your church online

Your Church Online

• Outreach focus

• Outreach focus• Create a clear path for guests

• Outreach focus• Create a clear path for guests• Your first impression

• Outreach focus• Create a clear path for guests• Your first impression• Give them a sample of who you

are• Answer the questions someone

would have

• What are your ministry leader’s goals for the website?

• What are your ministry leader’s goals for the website?

• What do your members want?

• What are your ministry leader’s goals for the website?

• What do your members want?• Take a poll

• Fight the temptation of putting everything on the front page

• People won’t filter through a text heavy page

• Fight the temptation of putting everything on the front page

• People won’t filter through a text heavy page

• Service times and location need to be easy to find

• Fight the temptation of putting everything on the front page

• People won’t filter through a text heavy page

• Service times and location need to be easy to find

• Create navigational paths

• Commit to keeping things up to date• More relevant to visitors• Regulars will use it more

• Commit to keeping things up to date• More relevant to visitors• Regulars will use it more

• Consider decentralized updating with review

• Commit to keeping things up to date• More relevant to visitors• Regulars will use it more

• Consider decentralized updating with review

• If it lives on paper, it should live online too.

• You can’t fake who you are• A traditional church shouldn’t

have a grungy website• If you’re not multi-cultural, your

pictures shouldn’t be either

• You can’t fake who you are• A traditional church shouldn’t

have a grungy website• If you’re not multi-cultural, your

pictures shouldn’t be either• Can you deliver on what you

promise?

• You can’t fake who you are• A traditional church shouldn’t

have a grungy website• If you’re not multi-cultural, your

pictures shouldn’t be either• Can you deliver on what you

promise?• Know your voice

• You can’t fake who you are• A traditional church shouldn’t

have a grungy website• If you’re not multi-cultural, your

pictures shouldn’t be either• Can you deliver on what you

promise?• Know your voice• Find a rhythm for updating

• Everything you do communicates something

• Everything you do communicates something

• What is your website saying?

• How will your site look on a mobile phone or a tablet?

• How will your site look on a mobile phone or a tablet?

• Do you need a mobile site?

• How will your site look on a mobile phone or a tablet?

• Do you need a mobile site?• Are you using flash?

• How will your site look on a mobile phone or a tablet?

• Do you need a mobile site?• Are you using flash?• Will your videos play?

• People are already using social media

• Go where they are

• People are already using social media

• Go where they are• Makes it easier for them to share

your church

• People are already using social media

• Go where they are• Makes it easier for them to share

your church• A way to push people back to your

website

• People are already using social media

• Go where they are• Makes it easier for them to share

your church• A way to push people back to your

website• Analyze what makes sense for

your church.

• Create a fan page• Your attendees interaction with

you will appear to their friends• Claim your custom URL after

getting 25 fans

• Places (iPhone/iPod)• Claim your place

– Lets you do updates– Edit information– Eventually your main page

• Custom tab• Similar to a splash page• Requires HTML knowledge

• If you’re already doing video, why not put it on YouTube?

• Let’s you become part of the media stream and makes it easy for people to share

Contact

• Jerod Clark• jerod@churchjuice.com• 800.879.6555

• Web: www.churchjuice.com• Twitter: @churchjuice• Facebook: facebook.com/churchjuice

Why Give a Tweet?Social Media and Church Communications

What is Social Media?

• It’s more than Facebook and Twitter.

What is Social Media?

• It’s more than Facebook and Twitter.• It’s a culture shift to being:• Accessible• Transparent• Listening• Personal• Authentic•Open

What is Social Media?

• It’s more than communications or marketing.• It’s not an arm of your ministry. It is your ministry.

• It’s a new way to … research, recruit, network, develop projects, care, everything.

•It’s NOT an extra task. Or an add on. It’s a mindset.

What is Social Media?

• It’s more than communications or marketing.• It’s not an arm of your ministry. It is your ministry.

• It’s a new way to … research, recruit, network, develop projects, care, everything.

•It’s NOT an extra task. Or an add on. It’s a mindset.

It reshapes your job.

“Social Media Isn’t For Me”

• Why you should care:• 1 of 8 married couples in US met on social media.• In 2009, Boston College stopped giving e-mail

addresses to freshmen.• Social media has overtaken porn as #1 activity online.• If Facebook were a country, it’d be the 3rd largest.• To reach 50 million users, it took • Radio: 38 years• TV: 13 years• Internet: 4 years

“Social Media Isn’t For Me”

Facebook reached 200 million in less than 12 months.

“Social Media Isn’t For Me”

• People in your congregation are already on social media sites.

Social Media Isn’t For Me

• People in your congregation are already on social media sites.

• If you resist it, you’re missing a chance to reach people.

Social Media Isn’t For Me

• People in your congregation are already on social media sites.

• If you resist it, you’re missing a chance to reach people.

• Jesus went to people where they were.

Social Media Isn’t For Me

• People in your congregation are already there.

• If you resist it, you’re missing a chance to reach people.

• Jesus went to people where they were.

Social Media Isn’t For Me

• People in your congregation are already there.

• If you resist it, you’re missing a chance to reach people.

• Jesus went to people where they were.• So social media is important…but what

strategy makes sense for YOU?

A Closer Look

• Facebook won’t reach everyone. Neither will Twitter. Or YouTube.

• But they can each work as part of a thought-through integrated web strategy.

You Can Reach Multiple Audiences

• First things first: Who is where?

• 17% -- 25 & younger• 74% -- 26-54• 9% -- 55 & older

You Can Reach Multiple Audiences

• First things first: Who is where?

• 17% -- 25 & younger• 74% -- 26-54• 9% -- 55 & older

• 40% -- 25 & younger• 53% -- 26-54• 7% -- 55 & older

Let’s Get to Know These Users

*Infographic from DigitalSurgeons, Jan 2011

Let’s Get to Know These Users

*Jan 2011 Infographic from DigitalSurgeons

Twitter Basics

• Micro-blogging: 140 characters• You follow people/organizations. You

‘subscribe’ to get updates from users – like a personalized news scroll.

• You also produce your own feed that people choose to receive.

Twitter Basics

• Old Twitter: What are you doing?

Twitter Basics

• New Twitter: See what people are saying…

Twitter Basics

• News you can use:• @username: Reply to someone or tag someone in

a tweet• #hashtag: creates a feed and helps in search• Lists help dam the stream

Twitter Tools

• URL Shorteners

Twitter Tools

• Free Apps

Tweetie

TweetDeck

Hootsuite

Twitter Examples: Granger Community Church

Twitter Examples: Park Community Church

Other Twitter Uses

• Follow people you like. And their followers.• Get local (nearbytweets.com)• Have your pastor tweet• Prayer list• In-service tweeting• Give the church staff a face/identity• Utilize as an on-phone update system for volunteers• Research: “Anybody remember that TV show’s name?”

Facebook Basics

• Fan Pages– What you post goes

right into the news feed.

– Easier to share information

– Vanity URL

• Groups– Sent messages to

group members inbox.

– More privacy settings– Walled off

Facebook Basics

• New Facebook pages• Now works like a personal profile

Two Things to Be on Facebook

Be a good date.

Two Things to Be on Facebook

Be the sandbox.

• Facebook is all about community sharing.• Beyond writing: video, pictures, links

Two Things to Be on Facebook

Facebook Best Practices

• Know why you’re there:• What does your audience expect from you? • How do they want to engage? • What can you do besides telling them about

you?• Want to be the Sandbox? Ask questions• Empower your community• Solve a problem.• Post Daily. Even on Weekends

• Schedule updates with HootSuite

Facebook Examples: Granger CC

Facebook Examples: LifeChurch.tv

Facebook Examples: LifeChurch.tv

Facebook Examples: LifeChurch.tv

Integrating social media

• All Social Media should be a part of an overall communications & web strategy.• Facebook, Twitter• Video sharing: YouTube, Vimeo, Tangle• Picture sharing: flickr• Blog• RSS Feed• Email• Texting• Social Share

Facebook Advertising

• Benefits:• You set the price.• Incredible ability to focus.• Great cost-per-result.

• Tips:• Show faces.• Make a tie-in.• Solve a problem.• Test, test, test.

Integrating social media

• A cautionary tale:

Good: Integrating social media icon on home page.

Bad: Doing so when you have no social media strategy

Final Thoughts

• Pick what works for you.

Final Thoughts

• Pick what works for you.• Find your niche/identity

• What is expected from your brand? • What problem can you solve?

Final Thoughts

• Pick what works for you.• Be authentic to who you are.

Final Thoughts

• Pick what works for you.• Be authentic to who you are.• You will lose some control.

• And that’s OK

Final Thoughts

• Pick what works for you.• Be authentic to who you are.• You will lose some control.• Keep things up to date.

Final Thoughts

• Pick what works for you.• Be authentic to who you are.• You will lose some control.• Keep things up to date.• It takes a commitment.• If you’re going to do it, do it right.• Find an owner. Equip those who are already doing it.

•Questions?