How to migrate from another ESP providers to Mailmodo?
Last updated January 22, 2024
Migrating an email program to a new provider (ESP) involves shifting marketing data and automations. Preparation is crucial. Follow these best practices for a smooth transition after setting up your Mailmodo account.
Before the Switch
Preparing for the ESP migration process is crucial for a seamless transition. Here's a detailed guide on what steps to take:
Clean Your Email List
Keeping your email list clean is crucial in email marketing, whether or not you're changing ESPs. However, it becomes even more important during a migration to a new platform. Cleaning your list safeguards your sender reputation and boosts deliverability. You can use tools like Neverbounce or Zerobounce to easily identify and remove invalid and inactive email addresses with just a click
Export Your Subscribers List
Segment your audience based on their subsciption preference, email activity and behavioural data. Once you have completed the group, export all subscriber lists from your existing email service provider (ESP) in a compatible format liek CSV.
If you've already grouped your subscribers in your current ESP, export them into separate files according to those groups. This simplifies migration, as your subscribers are already organized before moving to Mailmodo new platform. Additionally, this ensures GDPR compliance by preventing accidental emails to subscribers for content they haven't signed up for.
We usually recommend users to download following type of contact list from their ESP platform:
- Email active users for the last 30 days, 60 days and 90 days i.e. contacts who have opened or clicked your email in the specific time period
- Email inactive users for the last 180 days i.e. contacts who have not opened or clicked any email in the specific time period
- Unsubscribed or blocked users i.e. users who have unsubscribed from you email program or cannot be sent an email
- Platform active users for the last 60 days i.e. users who have used your product or services in the last 60 days
Prepare a Migration Timeline
If you can't move everything from your existing email provider to Mailmodo all at once, it's okay. Do it step by step. Make a list of what's important to move first and when. Think about keeping automated emails going so customers don't miss out or get too many messages. Also, plan how you'll measure if the move was worth it.
Make a detailed schedule for a smooth switch to the Mailmodo platform. Reach out to Mailmodo Support if you need any help with the migration planning.
List Forms to Replace
Identify and document all existing forms and sign-up processes integrated to import contacts in your current ESP. This way, replacing or changing them during the move will be much easier
Get Your Dedicated IP in Advance
If you have a big email list, like more than 50,000 subscribers, you might want to use a dedicated IP address just for you. Having you own sender IP address is useful in maintaining a good domain reputation and avoid spam filters and adhering to the right email practices.
Dedicated IP needs time to "warm up" to get ready and build a good reputation for sending large volumne of emails. So, please work with Mailmodo Support to create a customized warm up for your email domain.
During the Switch
After thoroughly preparing and planning for your ESP migration, it's finally time to commence the process. Let's delve into a detailed breakdown of steps that will guide you seamlessly through this transition:
Step 1 - Verify Your Sender Domain
As each ESP has different DNS records, add and authenticate your sender domain in Mailmodo by updating your DNS settings. Get the unique DNS settings from your Sender Settings page and update records like SPF and DKIM to validate your domains. This ensures domain verification with the Mailmodo platform.
To learn more, check out the detailed guide on how to add your own sender domain in Mailmodo .
Step 2 - Import Subscribers and Upload Your Suppression Lists
Once you've cleaned and exported your email list from your previous email service provider, proceed to import the same into Mailmodo. If you are uncertain about the steps or need help in understanding how to manage your contacts in Mailmodo, contact Mailmodo Support to guide you through the process.
This will ensure a smooth transition of your subscriber data to the Mailmodo platform.
If you are migrating from Mailchimp, we have completely automated the steps to import contacts from Mailchimp to Mailmodo .
Step 3 - Connect Integrations
Connect your existing system like CRM, Website, LOB Apps, etc. with Mailmodo to synchronize subscriber data, customize email campaigns, and monitor customer interactions. Mailmodo provides native integration with multiple tools like Shopify, HubSpot, Zapier, Google Sheets, etc. to help setup necessary integrations for effective business operations.
If you can't find what you need, explore Mailmodo developer APIs or reach out to Mailmodo Support for help.
Step 4 - Rebuild your email templates and campaign automations
This step is probably the most time consuming, but having your templates and automation journey ready in Mailmodo will allow you to maintain brand consistency for future campaigns. For templates, you can either upload your existing templates as it is into Mailmodo or redesign them using the no code editor .
To learn how to recreate your existing automated workflows, check out the introduction to journey guide for details.
Step 5 - Warm Up Your Domain
When you change to a new email service provider (ESP), you don't have a reputation with the mailbox providers. Sending emails to your entire list immediately is risky, and mailbox providers might mark many as spam.
It is recommended to gradually switch from the old to the new ESP to establish a positive reputation with mailbox providers. You can start with a portion of engaged subscribers (and best performing emails), gradually increasing until you fully transition. This builds trust and avoids emails being marked as spam. For instance, if you're moving from Mailchimp to Mailmodo with a 50K subscribers, send 45K emails from Mailchimp and 5K from Mailmodo. Gradually increase Mailmodo emails until you send all from there.
To learn more on warming up your domain, checkout our detailed step by step guide on domain warmup .
After the Switch
After the move, keep an eye on your email performance (like open or click rate) and delivery results (like sent, delivered or bounced). You need to keep reviewing key metrics and see if there are improvements or challenges in email delivery / engagement. This assessment will help in understanding how well things are performing in Mailmodo compared to the previous ESP and make improvement to your email strategies accordingly.
If you are facing any issues with deliverability and engagement after moving to Mailmodo, reach out to Mailmodo Support .