Which is best for your blog, Wix email marketing or MailChimp?
Introduction
Wix is an all-in-one web building platform that lets you create a virtual home for your blog. It has a drag and drop interface, email marketing built right in, and a top notch template library that lets you make sure your site looks great.
But if you're looking to grow your blog into a substantial business, Wix email marketing might not have everything you need. So should you stick with it? Or is MailChimp the better choice? Let's find out.
What is Wix email marketing?
Wix email marketing is a free service that allows you to create and send emails to your subscribers.
The Wix email marketing tool is easy to use, mobile friendly and customizable.
How do I use Wix email marketing?
Wix Email Marketing is a free email marketing platform that lets you create and send newsletters, surveys, and more. You can add it to your Wix website by going to the App Store in the Wix Editor.
If you don't have a Wix website yet, head over to Wix's website and choose one of their starter templates for your site. If you don't know what type of site to create—for example if you're just starting out with blogging—the Business template is a good choice because it has all the tools needed for running an online business (including an eCommerce storefront). After choosing your template, follow the steps below:
What’s the difference between Wix email marketing and MailChimp?
Wix email marketing and MailChimp are both powerful tools for creating and sending newsletters, but they each come with their own pros and cons.
Wix email marketing is free, which makes it ideal for those who want to start small and grow their audience over time. It also offers a variety of templates to choose from, so you can quickly create a newsletter that matches your brand.
MailChimp is more customizable than Wix email marketing but costs money—you get access to all of its features once you pay the subscription fee.
This includes,
more advanced segmentation options;
better reporting systems;
custom tagging options (to filter people based on criteria like location or interests);
A/B testing capabilities;
an integrated blog builder tool;
an embeddable signup form builder tool;
unlimited lists (for upsells);
social sharing buttons that integrate with Facebook Page profiles;
drip campaigns (to send out emails at specific intervals);
landing page templates that allow visitors to collect information such as name, email address or phone number with just one click (this can be helpful if you're running an ecommerce store);
mobile-optimized templates for mobile devices like smartphones or tablets;
ability to import contacts from other services like Gmail into MailChimp's database automatically so they're ready immediately after signing up with no additional work involved from your end!
Customizable templates
Wix templates are easy to use. They’re responsive, meaning they adjust to fit your device, whether it be a desktop computer or mobile phone. They also come with pre-made (but customizable) email marketing options like surveys and alerts that you can easily add in the template editor. These features make it so you don’t have to start from scratch when designing an email campaign — it gives you a head start!
What's more, Wix lets you share your creations with everyone on their platform through their own brand pages and social media accounts. You can embed these emails into posts on other websites as well!
Segmentation and targeting
Another way to help your subscribers is through segmentation and targeting. Segmentation allows you to send different emails to different groups of people, based on their interests, while targeting allows you to send emails to people who are interested in specific content.
For example, if I had a wedding blog and wanted to promote my services as a photographer on that blog, I could set up a campaign with MailChimp where anyone who visited my website was automatically added into an email list called “Wedding Clients.” Then, when I wanted to send out promotional materials related specifically to weddings (like the information sheet on how much it costs), I would just target the Wedding Clients list instead of sending them all general updates about my work as a photographer or even unrelated articles like “How To Use Your Camera Flash Effectively” or “How To Take Better Photos At Night Time Funerals” (I'm making these titles up).
You can use segmentation and targeting together in order increase your chances that each subscriber is receiving relevant information from you!
Content recommendations
Content recommendations are a great way to provide value to your readers, and also help you earn affiliate commissions at the same time.
Content recommendations can be used to promote your own content or other relevant content. For example, if you’re writing about dog grooming tips for puppies, it might be helpful for you to include some links in the article that point people toward related resources on the internet – such as books or online courses on pet care, or even helpful products like shampoo, brushes and combs etc. You could also use content recommendations in blog posts where people ask questions about specific topics that aren’t covered by your site yet but are relevant because they relate to topics already discussed there (e.g., “How do I use PayPal?”).
If someone clicks through on these links then this gives them more information about their question/topic without sending them away from your site first – which means that they might stick around longer too!
Send time optimization
As we mentioned before, the best timing for your email depends on your audience. If you are sending emails to a global audience, then 5pm local time is usually the optimal time to send them. However, if you are only targeting businesses in one country or region (like Australia), then sending it at 1am-2am Australian time may be better.
Email delivery service (SMTP)
Wix Email Marketing uses a third-party email delivery service. This means that your emails will have to travel through another server before reaching the inbox of your subscribers. This is not only slower, but also more prone to mistakes when delivering messages (or even bouncing them entirely).
MailChimp uses its own dedicated server for sending emails. That means email delivery is faster and MailChimp’s servers are less likely to make mistakes when delivering your messages.
Additionally, Mailchimp has built-in security features like DKIM and SPF that protect against phishing attacks on behalf of its users.
Lead nurture campaigns
Lead nurturing is an email marketing strategy that helps you build relationships with your subscribers. It's a process of sending emails to subscribers at different stages of the buying cycle.
Lead nurturing is used to nurture leads and convert them into customers. The goal is to guide users through your funnel by sending them relevant content at each stage of their journey, so they feel comfortable enough to commit themselves to spending money with you down the road.
Bounce management
Bounce rate is the percentage of emails sent that are returned as undeliverable. It's a metric that can help you identify issues with your lists, and it's one of the most important factors in determining whether or not to keep an email list. Bounce management is a feature that allows you to set up rules around what happens when an email address bounces (is rejected). For example: If someone hits "reply" on an autoresponder message and sends you a message, do you want it delivered to your inbox? Or do you want all messages from them automatically redirected elsewhere?
Wix email marketing has a bounce management feature, while MailChimp does not.
Wix is a great all-around website platform, but for professional bloggers MailChimp offers more robust options.
Wix is ideal for beginners who want to create a website and don't know where to start. MailChimp offers a simpler approach, but it's not as flexible as Wix.
MailChimp is better suited for professional bloggers with more experience and traffic, because with MailChimp you can do more than just send emails - you can also set up landing pages, collect leads and manage customer relationships. You can even add custom CSS rules that will make your emails look exactly how you want them to!
Conclusion
Wix is a great website platform, but we think that MailChimp’s features are more suited to professional bloggers. Wix has a ton of templates and design options, but if you want to do more with your email marketing, MailChimp is the clear winner. It’s also easier to use once you get the hang of it. And while Wix might offer more in the way of website design, we think that MailChimp’s range of options for sending emails makes it a better choice for bloggers who want to use email marketing seriously.
If you still find it difficult to choose an email marketing platform, talk to one of our experts by scheduling a free consultation call!