Several weeks ago, I introduced a way to set up an email distribution list. In that post I discussed the key differences between Aweber and MailChimp. In the comments several readers also suggested using Constant Contact. In that post it was my intention to help introduce missionaries and churches to some of the email newsletter options available.

At the time, I mentioned that I was using MailChimp and I was quite happy with it. However, since I’m now using Aweber for my blogs, Money Help For Christians and Help Me Travel Cheap, I thought I should explain why I made the change.

First, everything I said in the previous post is still true and accurate (as far as I know). MailChimp is still a great service with some nice features, (especially if you have not used a mailing service before) and best of all, with less than 500 subscribers, you can send emails for free.

Why I Moved From MailChimp to Aweber

Dear MailChimp, It’s not you, it’s me …

Since my post several weeks ago, I’ve changed some of my ideas about blogging. Basically all I’ll say is that my list is more important to me now than ever before. I want to be sure I have the best possible emailing service and I’ve found that to be Aweber.

I using the list to provide exclusive information on budgeting, debt reduction, investing and the Bible and money. In addition, I notify subscribers of exclusive offers and promotions. For example, next month I’m going to be releasing my first eBook and my subscribers are going to have an exclusive opportunity to buy the eBook for 50% during a three day promotional period.

If you have not signed up for the MH4C Newsletter make sure you don’t miss out on any of this bonus information.

Advantages of Aweber as Compared to MailChimp

(Note to the reader – it is quite possible that MailChimp has all of these features; however, if they are available, they are harder to find and navigate. Either it is a difference in feature or ease of access).

Outstanding customer support – I’ve needed feedback on a few issues and they have responded quickly. They have the easiest way to create a customized a sign up form on your blog. MailChimp’s subscription widget was not as easy to customize and it seemed to slow down my page load time. With Aweber I’ve had no such issues. Reports subscribers to Feed Burner – My list with MailChimp was did not count towards Feed Burner subscribes. Now, however, my Aweber subscribers also count as FeedBurner subscribers. That did provide a boost in my subscription count, but I’m also getting a dramatically higher subscription rate now that I have some more visible subscription options on my website. Customized subscription options. I love the fact that I can now offer both a weekly blog update (called the MH4C Newsletter) and a daily update. Now you, my readers, get to choose your favorite option, and it just doesn’t get any better than that. Deliverability rate. Some people prefer MailChimp because if you are migrating a list, your subscribers don’t need to reconfirm their email address (obviously you lose less subscribers this way). However, that double opt in helps Aweber maintain high deliverability. With MailChimp I uploaded about 500 people to whom we send our missionary newsletter. Over several years we have been building the list, and as I mentioned in my last post, many of those names were hand written on a piece of paper. Well, as it turns out, I must have entered a wrong email address and the recipient reported my email. MailChimp says you can have about 1 complaint per 1000, so now I need to see if I will start getting a lot of undeliverable blocks the next time I send out this list. With Aweber you completely avoid this risk. Popularity. Because Aweber has so many more users than MailChimp, it is so much easier to Google and find a solution. Easy to set up Blog Broadcast. I can use Aweber to send out my daily updates instead of FeedBurner. In fact, all new subscribers are receiving Aweber emails instead of FeedBurner. I can access much better stats – how many people opened the email, what links were clicked within the email, etc … In addition, I love the fact that I can easily add a note at the top of my daily broadcast. It’s easy to customize and personalize.

Disadvantages of Aweber as Compared to MailChimp

So far I’ve only found one – cost. Instead of getting a free service with MailChimp, I now pay $20 per month. However, as with many things, you get what you pay for. Since I want to provide the best for my readers, it is worth every penny.

All Aweber and constant contact links in this post are affiliate links.

Anyone else using a mail service that they would suggest? Anyone else using and enjoying Aweber?