So I’ve been a full-time entrepreneur for about 2+ years now, migrating from being a full-time blogger to starting an agency to running my own coaching business. Now, I blog occasionally but my coaching biz takes up most of my time!

I’ll give you all some insights into my work processes, including the software that I use to have my business running lean and smooth in hopes that this will help all of you beginning to start and run your own businesses!

One of the main things a lot of bloggers and small business owners fail to consider is their email list. Most focus on growing and maintaining a strong Instagram or social media presence, which is important… but not AS important as your email list.

Why? Here are a few reasons:

1. You don’t own your social media following, but you DO own your email list, which means you have direct access to their inboxes at anytime.
2. Email is NOT dead! Most entrepreneurs sell their online courses, products, or other service offering through announcing to their email list.
3. You can create campaigns and lead generation through your email list. This means you can start running a true business that is set up with a funnel system that includes an email sequence to nurture your potential customers and leads.

So… It’s time that we turn your blog into a business! But which platform to use?

Benefits of MailChimp:

I was a longtime user of MailChimp when I first started my blog, in 2014 (crazy to think about how much time has passed since I started my blog)! I had read articles that it was the best option to start on a small budget. That quickly changed when I first-hand experienced that entrepreneurship is a continuous series of investments to see where you get the most return… But that’s a story for another day.

MailChimp is great for a few reasons:

1. You get the first 2,000 subscribers for free. That means it’s a great option for bloggers and business owners just starting out.
2. Creation of beautiful email templates with their drag and drop feature. These are also editable in HTML, so you if you are a designer you can create one that matches your brand.
3. Ability to track return on your campaigns. This is especially useful if you are an e-commerce business who uses email as a primary means of selling products (digital or physical). You can see the conversion rate, total sales and revenue from that exact email.
4. You can create individual lists in MailChimp to group someone who signed up for a webinar or workshop. There is a caveat to this, however, as MailChimp charges 2x for the same person in more than one group because they “count” as two subscribers, yikes!
5. Automated sequences. Although in my opinion they are subpar to ConvertKit’s automations, you can your grouped emails to created timed and delivered emails once someone buys your product or is included in that given group.

Benefits of ConvertKit:

1. Superior automation sequences. This is the primary reason I switched from MailChimp. I needed an easy way to create an email nurture sequence for my signature group coaching program, the Passion to Prosperity Academy. MailChimp’s was far too complicated! My automation sequence looks like this – once my potential soulmate clients opted-in for my lead magnet PDF, I “tag” them and I can then exclude them from the future broadcasts/emails if need be.
2. Great Customer Support. Don’t know how to set up automations or exclude audiences in ConvertKit? Not a problem, I didn’t at first either. ConvertKit’s support is fantastic – they respond within hours and sometimes minutes of your requests and know how to set up even the most complicated of email sequences and automations.
3. Forms. I had trouble creating a variety of forms for opt-ins to my email list in MailChimp, but not in ConvertKit! ConvertKit has several options for the type of form you want to create to easily put it into your site with HTML. Blog posts, landing pages, you name it!
4. Usability. Like you may have seen, MailChimp’s usability was subpar for me. I couldn’t have figured out an automation sequence if I tried… And I consider myself pretty tech-savvy. Conversely, ConvertKit was so easy to use that I had it set up in minutes – forms, sequences, and automations.
5. Affiliate program. ConvertKit’s affiliate program is far superior to that of MailChimp’s. With MailChimp, you get a one time $30 payment. But with ConvertKit, you can get a recurring percentage of the amount that the person purchases. It’s usually about $9 per person depending on their plan. Just remember, that’s recurring income each month that can add up!

Overall Winner: ConvertKit

As a business and spirituality mentor for conscious coaches and creatives, the benefits are far greater for ConvertKit. When creating a more advanced automation sequence, I needed more support than MailChimp offered. I also didn’t care about the fancy templates and I wasn’t selling any e-commerce products where I needed analytics to track the exact revenue from my email. ConvertKit provides all the analytics I need (clicks, unsubscribers, etc.)

If you are serious about making passive income through your blog (like I am), I highly recommend ConvertKit instead of MailChimp. The affiliate programs just don’t compare.

I hope this helps in your decision making – as a small business owner, ConvertKit is an expense that you will quickly realize the benefits of… and it even pays for itself if around 5 people sign up using your affiliate link!

Much love,
Lauren

*Disclosure – All opinions in this article are my own. This article uses affiliate links to ConvertKit’s affiliate program. If you choose to purchase a ConvertKit subscription, will get a percentage of those sales.

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