Picture this: Me, away from my desk and spending hours on my phone because my workplace -- a local gym -- has been shut down during the pandemic. My thumbs and tap fingers are sore. I use the Constant Contact app, text back and forth with staff, and do my best to inform our gym members about what's up. I'm using the ONLY form of communication we have at our disposal: elbasts. With each new eblast, dozens of replies with even more questions come back. By the end of the summer, I have 1,000 emails in my inbox. (And I'm one of those "clean your inbox by the end of the day" kinda gals!) Then, we reopen. Our eblast open rates are higher than they've ever been because many of our members are elderly and cannot come back to the gym until after they're vaccinated. Together, we all slog through the unknown. But, something has changed in me (as it did for many people in 2020). I want to start my own business -- and I want to do EXACTLY what I have been doing for the gym for the last seven years as a digital marketer. Two months later, I give notice and train my replacement while climbing the steep learning curve of entrepreneurship. On my last day, after my going-away party, two things happen: 1) We learn that the owner wants to close the gym; 2) I send out my first eblast letting people know that I've launched my own business -- Missoula Social Media. Of course, I used Constant Contact to send that first email. I'd been using it for seven years and have never been disappointed. That was one of the easiest decisions I had to make as a start up. It's been a rollercoaster for over a year, but I'm grateful for two things: 1) I have a constant, dependable way to engage with my audience; 2) I've made so many quality friendships, and I still stay in contact with my old coworkers. Thank you for reading my story. I do not have a Twitter account, but I shared the link to this sweepstakes on my Facebook and Instagram feeds. Shelby Humphreys Missoula Social Media www.missoulasocialmedia.guru shelby.humphreys73@gmail.com 406.529.5488 Facebook Instagram TikTok
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