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Mailchimp

Updated Mar 20, 2019 ·

Overview​

Setting up an email marketing service allows the users of our website to sign up for updates.

  • We need to host our website online
  • Users should be able to sign up for updates
  • We'll use an email marketing service like MailChimp

This ensures our site is accessible and can collect user emails for future updates.

Setting Up MailChimp​

MailChimp is a tool that lets users sign up through a form.

This lets us collect emails at no cost while we build our audience.

Build a Signup Form​

We need a place to store email signups. In MailChimp, this is called an "Audience."

  1. Go to Audience --> Signup forms --> Create new form
  2. Choose the type: Embedded form, Popup form, Signup landing page
  3. Name it something relevant and choose the audience
  4. Click Continue to builder --> Continue>
  5. Customize the form with a title and fields.
  6. Save and publish the form

This form will capture and store email addresses from users.

Create a Landing Page​

A landing page promotes our site and collects signups. It gives users a clear way to sign up and receive updates.

  1. Go to Campaigns → All campaigns → Create →
  2. Choose Landing Page → select an audience → Begin
  3. Use a template and customize the content
  4. After customizing, click Save and Close twice.
  5. You can also add a page title.
  6. In the URL, you can choose a paid option or use the free MailChimp domain.
  7. Once done, click Publish.

Example landing page:

Connect the Signup Form to your Website​

After creating the signup form, we need to add the signup form link to our website. This can be done by adding the URL to the HTML file.

<a href="https://mailchi.mp/example/signup">Sign up for updates</a>

Note:

  • Replace the URL with your form’s link
  • Add this to your site’s "Find Out More" button

This lets visitors sign up directly from your website.

Enable Double Opt-In​

By default, Mailchimp uses single opt-in, where users are added to your audience immediately after signing up. With double opt-in, they must confirm their signup via email or SMS.

To change opt-in settings for an existing Audience:

  1. Go to Audience > Audience dashboard.
  2. If you have multiple audiences, select the one you want.
  3. Click Manage Audience > Settings.
  4. Select Audience name and campaign defaults.
  5. Under Form Settings, check or uncheck Enable double opt-in as needed.

Reference: https://mailchimp.com/help/set-signup-preferences/

Testing the Signup Process​

Before launching, test if everything works.

  • Enter a test email and submit the form
  • Check if you receive a confirmation email
  • Verify that the email appears in your MailChimp audience

This ensures that signups are being collected correctly.

Going Live​

Once everything is set up and tested, publish your website.

  • Copy your landing page link
  • Add it to your main website
  • Share it with your audience

Now, your site is live, and users can sign up for updates.