is a new web site/service that integrates MailChimp and ETSY to help you create awesome newsletters that will drive customers to your ETSY shop.

I gave CraftMonkey a test run and found it to be very easy to use.

A bit about MailChimp -

I already have a MailChimp account so I’ll skip that part – you can sign up and send 12000 a month to a mailing list of up to 2000 people for free. Paid plans, starting at $10 a month, give you access to more analytics and reports. With tight integration to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, MailChimp is a great platform for getting the word out about your products.

After you sign up and tie your MailChimp account to Craft Monkey, you can start a new email campaign.

The three templates seem very limiting at first but remember, this is about making it EASY to get your ETSY offerings in a professional looking newsletter. I chose the third one which I assumed would give me three products to display in my email.

The top of your message includes your ETSY banner and if clicked will take the reader to your ETSY site (nice).

The next lines shows your ETSY shop title and announcement (both editable). In my opinion, this text should be edited / expanded upon to deliver your marketing message and provide a call to action for your readers.

Finally, your three most recent products are displayed with title and description (both fields are editable). You can also drag replacement products from your shop categories to the left.

The next screen gives you a chance to name your campaign and add a subject to your email message (that’s beyond the scope of this review but there are lots of ways to fashion a subject line to get more reads and clicks). You’ll also get to choose which MailChimp mailing list you’ll be sending this message to. I selected my test list which only has my email address in it.

On the next screen you can send your message, save it for later editing or sending, and preview what your message will look like. Previewing is always a good idea:

The preview window is a little wonky but I scrolled down to the bottom of the newsletter to show you the things that are important for making your newsletter look professional. There’s a very visible copyright notice and links to allow your reader to unsubscribe or update preferences. There are also links to connect with your readers via Social Media (That’s assuming those links have already been set up in MailChimp).  At the top of the preview window is also that very useful link:

After you preview you can close the window (click on the X in the upper right of the window) and send your newsletter (or save for later). If you send it you’ll be returned to your newsletter list and the message at the top of the window will tell you “Chimptastic! Your newsletter was sent successfully!” you also have a campaign status link which will show you when each email address has opened your message and clicked on a link.

It took 3 minutes for the message to land in my inbox and everything worked perfectly!

I give this new platform 5 stars for ease of use. It’s a great way to get ETSY shop owners comfortable with email marketing. I predict that as you use this platform you will realize the power of email marketing and begin to use the full power of MailChimp.

Leave a comment below if you’ve tried CraftMonkey – I’d love to hear from you!