MailChimp Vs. Flodesk Which one is Better for your Photography Business (with GIFs to entertain you)

There’s a new player on the email marketing scene called Flodesk. If you follow any creative based businesses, then you’ve probably already seen a Flodesk email land in your inbox.

In this post we will review the pros and cons for MailChimp compared to Flodesk and will provide some guidance on how to select the right program for your business.

MailChimp

MailChimp is one of the most well-know and widely used email marketing softwares on the market. With many advanced features and integration options it’s no surprise that many businesses choose to use MailChimp.

We personally use MailChimp and have used many of its features in our own business. We do not claim to be an expert on all things MailChimp but we will provide the pros and cons from our personal experience using the software.

EDIT: We have since switched to Flodesk and after a year of using it, we gave Flodesk an honest review and tell you everything you want to know about switching from MailChimp to Flodesk.

Pros of using MailChimp:

• Affordable for small business
• Integrates with WordPress & WooCommerce
• Trusted platform with many 3rd party integrations for automation
• Advanced options for landing pages, websites, post cards and more
• Easy to understand analytics and tracking

Cons of using MailChimp:

• Clunky form builder
• Ugly embedded form options
• Requires advanced custom CSS to improve appearance of forms and emails
• Not user friendly or intuitive for average user
• Complex backend systems that require advanced knowledge of its use
• Lacks high-end design options, web-fonts or graphic options for emails

Flodesk

Flodesk is very new to the email marketing scene but has made a huge splash. With an intuitive user interface, Flodesk makes creating beautiful email programs so easy.

We do not personally use Flodesk as our personal email marketing software for Mark Brand Boutique but we have used all of its features on behalf of our clients.

We do not claim to be Flodesk pros but we have tested the entire system for ourselves and have used it to create forms, workflows, template emails, and even Shopify integrations.

EDIT 2021: We have since switched to Flodesk and after a year of using it, we gave Flodesk an honest review and tell you everything you want to know about switching from MailChimp to Flodesk.

Pros of using Flodesk

• Sunning email design made VERY easy
• Unique fonts and style options
• Great automation flows
• Simple and intuitive platform, very user friendly
• Stylish and trendy template emails and forms
• Free trial for new users
• Visual drag and drop form & email builder
• Brand Preferences (preset brand colors and styles)
• Shopify Integration
• Doesn’t charge extra for more subscribers

Cons of using Flodesk:

• Currently, limited integrations (likely to change but no telling of when)
• Can be cookie cutter for your industry if you’re using their templates (as many creatives are jumping onto this platform we’ve seen many emails look similar)
• Doesn’t directly integrate with WooCommerce or other 3rd party plugins
• Shopify segmentation is limited, can’t segment the type of Shopify customer (meaning you can’t send unique email sequences for specific customers that purchase specific items)

So which email marketing platform should you choose?

When considering what email marketing platform is best for your business please consider these questions to guide your own decision making in addition to our personal recommendations:

1. What type of website platform do you use?
2. Do you have any current 3rd party integrations?
3. Do you already have an email marketing provider?
4. What tech skill level do you have?
5. What type of email campaigns do you need/want?
6. Do you want your email campaigns to be automated?
7. What feature is most important to you?

Flodesk- “the hot eye candy worth trying”

via GIPHY

If you’re a newbie to email marketing, you don’t operate a WooCommerce site and you want a simple platform then choose Flodesk. Flodesk is the most user-friendly platform we’ve ever used and is the perfect option for creative based businesses that want to begin a marketing email program.

If you’re on the fence, you can start Flodesk on a free trial so you can see for yourself OR even get 50% off your Flodesk subscription today.

Please note, this is an affiliate link. We only recommend products and services we have personally tried and loved. Please checkout our terms and conditions for information about our affiliate links.

MailChimp- “the frenemy you may need but secretly hate”

via GIPHY

MailChimp is the friend you might need but honestly you really dislike. Why you ask?

MailChimp is clunky, it can be very frustrating to use, and it takes some serious patience to get it all setup properly BUT MailChimp remains one the the most reliable and integrated email marketing softwares available.

Being a large and long-standing player in the industry has enabled MailChimp to integrate with so many different platforms and programs. The integration options alone is the reason we continue to keep MailChimp as our email marketing platform at Mark Brand Boutique.

If you manage a WooCommerce store or you want your WordPress site to have advanced automatic integrations with your email marketing software then MailChimp is may be the better choice.

Until we see Flodesk increase its integration options for WooCommerce we will be here drooling over the hot new eye candy we wish we could have.

EDIT 2021: We have since switched to Flodesk and after a year of using it, we gave Flodesk an honest review and tell you everything you want to know about switching from MailChimp to Flodesk. Even better, Flodesk can integrate with WooCommerce using Zappier and we will even tell you how.

via GIPHY

P.S. Just because we want to be extra clear about our recommendation

Our recommendation are for small businesses with an email audience of less than 1,000 subscribers. For these businesses the most important goal is to connect and engage with their audience. Businesses that would fit in this category are photographers, wedding planners, videographers and other service based businesses.

This recommendation is NOT for large businesses or corporations with advanced and complex email marketing needs.

The bottomline (especially if you skipped to the end)

We love and recommend Flodesk but if you need advanced integrations for your WordPress site or WooCommerce store then MailChimp may be the better option for your business.

EDIT 2021: We have since switched to Flodesk and after a year of using it, we gave Flodesk an honest review and tell you everything you want to know about switching from MailChimp to Flodesk. Even better, Flodesk can integrate with WooCommerce using Zappier and we will even tell you how.

Please don’t just take our word for it. Both platforms offer free trails so you can test them out for yourself and see which one you love.

Please also note that MailChimp and Flodesk are not the only email providers out there. If you have a email marketing program that you love be sure to share the good news to your friends and fellow small business owners.

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