Categories
Build a Team Marketing Tools

Ask More Questions

We all know it, but sometimes we shy away from doing it: Ask more questions.
DIY-GuyIt’s the solution to not knowing enough, having misinformation, being unsure, and being sure while being clear. It’s the way we know how many pieces to print, what style the design needs to be, what emotion the message needs to create and by when we need to have sign ups or registrations.

So, why is it that we sometimes shy away from asking enough questions? Here are the 3 of the most common reasons:

 

We’re not sure what questions to ask:

How many times do you get part-way through a project and realize you didn’t ask a necessary question, or how often do you get a proof back from a department, and they say “This is nothing like I was anticipating…”? – In that moment you may be frustrated, realize you’ve wasted time, or get frustrated at the feedback because that person doesn’t ‘get’ your design.  It’s ok. You didn’t know you needed to ask that question, but there are 2 things you need to do in that moment:

  1. Ask – once you realize you didn’t ask a question, ask it now – don’t wait!
  2. Write it down – when you realize you’ve forgotten to ask a question about a project, write it down and remember to ask it next time.
  3. Create a Project Scope Outline – when you’re going into the project, ask how many copies need to be printed, by when do we need it in hand, will it be outsourced, will it be used on Facebook… etc.  Develop your process of what questions to ask (See some ideas at the bottom of this blog post.)

ACTION STEP: Next time you sit down to start a new project: end the conversation with “Is there anything I didn’t ask that you wanted to add?” Sometimes the other person will say “oh yeah, I need to have it by Thursday…” or “Can I get it printed large enough to fit in this frame?” or “Could we have 200 on hand by…”

 

We’re afraid asking will look like we’re incompetent:

How many pieces do you want printed? What if that sounds like “I have no idea how many kids we have on a weekend.” or “Would you like a 4 x 6 postcard or an oversized 6 x 8?” could sound like “I’m not sure what size a standard postcard is.”

At the end of the day, you’ll look way more incompetent if you print 200 pieces of 6 x 8 then realize they don’t fit into the 200 4 x 6 envelopes that were already handwritten with addresses.

ACTION STEP: Ask the question in a different way: “There are a lot of options and I want to help you choose the best option for your needs. Are you thinking that you’ll mail these out or hand them out?”

Or, the next possibility…

 

I don’t want to bother someone who’s not detail oriented by asking for details:

I know the feeling… someone says ‘You’re the web guy, just build me a website.’ or ‘You know the style I like, just go for it’ and we all know this means ‘I’m going to reserve the right to veto anything, and if you don’t get it right, I’m going to question if you really get me.’  This is especially difficult if it comes from someone who’s in leadership – they’re busy and you don’t want to bother them, but you want to get it right.

ACTION STEP: Create a mockup. Cut out a piece of 4 x 6 then cut out a piece of 6 x 8.  Scribble on it with a pen with info, logo, a box that says “pic goes here”.  Even though you’re getting the info you would have asked for, this looks a lot more appealing to someone who’s not detail oriented.  If you cut out a 4×6 and they say “wow, that’s really small” then they’ve answered your question.

If they’re getting flustered with the details, or it’s taking longer than they anticipated, setup a time to discuss again and bring a mockup to that meeting.

 

lightbulbA solution that covers all 3 is to build a process that asks all of the necessary questions.  For some, this is a PDF, a printout or an online form that asks if it’s print or digital / quantity needed / timeline needed by / collects who, what where, when, why, how questions / target audience /  discovers if they have any specific designs or styles in mind.  A good starting point could be CMIForms.com – a FREE tool for incoming promotion requests.

Despite which of these categories you fall into, and to what degree, the solution is going to start with you.  No incoming request form is going to be 100% complete, and you’re always going to have to ask a question – learn to be confident in what you bring to the table, and be willing to consider what is the best way to relate to the other person to get the best input they have to offer based on their personality.

Categories
Advertising Branding Marketing

3 ideas not to be confused: Branding, Marketing & Advertising – Guest Post on ThatCC.com

There are 3 concepts that I’ve seen confused in the communications world. Sometimes they’re used interchangeably and sometimes they’re not used at all, but I’ve found that the most effective communication strategies, whether in church or in business, come from teams who have figured out how to distinguish them.

Here’s how I would define and describe these 3 categories: Branding, Marketing and Advertising. (Side note: I’m not suggesting these are universally true definitions – like straight of our Websters Dictionary – but for me, this is how I describe these concepts in a distinguishable way)

Categories
Advertising Guest Services Marketing Tools

Our First Time Guest Follow Up Process

(This post contains affiliate links. I’ve used and love TextInChurch.com – If you follow one of my links, I get a commission for the referral, and you’ll get a bonus from using my link.)

A key step to building a relationship with people is not just getting them in the door the first time, but getting them to come back.  (see some tips from Jason Young of Northpoint Ministries about creating an experience that makes people want to come back)

The question still remains, how do you follow up with someone after they’ve visited for the first time?

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen with a follow-up process in churches is it expires too soon… it’s too quick or too short.  If someone has never been to church before and comes this Sunday, then they changed the schedule that they’ve adopted for their whole life by coming to church this Sunday.

clock

If you send one piece of correspondence (even if it’s really good and they come back next Sunday) then stop corresponding, you’re hoping that someone who has spent decades of their life not going to church is going to change that pattern in 2 weeks.

What we like to do is roll out some invites to come back to Sunday service, but also opportunities to connect in other ways like small groups, special events or an invitation to have coffee with a pastor.  We’re trying to reach a variety of different people in a variety of different ways.

11898905_773537979424276_8291610533327454103_nI’ll also say that this process is not been perfected.  We implemented it using TextInChurch.com within the last year (as of when this blog post is being written) and it has undergone 1 re-evaluation.  I expect it will take many more evaluations to get us where we want to be.

There are 2 ways to implement TextInChurch.com – one way is to invite first-time guests to text a keyword like “New” or “Guest” to your text number to begin the automated process. Another way is to collect those guests names, emails and phone numbers on paper (like a connection card) and then enter them into the system to follow up.  We offer our guests both options.

(Text in church also offers a pre-made follow-up setup – you can adjust it as you needed.  We decided to use portions of their template and customize other aspects)

In a snapshot, here was our process when I was working at Life Church. Envelope on the left is email, phone on the left is a text message:

Guest Follow Up Process

 

What this process above doesn’t show you is that the system automatically kicks back a reply that says “Thank you for joining us this weekend. Please click here to complete your information.” It asks for name, email and cell phone if that wasn’t manually put into the system)

 

• 1st Email – Immediately – this email comes from ou Care Pastor’s email address, and if someone hits reply, it goes straight to him.

Thanks for joining us this weekend at Life Church. I hope that you had the opportunity to Encounter God and Experience Life. If you have any questions, please just hit reply to this email and I’d be happy to answer them for you. You can find out what’s coming up by visiting our website: lifechurch.net

See you next Sunday, 9am or 11:15am!

Pastor Example

Team Pastor, Life Church

 

• Text that goes out Sunday – same day they visited:

Thanks for joining us this weekend at Life Church. Connect with us online: Like us on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1I4IM8k or on twitter: http://bit.ly/1T54b82

 

• Text 5 days on Friday:

Our team is looking forward to Encountering God and Experiencing Life with you this Sunday at Life Church: 9am or 11:15am!

 

• Email in 4 days (Thursday) first week:

I’m really excited for this weekend coming up at Life Church and I’m looking forward to having you join us again as we Encounter God and Experience Life.

We have 2 Sunday services: 9am or 11:15am. If you’re not available to join us on campus, you can also watch online: LifeChurch.net

If you have any questions, feel free to let me know. Looking forward to seeing you again!

Pastor Example

Team Pastor, Life Church

 

• Email 8 days later (hopefully after they visited the 2nd time, but worded like they can catch up with us if they missed it).

God is speaking to us in incredible ways at Life Church as we partner together to Advance The Kingdom.

If you’d like to listen again to previous messages from Pastor Ryan and guest speakers, there are 2 ways:

1. Subscribe to our podcast here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/life-church-audio-podcast/id549571272?mt=2

2. Watch messages on demand from our website: http://www.lifechurch.net/video/ondemand/

If you have any questions, I’d love to go for coffee and meet with you. Let me know when would be the best time to connect.

Pastor Example

Team Pastor, Life Church

 

• 12 days text on Saturday:

Looking forward to Encountering God and Experiencing Life with you tomorrow at Life Church: 9 or 11:15, or if you’re not available, watch live at lifechurch.net

 

• 19 days text on Saturday:

Is there something you’d like us to pray for? Just reply and let us know. See you tomorrow 9 or 11:15 at Life Church.

 

• 20 days Email:

This is Jason from Life Church. I oversee our Life Groups.

Life Groups are small groups that meet at various locations throughout Lee County. Every group provides an environment for people to connect relationally, care for one another and grow together in their relationship with Christ, and I’d like to help you find a group that works for you.

Each group meets on a different frequency (some weekly, bi-weekly or monthly) and range from Bible study groups to groups that connect based on common interests.

You can see our full list of groups and sign up online here: http://www.lifechurch.net/lifegroups/ and after participating in a group to see what it’s like, let me know if you’re interested in hosting or leading a group yourself.

Also, for 6th-12th Graders, we have Elevate Youth every Wednesday (Free Dinner at 6pm, Service at 7pm) and Gen Y 18-29 year old singles Tuesdays at 7pm.

If you have any questions, just reply to this email and I’ll be happy to answer them for you.

 

• 30 days text on a Wednesday:

Most people make their weekend plans by Wednesday or Thursday. Today is a perfect day to invite someone to join you at Life Church this weekend! 9 or 11:15

 

Apart from these follow-up texts and emails, when they visit the first time, their email address is put on our weekly email newsletter list (using mailchimp.com) so they receive a weekly email showing a few upcoming events and a list of everything happening in the next 7 days.

tabletAbout twice a month, an email is sent out where we video our Lead Pastor talking for 3-4 minutes about what’s happening or coming up at church (we call it “Coffee With Pastor Ryan”)

We also include key events as text messages to everyone in our database – we haven’t utilized this to the fullest yet, but things like Christmas Eve Service reminders, Easter Service times, daylight savings or community events will have text reminders sent out to everyone in the database with a link to more information.

checkWe also are able to send a message to only those in the “new’ category – not our regular attendees – so we will send out a link to the first new members class that is on the calendar since they visited.

So depending on the season, within the first 30 days, a new visitor will probably get around 15 messages from us, then continue to receive the weekly email newsletter/updates after that initial 30 days.

Text in church is currently offering a 30-day trial, and 25% off of your subscription once you discover how simple and effective their process is for getting your guests to return. Learn more here:

 

Have a question about our process? Ask it here!  Have something that’s been working for you? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below:

 

 

Categories
Advertising Social Media Tools

Facebook Boosts: 1 tip to maximize your effectiveness

There is one way that I’ve found to maximize the bang-for-your-buck with boosting Facebook posts: Timing.

screenshot-2016-10-02-20-18-34Since the beginning of Facebook, there have always been 2 sides to paying for advertising: Advertisers want to pay as little as possible to get as much exposure as possible, and Facebook wants to make as much money as possible… Facebook also has a balance on their hands – they don’t want to give you too much exposure for too little money, or too little exposure for too much money and at the same time, they don’t want news feeds to be covered in boosted posts from pages you didn’t like.

If you pay $100 to reach 5 people, Facebook may be happy that they made $100, but you won’t like do that again.  If you reach 10,000 for $5, you may only spend $1 next time to get the reach you’re hoping for, then Facebook investors wouldn’t be happy, and the people actually using Facebook, may see so many ads that they choose another platform, then nobody is happy…

Once you’ve decided in your audience, budget and duration, there’s one more way to get the best reach possible for your advertising dollars, and that is WHEN you decide to boost.  Pay for your boost AFTER your organic reach has run its course.

 

How Organic Reach Works:

When you post something to your Facebook status, Facebook uses a REALLY complex set of algorithms to decide who they will show your post to. Again, they’re trying to create the best experience possible for their users so they continue to use Facebook.  These algorithms can be over-simplified into:

  • Post type (images and video get way more engagement than just text)
  • Previous engagement (someone who liked, commented or shared your last status will likely also enjoy this one – have you ever noticed it’s the same people who keep liking your posts?)
  • Date posted (What you see in your news feed is usually from the last few hours? Sometimes if a post is getting a lot of engagement, it may have been posted a few days ago. Not much shows up from last month or last year without some new engagement or boost.)

So organically, your post will gain some exposure on it’s own for free… LET THIS HAPPEN!!

Don’t boost your post before it hit its organic reach… if you do, you’re spending money paying Facebook to ‘boost’ your post to people who would have seen it for free.

Check out this recent video that we boosted:

screenshot-2016-10-02-20-22-26

You can see the organic reach was 2764 and the paid reach was 1044.  It would have been a complete waste or money to post the status, then immediately ‘boost’ it – we may have only had 2000 people see it AND have paid money for that!

Once I saw the organic reach start to fade away, I tried a few other opportunities for engagement.  I asked questions about comments that people had left on the post.  When they respond to those questions, Facebook sees engagement and will show it to a few more people.

I sent a link to the video to our staff and asked if they would like to share the video (it was a clip from our last service where our Pastor was sharing some thoughts and it resonated with some of our staff specifically).

screenshot-2016-10-02-21-53-16

THEN… after letting it play out organically, engaging with the comments, and asking people outside of Facebook to visit and share the post (don’t do this all the time to the same people… it could get annoying) , I chose to pay for a boost.

In this case, I posted September 29, then let the organic play out.  By October 1, it was dropping drastically, so I added a boost October 1.

When you decide to do the boost, Facebook will ask about your audience, budget and duration. Here are some tips on making the most of those options.

 

Use the comments below and let me know how this has worked for you!

Categories
Advertising Social Media Tools

Facebook Boosts: How to set your audience, budget and duration

No matter the size of our budgets, we all want to get the most out of them, especially with something digital – like Facebook boosts.  It’s different if you choose to buy a sign (like from churchbanners.com) and spend $X and end up with 5 new signs for your church. But, when it comes to digital, we not only have to aim to get the most from our posts, but often we also have the justify those costs to someone who doesn’t understand how Facebook advertising works.

There are 3 aspects to getting the most from your Facebook Post Boost: The technical details, the content of your ad, and your timing strategy.

Heads up: There is a difference between a Facebook ad (like what you see in the right column on desktop) and boosting your Facebook post.  This article is just about hitting the “boost” button on a status update on your Facebook page.

The technical details of promoting on Facebook:

Facebook Boost ButtonIt seems really easy to just hit the “Boost” button on your status update, but then it becomes really easy to get overwhelmed by the details Facebook wants in order to start promoting your ad.

The 1st question is your target audience:

Facebook Boost options

Your audience.  You can see from my screen shot that I currently have 8 audience demographics setup.  Once you create one, Facebook automatically saves it for future use (and if I was more organized, each audience type would already be labelled instead of “audience 1…” but, y’know…)

Think about who you’re trying to reach with this post.  Don’t assume you always want to target “People who like your page and their friends.”  This use to be the only target audience, (like back in the day when I was a young lad…) but then when Facebook did their IPO in May 2014… (yes, I remember how that changed everything…) they opened up the options.

If your post is about a fall carnival, or an outreach event, or a workshop to attract people to your church, then I would recommend creating a target audience for your event and your region. (Age group, geographical region, similar likes, etc.)

If your post is targeted to something like “This weekend’s potluck” or “A message from Pastor” then you may choose to target just people who like your page.

A boost for “People who like your page and their friends” is something that I would say is mostly for businesses (ie. bring a friend this weekend for 2-for-1 ice cream) where you may want to not only reach people who have engaged with you, but also people who are their friends.  In some cases this may be applicable, but other times, if it’s not applicable to your ad, you could be spending boost dollars on people from out of state, or friends of friends who are not your target demographic.

 

2nd Question – Budget and duration:

screenshot-2016-10-02-20-19-53Specify your budget, and how long you’d like your ad to run.  This works on a “behind the scenes” auction based on attention. Facebook doesn’t want to overload timelines with advertising, so your ad is competing for space with other ads.

(If you open your phone, and scroll to the top of your Facebook feed, you’ll see one post from a friend, then a status boost, then friends posts.)

This exposure is based on how specific of an audience you’re targeting. If you’re charging “people in your county” then Facebook can slap your post on just about anyone’s news feed who’s not falling into anyone else’s targeting.  If you’re targeting 18-20 year olds in your neighborhood who have attended college and work at McDonalds and like Michael W Smith’s page, your audience is going to be a lot smaller, so to come through for your specs, Facebook has to take away other ads from that audience and give it to you… you’ll hit a much more specific audience, but your reach will be far less.

Your duration will spread out your budget.  If you have a an event coming up this weekend that you need more registrations for, then you could choose to make your duration 1 or 2 days and have lots of people see it in a short amount it time.  If it’s a generic boost like “Come check out our church” then it may not be urgent to have every ad be seen tomorrow, so you could spread it out over a few days.

 

boosted post reachAfter your ad, you’ll get to see some insights on your post – some will be organic (the amount of exposure your post got just from being posted through likes, comments and shares) and paid (the amount of exposure your post earned because of your boost.)

Read about the #1 trick I use to make the most of my Facebook budget!

Categories
Build a Team Guest Services Marketing

7 ways Northpoint Ministries creates a “Come Back” experience

I had the chance to connect with Jason Young (@JasonYoungLive) who oversees Guest Services for Northpoint Ministries. I toured the church as an extension of That Church Conference in Atlanta, and then Jason spoke with our whole group about how they approach guest services across multiple campuses.

Jason gave us 7 concepts to take away about how one of the fastest growing churches (and one of the largest) focusses on an experience that makes people want to come back.  With his permission, I’m sharing these 7 come back ideas with you.  I’m going to paraphrase the summary of the ideas in my own words.

 

When we create an experience, we’re actually creating 2 experiences

We’re creating an experience for the guest (That’s the obvious one) but we’re also creating an experience for the volunteers.  Of those 2 experiences, focus most on the volunteer experience.  If your volunteers feel welcome and part of what’s going on at your church, they’ll create an environment that welcomes guests to make them feel a part of what’s going on at your church.

 

Choose Hospitality over Service

Service is the act of what we’re doing (ie. opening a door for someone) but Hospitality is focussed around who we are – we welcome people when we open the door, ask how their week was when we hand them the pen, smile and thank them for coming as we show them the closest parking spot. Your guests won’t walk away saying “Wow, the way the door got opened was exactly the right speed.” or “Did you see how they handed me the pen with their left hand so they could shake my right hand?”

Hopefully they’ll walk away saying “I felt welcome,” or “They were really helpful.”

 

Elevate the Dignity of each guest

We don’t know what someone has been through in the last month, week, day or even few minutes.  Whether someone is having a bad day, or even if they’re having a good day, find a way to make it a great day.

 

It’s a WIN when guest services becomes a culture, not a department

If you hear someone saying “I don’t open doors, that’s a guest services thing.” or they walk past a piece of trash and leave it for the custodian to pick up, then those are indications that guest services is a department.  If you sound guy walks into the lobby and sees someone looking lost and points them in the right direction, or a parking lot attendant helps a mom with her bags so she can bring her child to class – that’s a win.  When everyone realizes that guest services is part of who you are, you’re on your way to creating that culture.

How we feel about a guest walking in will be directly reflected in how they feel walking out.

 

See a person, not a crowd. Hear a story, not noise.

Each person matters and has a story. If you choose to connect with that one person in that one moment and give them your full attention and be fully present, you’ll create a rare connection that is difficult to find in our busy world, and that rare connection with you will be connected to your church.

 

Small wins feel good and create momentum

Celebrate wins within your guest services team.  Someone asks for a pen and the conversation leads to the accepting Jesus – that’s a win.  Someone found your church on google and came for the first time – that’s a win.  A new family says their kids loved your church and want to come back – that’s a win!  Each time you celebrate a win, you are helping your team realize and recognize that they are making an impact on the come back decision.

 

Think Scene-by-scene

What are the major touch points (At the Bulkhead campus, those are Parking lot, entrance, finding your way in the lobby, information and auditorium.)  How will visitors experience these touch points, and how do they transition between them.  Analyze each “Scene” as a piece of the puzzle, but view each scene in the context of the full experience – not isolated from each other.

 

If you’re visiting the Atlanta area, check out Buckhead church.  Check out how they live out each of these steps, and in the mean time follow Jason on twitter: @JasonYoungLive

Categories
Build a Team Marketing Tools

1 Word that can Unleash Creativity: Guest Post on ThatCC.com

Our team has a lot of creative conversations. Some are organized, some are on-the-spot. We love to creatively propose solutions from building systems, following up with first-time guests, tracking the health of our volunteers. In my world, almost everything can become a creative discussion.

Since discussions are based on the ideas we think and the way we communicate those ideas, we choose to be specific with the words we use.

Categories
Social Media

The Ultimate List of Church Social Media Post Ideas

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(31 ideas) We’ve all done the obvious posts, and then hit a wall of creativity. I wanted to create this list so you can refresh your creative juices with some ideas and have no excuses for 31 days. At the end of the month, start back at the top of the list – 31 days from now, no one will remember what you posted! Read more… 

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(5 ideas) Coming up with content to share from your church blog or social media can be a daunting task sometimes. I always encourage church communications leaders to look at what they already have to work with before dealing with the struggle of coming up with something original and new.  Read more…

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https://adammclaughlin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Screenshot-2016-09-13-00.04.01.png” show_in_lightbox=”off” url=”https://thatcc.com/community/5-content-ideas-for-your-church-blog-social-media/” url_new_window=”on” use_overlay=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_divider admin_label=”Divider” color=”#000000″ show_divider=”on” height=”2″ divider_style=”solid” divider_position=”top” hide_on_mobile=”on”] [/et_pb_divider][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https://adammclaughlin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/25-Quick-Ideas-for-Your-Churchs-Social-Media.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url=”http://darrelgirardier.com/25-quick-ideas-for-your-churchs-social-media/” url_new_window=”on” use_overlay=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

(25 ideas) I’ve got a swipe file in Evernote. Every time I see an idea love, I clip that idea to Evernote and tag it. Then when I need to come with an idea to promote something on social media, or create new content for the church or myself, I search my swipe file. Read more… 

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(15 ideas) Stop me if you’ve heard any of the following statements about social media: “You need to engage the conversation.” “Content is king.” “It’s all about building relationships.”
When I was put in charge of my church’s social media efforts for the very first time, these were the cliches that drove my decisions. However, despite my best intentions, I simply ended up posting funny YouTube videos on our church Facebook page. Was my church being too uptight when they asked to me to stop? Or was I just being stupid? (Likely the latter). Read more…

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(11 ideas) Social media can be used in many imaginative ways by churches to engage with their audiences. I’ve chosen to show you 11 examples from Facebook, but you can use Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter. It doesn’t really matter which social network you use as long as long as you are actively engaged on it. I’ve written before about how to engage on social media before. I strongly recommend you read this before you put any creative tactics in place for your church on your social media platform of choice. Read more…

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(20 Ideas) Instagram has proven to be a major player in the social media world and an extremely valuable tool for ministry. Since we are such a visual culture, this is a great avenue for sharing your church’s story that goes beyond traditional text posts. Here are twenty creative ways that I’ve seen churches utilizing this great network. My hope is that you will be inspired and perhaps add them to your social media strategy. Read more…

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(10 ideas) Over 70% of people with access to the internet use Facebook.  Social media is becoming an increasingly important part of most peoples’ daily lives, and using social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram is a guaranteed way for churches to engage with people mid-week, rather than only reaching them from Sunday to Sunday. Here is a list of 10 different post ideas to include on your church’s social media feed. Read more…

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(15 ideas) I believe periscope has the potential to be a game-changer for how we share the gospel and minister in our churches. Here are 15 ideas for how you can use Periscope in your church and ministry. Remember, for security and legal reasons, you can make broadcasts private and only let followers you choose view your broadcasts. Read more…

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(10 ideas) Using social media effectively for your church can be harder than it might seem. That’s why we put together this humorous good/bad ideas list for your church social media accounts.

If you’re already following these good ideas, you’re probably using social media in a great way for your church. If you’re following these bad ideas, please just stop. Stop now. You’re hurting us all.  Read more…

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(8 ideas) It’s exciting to see more and more churches developing their online presence and making a Kingdom impact in the world. Of course we’re always excited at @stickyJesus when we encounter any church that’s passionate about digital missions. Read more…

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https://adammclaughlin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Screenshot-2016-09-12-23.06.33.png” show_in_lightbox=”off” url=”http://stickyjesus.com/2011/04/8-ways-to-use-your-social-networks-to-increase-your-churchs-reach/” url_new_window=”on” use_overlay=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”right” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_divider admin_label=”Divider” color=”#000000″ show_divider=”on” height=”2″ divider_style=”solid” divider_position=”top” hide_on_mobile=”on”] [/et_pb_divider][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https://adammclaughlin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Screenshot-2016-09-12-22.39.53.png” show_in_lightbox=”off” url=”http://thecreativepastor.com/twenty-effective-social-media-posts-your-church-should-try/” url_new_window=”on” use_overlay=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”right” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

(20 ideas) For most churches that I talk to, it’s not a lack of desire that keeps them from regularly posting on their social pages, but a lack of content. Have you ever been confused or frustrated about what to post on your church’s social pages? It definitely can be overwhelming to come up with new ideas every week, right? Read more…

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(18 ideas) Every church approaches social media with different strategies and varying levels of success. Most of our carefully crafted social posts typically draw about the same level of attention. But every once in a while, we hit one out of the park.
We reached out to some church communicators and asked this simple question: What’s your church’s most popular social media post? Read more…

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https://adammclaughlin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2015_09socialarticle.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url=”http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/2015/09/18-of-the-most-popular-social-media-posts-for-churches/” url_new_window=”on” use_overlay=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”right” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_divider admin_label=”Divider” color=”#000000″ show_divider=”on” height=”2″ divider_style=”solid” divider_position=”top” hide_on_mobile=”on”] [/et_pb_divider][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https://adammclaughlin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Screenshot-2016-09-12-23.15.49.png” show_in_lightbox=”off” url=”https://digiproud.wordpress.com/2016/01/04/10-things-yours-church-should-do-this-year-on-social-media/” url_new_window=”on” use_overlay=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

(10 ideas) Social media and social networking is an ever changing landscape. Websites and apps come and go, ideas and strategies change and evolve. It’s more than just setting up an account and keeping things updated regularly. But don’t let that scare you. It doesn’t mean you have to spend your life keeping up to date with it all – Here are some ideas to keep your social media presence expanding. Read more…

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(16 Ideas) I’ve looked at nearly 10,000 church Facebook posts and have seen a lot of great ideas and designs for churches.  Below is a sample and brief description of what I saw in each of these Facebook posts from four different churches. Read more…

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https://adammclaughlin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Screenshot-2016-09-12-23.18.52.png” show_in_lightbox=”off” url=”https://churchm.ag/church-facebook-posts-examples/” url_new_window=”on” use_overlay=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”right” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_divider admin_label=”Divider” color=”#000000″ show_divider=”on” height=”2″ divider_style=”solid” divider_position=”top” hide_on_mobile=”on”] [/et_pb_divider][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https://adammclaughlin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Screenshot-2016-09-12-23.52.50.png” show_in_lightbox=”off” url=”http://www.creativechurchguys.com/10-social-media-posts-your-church-needs-to-try/” url_new_window=”on” use_overlay=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

(10 ideas) My goal with this article is to help you brainstorm some different types of posts your church can use on social media. These great tips can be effective on multiple platforms such as instagram, twitter, and facebook.

A trend you will see on pretty much all of these posts is that they are image heavy. According to a study done by eMarketer, 75% of Facebook posts in 2014 were photo posts. The reason? Because they are effective. Read more…

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(10 ideas) Does your church have a Facebook page? If you aren’t using Facebook, you may be missing out on a whale of an opportunity to communicate with your congregation through a channel that many people use every day.

As you seek to determine which communications tools to use to best get your message across and increase your reach, consider how your audience likes to receive information. Facebook now has more than 500 million active users, with the average user being connected to 80 pages, groups and events. People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook. Read more…

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https://adammclaughlin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Screenshot-2016-09-12-23.40.14.png” show_in_lightbox=”off” url=”http://www.umcom.org/learn/top-10-umc-facebook-posts-for-your-church” url_new_window=”on” use_overlay=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”right” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_divider admin_label=”Divider” color=”#000000″ show_divider=”on” height=”2″ divider_style=”solid” divider_position=”top” hide_on_mobile=”on”] [/et_pb_divider][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https://adammclaughlin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Screenshot-2016-09-12-23.42.01.png” show_in_lightbox=”off” url=”http://blog.ourchurch.com/2011/03/15/7-ways-to-engage-with-people-on-your-church-facebook-page/” url_new_window=”on” use_overlay=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

(7 ideas) A lot of churches are begining to use Facebook pages to connect and communicate with people both inside and outside of the church. Unfortunately, though, a lot of church Facebook pages look like the Sunday bulletin – lots of announcements and no interaction. Read more…

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(101 ideas – yep, really…) Social Media Marketing is extremely important for churches. It helps you stay connected to your members and helps you reach the unchurched. So why don’t churches post consistently on social media? One of the most common reasons we hear is “I don’t know what to post about.” If you struggle with social media writers’ block, we have great news! Read more…

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https://adammclaughlin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Screenshot-2016-09-12-23.13.42.png” show_in_lightbox=”off” url=”https://www.alyght.com/101-social-media-prompts-for-churches/” url_new_window=”on” use_overlay=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”right” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_divider admin_label=”Divider” color=”#000000″ show_divider=”on” height=”2″ divider_style=”solid” divider_position=”top” hide_on_mobile=”on”] [/et_pb_divider][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https://adammclaughlin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Screenshot-2016-09-12-23.33.44.png” show_in_lightbox=”off” url=”http://www.lifeway.com/churchtech/2015/02/19/10-pinterest-ideas-for-your-church/” url_new_window=”on” use_overlay=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

(10 ideas) Is your church on Pinterest? There are many amazing facts and figures out there about the power and influence of Pinterest, but for many of the bloggers and social media people I talk to today, more traffic comes to their sites from Pinterest than from Facebook. They have more engagement, more followers, and more leads. Enough said. That’s why I want to help you get started on Pinterest if you haven’t already or help improve your Pinterest experience if your church is already on board. Read more…

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Categories
Advertising Social Media

Engage your online audience during service

heartYour weekend service is a marketer’s dream come true.  Never take for granted that it is just part of how church has to be done.  Outside the church world, marketers would be in heaven if every week for multiple hours, everyone on their team came together to create a live event.

At the core of what we’re doing is introducing people to Jesus; an experience that can change their lives, and for those who are on the fence, or haven’t considered the possibility of experiencing a relationship with God at your church, seeing their friends on Social Media experiencing that could open a door for them.

runningThe average American who considers themselves a church goer is at service once every 3 weeks.  You may be thinking “We don’t use social media during service because everyone who follows us is at church.” but imagine how often people are travelling for work, taking their kids to a sports league game or out sick.  On top of that, if you have multiple weekend services, there’s the opportunity for someone who came to first service to engage online with you for second service.

clockBased on your core values, and your church’s unique strengths, you may decide that some of these ideas work well for your church and some don’t. Facebook posts have a longer life span than tweets or instagram posts, so I usually go lighter on Facebook – one or two posts, and heavier on twitter / instagram.

Here are some ideas that you can engage with your online audience during your service (live event).

(Side note: Here is another article on 40 ideas to repurpose content you’re already creating – this would help you use that content through the week between live services.)

 

Music:

  • microphoneLive Stream one of the most popular songs on the list that morning (periscope, Facebook live, record and then post to youtube or twitter.)
  • Tweet the name of the next song with a link to your broadcast so people can know what’s coming or logon to watch.
  • Take a picture of your worship team and make it like a message quote, but with lyrics (works well for instagram, Facebook, twitter.)
  • Take pictures of your slides before service, then during service, post an album of all of today’s song lyrics.  People can scroll through the album while they’re singing during service to follow the lyrics, or use it if they want to sing those longs later in the week.

 

Announcements:

  • radioIf you have video announcements, break them into pieces or 30-60 seconds (like each announcement is its own video) and post them as a group on twitter as they happen live in service.  People who aren’t able to be at church will still know what’s going on and feel included, even if they’re not on site.
  • If you have Live announcements, stream them for the same reasons as above.
  • Depending on the length of the announcements, if they’re less than 12 seconds, snap chat them individually, or create clips of videos with your website link in the snapchat text.
  • Take a picture of the person doing announcements, or a screen shot of the video and include the essential details in an image on instagram (or choose the announcement that would most likely apply to an instagram demographic – youth, young families, etc.) and use that as a stand alone.

Offering or Closing Prayer:

  • quoteDoes your church have a specific method for offering and can you utilize that?  We use our offering time as an opportunity to share a testimony.  We ask people to send them through the week by email and we pick one to read.  We’re starting to have those testimonies show up as text / image (pre-made) on social during service.
  • Video a reading that everyone does together, or a tweet a screen shot of a bible verse you use during that time.
  • Snap a picture of whoever is taking up the offering, or record a video of them praying over that part of your service.
  • Record the prayer portions or the call to action portions of the close and use that video online.

 

Message / Teaching / Preaching / Sermon:

  • micTake a picture of your Pastor and add in a quote using canva, instaquote or adobe post.
  • Take a snap of your Pastor giving a quick quote (this takes Ninja Skills, but if you take enough, you’ll can throw them out by the time your get to the good one.)
  • Create a message quote over your logo, picture of your church building from the outside, picture of your auditorium or on top of your series graphic.
  • Screen shot the bible verses as you read them and tweet or post to instagram
  • If you Pastor is up for the challenge, let people ask questions on twitter during the message, and then have him or her answer them.
  • Create a hashtag and add it to your message graphic.  Retweet or reply to users who post with it during the service.

 

Before & After Service:

  • imageSetup a photo booth where people can take selfies or photos of each other.  It could be for an event like Mothers Day, Easter or Christmas, or it could be based on your current series – something worth talking about.  Maybe you’re on a starters theme, so you have a cockpit of the millennium falcon for pictures, racing theme so you can sit in a race car, Fruit of the spirit theme and you have a fruit stand, Tipping sacred cows theme so you have a cow statue people can take pictures with… these are great ways for people to create their own content (with your Photo Booth) and post on their own pages.  Try to include your logo, or suggest a hashtag to use so people who see those will trace it back to your church.

 

I would love to hear what ideas you’ve been using to engage your online audience during service.  Comment below or tweet me: @adam_mclaughlin 

 

Categories
Build a Team Marketing

Decide or Discover

Some things are decided (like what time your service will start) and some things are discovered (like how many people are actually interested in coming to a potluck.)

Deciding is when the ball is in your court.  Discovering is when it’s in their court.

magnifyingglassDecide how many time you’re going to try posting on your church’s Facebook page.  Discover if that’s how many times people want to hear from you.  Then decide how you’ll adjust your Facebook frequency, and discover if that shows an improvement.

If you just decide and execute, you may never hit your sweet spot.

Decide when your service starts. It would be a poor choice to say “We’re having service on Sunday” and wait to discover what time people show up to start service.

Decide or Discover:

  • easelDecide what your values are.  Discover how you can live those out so people will be receptive to them.
  • Decide what time you will start service.  Discover what can be done to encourage people to be there on time.
  • Decide your office hours. Discover when you people are trying to connect with you.
  • Decide what events to promote. Discover what events people actually want to hear about.
  • Decide you’ll send out a regular email newsletter.  Discover the frequency people would like to be sent emails and what they would like to see included.
  • Decide how you’ll ask people to volunteer.  Discover which methods work best.

Have you ever been a situation where you got these backwards?  A time when you made a decision when you needed to make a discovery?  I’d like to hear what you learned in the comments: