Action: What do you want your readers to do next? Make it obvious!
Proofread! Read your email carefully before sending. Better yet, have someone else read it too. Typos look unprofessional.
Respect Privacy: Never share or sell your email list. Always follow privacy laws (like GDPR, if it applies to your audience).
Common Mailchimp Questions for Beginners
"What if I mess up?" It's okay! Everyone makes mistakes. Mailchimp lets you undo some things, and for emails you've already sent, you can learn from your reports and do better next time.
"How often should I send emails?" There's no magic number. Start with once a month or every two weeks. See what your audience responds to. Too often, and they might unsubscribe. Too little, and they might forget about you.
"Do I need a fancy website to use Mailchimp?" No! You can start by sharing your Mailchimp sign-up form link on social media or in your email signature.
"What's the difference between a list and an audience?" Mailchimp used to call them "lists," but now they're called "audiences." It's just a name change for the same thing – your group of contacts.
"Can I send an email just to one person?" Mailchimp is designed for sending to many people at once. For individual emails, just use your regular email program.
Conclusion
Mailchimp is a powerful yet easy-to-use tool that can help any beginner start their email marketing journey. By following these steps, you can build your audience, create engaging emails, and connect directly with the people who matter most to your business. It's a journey of learning and improving, but with Mailchimp by your side, you'll be sending awesome emails in no time! Start small, experiment, and have fun building those relationships!
You Own Your List: Unlike social media, where the rules can change, your email list is yours. No one can take it away.
Direct Connection: Your message lands right in someone's inbox. It's personal!
Cost-Effective: It's much cheaper than sending out physical mail or running lots of ads.
Easy to Track: Mailchimp shows you who opened your emails, who clicked on links, and what they're interested in. This helps you get better at sending messages.
Builds Relationships: When people get helpful or interesting emails from you, they start to trust and like your brand more.
What is Mailchimp?
Mailchimp is like a friendly helper for email marketing. It makes sending emails easy, even if you’ve never done it before. It helps you:
Gather email addresses (build your list).
Design beautiful emails without needing to be an artist.
Send emails to lots of people at once.
See how well your emails are doing.
And the best part? Mailchimp has a free plan that’s perfect for beginners! You can send up to 1,000 emails per month to up to 500 contacts without paying a dime. That’s a great way to start.
Getting Started with Mailchimp: Your First Steps
Ready to dive in? Let's get your Mailchimp account set up.
Step 1: Sign Up for a Free Account
Go to the Mailchimp website (just search for "Mailchimp" on Google). Look for the "Sign Up Free" button. You’ll need to enter your email address, create a username, and set a password. It's like signing up for any other online account.
Once you sign up, Mailchimp will send a confirmation email to your inbox. Click the link in that email to activate your account. This tells Mailchimp that you're a real person.
Step 2: Set Up Your Profile
After activating your account, Mailchimp will ask you a few questions about your business or what you want to use Mailchimp for. This helps them give you a better experience. Don’t worry too much about getting everything perfect right away. You can always change these settings later.
You’ll be asked for things like:
Your business name
Your website (if you have one)
Your physical address (this is a legal requirement for email marketing, even if you work from home)
Step 3: Understand the Mailchimp Dashboard
When you log in, you'll see your Mailchimp "dashboard." Think of this as your control panel. It might look like a lot of buttons at first, but don't worry, we'll break it down.
On the left side, you'll see a menu with options like:
Create: This is where you'll start making new emails.
Audience: This is where all your email contacts live.
Campaigns: This shows you all the emails you've sent or are planning to send.
Automations: This is for setting up emails that send automatically (we'll talk about this later).
Content Studio: Where you can store your images and files.
For now, we'll focus on Audience and Create.
Building Your Audience: Gathering Email Addresses
Your "audience" is your list of people who want to receive your emails. This is the most important part! No audience, no one to send emails to.
How to Get People to Join Your List (Legally and Ethically!)
Never, ever buy email lists! It's against Mailchimp's rules, and it's a terrible way to do email marketing. People who didn't ask for your emails will just mark them as spam, and your messages won't reach anyone.
Here are the best ways to get people to willingly give you their email address:
Sign-Up Forms on Your Website: This is the most common way. You can put a small form on your website that says "Join our newsletter!" or "Get updates!" When people type in their email, they get added to your Mailchimp list.
How to do it in Mailchimp:
Go to Audience in the left menu.
Click on Sign-up forms.
Mailchimp offers different types of forms: Embedded forms (you put them directly on your website), Pop-up forms (they appear when someone visits your site), and Landing pages (a special page just for signing up).
The Form builder lets you design a simple sign-up form that Mailchimp hosts for you. You can then share the link to this form.
Offer Something Valuable (Lead Magnet): People are more likely to give you their email if they get something cool in return. This is called a "lead magnet." Examples:
A free e-book or guide
A discount code
Access to exclusive content
A checklist or template
You'd set up a sign-up form, and once someone fills it out, they automatically get the freebie.
Collect Emails In-Person: If you have a physical store or attend events, you can have a paper sign-up sheet or use a tablet to collect emails. Just make sure you get permission to add them to your email list!
Important: Double Opt-In
Mailchimp often uses "double opt-in." This means that after someone signs up on your form, they get an email asking them to confirm their subscription. They have to click a link in that email to officially join your list. This is super important because:
It makes sure people really want your emails.
It protects you from spam complaints.
It keeps your list clean and full of engaged people.
Designing Your First Email (Campaign)
Now for the fun part: creating an email! In Mailchimp, an email you send is called a "campaign."
Step 1: Start a New Campaign
Go to Create in the left menu.
Choose Email.
Select Regular Email. This is for a standard newsletter or announcement.
Step 2: Give Your Campaign a Name
You’ll be asked to name your campaign. This name is just for you so you can find it later (your subscribers won't see it). Something like "August Newsletter" or "New Product Launch" works well.
Step 3: Set Up Your "To," "From," and "Subject" Lines
This is crucial!
To: This is your audience. Mailchimp will automatically select your main audience. If you have different groups of people (we’ll talk about "segments" later), you can choose them here.
From: This is who the email is from. Use your business name or your name. Make sure the email address is professional (e.g., [email protected], not [email protected]).
Subject: This is the most important line! It's what makes people decide whether to open your email or not. Make it catchy and tell people what's inside.
Good examples:
"50% Off All Summer Dresses!"
"New Blog Post: How to Train Your Dog"
"Your August Newsletter is Here!"
Bad examples:
"Check this out" (too vague)
"URGENT!!!!" (spammy)
"Newsletter" (boring)
You can also add emojis to your subject line (like
or 
) to make them stand out, but don't overdo it.Step 4: Design Your Email Content
This is where you build the actual look and feel of your email.
Click on Design Email.
Mailchimp offers different Templates and Themes.
Layouts/Templates: These give you a basic structure, like columns for text and images. Choose a simple one to start.
Themes: These are pre-designed templates with colors and fonts already set up.
Drag-and-Drop Editor: This is the magic! On the right side, you'll see "Content Blocks" like:
Text: For writing your message.
Image: To add pictures.
Button: For call-to-action buttons (like "Shop Now!" or "Read More!").
Divider: To separate sections.
Social Share: To link to your social media.
Video: To embed videos.
To use a block, just click it and drag it to switzerland email list where you want it in your email. Then, click on the block in your email to edit its content.
Tips for Designing Great Emails:
Keep it Simple: Don't overload your email with too much text or too many images. People read emails quickly.
Use Clear Headings: Break up your text with big, bold headings so it's easy to skim.
High-Quality Images: Use clear, attractive pictures that relate to your message. Mailchimp has a built-in "Content Studio" to store your images.
One Main Goal: What do you want people to do after reading your email? Buy something? Read a blog post? Sign up for an event? Make that one main goal clear with a strong "Call to Action" button.
Mobile-Friendly: Most people check emails on their phones. Mailchimp emails automatically adjust, but always check the "Preview" mode to see how it looks on a phone.
Personalize (Optional for Beginners): You can add the recipient's first name to the email (e.g., "Hi [first name],"). This makes it feel more personal. Mailchimp has "merge tags" for this.
Step 5: Preview and Test Your Email
Before you send, always, always, ALWAYS do this:
Preview Mode: Click the "Preview & Test" button (usually at the top right). This shows you how your email will look on a desktop and mobile.
Send a Test Email: Send the email to yourself and a friend or two. Check it on different devices (phone, tablet, computer) and in different email programs (Gmail, Outlook, etc.). Make sure all links work!
Step 6: Send or Schedule Your Email!
Once you're happy with everything:
Click the Send button.
Mailchimp will ask you to confirm.
You can choose to Send Now or Schedule for a later date and time. Scheduling is great for planning ahead.
Understanding Your Results: Mailchimp Reports
After you send an email, Mailchimp provides awesome reports that tell you how well your email performed. Go to Campaigns and then click on the email you sent.
You'll see metrics like:
Opens: How many people opened your email.
Clicks: How many people clicked on links inside your email.
Bounces: Emails that couldn't be delivered (e.g., wrong email address).
Unsubscribes: People who decided they no longer want your emails. Don't worry, this happens! It's better to have a smaller list of engaged people than a huge list of uninterested ones.
These reports are super helpful. If lots of people are opening but not clicking, maybe your links aren't clear, or your offer isn't exciting enough. If few people are opening, your subject line might need work.
Taking Your Mailchimp Skills Further (Beyond the Basics)
Once you're comfortable with sending regular emails, here are some things you can explore:
Segments: Divide your audience into smaller groups based on what you know about them. For example, customers who bought a specific product, or people who live in a certain city. Then you can send them super-targeted emails.
Tags: Similar to segments, but more flexible. You can add "tags" to contacts based on their interests or actions.
Automations (Customer Journeys): These are emails that send automatically when something happens.
Welcome Series: Send a series of emails to new subscribers to introduce your brand.
Abandoned Cart: If someone puts items in their shopping cart on your website but doesn't buy, you can send them a reminder email.
Birthday Emails: Send a special discount on their birthday.
Automations save you a lot of time and are very effective.
Landing Pages: Create simple web pages in Mailchimp for specific purposes, like collecting emails for a new product launch or promoting an event.
Surveys: Get feedback from your audience directly within Mailchimp.
Integrations: Connect Mailchimp with other tools you use, like your e-commerce store (Shopify, WooCommerce), social media, or other website builders.
Best Practices for Successful Email Marketing
To make sure your emails are always a hit:
Be Consistent: Don't send one email and then disappear for a year. Decide on a schedule (e.g., weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) and stick to it.
Provide Value: Don't just always sell, sell, sell. Offer helpful tips, interesting information, or exclusive content.
Be Authentic: Let your personality shine through in your emails. People want to connect with real people, not robots.
Clean Your List Regularly: If people aren't opening your emails for a long time, it might be good to remove them from your list. This keeps your delivery rates high.
Always Have a Clear Call to Action: What do you want your readers to do next? Make it obvious!
Proofread! Read your email carefully before sending. Better yet, have someone else read it too. Typos look unprofessional.
Respect Privacy: Never share or sell your email list. Always follow privacy laws (like GDPR, if it applies to your audience).
Common Mailchimp Questions for Beginners
"What if I mess up?" It's okay! Everyone makes mistakes. Mailchimp lets you undo some things, and for emails you've already sent, you can learn from your reports and do better next time.
"How often should I send emails?" There's no magic number. Start with once a month or every two weeks. See what your audience responds to. Too often, and they might unsubscribe. Too little, and they might forget about you.
"Do I need a fancy website to use Mailchimp?" No! You can start by sharing your Mailchimp sign-up form link on social media or in your email signature.
"What's the difference between a list and an audience?" Mailchimp used to call them "lists," but now they're called "audiences." It's just a name change for the same thing – your group of contacts.
"Can I send an email just to one person?" Mailchimp is designed for sending to many people at once. For individual emails, just use your regular email program.
Conclusion
Mailchimp is a powerful yet easy-to-use tool that can help any beginner start their email marketing journey. By following these steps, you can build your audience, create engaging emails, and connect directly with the people who matter most to your business. It's a journey of learning and improving, but with Mailchimp by your side, you'll be sending awesome emails in no time! Start small, experiment, and have fun building those relationships!