| APRIL 3, 2013 -- The benefits of using @ctstategrange.org e-mail addresses:
E-mail has revolutionized communications. It is convenient and versatile, opens lines of communication and is an effective method of promoting your Grange to the general public.
Did you know that every Community Grange in Connecticut has their own @ctstategrange.org e-mail address? It’s true - and it’s a free service to all Community Granges! Information sheets were distributed to each Grange in the Public Relations Packets two years ago (and again to Granges who requested the information since.) Currently, only approximately half of the Community Granges are actually using these addresses.
Why should Granges use their @ctstategrange.org addresses?
According to a study by the Business Alliance Council, 60% of businesses and professionals feel that using a personal e-mail address for business looks unprofessional. And - and additional 31% are actually “put off” by use of personal e-mail for professional purposes. The bottom line is this - your Grange IS a business.
Your e-mail address tells not only who you are and where you are from, but conveys inferred information as well. What would you think if you received a Grange e-mail from hot-one@google.com? The user name ‘hot-one’ does not convey a professional, Grange image. Many of the media outlets will not give a second look to e-mails received from personal e-mail addresses.
• Ease of access -- the e-mail mailboxes are compatible with any computer and any browser, making it easy for Granges to assign multiple people to access and answer their mail. E-mails can be accessed through laptops and other mobile devices such as tablets and smart phones, regardless of whether you are at home or work, on the road visiting other Granges, or even away for the weekend.
• Privacy -- Using a Grange e-mail address looks more professional when conducting Grange business, and keeps Grange business separate from your personal e-mail account, thus protecting your personal e-mail address from junk mail and spam.
• Information sharing -- Allows Granges to stay in touch with their members quickly and easily, keeping their members up-to-date on the latest Grange happenings.
• Marketing -- Grange e-mail addresses promote your Grange in every message you send. Every communication with your members, and potential members including the general public and the media, should project a consistent and coordinated image. The Grange is so much more than a logo!
But what if I don’t want to check two e-mail mailboxes?
Once you initially log into your Grange e-mail for the first time, you can set it to forward Grange e-mail messages to your personal (or any) e-mail address, or multiple addresses.
If you are ready to move forward using your Grange e-mail address, contact the Public Relations department at information@ctstategrange.org or publicrelations@ctstategrange.org, and we can get you started! |
