Are you trying to decide whether a paid listserve is worth the expense? There are lots of good reasons NOT to use a free listserv, such as:
- More privacy.
- No ads.
- Better support.
But how do you justify spending money on a group email service when you could just keep using something like Google Groups? The best way is to hit the bottom line…..cash flow.
3 Reasons to Pay for a Group Email Service
1. Time
Google Groups eats up your time.
You have to navigate your members through the maze of getting on board. You have to force them to make a Google Account. If there’s a technical glitch, you have to figure it out yourself. All of this is time you could be using doing other work for your association or company. Time is money, after all!
A great way to present this to your boss or association board is by calculating how much time you waste on group upkeep because of problems. Multiply that by how much you’re worth per hour. Then show your manager how that compares to the price of a paid listserve…..and how much they could be saving.
2. Members
Are you losing them? Probably.
Are the frustrations of Google causing your members to leave? Probably. If so, show your boss the numbers. An inactive community is a bad & unproductive community. An unproductive community means that, in the case of an association, a lot of the benefit just disappears. Overall, that’s bad for business which is in turn, bad for cash flow.
3. Ads
Are you really giving away FREE advertising space?!?
With most free listserves, that’s what you’re doing. And, even worse, you don’t have any control over who advertises with your group. Sometimes, those ads have viruses. Sometimes, they may be inappropriate. Point this out to your boss.
For the cost of free, you’re losing time, money, and possibly annoying/losing members. All three are bad for business.
