How To Foster Two-Way Communication Through Your Church Web Site
Last week, I wrote a post titled How Every Church Should Communicate to look at the value-proposition of your church web site as a mass-communication medium. From that post, a member of the Marketing Integrity community asked this question:
“Do you have some suggestions for HOW to foster two-way communication through a website? Or how Facebook/Twitter factor into that?”
Rather than answer this excellent question as a comment reply, I figured it warranted a post of its own!
Integrate Media
Today, web sites, if they are “good” are far more than online brochures. Yes, your site provides basic information for first-time visitors but it needs to go deeper. Your church has a golden opportunity to connect, engage, and minister to people:
- when they are ready to engage
- where they can “replay” what they need to learn
- in a dialogue that is respectful and encourages them to grow
How can you do this? It is not simple but the opportunities are there if you are willing to implement them. So what kinds of media am I talking about?
Online Video
Services like YouTube, Vimeo, and Blip.tv allow you free broadcast of video that can be integrated into your site. Yes, this requires you video taping your service or creating some other video teaching piece. It takes work – but it is very affordable. Essentially the cost of a video camera and your time. The more editing you do, the more time. The impact however is undeniable. This resource will also allow people to leave comments, ask questions, and create online conversation on the topic if your site is built using a CMS (Content Management System).
Audio
Like video, you could create podcasts which are replicas of your Sunday service or a more content specific podcast that specifically is oriented around web-teaching. Again, the ability to generate conversation around this is powerful. The beauty of audio over video is that with today’s mobile devices like iPods, your content goes where people go and they listen when they are ready.
Blogs
Integrating a blog into your site is an excellent way to share teaching, life applications, and the pastor’s personal thoughts. The pastor (if the one writing the blog) has a venue to become more transparent and “real”. Their personality comes out more than it often does behind the pulpit. The cost is time. The benefit is online conversation and the potential to engage the church community beyond the Sunday service – several times a week.
Social Media
The most common social media to integrate into a church website today are Facebook and Twitter. These may become more extensions of the site than actual active components within the church website. They are real-time life relational elements. A church gets to see the lives of their people outside the church. Pictures, comments, thoughts, and emotions. People share a lot about themselves through these tools. You get to listen and engage at the same time. By developing a Facebook site for your church gives people a common place to connect and share their pictures of church events and add commentary on any topic that resonates with them. There are a ton of additional social media tools emerging. The opportunities will continue to grow.
The Challenge
In closing, though all these tools are great ways to foster two-way communication, there is one challenge to all of them. They need an “owner”. People in your church have to drive this stuff. A Facebook site without someone to drive, monitor, and encourage the content will die a painful death. A blog that only has one post a month becomes quickly stale. Your church needs to build and maintain momentum with these tools and the only way that happens is if someone with passion for the conversation is willing to “own” it.
So, those are my thoughts. What are yours? Share some of your experiences (good and bad) in using these tools. If you haven’t tried any of these things…what are your hesitations?
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Comments
Dave,
First, this is a great, thought-provoking post. IMO, the most important thing I took away was that whatever happens online must have an ‘owner’.
I think video is one of the best ways to engage our people – and because until recently the technology made video production a pretty closed, exclusive (to those who have lots of money/training) field, it’s neglected.
Less than $200 can get you a great hand-held SD camera (we spend more than this on Christmas personally in most cases). You can pick up a more-than-adequate webcam for $30 or less. And with the explosion of viral video, most people don’t expect ‘professional’ quality.
Even for those churches who don’t have a staff video/arts person, doing some quick member profiles would be very do-able. Use a webcam or wetoku (which is AMAZING!!) to do an interview – Who are you? How long have you been coming? What do you love about our community? Where/how are you serving? – and throw it up once a week. About as much work as a blog and it drives traffic to your site because everyone wants to know everyone.
As for FB/Twitter, I’ve hit a generation gap: a lot of older gens are afraid to put info out there, so they shy away from the power of Social Media. I’m not sure how to address this fear (thoughts?)
I would recommend Mitch Joel’s “Six Pixels of Separation” as a great starting point (after this post, of course).
Thanks again!!
Thanks jr. – and thanks for inspiring this post!
First of all, yes, the “owner” concept is so critical. Even though all these media can and will build momentum within the community, without someone driving the bus it is not going to go anywhere.
I endorse everything you have said about the integration of video. It is the unsung, currently underutilized tool that will only continue to become more of a key media player. As portable devices expand that enable widespread use of mobile video – churches must start leveraging it because now any church absolutely can afford it.
Ah, Six Pixels…just finished reading it and am planning to write a review shortly. Church leaders will learn a lot about the importance of emerging social media though Mitch’s book. Thanks for suggesting it!
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