Flodesk vs. MailChimp: Why I made the switch
I bet you’ve heard someone say recently that email marketing is dead, right?
But the reality is that in 2022 it’s still very much alive and kicking.
Why email marketing matters
I see people obsessing over their social media feeds and all too often discounting the impact and effectiveness of email marketing. I don’t know about you, but I have already checked my inbox several times today. In fact, 92% of all adults online use email in comparison to the 79% who have a social media profile.
Email marketing is a cost effective way to target your audience and should be part of your marketing mix.
There is one compelling reason to pause what you are doing in 2022 and to start building your email list now. Do you remember what you were doing on 4 October last year? Chances are you weren’t using Facebook, Instagram, Messenger or WhatsApp for that matter. A major outage beset the social media giant and similar problems have followed since. Billions of people were affected for more than 6 hours and for many businesses who rely on these services they lost money.
You’ve heard the phrase, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Well we’ve come to rely on posting to our followers on social media as a means to promote ourselves. We take it for granted that we can do that. But surely it makes more sense to ensure that you know how to contact your audience directly. And that’s through email.
But which software should you turn to? There are countless email marketing solutions available. Below I explain why I have recently switched mine.
Flodesk vs. mailchimp
I’ve always been very loyal to MailChimp and it’s been my go to email marketing software for over a decade. Many of the promotional emails I receive from businesses are generated with MailChimp. I started using it way back in 2010 shortly after they launched a freemium version, and a couple of years later I was running workshops on how to use it, before it morphed into the all-in-one platform it is today.
But I have to say I was taken in last year by the buzz around the new kid on the block: Flodesk. Whilst I still support a number of clients using MailChimp, I have personally made the switch to Flodesk for my own email marketing campaigns. And I can’t see myself looking back. Here’s why...
MailChimp has over 11 million active users and maybe you’re one of them. For a number of businesses I work with, the free version ticks all their boxes. You can have a maximum of 2,000 contacts and send 10,000 emails per month. I’m working to develop my list and these figures still work for me at the moment. So why move?
Unlimited
I want additional functionality. For what I do as a digital marketer I need to be able to create automations and email sequences (or as MailChimp calls them Customer Journeys). I want to be able to send time optimised emails. Before you know it, with MailChimp, you have upgraded from Free to Basic to Essentials, but now you're being charged when you have over 500 contacts. Frankly, it’s a bit complicated. Flodesk really simplifies pricing. You can sign up for a free 30 day trial, they then have one price plan for unlimited email sends and subscribers as well as access to all of their features. I love the idea of being charged one set amount, which includes everything.
It also helps that I already have a customer relationship management system or CRM for short (and I'll write more about that in a later post). Therefore, I just need something to make, as Flodesk says, beautiful emails that are worth opening. I’m not in need of the all-in-one platform which is the market that MailChimp is now appealing to.
Talking of beautiful emails
As a designer I find Flodesk attractive for a number of reasons:
Aesthetically Flodesk ticks all the boxes, the overall look and feel means it is so easy to sign-up and start creating. The layout and navigation is clear and simple. Emails, Forms, Workflows and Audience provide clear self explanatory headings
You never feel like you need to dig too deep to access settings. It was effortless to establish my brand, connect my domain and verify my email address. It’s worth pointing out that although Flodesk is designed to be used with one brand, you can use multiple send from email addresses that could be from different domains (if you have two businesses)
They have some great out of the box templates which need very little configuration. So if you are looking to set up a welcome email or to deliver a freebie (lead magnet) you can achieve these tasks quickly and easily
Layout Blocks
So you’ve chosen your template, or maybe you are starting from scratch with a blank email. When you hit the + sign, which appears above or below sections within your email, not only can you add all of the sections that you have come to expect in other email marketing applications, such as text, images or dividers. But Flodesk lets you add in Layouts. These Layouts are predesigned elements from their templates, which you can just slot right in. Everything from reviews, about me or discounts layouts can be inserted.
Get Started with 50% Off Flodesk
I’m going to be regularly blogging about Flodesk and email marketing this year, so watch this space. If you’re thinking about leaving the chimpanzee, then take a look at Flodesk for yourself and start your 30 day free trial now. You can use my referral code to obtain 50% off.
Whether you are moving providers or getting started from scratch, email marketing is a thing and you should be doing it.
Disclosure: The link in this post is an affiliate link and if you use it to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind though that I only talk about businesses that fit my values, and that I truly believe in.
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