{"id":6251,"date":"2020-09-09T08:36:04","date_gmt":"2020-09-09T15:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/passivepromotion.com\/?p=6251"},"modified":"2022-10-10T18:43:58","modified_gmt":"2022-10-11T01:43:58","slug":"why-i-left-mailchimp-for-drip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/passivepromotion.com\/why-i-left-mailchimp-for-drip\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Left Mailchimp for Drip"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Email is my #1 promotion tool. Always has been.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I’d been using FanBridge since 2012, but it didn’t integrate with the WooCommerce shop I added to my site earlier this year. Mailchimp did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moving all of my FanBridge subscribers to Mailchimp would’ve cost me $99\/month, so I chose to maintain two accounts: FanBridge for “fans” and Mailchimp for “customers.” As you’d expect, the lines were blurry and I was constantly shuttling people from one service to the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even with less than 500 subscribers, my Mailchimp bill ramped up quickly. I was charged for people I wasn’t allowed to email, and paying for additional “add-on blocks.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I eventually figured out that if a customer unchecked the permission box on the checkout form, I could never email them. Removing the box didn’t help. They had to explicitly opt in. Maybe half did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m not a lawyer (surprise!), but my understanding has always been that it’s okay to email someone you’ve established a business relationship with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I recognize the distinction between “transactional” and “promotional” emails, but I couldn’t figure out a way to designate an email as transactional in Mailchimp, and support didn’t help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rendering half my customers unreachable was a deal-breaker for me. I ditched both Mailchimp and FanBridge for Drip<\/a> and haven’t looked back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before I gush about Drip, I should mention that Mailchimp or FanBridge might be just fine for you, especially if you’re just getting started. Mailchimp is free for basic emails up to 2000 subscribers, though the price escalates quickly after that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scott Englund at FanBridge has been incredibly responsive and helpful over the years. The pricing is very competitive, and the product continues to evolve. You can get a free 60-day trial here<\/a> (nothing in it for me).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, I think Drip is superior to both, even for a basic newsletter. That’s why I moved my How I’m Promoting My Music This Month<\/a> subscribers over too. I receive a single bill based on the combined subscriber count of both accounts, and I can switch between them with two clicks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Warning: this may creep you out a little! You can click to enlarge any of these screenshots.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDrip Subscriber Analytics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n