27 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
27 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

So, IMers can't use MailChimp!

by Monique3000
20 replies
MC is one of the best mailers (mainly because its free up to 2,000 subscribers!). But, I just found out that we can't use it. If you are suspected of email marketing for IM, they'll shut you down.

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
The good thing is, if you are using it for your clients and they're industries are NOT on this list, you are good to go! I just thought that I would make a PSA because I noticed that a few others are using MailChimp. A friend of mine just got shut down because she was marketing a MLM related newsletter and I just happen to check the TOS to find the above.
#email marketing #imers #mailchimp
  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Originally Posted by Monique3000 View Post

    A friend of mine just got shut down
    This is a good thread for those of us who play "MailChimp security" around here to bookmark.

    A month doesn't go by without MailChimp being recommended to IMers here, and a number of us try to stay vigilant and remind people MC isn't a good place for IM activities. If you're one of them, or you'd like to be, bookmark this thread and toss it into those discussions.

    Together, we can protect the newbies. Remember what it was like when you were a newbie, and how hard it was to know who you could trust?
    Signature
    "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3703639].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Monique3000
      Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

      This is a good thread for those of us who play "MailChimp security" around here to bookmark.

      A month doesn't go by without MailChimp being recommended to IMers here, and a number of us try to stay vigilant and remind people MC isn't a good place for IM activities. If you're one of them, or you'd like to be, bookmark this thread and toss it into those discussions.

      Together, we can protect the newbies. Remember what it was like when you were a newbie, and how hard it was to know who you could trust?
      I know! I used to be one of those who frequently recommended MC. They have excellent support and great training. Not to mention that you can get a really good mailer for free (2000 subscribers and 100,000 mailings/month, I think). Its really too bad.

      I'll definitely bookmark this for the future. I'd hate for someone's hard work to be deleted.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3711696].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Tashi Mortier
      Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

      This is a good thread for those of us who play "MailChimp security" around here to bookmark.

      A month doesn't go by without MailChimp being recommended to IMers here, and a number of us try to stay vigilant and remind people MC isn't a good place for IM activities. If you're one of them, or you'd like to be, bookmark this thread and toss it into those discussions.

      Together, we can protect the newbies. Remember what it was like when you were a newbie, and how hard it was to know who you could trust?
      I will definitely do that whenever I can. The problem (and what held me back from joining Aweber right away) is that they offer the only good, permanently free mailing list service.

      Especially for newbies $ 19 a month isn't so easily to stomach and it's an additional investment that you have to make.
      Signature

      Want to read my personal blog? Tashi Mortier

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3720989].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Tashi Mortier View Post

        Especially for newbies $ 19 a month isn't so easily to stomach and it's an additional investment that you have to make.
        Well ...

        It's only $1 for the first month, you know? The $19 per month starts with the second month.

        I know that some newbies start off with very little funding, but really, if you can't make $20 in two months, there isn't a business there at all ...

        Even more importantly than that, one has to think about whether it's really a good idea to entrust the safekeeping of one's business's most important asset (one's list) to a free service of this nature.

        Nobody's a greater advocate of list-building than I am, but personally I advise people to start without one, rather than starting with a free one. And to use Aweber or a true equivalent (there aren't many) as soon as possible.

        For many reasons, not all of them predictable, business models that involve starting with one autoresponder and switching to another are seriously flawed.

        But for all that, the statement made in this thread's title is actually inaccurate and mistaken. (My guess is that the OP actually meant to say "affiliate marketing" but said "internet marketing" by mistake" ... )
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3721021].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author darrenscrawford
          Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

          Well ...

          It's only $1 for the first month, you know? The $19 per month starts with the second month.

          I know that some newbies start off with very little funding, but really, if you can't make $20 in two months, there isn't a business there at all ...
          I'd echo what Alexa is saying. If you cannot put $20 into your BUSINESS, then you don't have a business. My first business cost me nearly a half million dollars to start and then renovations in the quarter million range. Not including the daily expenses and the fact that I was physically tied to a specific location. Never again!

          Domain + Hosting + Aweber is all you need - maybe $25 a month. With just that I now earn MULTIPLES of what I earned in my old "expensive" business.


          Also, I've tried Mail Chimp and iContact. I've not found their deliverability as good as aweber. Proof was when I signed up for the recent free offer from iContact and both of their confirmation and welcome emails went to spam in gmail. If you, as the email provider, cannot get your own emails to pass the gmail spam filter, what chance do you think you have?

          Best of luck. Spend the $1. Remember to invest IN your business.

          Good luck,
          Darren
          Signature
          11+ Hours of PLR Training For Newbies
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3814612].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ganesh
    Remember, the list is one of the most valuable assets for any internet marketer and I would not recommend anybody to take risk with it. It is worth making an investment into it and use Aweber or getresponse rather than going the free route.
    Signature

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3712100].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Monique3000 View Post

    If you are suspected of email marketing for IM, they'll shut you down.
    With apologies for the dissenting tone, this simply isn't true.

    A search of earlier threads about MailChimp here will quickly disclose that I myself have posted more information about MailChimp which they'd certainly consider "anti-MailChimp" than anyone else here, but even I have never alleged this - because it isn't so.

    Affiliate marketing, yes. MLM, yes. The many other things prohibited by the list of exclusions you've kindly pasted in from their TOS, yes.

    But not "internet marketing"!

    Huge numbers of internet marketers (selling their own products) are using MailChimp in full compliance with MailChimp's TOS.

    An autoresponder company wouldn't have much use, or much survival, or any customers, if it couldn't be used for "IM", would it?!

    Not like me to defend MailChimp, I know ... but in this instance they're actually being maligned. I'm just saying ...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3712148].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Coby
      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      With apologies for the dissenting tone, this simply isn't true.

      A search of earlier threads about MailChimp here will quickly disclose that I myself have posted more information about MailChimp which they'd certainly consider "anti-MailChimp" than anyone else here, but even I have never alleged this - because it isn't so.

      Affiliate marketing, yes. MLM, yes. The many other things prohibited by the list of exclusions you've kindly pasted in from their TOS, yes.

      But not "internet marketing"!

      Huge numbers of internet marketers (selling their own products) are using MailChimp in full compliance with MailChimp's TOS.

      An autoresponder company wouldn't have much use, or much survival, or any customers, if it couldn't be used for "IM", would it?!

      Not like me to defend MailChimp, I know ... but in this instance they're actually being maligned. I'm just saying ...
      Yes is a good point! If you sell your own products and are very careful, mailchimp is great...

      However, I was doing this recently and I sent out an email to my buyers list (hosted in MC) talking about SELLING MY PRODUCT for 100% commission and that was enough for them to shut me down...

      I actually laughed when I got their email because I have expected it since I started using MC...

      Luckily, knowing that this could happen at anytime I had my list already backed up so it was an easy fix... I just imported them to Imnica...

      However, I then found out that WSO Pro now integrates with Imnica! So I don't need Mail Chimp anyways!

      Thank you Mike and Richelo! Now, if only I could get DPD to integrate with Imnica the world would be perfect... lol
      Signature
      .
      .
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3791561].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author matark
        ok, I'm a newbie here, but I gotta ask... if you have a "high quality" purchased list of email addresses, what service can you go to?

        No secrets here, I'm talking about a list of recent college-bound juniors and seniors from ETS (the company that administers the SAT) and ACT. The lists are made up of students who have taken the college aptitude exam (SAT/ACT). Colleges can buy lists from them by geographical region, religion, etc. So the lists are extremely targeted. There are companies who do email marketing for colleges, but they (at least the one or two we've seen) charge exorbitant rates.

        Now a list like this seems reasonably, but every company I'm researching seems to say they bar them... OR is it just a matter of "don't ask, don't tell?"
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3814272].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Affili8ing
    the big mailing comapney are not better?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3721075].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jasonthewebmaster
    Banned
    Not all IM'ers are necessarily promoting affiliate offers. In my case, I use it to promote my own products.. none of which are against the TOS..

    Just wanted to throw that in.

    However for most IM'ers - it's not good since you can't promote affiliate offers, work at home, mlm, etc...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3791005].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Mike McAleer
    Wow that really sucks. HAHA. I am using mailchimp for Affiliate marketing! Gotta change to aweber now I guess!
    Signature

    Recent domain flips : $8->$1000 Social recruiting Software dot com $8->$2000 MobileSalesSoftware.com
    Invest in domains without the hard work !
    Email for details...Mike McAleer at me dot com

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3791054].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author misterkailo
    AWeber all the way!
    Signature
    Limited Spots Left... How to Generate 150+ Leads Daily And Earn $3000-6000 Per Sale Without Talking To Anyone
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3814473].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Jake Gray
    Well, just like in any other service, there are terms of service.

    Be sure to read them if you are worried about getting shut down for something.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3814530].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author christopher jon
    Huge numbers of internet marketers (selling their own products) are using MailChimp in full compliance with MailChimp's TOS.
    Alexa beat me to it,

    Not everybody uses their email list to pimp affiliate products. MailChimp is great if used correctly.

    For the rest of ya, spam away with aweber.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3814570].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Letsurf
    Has anyone ran into this problem with getresponse? Aweber doesn't have a feature I need but I'm hearing too much negative about mailchimp. Would hate to lose a large list down the road...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6082947].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
      Originally Posted by Letsurf View Post

      Has anyone ran into this problem with getresponse? Aweber doesn't have a feature I need but I'm hearing too much negative about mailchimp. Would hate to lose a large list down the road...
      I'm just curious, what feature do you need that Aweber doesn't have, but GetResponse does? :confused:
      Signature

      The bartender says: "We don't serve faster-than-light particles here."

      ...A tachyon enters a bar.

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6083005].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author JimDucharme
      Originally Posted by Letsurf View Post

      Has anyone ran into this problem with getresponse? Aweber doesn't have a feature I need but I'm hearing too much negative about mailchimp. Would hate to lose a large list down the road...
      Hi Letsurf,

      No, you won't have this problem with GetResponse, I assure you. If you have any questions, feel free to ping me.

      Regards,
      jim
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6085018].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Letsurf
    Haven't tried getresponse yet but have used aweber. I just want the ability to change the list a user is in easily. Mailchimp has this option but aweber doesn't which is surprising. They have the option to auto change a list when a user subscribes to a different list, but then the user has to confirm this again through an email.

    I have users who download trials of our software, so when they purchase I would like to change them from the "trial" list to the "user" list so I can send them updates instead of promotions.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6083026].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Robinson
    Banned
    MC is one of the best mailers (mainly because its free up to 2,000 subscribers!). But, I just found out that we can't use it. If you are suspected of email marketing for affiliate marketing, they'll shut you down.


    *Starts switching over lists in a panic*
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6083044].message }}

Trending Topics