Hello everyone, today’s blog post is an important one for any business – setting up your email list!  To set it up you’ll need to use other software, and that’s where MailChimp comes in.  First time I made a newsletter, it was not so clear on exactly what to do, so creating this post I think will help a lot of you.  There are screenshots and a step by step guide to get you started.

Why is mail chimp recommended over others and easier for those who are getting started?

1. The simplest to setup is MailChimp, it has enough bells and whistles to make it better than others to.  Even advanced users will find features that make it worthwhile.
2.  this email system is completely free (as long as you have under 2000 newsletter subscribers).
3. MailChimp also integrates with a large number of software applications, as a result of its popularity.
4. The system features a drag & drop editor that can be used to easily design newsletters.  This will make creating newsletters much easier than other newsletter services out there.

This tutorial will go over everything you need to know, including the following:

• What is a campaign?
• What is a list?
• How can you create a subscription form for others to sign up to your newsletter?
• How can you design my newsletter without knowing how to program or code?
• How can you send your first newsletter?
• Why should you change your mailing address?
• What do we mean by automation?
• How to use automation to your advantage.

1. How to create the subscriber list:

The subscribers that you want to send newsletters to need to be kept into something called a list.  You can create more than one list, and send different newsletters to the individuals in each of them.  For example, maybe you have one list for users who visit the site to shop, and another list for users who visit the site to read.  Maybe you have two websites and you want separate lists for each one… you get the idea.

The first step is to navigate to “Lists” (in the upper-right corner), and tap “Create List.”

After you click create a list, the next page is a very easy form to fill out for your list details.  You fill in the form with your chosen name for the list (make it relevant i.e. readers list), whatever name and email you want to appear in the “From” section when the subscribers receive a newsletter, and a small text to remind the recipients of how they subscribed.

You will also notice that you will be required to enter your address. This is a legal requirement, and it is advised to use your business address, not your personal one. The address will be included in every sent newsletter!

If your MailChimp account is going to be used for business purposes (readers of your blog for example), getting a P.O. Box is a great idea, it’s inexpensive and you won’t be sending out your address without exposing yourself in any way, and you won’t be breaking any laws.

2. Designing a Signup Form

Once you save your list, you will be given access to its dashboard. Here, you can view all the subscribers in the list, check various statistics related to your newsletter, and design the forms that individuals will need to fill out in order to subscribe.

First you want to click on “lists” and then the name of the list you will start editing – this will take you to your list dashboard.

Then, click “Sign Up Forms”, and choose the “General Forms” option. This will open a new page through which you can scroll down and build your form.

This is where the Drag & Drop tool comes into play. It will allow you to change anything from colors to the font, and insert images. Consider how most forms of this type are composed and build one that represents you and your business.  Add or remove fields to how you see fit, I have seen forms with only two fields, and as many as 5!

Make sure to write down the URL of the signup form that you’ve just designed, as you will be able to insert it in social media, blogs, and other pages.  This is a good way to direct link possible subscribers to your form and get them to sign up to your list.

3. Add a Lead Magnet to the Welcome Email

It is usually a good practice to create a lead magnet and add it to the Welcome Email that subscribers will receive. A “lead magnet” can be anything you want it to be (a useful checklist, a set of links, etc). Essentially, it is a great way to add important resources to the Welcome Email.  Anything goes, the only rule is you’re creating something that your ideal audience finds interesting.

Once you think of what to use as a lead magnet, you will have to set it up so it’s automatically sent out to a user when they subscribe.  In order to make it easier to send out, it is better if the lead magnet is a PDF file. This will allow you to upload it to your website (just like you would an image).  You can create a PDF file in common text editors such as Pages or Microsoft Word (you don’t need Adobe).  Simply create the document, then save it as a PDF.

After you create the PDF and uploaded it to your website, go to the “Signup Form” menu, select “General Forms”, and go to “Final Welcome Email”, in the drop down menu. Once you’ve set up how you want the message to look, include the lead magnet.

Now, go ahead and customize what this email will look like, and include the link to the lead magnet (PDF) that you created.  Give your new reader a nice welcoming message to go along with the free goodies.

Also, remember to change the email subject, as the default one reads “Subscription confirmed”. Try to change it to something that lets subscribers know of the lead magnet inside.

4. Modifying your Mailing Address.

If you ever want to change the address that you’ve entered when creating a list or add an additional one to your account, simply click your profile picture in the top-right corner, click “Settings”, and then “Contact Information”.  You can enter the PO Box or Office Address you might be using here.

5. Create and Send your First Newsletter

Almost there and ready to send out your first newsletter.  In order to start sending newsletters, you must first navigate to the “Campaigns” tab, at the top of the screen, and then select “Create Campaigns” in the top right. You will be asked to choose between different types of campaigns, normally “Regular Campaign” is going to the best one most of the time. Now, click the list you want to send it to, then click “Next”, and you will be able to continue setting everything up.

On this page you can name the campaign, enter a the subject and a few other text fields to fill out.  Then next comes the design.

The last step of the process is designing your newsletter (again, with the help of the Drag & Drop editor). MailChimp also gives you the option of choosing between several templates which you can then customize to your liking.  Again, if you select the “Design” tab, you will have the option of changing colors, fonts, and inserting images.

If you go with a template, you can add content to it in blocks, the main image at the top can be your logo for example.  There are many ‘blocks’ to drag and drop into your new campaign which can make it original and engaging for subscribers.

Once you’ve finished, select “Save as Template”, at the top, and click “Next”.  Saving it as a template will allow you to bring up your design in the future for a new email, as opposed to having to design the entire thing all over again.

The final step is to click “Send” and send it out immediately or schedule it for a future time.