Hello - I’m new to the forum (fabulous site, btw). I am the publications/communication coordinator at a sizable Presbyterian (USA) church. I put a monthly paper newsletter and a weekly e-newsletter. We are considering a move to a bi-weekly e-newsletter and bi-monthly paper newsletter, in addition to the weekly e-communication I already send. We need to decide what content is best for what method. I am thinking a bi-weekly e-newsletter would have timely event-oriented news and the paper bi-monthly pub would have longer articles better suited for print and photos. Part of the reason for the move is to save - printing is costly and it occurs to us that people really aren’t reading it. The other is timeliness - by the time the newsletter deadline comes and goes and I put it together and it goes to print/mail, some of the material is outdated by the time folks receive it. Do most of you do both a monthly paper and weekly/bi-weekly e-newsletter? What is the difference in the content? Any insights? We do have a Web site which we are considering redesigning and we are also discussing Web content/purpose. Any suggestions would be most welcome.  Thank you!

Where to begin? I was in marketing at ExactTarget (top email provider) and now help our church with emarketing programs as well as my clients.

First, ditch the paper. Need validation for doing it? Look at the numbers, and not just the costs of printing and labor. Look at your current email statistics–these stats are what tell you what to do next in your email marketing program.

The purpose of starting an email marketing program is to increase engagement with custom, personalized communications. That means they should have clear, concise calls-to-action, preferably with links (sign-up now, request more info, save your spot, vote here, etc). Over time, you’ll learn what content they value and what they don’t by what links they click on. Based on that, tailor your next communication. Take advantage of email marketing tools, such as dynamic content, to make your job easier and quicker. Build attributes with your subscribers lists. For example, start gathering info about your subscribers such as gender, age bracket, ministries they’re interested…any type of attribute that creates groups of subscribers that you can use to tailor your communications.

Also, the first basic steps to implementing any email marketing program is to first use one of the many software providers–trust me, you’ll be blown away by how different they are than Outlook or the email program that comes with your church website manager. I recommend Mailchimp - it’s free up to a certain # of sends!! Great way to get your feet wet. Secondly, build your subscriber list with permission–it’s the difference between a desired one-on-one communication and spam. Please–always provide a clear yes or no option to those you are signing up for your list.

Here’s a good site for design ideas: http://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/

That is all really helpful. I am already using an email marketing program - iContact. I design our current e-newsletter in Dreamweaver and copy the code over. It works very well.

Here is the counterpoint I am hearing in terms of ditching the paper newsletter: we need to cater to everyone and some (read: a couple) of our biggest contributors don’t “do” email/Internet. Therefore, we must continue the paper newsletter (across the board) and add the bi-weekly e-newsletter to cater to those who use technology. Also, as is the case in many churches, members here suffer from the “but that’s the way it’s always been done” mindset - change is disagreeable. We are engaged in a capital program and have begun quite a bit of construction, with both worship areas (chapel/sanctuary) closed for the interim and worship taking place in the fellowship hall. With big changes like this taking place, it seems like the perfect time to make the transition to all email marketing. But there’s a bit of resistance.

That’s why I’m wondering about content - what’s most appropriate for which publication.

Anyway, thanks for your input - and the link. I have found some great resources on this site and hope to continue to do so.

Hi Jessamyn,

We have about 600 members and do both email and print. Our membership / congregation is predominantly older, with a significant number who are not big computer users, but we also have a highly participatory group of “younger” members who love email, and Facebook, etc.

We’ve had a lot of success offering options. Do you want to get our email updates? Do you want to receive the monthly newsletter by mail, or electronically (or both)? This has allowed us to serve people appropriately while reducing our print and mailing costs.

We currently use Constant Contact, but I’ll be switching us over to MailChimp. We produce the monthly newsletter as a pdf and put it on the website server, then send a link out via CC. The paper version is put outside the sanctuary, and folks are asked to pick it up, which also helps cut down on mailing.

This method seems to work pretty well; people appreciate being given a choice, and we don’t miss anyone.

It does make sense to use email and Facebook for shorter-term items, like updates, or reminders, or short-notice announcements (Blizzard! Stay home!), and longer articles are not suitable for the Constant Contact format…

Personally, one of the reasons I like the pdf is it’s in color - we only print in black and white (another significant cost saving).

HTH,

Mike
www.brewsterbaptistchurch.org