How to back up Mailchimp
When was the last time you backed up your Mailchimp database?
Email marketing vs social media
One of the things that makes your mailing list so valuable in comparison to social media is that you own it and have far greater control over what is seen and by who. In theory this means that you are less subject to the whims of a platform you have no control over. For example:
Facebook, Twitter or Insta could close your page down and the drop of a hat and you’d lose all of your followers
The algorithms change yet again meaning that your social posts just aren’t being seen by your followers
There’s a movement of people having breaks from social media or turning away from it completely - your target audience might include those very people.
For those very reasons hopefully you’re already building and using your mailing list.
BUT, the reality is that you whilst you actually own your contact list, you don't own Mailchimp and ultimately it is a third party platform too. It's a good, secure platform...but....
What would happen if…
Your Mailchimp account got hacked tomorrow?
You inadvertently breached a rule and your account was suspended (hopefully temporarily)?
Someone working on your account did something they shouldn't have?
You deleted a box in your sign-up form and lost all the individual data sitting behind it?
It happens (trust me, I've been there too and accidentally deleted an entire list of my contacts many years ago).
Imagine the impact that losing an audience you've built up over years could have on your business.
So back up your contact lists
If you've not done it for a while, do it now. It takes 5 minutes.
Then do it before you make any big changes, after you've made them, after an event like a big push for subscribers, and just weekly/monthly anyway to be on the safe side. Then if something happens you have a copy of your audience data stored on your PC/Dropbox/cloud. Just be sure to password protect it and adhere to other GDPR guidelines if someone requests to be entirely removed.
Not sure how to back up?
It’s so easy.
Go to Audiences in your Mailchimp dashboard and view contacts.
At the top above the list of contacts, you’ll see a button saying Export Audience. If you are the account owner that button will be clickable. If you have Manager level or below you won’t be able to so may need to ask the account owner to grant you a higher permission level before you can back up.
Click on the button and it will take you to a new page where you can “Download CSV”. Click on that, and it will download a zip file onto your PC containing up to 3 files: Subscribers, Unsubscribers and Cleaned contact. Save them somewhere secure (and password protect them).
What about all your campaigns, reports and templates?
These can all be backed up too but you’ll need to go into your Account & Billing > Settings > Manage my data. And be warned, the file can be HUGE.
Secure your data back-ups
And it hopefully goes without saying, your back-up files contain personal data. So don’t forget to store them securely and password protected to comply with GDPR.
As always, you know where I am if you have any questions or need any help. I offer Zoom trouble-shooting and training sessions which you can book here on my website, and bespoke help and training for more in-depth needs.
And if you want the odd Mailchimp tip, feature demo and reminder to do stuff like this (because it’s SO easy to forget until it’s too late), subscribe below >>>
Claire
Claire Witz
Fully Certified Mailchimp Expert Pro Partner
