Why use Mailchimp instead of Gmail for email marketing?
Many small businesses choose to use Gmail as their business email provider.
But in the world of email marketing, the power of each click is monumental, and the number of opened emails can impact the success of a campaign.
While Gmail is an excellent email service platform, email marketing software like Mailchimp is a more robust solution overall.
So, why use Mailchimp instead of Gmail?
Read more: Top 5 Best FREE Email Marketing Software For Small Business.
Why Use Mailchimp Instead of Gmail?
Although it’s possible to send and receive emails through Gmail, the platform is more of an email service provider than an email marketing solution.
If you want to use Gmail for email marketing, you must integrate a third-party tool, whereas Mailchimp is already a comprehensive email marketing software.
Small teams should consider using Mailchimp over Gmail because it is more scalable and offers more comprehensive email marketing features and tools.
For teams hyper-focused on growing their business and strategically engaging with their audience, I strongly recommend using an email marketing software like Mailchimp.
So, before we dive into the nitty gritty of why you should use Mailchimp instead of Gmail, what are both tools exactly?
Read more: How To Create Free Email Templates In Gmail?
What is Mailchimp?
Mailchimp was developed in the early 2000s as an affordable email automation and marketing solution for small business owners.
And now, 20 years later, Mailchimp has completely revolutionized the email marketing landscape.
Mailchimp has since expanded its services from email marketing campaigns to CRM, social media marketing, website and landing pages, and more.
With its user-friendly design and cost-effective approach, Mailchimp has now captivated over 13 million users.
Mailchimp is known for its robust automation, precise segmentations, and seamless integrations.
However, Mailchimp also offers a range of dynamic tools to help streamline and enhance communication with audiences, such as:
- An intuitive drag-and-drop email editor.
- Customizable templates for tailored messaging.
- A/B testing options.
- Advanced scheduling for timely outreach.
- Comprehensive multichannel marketing solutions.
- Website and landing page builders.
- CRM capabilities.
- Real-time analytics and reporting.
- A customer journey builder to automate campaign sequences.
- Mobile app.
Plus, Mailchimp integrates with over 300 third-party apps and tools to enhance functionality.
And recently, Mailchimp has introduced SMS marketing and AI tools designed to streamline your marketing workflow further.
Mailchimp is consistently at the top of online email marketing software reviews, and it’s no wonder why.
As a comprehensive, easy-to-use, scalable solution, Mailchimp always ensures seamless and effective customer communication.
What is Gmail?
Gmail is a free, user-friendly email service developed by the powerhouse Google.
Also launched in the early 2000s, Gmail allows you to send and receive emails, block spam, build an email address book, and perform other essential email tasks.
You can use Gmail for personal use or set up a free Gmail business email to leverage Gmail as your professional business email service provider.
The platform is easy to use and well-organized, with labels, folders, and filters to help you manage your inbox effectively.
Gmail attracts many users because it easily integrates with Google’s productivity tools, such as Google Drive, Google Calendar, and Google Meet.
For example, you can save attachments to Google Drive, link events to Google Calendar, create a Google Meet meeting, and more.
All from your Gmail account interface!
This is because Gmail is found inside your free or paid Google Workspace account, allowing seamless communication and collaboration across multiple activities.
Gmail is so much more than a simple email service provider!
Over the years, Gmail has expanded its functionality with features like:
- Smart replies.
- Snooze email.
- Confidential mode.
- Email translate.
- Recall email.
- Scheduled emails.
- Email snippets and templates.
And recently, with Gemini AI, Google’s new intelligent AI tool, you can write use artificial intelligence to craft compelling emails to your recipients in a matter of seconds.
Gmail is a safe, secure, and reliable Google product, which is why so many individuals and small teams use it to send emails to their contacts.
Read more: How To Create Group Emails In Gmail?
Why Use Mailchimp Instead of Gmail? Top 7 Reasons
If you want to deliver targeted, professional email campaigns to your contacts, you’re much better off using Mailchimp instead of Gmail.
Here are my top 7 reasons why you should use Mailchimp instead of Gmail:
- Scalability: As your business grows, Mailchimp can handle your increasing subscribers and emails. Gmail isn’t designed to accommodate an extensive list of subscribers.
- Automation: Mailchimp’s automation tools allow you to save time and nurture customer relationships effectively. You can set up welcome emails, follow-up sequences, and targeted campaigns based on customer actions. Unless you integrate a third-party tool like Zapier, you won’t be able to automate in Gmail.
- Segmentation: Mailchimp can segment and send personalized emails to your audience based on various criteria, like behavior, demographics, or past purchases. This is only possible with Gmail through an add-on called GMass.
- Integrated Analytics: Mailchimp’s built-in analytics can help gain insights into campaign performance, open rates, click-through rates, and more. You can only access this information by connecting Google Analytics with Gmail.
- Professional Templates: The drag-and-drop editor and pre-designed templates mean even small teams without dedicated experience can design and send visually appealing emails.
- Integrations: MailChimp integrates with popular CRM software, eCommerce platforms, and other business tools, creating a seamless workflow.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Gmail is free, but Mailchimp’s free plan is a wiser investment in the long run due to the number of generous built-in marketing-centric tools.
Read more: What Is MailChimp Best Used For?
Can You Use Gmail For Email Marketing?
Although Gmail is essentially a personal email management service for individuals, it can also be used as a basic email marketing solution.
This is done through integrations with various tools like Zapier, GMass, and Google Analytics.
However, Gmail should only be used for email marketing on a small scale, as it can’t facilitate creating, automating, and tracking campaigns once your email list grows.
I recommend using a dedicated email marketing platform like Mailchimp for larger teams or businesses after advanced email marketing automation features.
Alternatively, sending bulk emails from Gmail using Google Sheets is possible!
How To Send Bulk Emails From Google Sheets?
Did you know you can use Google Sheets to send bulk email campaigns to your email list without using an Apps Script?
Introducing Sheetify CRM – my Google Sheets CRM solution built specifically for Google users.
Sheetify is a Google Sheets CRM template with a built-in Apps Script that allows you to seamlessly send personalized, bulk emails to your contacts in just a few clicks.
For a one-time payment of $67, Sheetify CRM is a comprehensive, functional, easy-to-use business toolkit.
With Sheetify CRM, you can manage your contacts, leads, sales, deals, inventory, emails, customer issues, and more on one centralized Google Sheet.
Find out more about how to send emails from Google Sheets through Sheetify here.
Why Use Gmail Instead of Mailchimp?
What if you’re after one-on-one communication or a basic email service? You may not necessarily need a complex marketing automation, segmentation, or analytics tool.
If this is you, Gmail may actually be the preferred option over Mailchimp.
There are many advantages of using Gmail.
It’s affordable, reliable, and safe, and its integration with other Google Workspace tools makes it great for personal use or internal team collaboration.
Plus, Gmail is secure, reliable, affordable, easy to use, and offers ample storage.
Stews Final Thoughts
Mailchimp and Gmail are absolute powerhouses in their own right, each offering distinct email service advantages and features.
Gmail is a solid choice for teams looking to create a professional business email service for sending and receiving customer emails.
However, MailChimp is the obvious choice for businesses aiming to transform email interactions from simple communications into powerful marketing strategies.
However, when integrated with Sheetify CRM, you can combine the power of Google and email marketing!
With Sheetify CRM, you can easily send powerful and personalized bulk emails using Google Sheets and Gmail.
If you’re looking for an all-in-one Google Sheets CRM solution (including email marketing), I highly suggest Sheetify CRM.
Thanks so much for reading all the way to the end!