5 Reasons I Prefer MailChimp to Constant Contact

I was talking with a potential new client the other day about their newsletter. They currently use Constant Contact and I asked how big their list is –  under 1,000 contacts. So, I made my usual recommendation to switch to MailChimp. Why? Because it’s free for up to 2,000 email addresses, and most of my clients are under that threshold.

Also, let’s be honest here. Constant Contact is like having an AOL email account. I’m going to judge you for it.

I know that sounds terrible, but it’s true. A big part of that is that it’s been around for so long. But also, the functionality is clunky. Yes I spend a LOT of my day in MailChimp so I am biased towards it, but every time I work with Constant Contact I realize just how dated their system feels. So, I will continue to make the recommendation  to move to MailChimp from Constant Contact.

Here’s 5 more reasons…

• MailChimp is FREE for up to 2,000 email addresses. Constant Contact charges you regardless of your list size. FREE is a very good price for a small business owner on a budget!
• Constant Contact charges you MORE for automation. MailChimp introduced FREE automation last year. I also have an issue with charging me more for automation. Just have a flat rate and include everything. I don’t want to be nickled and dimed…
• I find 99% of my answers in the MailChimp Knowledge Base. While free accounts don’t have access to customer service chat/phone they have such a deep knowledge base that I rarely have to chat with them (I have a paid account) and when I do they are SUPER helpful and I’ve been thanked for my crazy questions.
• Multiple Users – in MailChimp I can setup myself as another user for client accounts. This means I can tell when I did something or when my client jumped in to futz with a newsletter. This is especially handy if you have multiple people working on your newsletter. Constant Contact only allows one user at their basic level which means you’re sharing passwords and never know who broke what…
• I love the ease of integrations with MailChimp – I have my CRM linked to MailChimp, my bookkeeping system linked to MailChimp and my PayPal is linked to it so I can automatically send thank you emails when I receive payment.

I can go on and on about why I like MailChimp better (and they don’t pay me to!) but if you are considering the right email marketing program for your growing business I’m going to almost always recommend you go with MailChimp. And that potential client is now a new client who’s first newsletter went out through MailChimp this week!