I hate junk mail!
I hate it so much, that I have spent the last 5 years of my life trying to get off of everybodies mailing list. And, I have been pretty successful. The few pieces of mail that make it through now, are usually discarded in the trash before I can even determine who they are from. On the other hand, I recieve daily email, twitter and text message alerts from my bank, my wife, my kids, people and organizations that I follow on Facebook and Twitter, etc. etc. etc.
The way we communicate is changing.
That's why I have invested in tools to help me communicate with those in my ministry. With a shoestring budget, it just doesn't make sense to spend hundreds of dollars on postage, printing and paper. Instead, I have invested a few dollars per month in an email solution that allows me to send high quality, professional communications to those I minister with and too. And it works GREAT!
The email tool is Constant Contact.
I have been using Constant Contact for about two years now and I absolutely love it! No more hours of trying to figure out Microsoft Publisher, guessing which copier button makes the front print on the back, no more runs to Staples for more copier paper, no trips to the post office. It's just amazing! I have much more productive time to spend thinking about what I am going to communicate to my audience and I have freed up a lot of valuable resources in the process.
The neatest benefit? If my audience doesn't want to receive my email, then they simply click on one link and they are automatically unsubscribed. Likewise, if they do like my content, then with one click they can share my newsletter with anyone in their social sphere. My contact list has grown from less than 100 to well over 1000 because of this tool.
And what about timing? I can send a Constant Contact message in less than 3 minutes if I need too. The receiver can then choose when and where to open and read my correspondence. In a matter of minutes, I can share a message with over 1000 people. That's pretty effective!
By the way, you can try Constant Contact for Free to see if you like it. If you choose to sign up, use this link and we both get a $30.00 credit.
If you don't have the few dollars for Constant Contact, then there is another tool, SurfMonkey, available that is totally free. I used it for a few months, but found Constant Contact to be so much richer and easier to use. I will spend the money for a tool of this quality.
So how do you communicate with those that you minister too?
