Blog

By Pancharatna das

Last month ISKCON Online completed the launch of Chantnow.com and we have started our marketing. We are gradually building a following on social media and getting some good initial response to our advertising. Here’s an article about it – https://iskconnews.org/chantnowcom-makes-bhakti-yoga-relatable-to-total-newcomers,6748/

When we began this project one of our primary goals was to provide a way for devotees, especially book distributors, to connect people they meet with a follow-up system. One of our main considerations was to have online courseware to provide people that are interested. Now we have it and we invite you to use it.

I’m especially hoping that this facility could be taken up by book distributors during the upcoming marathon.

I’ve spoken to many book distributors who have told me that in the past they tried to do personal follow-up with interested people but just didn’t get the time. What is more, there wasn’t really an appropriate place online to send them to.

Chantnow.com is filling this gap. First, we have designed a bookmark (see the attached design) which you can print and give to people (we can help with the printing too). We also designed a chantnow.com business card (sample also attached). If you like, we can give you a special e-mail address that we will monitor on your behalf. We can customize these for you and suggest places to print them.

You can also send e-mail addresses of people that you meet that are interested in going deeper. You can use the attached contact card and send us a scan or better you can use a link from your phone (we will send this to you on your request)

We are ready to follow up and nurture these contacts and keep you informed as they progress.

I’ve done studies of the results from follow-up on book distribution in places like Hungary, Bhaktivedanta Manor, and Houston. I consistently found that about 10% of contacts responded by attending at least one event. 10% of these went deeper and began taking up some practices. And another 10% of them became committed devotees. That means about one in 1000.

During the marathon last year about 3.2 million literatures went out. If even 5% of those receiving them (about 160,000 people) were followed up with there could be 1600 new committed devotees in ISKCON and thousands more at other levels of bhakti practice.

We are just a week away from the beginning of the marathon so I hope you can consider this and let us know if there’s some way we can collaborate and support your efforts in distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books and uplifting humanity with the maha-mantra.

Plus, if you are engaged in outreach through events or other channels and would like to use Chantnow.com please let us now.

We’re also looking for online mentors, content developers and technical people to help.

Last, please also consider being part of the Fortunate People campaign
– fortunate-people.com. This campaign goes hand in hand with chantnow.com. The FP team will be releasing a new version of the FP app soon, so stay tuned.

For more info please write me at pancharatna@chantnow.com

Keep in touch card: http://www.dandavats.com/wp-content/uploads72/Keep-in-touch-card-4-up.doc
Bookmark side A: http://www.dandavats.com/wp-content/uploads72/BOOKMARK-side-A-.pdf
Bookmark side B: http://www.dandavats.com/wp-content/uploads72/BOOKMARK-side-B.pdf
Business Card Front: http://www.dandavats.com/wp-content/uploads72/Business-Card-Front-PD.pdf
Business Card Back: “http://www.dandavats.com/wp-content/uploads72/Business-Card-Back-PD.pdf

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=68830