Is content killing you?

It is killing me.

You know, I would write every day, if I just knew what to write about.

Thinking of effective, shareable content can really be hard.  So, what ways are you using to create better content?

Here is an article talking about “10 Addictive Types of Content”

Here are a few that really stood out to me as content that could be very effective for a church:

Mega Lists
Everyone loves lists.  Your church could feature lists on a number of different topics.  “Our Top 10 Favorite Bible Stories for Kids,” just being one example.

Expert Interviews
This would be a great opportunity to use video content.  People want to learn things, this would give them a great opportunity to do so.

Infographics
You can make almost any information into a attention grabbing infographic.  People love infographics!  And, it’s more visual content that can connect the dots between what you are saying and what it means for your church.

Here are some ideas for what I think could be very addictive, traffic-driving, content:
-Feature member testimonies on your blog
-Introduce new members on Twitter or in your blog (creates a greater sense of community)
-Ask visitors to write up an explanation of their first time experience in your church.  It could surprise  you.

I encourage you to check out the article for yourself and determine which of these you could utilize in your church blog or twitter.  Also, what kinds of addictive content have you found that is not on this list?  I would love to know!

Social Media is Climbing for Churches

If you do not already get emails from The Barna Group, I would highly suggest it.  About once a month they publish research relevant to the Christian community.  This week they posted on “The Rise of the @Pastor.”  You can find the complete article here.

This article talks about the rise of religious content on social media, and also the rise of churches and pastors on social media, specifically Twitter and Facebook.  In the article, they state that “the Christian community’s voice has become a substantial one in the social, digital space.”  I find that Christian influencers are becoming more and more accessible to people through the use of social media.

Twitter is gradually becoming the dominant social media.  Church leaders included are jumping on the Twitter bandwagon.  I found this statistic very interesting:  In the last 24 months, the number of “church-based” users on Twitter has increased by 77%.  Wow.

Check out this infographic from Barna to see the rise in social media.

Social media helps pastors and churches to interact with people where they are.  This used to be in the coffee shops and out in the town, but now it is on the computer.  Churches and pastors need to be where the people are and where the important conversations are happening.  A majority of these conversations are now happening over social media.

If your church does not have a presence on social media, what are you waiting for?

Does Twitter have a place in church services

Twitter is getting huge!  Twitter currently has 554,750,000 active, registered users (more stats here).  With the popularity of Twitter rising, there has been more buzz about whether or not churches should encourage using Twitter during church.

Some churches will post tweets about their church in the lobby, some will have hashtags encouraging conversations on the sermon topic for the day.  I have recently read a few articles on the subject and I wanted to share some of their thoughts with you.

In this article, the author, Scott Williams, says, “Tweet and Tweet Often!”  These are his top 5 reasons that you should use Twitter during church:

1. You can share the Pastor’s message on God’s word in real-time
2. If the pastor says something that has an impact on you, causes you to think, or moves you in some other way, it is likely that one of your Twitter followers will be moved by it as well
3. The great commission says go into all the world, this can be applied to the Twitter world as well.  You can be tweeting the Gospel!
4. You will have a storehouse of thought-provoking thoughts
5. Tweeting great thoughts from the sermon can help cut down on “Sermon Attention Deficit Disorder (SADD)”

Williams closes the article with this thought: “remember God’s Omnipresence applies to Twitter as well.  Get Your Tweet On!”

Another article on the subject, written by Purva Patel, has some other ideas and examples.

Most pastors find that Tweeting during services can make church more interactive and can appeal to the younger demographic.  It can make them feel like they are a part of the message.

One way that the Woodland Church is using Twitter in church is the church staff reviews tweets coming in during the sermon and will post them on a board behind the pastor.  The pastor ignores the tweets during the sermon, but afterwards he will answer questions that came in through Twitter (I think that this is the coolest idea!).

Some people have found that tweeting during services can be distracting.  Craig Hayes, pastor in Fresno, says, “If two people are talking at the same time, somebody’s not listening…You cannot do two things at once and expect you’re not going to miss something.”

There are many pros and cons to using Twitter in church.  I am definitely pro-Twitter in churches.  It can help the congregation feel like an even more important part in the community and the conversation.  I think the idea of having the Pastor answer questions coming in on Twitter is a great idea because it can really help get deeper into the sermon topic.

What do you think of churches utilizing Twitter during services?
Have you seen any examples of churches using Twitter really well?

So, what’s the plan?

Once you decide to use social media, you must decide how you are going to use it.  With social media being such a big trend in the world today, churches need to embrace it.  A recent “Lookout” article stated that “the mutual mission of community building makes churches and social media a natural fit.”  Where it may be seen as such an obvious fit for a church, the approach to social media must be approached like any other ministry outreach of the church.

Before entering into the ministry of social media, the church should consider a few questions in advance:

1. What are you trying to accomplish through your social media program?  How will you measure your goals?
2. What will your church be able to do through social media that the church would otherwise not be able to achieve?  What needs does it fulfill?
3. What resources will you need in order to start and maintain the social media program?  Consider additional time, talent, and funds that will be needed.
4. Most importantly, how will God be honored through your churches use of social media?

Here are some suggestions for how your church can approach social media.  Firstly, a Facebook page is becoming more and more common for all brands.  This is a good way to post information and to gain information about interest in your church.  Secondly, Twitter is now the leading “microblogging” site.  Twitter can be utilized by churches by encouraging real-time feedback, share links, blog posts, announcements, and other interesting information.  Youtube can be used to upload videos to a churches channel.  The benefits of this is wide access and interest.  Links can be sent via Twitter and Facebook to encourage traffic between all of your networks.  Churches also have the option to start a blog.  “When a blog is built into a church’s main website, it can help the site’s search engine optimization through its natural supply of keywords” (Lookout).  Finally, one platform that many more churches are using is podcasting.  Churches are using podcasts to post their sermons for many people to listen to.

So how do you start your social media plan?  It is important to remember that “social media must complement and enhance your ongoing communications and methods of outreach.”  Most churches will need a full social media team in order to successfully utilize social media.  Social media must be frequently updated.  Social media must be open to feedback.  Social media must have clear guidelines and expectations.  Ultimately social media must be simple and clear or people will get lost in the mess.  Social media should be an extension of your church and not a separate part.

Frequency is the key to effective social media.  Most people suggest these guidelines:

• Blog once a week (200-500 words per post)
• Update Facebook information two to three times a week (include images when possible)
• Tweet one to two times a day (can be used more, but don’t over-do it)

I think this quote expresses the key to why a church should use social media: “It is a lot less intimidating to go online and experience a church than it is for people to walk through the doors of one.”  People often find walking into a church they know nothing about very intimidating.  A churches’ social media presence is now often a person’s “first look” into that church.  It can communicate so much to an interested person and depending on how social media is used, that message can be a positive one (“I’m interested in knowing more, maybe I’ll go see what it’s all about”) or a negative one (“I don’t think I even want to try that one”).  Ultimately, social media is simply “a very remarkable tool that when used well can bring God’s people together.”

Take Advantage of the Trend

Social media is the new trend.  Is your church on board?
I think many churches are behind where they could be in terms of social media.
Social media is huge, it is worldwide.
Look at this info graphic from Advertising Age:
Infographic: Generational Media Usage by Time of Day | Ad Age Stat – Advertising Age.

Look at how great a reach social media has.  There is someone you can reach at any time of the day using social media.

I recently went to a church that has their own social media page for their church members.  On it you can find people you met at church, get connected to a small group, volunteer, chat, submit and receive prayer requests and engage in your church community throughout the week.  This is awesome.

Is your church taking advantage of the scope of social media?

You could have:
-a facebook page all about your church and you could make events so people can send invites to their friends
-a twitter with your church updates
-a church blog about events, baptisms, changes, the sermon series

There are huge opportunities out there for growth via social media.  Why not take advantage?