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8 Things To Consider When Choosing a Mailchimp Partner

Looking to hire help from our community of trusted freelancers and agencies? Start by asking yourself these questions.

Mailchimp’s 1,000+ partners are a diverse group of marketers. But these partners don’t just offer some of the internet’s best Mailchimp training and email marketing services. They’re also graphic designers who can whip up logos and templates, SEO specialists who work algorithm alchemy and eloquent copywriters who can add magic to newsletters. And that’s just a snapshot of what our partners are capable of! With experts in over 60 countries, we have the right person—in the right place, with the right skill set—to complement your specific marketing needs. Here are 8 things to consider when choosing a Mailchimp partner.

1. Big or small?

Agencies eager to tackle large-scale projects? We’ve got those. Micro agencies? We’ve got those too, not to mention hyper-talented one-person operations (freelancers). If you're looking for a personal touch, working with a small agency or freelancer is hard to beat. They, like you, run a small business, so they empathize with the challenges you face and celebrate your successes alongside you.

2. Does the partner fit my budget?

No matter what your budget is, there’s a partner for you. Mailchimp partners charge anywhere from $100 to $800 per hour. But don’t let sticker shock set in—many common marketing tasks can take as little as an hour (or less) to execute. How much something costs is directly correlated to the scope of the project. Custom items, like a branded email template, website design, or logo development take more time to complete than setting up an out-of-the-box integration.

If you have a smaller budget, investing in a partner to help with one-time efforts like importing lists, building templates, or organizing your audience data is a great way to save time and start setting yourself up for success. However, if you’re able to allocate part of your budget to marketing for a longer period of time, consider hiring ongoing help, whether that means someone to handle your monthly newsletter or a bespoke, detailed email marketing strategy.

Have a set budget and not sure where to start? You can work backward, too. Talk to your partner about your budget first to see what action items they’d recommend tackling out of the gate. Keep in mind that marketing is an upfront investment that delivers returns over the long run—money strategically spent early on can drive revenue. As your revenue grows, you’ll be able to invest in more marketing upgrades.

3. How long will it take?

The time a partner spends on a task depends on the complexity and scale. Some marketing tasks can be done in a snap, while other jobs are more like a marathon. Marketing strategy, for instance, requires development, regular monitoring, analysis and tweaking.

Here are some of the things our partners can help you with and approximately how long it takes to turn them around.

  • Quick (24-72 hours)

    • New account set up
    • Integrations
    • Template redesign
    • Welcome series
    • Preliminary audit
    • Sign-up forms
  • Pretty quick (up to a week)

    • Automation and customer journeys
    • Custom templates and landing pages
    • Logo design
    • In-depth audit
    • Landing page
  • Longer-term projects (more than a week)

    • Website development
    • Marketing strategy
    • Custom API integrations
    • Setting up an online store

Whatever you end up hiring a partner for, time spent working with them will always yield returns. The longer you work together, the better they’ll understand your business and audience and be able to recommend and implement more effective marketing strategies.

4. Do they specialize in what I need?

Each of the 13 million small businesses that use our platform is unique, and so too are our partners. All of them know our platform inside and out, but they offer different services. When choosing a partner, make sure their marketing specialties match your needs.

5. Do they know my industry?

While it can be beneficial to hire someone familiar with your industry, that’s not always necessary. It really depends what you’re hiring a partner to do. If they’re working on copywriting or marketing strategy, it helps to have someone who knows your field—a familiarity with the lingo and key metrics can sometimes be the difference between a successful campaign and a flop. But if you’re hiring someone to implement integrations, for example, they’ll be working behind the scenes. Regardless of what industry you’re in, our partners are experts in helping small businesses. They’ve worked with hundreds of businesses just like yours, so you’ll benefit from their expertise no matter what.

6. Do our personalities mesh?

A trial run is a good way to ensure you’ve found the right partner for you. Hiring a partner for a one-off project such as an audit or a custom email template will allow you to assess if your communication and business styles mesh. Why not set up a quick meet and greet, either in person or digitally, to test the partnership waters? A conversation can help you understand the different ways a partner can help your business, and putting a face to the email signature makes it a little more human. It can even be worthwhile to try out more than one partner—you’ll quickly find out who’s a good fit and who you’d like to work with long term.

7. Does location matter?

For some, the convenience of having a partner in the same time zone is important—for example, if you’re looking to seal the deal with a handshake, want real-time platform assistance, or want to pay someone in your own currency. For others, finding the right personality fit trumps any time zone considerations. Establishing a strong relationship with a partner is what matters, even if they’re on the other side of the world.

8. What if I’m not sure I’m ready to hand over marketing tasks?

Our partners offer training programs and tutorials, so you, too, can become proficient at Mailchimp. Whether you’re looking to just get familiar with the platform or something a bit more advanced, you’re sure to find something to suit your needs among the wide range of classes offered by our partners.

With these 8 questions in mind, check out our Experts Directory to find that perfect partner who can help you reach your marketing goals.

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