Mailchimp any downsides

There are for affiliate marketers, because affiliate marketing is contrary to their terms of service, and some Warriors have been closed down by them and lost their lists when MailChimp have discovered (or even just "suspected", sometimes, allegedly) that they've been using their service for affiliate-marketing related activities.

The only down sides I see so far with MC is that they don't have as nice of a selection of opt-in boxes and some 3rd membership scripts I'm using don't integrate with them yet. There set up was a little more confusing than Aweber for me as well.

Mailchimp isn't one of the "big boys" They don't negotiate with ISP's they simply do what they are told.

The mailchimp TOS can be found here:

MailChimp Terms of Use | MailChimp.com

Here is the relevant prohibited list from Mailchimp:

(f) Prohibited Content and Industries

Don't use MailChimp to send anything offensive, to promote anything illegal, or to harass anyone. You may not send:

• Pornography or other sexually explicit Emails
• Emails offering to sell illegal substances
• Emails that violate the CAN-SPAM Law

Also, there are some industries that send certain types of content that result in higher than normal bounce rates and abuse complaints, which in turn jeopardize the deliverability of our entire system. No offense intended, but because we must ensure the highest delivery rates possible for all our customers, we do not allow businesses that offer these types of services, products, or content:

• Illegal goods or services
• Escort and dating services
• Pharmaceutical products
• Get-rich-quick or work-at-home schemes
• Online trading, day trading tips, or stock market related content
• Gambling services, products or gambling education
• Multi-level marketing
• Affiliate marketing
• Credit repair, get-out-of-debt content
• Mortgages and/or Loans
• Real estate prospecting or listing
• Nutritional Supplements, Herbal Supplements or Vitamin Supplements
• Pornography or nudity in content
• Adult novelty items or references in content
• List brokers or List rental services
• Marketing or sending commercial email without proper permission

Generally speaking, if you're in an industry that is frequently associated with spam, you know who you are (it's probably why you're reading this far, right?). We make no judgments about your line of business, but we cannot afford to risk our deliverability. In fact, most ESPs like MailChimp will not be able to help you. You will most likely need to look into setting up your own mail servers. The term to search on is "email delivery server." There are many industrial strength MTAs to choose from with built-in delivery and reporting tools for high-volume senders.

I tried MailChimp out once, I think sometime last year if I remember correctly. In my opinion, the whole setup was just very confusing. Putting together ONE mailing list and creating ONE optin box for it, O.M.G...Took me almost 1/2 an hour!! Unlike aweber where its VERY user friendly for any level of internet marketer. Unless they did some work on the user interface, MP isn't exactly set up that way, and I'd consider myself somewhere between intermediate and advanced in terms of online marketing tools and applications, so there you go...

Remember, free tools/services are great when you can find them, but that doesn't mean its always the best choice in the long run... I'd suggest aweber as your autoresponder service. Just because it's user friendly (very "a-b-c"), they have a 30-day trial for $1, and after the trial its only $20/month so you can grow with the service. Its also one of the most recommended services among internet marketers...

@Nicola Lane
Didn't even see the "no affiliate marketing" rule when I originally tried it out, so thanks for the memo. Definitely would not have been the best bet then for my list building techniques as an affiliate marketer in the first place!

:-p

C.W

The downside with mailchimp is if you are going to dop cross promotion ad swapping etc.. you will be banned unless you have a good reputation in the industry and able to convey this to mailchimp. Also for new people trying out mailchimp it can be hard and confusing as it has a more complex process.

As for aweber it's quick easy and simple however it was only hacked a month ago and a majority of their lists where spammed however no one (except aweber) knows the number of emails that where compramised.

That being said I recommend you take a look at I contact for your autoresponder. I personally love Aweber however now this being the second time their security has been breached it shows a lack of awebers ability to keep our lists secure.

Regards
Josh

The Crazy Email Marketing Professor

Thanks all for your input. It is really helpful.
For me I have a very small niche product and really needed an autoresponder. Awebber at $240 a year was more like $360 in my dollars, so MC was a practical choice. Hope i still think so in a year or so.
I guess for a different situation Awebber would be a far better choice.

Hi Jasondinner
Unless I don't quite understand, I have made opt-in forms for free and added them to website very easily. I put it into a sidebar in WordPress and it worked.

Yes the optin forms are fairly generic but customisable. I didn't see anywhere where you can make one from scratch. So i can see it would not suit your purposes.
Thanks for your comments it has helped me learn a little more.

Wow. Who CAN use MailChimp? (seriously?)

@Soundsgood

you can use mailchimp for affiliate marketing but you have to talk with them first and have a good reputation in that market. However it's not easy to be accepted and you are placed under strict regulations as to what affiliate offers your can give.

Thanks Josh
The Crazy Email Marketing Professor

Bottom line...NOT FOR AFFILIATE MARKETERS.

If you're running a sewing club...go for it!
If you're running a fishing club....go for it!

If you're selling ANYTHING, forget about them. Any kind of sale will probably be seen as an "affiliate marketing" attempt. Then you'll need to start over from scratch somewhere else.

I've used MC lightly since abandoning Aweber after their first security breach of the year and was considering giving them another go until they got hacked again.

There's lots to like about MC, but my biggest gripe was the signup form issue too. I think aweber had some nice, graphic but basic signup forms - and while MC gives you the ability to go wild and create some nice forms, it seems tough to create something basic with graphics of your own.

In regards to the whole affiliate issue thing - does it make sense that a company with an affiliate program of their own would prohibit others from using their service to promote their own service?

I think their definition of "Affiliate Marketing" is rather vague (maybe on purpose?) but when I asked their support about this, was told they don't have a problem we me promoting affiliate products within emails sent through them...but they would have a problem if I was giving affiliates of mine access to their system.

In any event, for someone just getting started promoting their own business or helping someone else with their email marketing, their free plan is a certainly a great deal.

Steve

What about deliverability? Who is better, aweber or MC, because ultimately that's what it comes down to doesn't it?

I have been using MC since April without a problem. List growing rapidly. 100% deliverability for me (so far) and a 50% CTR. Customised my forms and used the MC WP plugin (although each time the plugin was updated I had to reselect the list from the dashboard area - no warning that the upgrade would break it - but simple once you know).
They upped the free subs to 1000 and 6000 emails a month - just in time for me! They also added 'Social Pro' (free till March 2011) so I can get to see the faces of my subs. I also love the cheeky monkey
But I am in a normal niche, nothing to do with affiliate stuff. Bit of adsense etc.

Personally I would never use them as they don't like affiliate marketing. Even if you build your lists through your own products, at some point you will likely want to send an email with an affiliate link.

I would say if you want a free or cheaper option than Aweber something like Vertuso which is free for the first 500 sign ups, though with a send limit, or Imnica, which is even cheaper and both are owned by Warriors.

In fact, I've heard good things about Imnica and I'd really consider that one for the future.