The MailerLite Story – How a remote team changed Email Marketing Forever

The digital world is a wonderland because it allows you to create magical stories. MailerLite is one such story, and it is slowly taking over the world. When a group of young talented dedicated individuals get behind something with all heart and sincerity, magic is bound to happen. It all started in the European country of Lithuania, where a team of 4 headed by Ignas Rubezius and Eimantas Norkunas started doing web development in the year 2005. It was in 2010 then that the discovered email marketing and fell in love with it. Since then, this is the only product they develop. Today, they are a team of merely 20 people that consists of designers, developers, writers, speakers and photographers. They started with a yearly revenue 1652 EUR and it took the company 3 years to reach a million. All this and more in a freewheeling conversation with these super energetic people. You may also want to have a look at our review of Mailerlite vs Mailchimp

 

Q. How did the journey begin, how did MailerLite come to life?

ML : In 2005, we started as a web design and development agency. After a few years we discovered email marketing and fell in love with it. Since 2010 MailerLite is the only product that we develop.

Today MailerLite is a remote team of 22 talented people around the world. We’re serving 153,693 users worldwide – from global brands to small business and freelancers. They send more than 1 billion emails/month.

Q. There is no dearth of email marketing products in the world? What made you think of yet another one?

ML : We started MailerLite because we saw a niche for email marketing product that was intuitive and easy to use. We wanted to create a product that feels good almost every step on the way, right from a clean design to an easy to use editor. We were the first in the market to introduce drag-n-drop editor.

I believe that the strategy worked out well. Our customers are small and medium businesses that don’t need bells and whistles. They are happy to be able to create a beautiful newsletter in minutes.

 

Q. We personally feel that the lightness and ease of use of the platform is one of its biggest strengths. What do you guys feel makes MailerLite stand out? What are its key USPs?

ML : Yes, I agree. Ease of use is one of the biggest competItive advantages we have. Besides that, our customers love our customers support. Our team works 24/7 and speaks 8 languages. I believe that great customer support is the best form of marketing. This is why we focus a lot on it.

 

Q. Text is overtaking imagery in email marketing. Do you agree? Or are image lead mails giving users as good results as before?

ML : It depends on the industry. We are living in a very visual world. People still love images, but they have to be unique and authentic. It’s better to take a photo with your iPhone than to use Shutterstock image. And you don’t have to overuse images. Less is better. If you have many photos, it’s better to make an animated image.

Great text is always good, but people connect with faces. It’s good to use your photo or video from time to time.

 

Q. In a world increasingly inundated with social platforms, apps and push notifications, where do you think email finds its true place? Do the millennials love their emails as much as some of us ‘grown ups’?

ML : I think that social media and email is a match made in digital marketing heaven. Do you know what is it biggest email sender in the world? Facebook. This is how it directs people to use their service. The same goes for the other social media channels.

Social media is s great space to collect email list and then use them to stay connected with your audience when and how you want it. Email marketing is what you own. You know that 100% readers once you send it. You can’t say that about social media, right?

Q. ECommerce companies report higher conversion from email marketing despite the excessive spending on every other medium. Do you think amidst the jazz and glitter, email marketing doesn’t get its due?

ML : Marketers had ruined email marketing. Every email is one more sale or one more pitch. Some people treat emails like flyers that you throw in the street.

Email marketing is about building a relationship and giving value. I guess all of us know certain senders/brands those emails we always open. Sure, there’s no jazz and glitter. These are short moments. Email marketing is a long term relationship that pays off.

 

Q. We saw your team was on a workcation in Bali! While we were clearly jealous, could you share more about that experience and how it helped you guys? Would you recommend others to try it too?

ML : At MailerLite we believe that people connect through mutual experiences. Thus, we invest into memories, not things. As the most of the team works remotely, we use every chance to meet and have fun. This is how we came up with the idea to live/work in Bali. We feel like a big family after the trip.

Q. MailerLite seems focused on Startups and Small Businesses. What are the key things they seem to look for in an internet marketing service like yours?

ML : Easy to use and affordable service that has 24/7 support & speak their language.

 

Q. What are some of the special moments you look back and remember in your journey so far and what lies ahead for you guys in the time to come?

ML : Back when we started MailerLite, we didn’t say much about ourselves. We hid the fact that we were 4 people team. Our competitors were (and still are) huge corporations. We wanted to look like a big international company. We thought that adds credibility to our image. So we say nothing.

Have you ever tried to be someone you are not?

3 years ago we changed that. Now we say that are a proud team of 22 passionate and talented people. We use it as a competitive advantage. We share strategies that help us grow, tips how to use digital and email marketing. We are happy to grow together with our customers.

The small thing has changed a lot. It’s always great to be yourself and share that.