Guest Post: Jonathan Pearson

Jonathan Pearson is a millennial determined to leave the world in better shape than he found it. He is the Orangeburg Campus Pastor at Cornerstone Community Church and Assistant Director of The Sticks. He is married to Melissa and the two live in Orangeburg, S.C. You can find Jonathan online at JonathanPearson.net.

We live and work in a time period that past centuries would have died for. We have outlets that they could have only dreamed of and information that they could have never found.

One of the greatest tools we have at our disposal is the Internet and social media. Those of us in the church and in charge of our church’s communications have a resource in social media that opens us up for impact opportunities and communication possibilities that can literally change the world (yes, I believe that).

That being said, many churches fail to use social media to even 1/3 of it’s capabilities. Throwing up a website, claiming a Twitter handle, and opening a Facebook page is far from effective when it comes to social media.

Here are 3 things that you can begin today that will revolutionize your church’s social media impact -

1. Post Consistently

You’d be shocked at the number of churches that rarely update their website and post content on any social media platform. Maybe this is because they lack the time or people to do it. Maybe churches fail to post because they can’t generate regular content. Either way, many churches are losing their audience because they fail to provide them with appropriate amounts of content.

Post regularly. It can vary greatly how often is ideal, but be consistent in your posting. Keep your name and voice at the forefront of people’s timelines and minds.

2. Maintain Conversation

If 1/3 of churches get it wrong in failing to post consistently, 3/4 get it wrong in maintaining conversation. It usually looks something like this…

Church Facebook Update:

In honor of our family series, how are you and your family enjoying the great weather together this weekend?

Response
Response
Response
…

Without another word from the church’s Facebook page manager. That does nothing for keeping conversation going. Here’s a secret: Many people respond to the church’s social media outlets because it helps them feel connected during the week. Connect them. Keep the conversation going and respond to every comment!

3. Develop A Consistent Voice

Your church needs a voice. Just like you speak with a consistent language and tone, your church needs the same. The voice of your church must be consistent and unified. A set of posting principles and a consistent church culture will help with finding your voice. Keep it as consistent as possible. This allows the people you interact with to feel like they ‘know’ you and to keep posting and interacting. Language is a big part of culture. Keep it consistent on social media.

Are you doing these 3 things? Where are you missing the mark?

Justin Keller – Virtual Creative Director

Justin Keller is a Virtual Creative Director and Founder of Circle 50.  He is the former Creative Director of Woodlands Church (formerly Fellowship of The Woodlands).  Justin led the creative direction and marketing for several national book and resource campaigns. The campaigns included the successful launch of Kerry Shook’s New York Times Best Seller, One Month to Live.

Justin was instrumental in the launch of Sayge, and I wanted to interview him about how you take an idea from birth to launch.  The video is very helpful in providing tips for Church Communications leaders to identify and implement any idea.

Video Notes -

Question: What excites you most about working with churches around the Nation?

• Raised attendance and serving in church.  Worked full-time on a church staff as a Worship Leader and Creative Director.  Working in the local church inspired him to help more churches.  
• The opportunity to help churches use creativity to bring new ideas from birth to launch.

Question: How do you take a big idea from birth to launch?

• Involve the right people with the right skills.
• Ask questions from the beginning to determine the desired results.
• Start with the “end-in-mind” and work backwards to goal.

Question: In the ideation process, what are the key factors in process?

• Identifying the source of the idea.  
• Idea must support and advance vision of leader.
• Do not overlook the “pitch”.  The “pitch” must be clear and supported by action-steps.
• Establish paramaters (budget, resources, deadlines, goals).

Tip: Be your own critic.  Ask yourself ten critical questions about the idea before making “pitch”.

Question: How do you gain access to the Senior Leader to understand their vision?

• Listen.  Consistently listen to their sermons, staff training, prayers, etc.  
• The time and access with Senior Leader when you are proactive in presenting to solutions to problems.
• Be the “solution finder”.

Question: What are the key reasons ideas die?

• No systems in place.  
• Lack of clarity and action-plan.
• Pray for favor with Senior Leaders and alignment with their vision.

Tip: Spend time praying and asking God for vision, wisdom and creativity.

Question: What books, magazines, podcasts and blogs do you use?

• Harvard Business Review
• Designing Brand Identity
• Make connections with other designers and creatives for inspiration.

How do you take an idea from birth to launch?  What ways do you interact with the Senior Leader to help identify and implement ideas? 

What is Pinterest? Pinterest is a virtual pin board that allows people to share the things they find interesting and connect to other people who share those same interests.

Here are some interesting statistics about this relatively new social media site that should make the church sit up and take notice, especially churches that are filled with young families.

From a pure marketing standpoint, look at these statistics:

• At 10.4 Million users and currently experiencing a 400% month over month growth pattern, Pinterest is the fastest growing social media site in history.
• Pinterest is the third largest social media site behind Facebook and Twitter.
• Pinterest is retaining and engaging users as much as 2-3x as efficiently as Twitter was at a similar time in its history.
• Pinterest drives more referral traffic than Google+, Linked In, and You Tube, combined.

As it relates to the church, specifically young families, check out these statistics:

• 97% of Pinterest users are females.
• The average age group of Pinterest users is 25-34, compared to Facebook, which reports an average age of 44.
• 50% of all pinners are mothers.
• 81% of U.S. online consumers trust information and advice from Pinterest.
• 80% of all pins are repins.
• Pinterest users respond to posts with prices or Top 10 Lists more than any other type of post.

What does this mean for Church Communications?

If you want to connect with the younger women in your audience; if you want to get them active in your church and outside the four walls of it; if you want them to trust information from the church that they receive through social media, Pinterest is the social media to use.

Five quick ways to start using Pinterest:

1. Create a Pinterest account at www.pinterest.com
2. Create 3-5 pin boards related to your mission and vision  (IE: One church’s strategy statements are to Love Jesus, Journey Together and Bring Hope to the World. Those three things could be their first 3 pin boards)
3. Secure volunteers to manage the boards
4. Start a blog on your church website directly related to young women and specifically young moms.  Add a “pin it” button to the blog
5. Create Top 10 Lists for the things you want people to know (IE: Top 10 Things Fathers Should Teach Their Sons, Top 10 Bible Verses Every Child Should Know, Top 10 Ways to Show Your Husband Respect, etc.)

Social Media is not a fad. The Church is presented with a very valuable and effective way to connect with a large segment (women) of their audience.

Does your church use Pinterest? If so, in what ways?  

One of the best ways to connect with your church throughout the week is with social media.  Statistically, over half of your congregation will spend some portion of their week actively engaged on Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.

But connecting with your audience through social media requires consistent and compelling content.  And not just any content. Your content must be emotional, intelligent, shareable and intentional.  But developing content that is both creative and inspiring takes dedicated time and resources, as well as a considerable amount of effort on your part.

The best way to create emotional and inspiring content is by developing a Publishing Schedule. Developing a publishing schedule helps you plan, produce and publish compelling content that clearly articulates the vision of your church.

Without one, your content quickly becomes redundant, outdated, and unnecessary, and you end up with content no one cares about.

In my research, I found a formula created by Russell Sparkman of Fusionspark Media, used to develop a publishing schedule. The formula is 1-7-30-4-2-1.

I am adapting the formula to 1-7-30 for the sake of simplicity.

Here is a breakdown of the formula:

1 = Daily, 7 = Weekly, 30 = Monthly

This formula determines what content you will publish daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly. Keep in mind that whatever content you publish must reinforce and advance a Big Idea or theme.

1 = Daily 

• Twitter Tweets (3-5 Times)
• Facebook Updates (2-4 Times)
• Respond to Twitter, Facebook and Blog Comments

7 = Weekly

• Blog Posts (2-3 Times)
• Short Video (1 Time)
• Update and Edit Website Pages (1 Time)

30 = Monthly

• ENewsletter
• Video Interview
• EBook

This formula might appear overwhelming at first glance.  Maybe you’re thinking, “There’s no way I can accomplish all of this!”  But start where you are, keeping in mind your resources and your target audience.

Content Ideas -

• Devotional eBook Series – Write, design and send eBooks on spiritual subject matter or a book of the Bible
• Short Videos – Interview staff members on why they love their role or brief updates from the Senior Pastor
• Blog Posts – Select a theme and write a series of blog posts.  Write posts on event highlights, life-change stories, sermon notes, book recommendations, devotionals, etc.
• eNewsletter – Switch up layout and flow of eNewsletter and give the reader value with free downloads, resources, etc.

Remember, your key messages are too important not to communicate them consistently, concisely, and with incredible clarity.  Social media is a valuable tool for communicating the mission and vision of your church.

After years of research and development, Sayge Resources launches today.  Sayge is a monthly church communications training resource and is available for any church leader passionate about or responsible for church communications and marketing.  Check out this incredible resource and enjoy the first month for free.

Our training product will help you:

• Achieve vision identification that will unite your congregation and move people from complacency to action
• Create your own communications strategy that aligns budget dollars with desired results
• Design brand standards that takes the guesswork out of communicating and protecting your brand
• Implement project systems that increase production of product deliverables
• Give your website a look that accurately reflects who you are to your guests and also increases visits to your church
• Connect with your audience in a way that will engage them to live out the vision.
• Have a social media presence that will keep you connected to your members and online community throughout the week, building an incredible sense of community among your people
• Enhance your guest experience that will help you move your guests from visitors to members
• Understand how to lead creative people, and how to facilitate a creative meeting as well as learn to lead those in authority over you who lack creativity
• Utilize volunteer mobilization training techniques to enhance all areas of your communications ministry
• Develop an external marketing strategy plan that generates relevant awareness within your community
• Become an effective storyteller, using all forms of storytelling to communicate how the vision is being lived out in your church

I am so sure you’re going to love Sayge, that I am giving you the first month FREE! PLUS you’ll receive additional bonus resources if you subscribe in January.

Subscribe Today

Much of my learning I gained from reading books and learning from others.  Each of these books will undoubtedly help you communicate with simplicity, intentionality and effectiveness.

Top 10 Books to Read for Church Communication Leaders -

Designing Brand Identity - An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team
by Alina Wheeler

Description -
From research and analysis through brand strategy, design development through application design, and identity standards through launch and governance, Designing Brand Identity, Fourth Edition offers brand managers, marketers, and designers a proven, universal five-phase process for creating and implementing effective brand identity. Enriched by new case studies showcasing successful world-class brands, this Fourth Edition brings readers up to date with a detailed look at the latest trends in branding, including social networks, mobile devices, global markets, apps, video, and virtual brands.

Church Unique - How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture, and Create Movement
by Will Mancini

Description -
Written by church consultant, Will Mancini, expert on a new kind of visioning process to help churches develop a stunningly unique model of ministry that leads to redemptive movement. He guides churches away from an internal focus to emphasize participation in their community and surrounding culture. In this important book, Mancini offers an approach for rethinking what it means to lead with clarity as a visionary. Mancini explains that each church has a culture that reflects its particular values, thoughts, attitudes, and actions and shows how church leaders can unlock their church’s individual DNA and unleash their congregation’s one-of-a-kind potential.

The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding
by Al and Laura Ries

Description -
Smart and accessible, The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding is the definitive text on branding, pairing anecdotes about some of the best brands in the world, like Rolex, Volvo, and Heineken, with the signature savvy of marketing gurus Al and Laura Ries. Combining The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding and The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding, this book proclaims that the only way to stand out in today’s marketplace is to build your product or service into a brand—and provides the step-by-step instructions you need to do so.

Cracking Your Church’s Culture Code - 7 Keys to Unleashing Vision and Inspiration
by Sam Chand

Description -
Why is it that the best strategic plans and good leadership often are not able to move churches in the desired direction? Sam Chand contends that toxic culture is to blame. Quite often, leaders don’t sense the toxicity, but it poisons their relationships and derails their vision. This work describes five easily identifiable categories of church culture (inspiring-accepting-stagnant-discouraging-toxic), with diagnostic descriptions in the book and a separate online assessment tool. The reader will be able to identify strengths and needs of their church’s culture, and then apply practical strategies (communication, control and authority, selection and placement of personnel, etc.) to make their church’s culture more positive.

Zag - The Number Strategy of High-Performance Brands
by Marty Neumeier

Description -
“When everybody zigs, zag,” says Marty Neumeier in this fresh view of brand strategy. ZAG follows the ultra-clear “whiteboard overview” style of the author’s first book, THE BRAND GAP, but drills deeper into the question of how brands can harness the power of differentiation. The author argues that in an extremely cluttered marketplace, traditional differentiation is no longer enough—today companies need “radical differentiation” to create lasting value for their shareholders and customers.

The Advantage - Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business
by Patrick Lencioni

Description -
In his immensely readable and accessible style, Lencioni makes the case that there is no better way to achieve profound improvement in an organization than by attacking the root causes of dysfunction, politics, and confusion. While too many leaders are still limiting their search for advantage to conventional and largely exhausted areas like marketing, strategy, and technology, Lencioni demonstrates that there is an untapped gold mine sitting right beneath them. Instead of trying to become smarter, he asserts that leaders and organizations need to shift their focus to becoming healthier, allowing them to tap into the more-than-sufficient intelligence and expertise they already have.

Making Ideas Happen - Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality
by Scott Belsky

Description -
According to productivity expert Scott Belsky, no one is born with the ability to drive creative projects to completion. Execution is a skill that must be developed by building your organizational habits and harnessing the support of your colleagues.  As the founder and CEO of Behance, a company on a mission to empower and organize the creative world, Belsky has studied the habits of especially productive individuals and teams across industries. Now he has compiled the principles and techniques they share, and presents a systematic approach to creative organization and productivity.

Content Rules -  How to Create Killer Blog Posts, Videos, Podcasts and EBooks
by Ann Handley

Description -
Blogs, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and other platforms are giving everyone a “voice,” including organizations and their customers. So how do you create the stories, videos, and blog posts that cultivate fans, arouse passion for your products or services, and ignite your business? Content Rules equips you for online success as a one-stop source on the art and science of developing content that people care about. This coverage is interwoven with case studies of companies successfully spreading their ideas online—and using them to establish credibility and build a loyal customer base.

The Brand Gap - How to Bridge the Gap Between Strategy and Design
by Marty Neumeier

Description -
The Brand Gap is the first book to present a unified theory of brand-building.  Whereas most books on branding are weighted toward either a strategic or creative approach, this book shows how both ways of thinking can unite to produce a “charismatic brand”—a brand that customers feel is essential to their lives.

Making Vision Stick
by Andy Stanley

Description -
A vision. You as a leader may have it, but has your organization caught it? If a leader’s vision is all about what could be and what should be, why are you buried under what is? Noted author and pastor Andy Stanley points out that if followers don’t get the vision, it’s because the leaders haven’t delivered it. He reveals the three reasons vision doesn’t stick.

What books would you add to the list? 

(Ed. Note: Book descriptions are quoted from Amazon.com)

We have limited time to interact with church members face-to-face.  And considering that Sunday morning services are the most optimized time to communicate with your audience, it’s no wonder that every ministry in your church is clamoring for face time from the stage.

Every weekend is an opportunity to cement your most important communication messages into the minds of people.  And while it might be tempting to use the time to make announcements and tell about upcoming events, you should not. Instead of communicating events and ministries, communicate vision, mission, values and strategy with your stage time.  Use other communication methods like your website, email, and bulletins to communicate events and ministries.

To pierce the hearts and minds of people in your church and community, you must sharpen your message.

The Five Things Every Church Should Communicate Every Weekend - 

I learned the importance of identifying and communicating vision, mission, values, and strategy working alongside Will Mancini and Auxano in develop their unique Vision Frame. 

#1 – The Vision of Your Church

Each weekend church members should be reminded of where you are going and why

Provide updates on vision movements via live testimonials, videos, banners, media slides, etc.

#2 – The Mission of Your Church

Here you remind your audience why you exist and what God has uniquely wired your church to do

#3 – The Values of Your Church

Values shape the culture of your church

Weekly communicating the values of your church helps create the desired culture and behaviors

#4 – The Strategy of Your Church

Consistently communicate ways your church members can get involved in living out the mission of church

#5 – The Stories of Your Church

Use Videos, live testimonials, magazines, etc. to share life-change stories

Remember stories inspire people

Each story should be directly tied to how people are living out the mission of church

Each of these five communication messages can be delivered in different ways.  Use the following ways to mix it up each weekend -

• Sermon Messages
• Media Slides
• Banners and Posters
• Bulletin and Print Pieces
• Stories and Updates
• Year End Giving Update
• Times of Prayer
• Service Creative Elements

Remember, your key messages are too important not to communicate them consistently, concisely, and with incredible clarity.

How does your church consistently communicate what matters most during worship services? 

In a previous post, I wrote about a friend of mine who is incredibly brand loyal.  I made the observation that branding is more about interactions than interruptions.

Your audience doesn’t want your brand to be an interruption to their life.  They want you to interact with them in a meaningful way, a way that is seamlessly interwoven into their lives; a way that makes a difference in their lives. 

So what is a Brand Interaction?

A brand interaction is any interaction a church member or community individual has with your church.

It includes:

• how your phone is answered
• how voicemails are handled
• the functionality of your website
• the frequency and content of your emails
• the warmth and authenticity of Sunday morning greetings
• the relevance of the sermon

In short, a brand interaction is any way a person interacts with your church.

These interactions are oftentimes pursued by the audience.  They choose to click on your website, walk into your church or send an email.  Identifying and evaluating each brand interaction is a integral part of Church Communications.

Here are three ways to insure great brand interactions with your audience:

1. Begin by identifying every interactions.  List every interaction on a whiteboard or sheet of paper.
2. Evaluate and ask, “Do these interactions reinforce the brand we wish to develop?
3. Adjust your interactions to be an accurate reflection of your brand.

Identify, Evaluate, Adjust.  It’s a continual process, but a valuable and necessary one.

I have a friend of mine who is incredibly brand loyal.  Once she has chosen a brand of just about anything, she doesn’t switch.  I am often intrigued by people like her, so I asked her what criteria she uses for choosing and then remaining loyal to a brand.

She said, “Tim, I choose a brand based on how well they tell me what their brand is going to do.  I continue using that brand if it lives up to what they communicated. My ongoing relationship with that brand is based on how well they treat me as a customer; how well they interact with me.

• Does their website have information I need when I have a question about the brand?
• Do they make it easy for me to communicate with them?
• Do I get a sense that they genuinely care about me as a customer?
• If I sign up for emails from them, do they annoy me with hundreds of inane and useless emails, or are their emails really worth my while?

She had a lot more about this topic, but her commentary led me to this observation:

Branding is more about interactions than interruptions. 

And though she was talking specifically about being loyal to a product, I believe there are transferrable principles to the church. Your audience wants you to interact with them.  They want you to be seamlessly interwoven into their lives.  They want you to live out who and what you say you are in a way that impacts and changes their lives.  What they do not want is for your brand to be an interruption.

Determining if your church brand is an interaction or an interruption will play a significant role in the trajectory of your Church Communications strategy.  How are you doing in this area?  Are you interacting with your audience in a meaningful way, or are you merely an interruption?  The great news is, you have the power to choose which you will be.  I’ll unpack this for you later this week when I talk about The Importance of Identifying and Evaluating Your Brand Interactions.

1. The 12 Essentials to Church Communications
2. Excellent List of Web Tools for Church Creatives
3. 3 Questions to Answer Before Vision Casting
4. 3 Benefits of a Church Communications Calendar
5. 10 Characteristics of Caring Leaders
6. Communicating WHY in a What, When World
7. Improve Your Guest Experience Without Spending a Dime
8. Top 3 Church Websites in America
9. Do You Have a Trueline?
10. 6 Ways to Maximize Church Stage Announcements