How to Send an Email Workflow in MailChimp

How to Send an Email Workflow in MailChimp!

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by Liubomyr Sirskyi
Copywriter at Kwiga

MailChimp is considered one of the most convenient solutions for beginners. It is compatible with other apps and marketing tools, and you can install it on any device. But for many users, there is one thing - the English-language interface. So let's see how to build up a set of letters and start a mailing campaign in MailChimp.

Benefits of MailChimp

This platform has many advantages:

  • free launch of campaigns for databases with up to 2,000 customers (or workflows for 12,000 letters per month);
  • additional options, such as creating landing pages, subscription forms, setting up targeted advertising, etc.;
  • integration with dozens of analytics platforms and APIs for integration with custom CRM and CMS;
  • the convenient work with automated emails through a mobile app;
  • tools to segment the audience, send personalized workflows and A/B tests;
  • easy to understand interface;
  • you do not need to know programming languages to create a campaign so that you can look for everything you need in the constructor.

And now, we will provide a detailed guide for launching your initial set of letters on MailChimp. So let's check it out.

First Steps To Implement MailChimp Platform

Registering process on this platform is straightforward.

  1. Open the main page and select the "Sign Up Free" option.
  2. Come up with a username, or use your mailbox to sign up.
  3. Enter a password of 8 or more characters. It should consist of Latin letters (upper and lower case), at least one number, and a minimum of one symbol.

Attention! Turn off autocomplete when creating an account. Otherwise, you may encounter error #3057 (Too many login attempts). The fact is that autocomplete covers a hidden field to protect against spambots.

  1. Click the "Show" button and check if the entered password is correct. If everything is right, click "Get Started."
  2. You will get the specific verification email in your mailbox. Just find it in your mailbox and click on the button or copy and paste the attached link to the search bar.

Advice! If you cannot find this letter in your Inbox, open your Spam folder and look for it. We also recommend you check the proper spelling of the email address. There also can be some troubles with registration through corporate mail. Finally, contact your system administrator because, often, the letter does not pass the firewall or spam filters.

  1. After confirming your address, the system will offer you to solve a captcha. For example, you need to pick all pictures with images of traffic lights, fire hydrants, or pedestrian crossings.
  2. Indicate your first and last name or the company name. In the last option, check if you filled both fields. Click "Continue".
  3. Add your company's name, specify a link to the corporate site, and click the "Continue" button.
  4. Specify a place of business (your actual address) to check your future letters for compliance with international anti-spam requirements. Here you can enter a corporate address or enter random data. Click "Continue".
  5. Select the number of customers in your address database (if any) or indicate their absence. Other options are also possible:
  • You do not know about the rights to leverage your customer database.
  • Previously, your list had another purpose (e.g., letters about payment for goods or services).
  • You are not sure if your address database is correct.
  • You do not understand what is meant here.

If here is your case, select "I'm not sure," your option, and click "Continue."

  1. MailChimp will also offer to link your Facebook or Twitter account to share your workflow data on social networks. If you are not ready yet, skip the step and click "Continue."
  2. Pass the survey to tell us more about your company and get marketing recommendations via emails. It takes no more than a minute. If you are not interested in it, click the "Not right now" button. If yes, click "Ok, Let's Go It."

Then, you can start using the platform for launching email workflows.

Building the First Workflow With the MailChimp Platform

This process divides into four stages:

  • domain confirmation for automated letters;
  • building a database of addresses;
  • creating a letter template;
  • launching an email flow.

Verifying a Domain in MailChimp

Before working with the list of customers, you must verify ownership of the domain. Unfortunately, MailChimp does not recommend verifying an address from well-known services (Gmail, Bing, Yahoo, etc.), so you should add the corporate mailbox.

Then, you need to verify the domain on the platform. Here are five key steps:

  1. Select "Account," → "Settings," → "Verified domains," → and "Verify a domain."
  2. Enter your email and select the "Send Verification Email" option.
  3. A verification code will be sent to the specified address, so enter it in a new field.
  4. Follow this procedure with the email addresses of other employees who will use Mailchimp to create workflows (if required).
  5. Click "Verify another."

Then, start preparing your first chain of letters.

Building a New Workflow

It is the initial step in the process of launching automated emails. First, open your account using the details you used during registration. Next, arrange your addresses in a separate table in Google Sheets, save the database in the CSV format, and import it into the system. You can exploit this algorithm to add several databases (for company clients, employees, partners, etc.).

If you did not connect a particular script for collecting leads on the web page, you should create a table yourself. The MailChimp platform has all the necessary instruments, and it will tell you how to work with the table. You should specify four types of data:

  • the name of the creator of the company;
  • the address of your client;
  • the reason to receive letters;
  • the email address of the recipient.

Attention! Switch between fields using the cursor to get all the fields in the table filled.

After that, set up follow or unsubscribe notifications. For example, if you build a workflow for the first time, select "General Activity Alerts." Next, click "Create a list and proceed to import."

Finally, you should upload the CSV file with the address base, confirm the user agreement, click "Next," and confirm the email list creation.

Creating a Letter Template

It is not required to code to build your email flow because all tools are already available in a constructor. You can choose one of three options in the "Templates" tab:

  1. "Layouts" (standard work).
  2. "Themes" (templates with ready-made pictures and styles).
  3. "Code Your Own" (building a unique letter layout).

After choosing an option, you get access to the designer's section. It divides into two parts, the letter body and blocks for building a template. Each element can be moved and edited: by hovering over the block, you can review the available functions and open the context menu by clicking on it. This menu provides instruments to add texts and pictures, insert social media links, etc.

To attach a new element, select the "Content" tab, pick your desired block and drag it into the letter body. The "Design" tab allows you to customize the background, text styles, alignment, and indents and make some changes to the layout of the mobile version.

You can review the intermediate result by clicking the "Preview & Test." Then, when you have finished the work with your template, click "Save & Exit."

Sending Your Actual Workflow</strong >

Select the "Automated" option in the "Campaign" section. For example, let's choose the "Welcome new subscriber" variant as the most popular type of workflow that usually contains a greeting or a promo code for a discount. At the same time, you can gather an unlimited number of letters in one chain and use the "Welcome new subscriber" variant to launch them.

You can choose one of the four options to send your actual workflow:

  • regular text;
  • text without pictures and formatting;
  • three variants for testing the design options and time of sending automated letters;
  • a letter about a specific event: subscription, update, product purchase, etc.

Then, specify the sender's name and select the previously loaded address database. Initially, the workflow configures for the entire list, but you can pick individual groups of customers.

If you want to add a new letter to the mailing, click "Add Email" and specify the initial data: sender, recipient, the subject, and the letter template.

In the "Edit Trigger" menu, you can work with the settings for sending a new chain. First of all, we talk about the time to send the letter. Then, you can select "Immediately" or indicate how many hours or days will pass after the automatic welcome letter.

The "Change Trigger" menu allows you to specify the activity that launches your workflow. The standard choice is to send letters after subscription, but you can choose another option. For instance, indicate a specific action — an abandoned cart, a purchase, a new update, etc. In addition, you can select particular clients via the "Trigger when subscribers are imported" section.

With the "Segment" menu, you have an opportunity to work with specific workflow groups. This menu is only available if you have divided the address database into different segments. The "Actions" section helps you assign an action to your receivers.

After that, enter the "Schedule" menu and customize sending for a specific day or time. For example, mailing can go at 10:00 on weekdays.

The following step is sending a test letter via the "Preview and Test" section to check the performance of your workflow.

When you have finished your mailings, click "Schedule Campaign." It will start delayed sending your set of letters. To launch it immediately, click "Save and Exit" and click "Send" and "Send Now."

Conclusion

Let's sum it all up. The MailChimp platform makes the creation of workflows faster and more straightforward. However, you must be careful when building a flow since you cannot correct it after sending letters. Here we are talking more about links and small spelling mistakes. Therefore, remember to send tests, and offer your colleagues to review your workflow.

If you have more questions about launching automated mailings, leave them in the comments. We will use the most interesting ones in our new materials.