6 Email Powerhouses: Mailchimp Features We Love, Key Automation Strategies & How To Bag An Email Win!

It's a rare treat to have so many brilliant email minds in one place, but in celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, myself and five other Mailchimp Pros dialed in from four different time zones for a fun roundtable discussion. We shared our expertise, experiences, and insights, covering a range of topics including automation and segmentation. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or just starting out, you can watch our hour of email chat in this replay! If you can't watch the full hour, don't worry; read on for a recap of the key highlights and takeaways.

Meet the lineup:

MaryAnn Pfeiffer Founder and Principal of 108 Degrees.

Larissa Uredi CEO of No-Where Consultants.

Elizabeth Founder of MochaBear Marketing.

Alessandra Farabegoli Co-founder of Palabra.

Emily Ryan Founder of Westfield Creative.

Vicky Smith Yours truly!

Why email marketing?!

When asked about our preference for email marketing over other digital or traditional methods, we unanimously highlighted its versatility, effectiveness, and ability to build meaningful connections with audiences.

"I think email marketing is the backbone of all of our communication," said Larissa. "It allows for direct and personalised interaction with subscribers, fostering deeper connections and driving engagement."

Alessandra echoed this sentiment, praising email's ability to deliver personalised content and nurture relationships with subscribers effectively. "Email provides a unique opportunity to engage with audiences on a one-to-one basis, delivering tailored content based on their preferences and behaviours," she noted.

Emily emphasised that email marketing works effectively, citing its high return on investment (ROI) and revenue generation. She shared her experience of consistently resorting to email marketing for clients due to its proven track record of delivering substantial ROI and revenue compared to other digital marketing methods.

I highlighted the enduring relevance of email marketing compared to other digital trends, "email doesn't die, you own it and you're always going to own it."

MaryAnn concurred, reflecting on her extensive experience in the industry and noting the enduring significance of email marketing. "Of all the things that I've done, there's only two things that still exist. There's email and there's websites," she stated. "Everything else is new, so to speak, you know, in terms of the digital world.”

Mailchimp's hidden gems

During our discussion, Alessandra shared her appreciation for Mailchimp's survey feature and auto-tagging functionality. She remarked, "Surveys provide invaluable insights into donor behaviour and preferences for nonprofits, allowing organisations to tailor their communication effectively." Additionally, she highlighted the efficiency of auto-tagging, stating, "Auto-tagging simplifies list management and segmentation, making it easier to target specific donor groups with personalised content."

Emily expressed her enthusiasm for the range of templates available in Mailchimp's new email builder. She noted, "The variety of templates offered in the new builder is impressive and makes it easy to create visually appealing emails quickly." Emily emphasised the importance of templates in streamlining the email creation process for businesses, enabling them to maintain brand consistency and engage subscribers effectively.

I highlighted Mailchimp's new AI feature that prompts users to add alt text to their images. This feature not only reminds marketers of the significance of alt text for accessibility but also streamlines the process, ensuring that emails are inclusive and reach a wider audience.

Maximising automation

Alessandra shared insights into the advancements of the new Customer Journey builder, praising its ability to create automated flows that extend beyond mere email sending. She highlighted a notable absence in the new builder - the inability to trigger automations by specific links, a feature still exclusive to classic automations. MaryAnn agreed, noting her continued use of classic automations for simpler scenarios, finding the journey builder to be excessive in such cases. Emily Ryan shared her gradual transition towards the journey builder, while Elizabeth and Larissa emphasised its versatility, albeit recognising the continued relevance of classic automations.

Shifting gears, we delved into the nuances of welcome journeys, a critical aspect of email marketing. I shared my approach, focusing on logic and segmentation capabilities, while Elizabeth and Larissa emphasized customisation and mapping exercises. Emily advocated for a minimum of three emails in a welcome series, stressing its significance as an engagement starting point. Alessandra emphasised the need for differentiation in welcome series, tailoring messages based on rules and behaviors. MaryAnn provided valuable insights into welcome journeys in B2B settings, stressing CRM integration and relationship sensitivity.

Tailoring messages with segments

Alessandra Farabegoli emphasised the importance of obtaining explicit permission for data usage, particularly in the European context where privacy regulations are stringent. She stressed the significance of relevance in messaging, noting that while marketers cannot make every topic relevant to every subscriber, they can identify and exclude irrelevant topics to enhance engagement.

I then shared my approach to segmentation, focusing on the strategic combination of onboarding processes, surveys, and auto-tagging to gather relevant subscriber information. And Larissa underscored the importance of preference centers in allowing subscribers to express their interests and preferences, thereby enabling marketers to deliver more tailored content.

Emily offered insights into segmenting subscribers based on seasonal behavior, citing the example of subscribers who engage exclusively during the holiday season. She emphasised the importance of scaling down communication during off-peak periods to retain these subscribers for future holiday seasons. MaryAnn echoed the sentiment, emphasising the need for respectful communication practices that prioritize subscriber preferences and engagement over mass messaging. Elizabeth emphasised that there needs to be a shift away from the term "email blast" towards more nuanced and respectful communication approaches.

Success stories

The conversation concluded with us all sharing anecdotes and success stories from recent projects or campaigns.

Elizabeth shared an insightful case of combining email and SMS marketing for a client, leveraging Mailchimp's SMS feature to drive engagement. She emphasised the strategic integration of SMS for exclusive in-store deals, resulting in increased engagement and brand loyalty.

MaryAnn shared a compelling anecdote from the travel industry, highlighting the long-term relationship-building potential of email marketing. She narrated how consistent email communication, personalised to create a one-to-one connection, led to significant bookings without direct interaction. This story underscored the power of trust and rapport fostered through email correspondence.

I contributed a cost-saving success story for a brand utilizing email marketing for review requests. By redirecting customers to leave reviews on the brand's website instead of costly third-party platforms like Trustpilot, significant savings were achieved.

Larissa emphasised the educational role of email marketing, particularly for businesses in traditionally non-flashy industries. She highlighted the value of providing timely and relevant information to clients, leveraging integrations like QuickBooks to streamline communication. This approach positioned the firm as a trusted resource, resulting in impressive engagement metrics despite their niche market.