When it comes to email marketing services for small businesses, a few names always come up–mainly MailChimp and Aweber. Both are excellent services and there are many passionate supporters for either system. When choosing between the two, look closely at what you want now and what will serve you best as your list grows.
What it really boils down to
What does your small business need from an email service?
- Do you need detailed tracking and analytics?
- Do you need multi-level campaigns?
- Do you need to have multiple lists and multiple opt-in web forms (one for newsletters, one for special events like webinars, etc.)?
- Do you want to segment your list automatically when someone subscribes to a second list?
- Do you only want to send an occasional newsletter or are you sending weekly/biweekly?
- How large is your current subscriber base?
- How large do you anticipate it growing?
- Do you want the option to use single opt-in to your list where no confirmation email link deployed?
- Are you creating automated campaigns?
- Is this your first time using an email marketing service?
- Are you technically inclined (to learn a new tool) or do you just want an easy to use solution?
Why switching mid-stream is a bad idea
Your decision should be based on which system can grow with you to meet your needs over the long haul. I recommend even if your list is not very big, or non-existent, to seriously consider which platform can give you what you need until you reach an extremely large number of subscribers. Switching email marketing service providers is a hassle, and typically it involves forcing everyone on your list to re-subscribe to your new list. You'll loose some subscribers, for sure and it's not an easy process.
In my opinion, spending a little money up front for a system that can grow with you is worth the cost. I'm not talking about fancy, all-in-one services like InfusionSoft or Ontraport where it is more than just a email marketing platform and the cost is a premium price. That's a much higher provider level, and if you are ready for that step, yea you! I'm talking about typically paying between $20-$30 a month for your email marketing service.
MailChimp
MailChimp has a forever free plan for up to 12,000 emails to 2,000 subscribers. The caveat, no auto responders (those nifty automatic emails that get sent to a new subscriber), no spam diagnostics, Email client testing across platforms like mobile devices (a very cool feature), delivery by time zones, or Social Pro (MailChimp's social network analysis offering). All of these services can be added on for a monthly fee or pay-as-you-go fee.
MailChimp has a sleek, graphic based interface that can be easy to adapt to for new users. It also has a friendly “guide” to walk new users through the getting started process. It's user interface fairly easy to navigate, once you learn where everything lives in the system (like lists, subscribers, and opt-in forms). MailChimp has an excellent knowledge base and there are great video tutorials. I've had a good experience with their customer support phone line. There is an RSS-feed-to-email service for those who want to send emails to subscribers anytime a new blog post is created. It integrates well with WordPress, but keep in mind that the opt-in forms are pretty plain jane. You may need to style them yourself or hire someone to do it for you with CSS to match your site.
MailChimp is perfect those that want a service, but don't want a high learning curve of another tool. It's a robust, stable platform with a lot of power behind it. Many big names still use MailChimp, even with huge lists. Be aware that the analytics are not quite as deep/comprehensive as Aweber.
Aweber
Aweber has a $1 one month trial offer, and after the cost runs $19 per month for up to 500 subscribers, $29 for 501-2,500 subscribers, and goes up from there for a larger subscriber lists. Aweber gives you a lot of flexibility for creating complex campaigns, multiple lists and web form opt-ins. They have a good template library for opt-in forms and newsletters, and make it fairly easy to create your own email template and forms, without knowing HTML/CSS code. There is also an area for those who do know HTML/CSS to set up custom templates for newsletters.
You have the option to setup blog broadcasting, meaning that anytime you publish a new blog, an email with an expert and link will be sent to subscribers. This is a similar feature to MailChimp's RSS-to-email feature.
Aweber has a good knowledge base, video tutorials (although these can be somewhat buried in the knowledge base), and excellent support. You can call or chat with a customer service representative, and both have been useful to me when troubleshooting issues. Aweber's system gives me deep analytics when it comes to link tracking, open rates, and delivery. It has the ability to list segment based on automation rules you create, therefore moving a subscriber between lists once the rule takes place. With a certain number of subscribers, you can start A/B split testing your emails to find the best message.
Aweber has a more complex interface that can be confusing to new users. There's a vocabulary that you'll have to learn, and you'll have to memorize where things are in the system. The getting started wizard is good for new users, but the complexity of elements on each page can be overwhelming. The interface is not as slick as MailChimp's UI, and at times can feel clunky/cluttered. There is a learning curve to this tool; however, once learned, it won't take more than an hour of your time to setup/test your newsletter (and that's the copywriting part). It does interface well with social media channels and WordPress.
For my money, I've chose Aweber, although I use both systems with clients. Aweber is solid, robust and has a lot of lesser known features that proves to be a huge value to me as a marketer.
Speaking of those Opt-in Web Forms
If you want to make fantastic web form opt-ins for either Aweber or MailChimp, without fiddling with code, I recommend:
- Magic Action Box
- Optin Skin
- Optin Monster – I have this on my site as the “exiting pop-up” tool
Which side of the fence do you fall on when it comes to Aweber vs. MailChimp?
Does the thought of setting up your email marketing system make you want to bang your head on the desk? Not to worry. I have an affordable email marketing setup package to get you started that includes creating an irresistible opt-in offer (layout/design), making a gorgeous web form that is inline with your website branding, setting your confirmation email, and setting up your auto responder (if needed).
