How to Make Your LinkedIn Profile More than Just a Resume

As you work through completing your LinkedIn profile, it’s important to remember your ministry business plan.  Your ministry business plan should include several objectives that will help you meet your ministry goals, your vision, and your mission.  Just knowing why you are participating in social media and how it will benefit your ministry is a great start.  Keeping those things in mind as you complete (or remake) your LinkedIn profile will help you stay on track and build your ministry brand that will help you accomplish your goals.  Here are a few things you might want to consider:

Photos – A photo on your LinkedIn profile helps you appear more ‘real’ to people viewing your profile.  Does your photo represent who you want to be?  Is it too casual?  Do your clothes and the background appropriately represent your ministry?  If you want to present yourself as approachable, are you smiling?  Do things in your photo belong in your ministry (cars, pets, etc.)?  Logos are nice, but the LinkedIn rules say they can be used on your company page, but not your LinkedIn personal profile.  The best photo is a professional head shot that flatters but does not mislead.

Key Words – Key words help people find you on LinkedIn, as well as the web search engines like Google.  Key words should describe what your ministry focus is (i.e. evangelism, counseling, deliverance, etc.).  You can use the Google AdWords key word tool, you can see who other similar ministries use, but the best method is to use words that have significant meaning to your ministry function.  Use key words that will attract the broadest audience, as well as very specific people.  For instance, in my deliverance ministry I might use “spiritual warfare”, “freedom”, as well as “demonic oppression”.  Your most important key words should be used in your headline (see below) and the first sentence of your summary.  Other key words can be used to replace vague words in the rest of your summary, as well as your specialties, skills & expertise, experience, education, and interests.

LinkedIn Headline – Your LinkedIn “Headline” is found directly under your name and to the right of your photo.  Your headline is commonly mistaken as your job title, and if you don’t enter one, or add a new position, LinkedIn will use your most recent position title as your headline.  Since this is the first, and sometimes only thing LinkedIn users will see, it should describe your job, indicate why others will want to contact you, and cause others to view your profile to learn more about you.  This might take some thought, and probably several revisions until you find the best headline.  After several revisions, I settled on “Anothen Life helps you eliminate things you thought you had to live with – Linked4Ministry extends your ministries reach” to represent my two ministry focuses. 

Websites – LinkedIn allows you to include direct links to three websites.  If you don’t have three websites, you might include a blog or even your LinkedIn groups like I do.  Remember to keep your business plan in mind when you select which websites to include, and be cautious about including overly personal websites, facebook pages, twitter accounts, etc.  You can rely on your LinkedIn profile as your web presence, but an actual website is much better.  There are several free websites that have limited features and functionality, or consider web hosting sites like Network Solutions or 1&1 that cost under $150 a year for hosting and an editing package that is almost as easy as a word processor.  To maintain your “ministry” image and brand you should avoid web hosting services with names or advertising that might detract from who you are.

Experience – Your professional experience should include your most recent positions, as well as a description of what you accomplished at each position.  If you include other jobs that don’t relate to your current position and goals, keep your job title and description brief so they don’t distract from your current brand.  Eliminate brief positions and experiences that detract from your current brand.

Recommendations – Recommendations are often overlooked by ministries, but they can be as valuable as a personal testimony when witnessing to someone.  Recommendations should be from a variety of people and dates.  Don’t seek gushing recommendations, but focus on those that tell others what to expect when they use your ministry.  The best way to receive recommendations is to send 2-3 a week to your current contacts.  They will love receiving unsolicited recommendations, and LinkedIn suggests they will want to send you one.

Keep Your Personality Visible – In most ministries your personality will matter to potential clients, partners, and contacts, so be sure you still represent yourself as warm, caring, confident, and personal.  Include how people benefit from working with you, what you want to accomplish, why you love what you do, and what keeps you energized in your ministry.

Misspellings and Grammatical Errors – Misspellings and grammatical errors in your LinkedIn profile can present a negative image to viewers that don’t know you.  Misspellings and grammatical errors can lead people to think you are either careless or may not have the intelligence, education, or qualifications they believe they need.  Since LinkedIn doesn’t include a spell check, and it’s not one of my strong points, I type everything in my word processor and then cut and paste it in LinkedIn.

 As always, thank you for reading Linked4Ministry.  If you are new here, the best way to receive all the new posts is to subscribe for e-mail updates at the top right.  If you have been following Linked4Ministry and find it helpful, please consider sharing it with other ministry partners that it could benefit.  It’s easy to do by clicking on the following buttons, and it’s OK to click more than one !

Blessings,
Bill Bender
Linked4Ministry & Anothen Life Ministries

12 Ways to Promote Your Ministry or Business with a Web Presence

In today’s world, a business or ministry must have a “Web Presence”.  Not necessarily a web site, but a web presence.  A web presence simply means you, your ministry, or business can be found by an online search.  You don’t have to be active on the internet to have a web presence, you might just be listed in an online membership directory, or you might have a website, and a full array of social media profiles.  The best way to be found is to be listed in as many things as possible, and include key words that you want to be identified with.  See What Gets You Found for additional details on key words.

Your web presence certainly includes a website, a LinkedIn profile, a facebook page, and a twitter account.  Those might currently be the “big four”, but there are many other ways you should consider.  Here are a few suggestions:

Website – A website doesn’t have to be expensive, I’ve used Network Solutions and 1&1 for under $150 a year.  Although they can take a while to set up, it’s not much more complicated than using a word processor if you use their templates and backgrounds.  Keep in mind, the most important thing is to make them appealing and compelling (both visually and content) so visitors will stay there to read a bit, before moving on.  If the home page isn’t captivating, I move on in 5-20 seconds.

Blog – A blog can give you great exposure, and keep readers tuned in for more.  A blog can build your online trust, credibility, and reputation, as well as build your brand.  Several to consider are WordPress, BlogSpot, or Blogger.com.  They are free and offer ready to use templates, or you can build your own.  You can have a free standing blog, or incorporate it into your web page as a link or a tab.

Email newsletters – If you already have a big following you might consider an email newsletter.  There are several services that automate them like constant contact for a small fee.  The fee includes maintaining your mailing list and allowing readers to subscribe and unsubscribe without you having to maintain the list.

Video newsletters – With today’s society that loves to ‘watch’ rather than ‘read’, a video newsletter can be very powerful if it’s consistent and professional.  It doesn’t have to be expensive with flip type camcorders that make it easy to post a YouTube video.

LinkedIn profile – I’ve written lots about LinkedIn, but having a detailed profile not only gives you a great reference site, and search ability, it can be used as an additional resource on business cards, emails, and correspondence, by including your LinkedIn Public Profile (your LinkedIn profile’s URL).  Be sure to customize it first, so it will look professional, and be easy for readers to enter.

Business Cards – Everyone needs a professional looking business card with your contact information.  You should give two to everyone you meet (one for them to keep, and one to share).  Check out VistaPrint.com for low cost or free cards if you pay the shipping, or search for “free business cards” to find other options.

Facebook – Facebook isn’t only for reporting what you ate for breakfast, you can build a fan page or business page.  There’s lots written about facebook, and I’ve included several great guides in the “Linked4Ministry” LinkedIn group.  You can also see LinkedIn vs. Facebook Business Pages for additional details.  Just remember to keep your facebook page totally professional, or remember to keep your personal page and contacts separate.

Twitter – A Twitter account can help followers keep up with you, your blog, newsletters, etc.  Twitter doesn’t have to take much time, with one click you can have your LinkedIn Status changes automatically post in your Twitter account.  Twitter done right can greatly add to your exposure.  You need followers, so you will need to invite them to get started, then add a suggestion to “re-tweet” at the end of your posting. 

Referrals – Having your clients and ministry receivers recommend you is huge, but sadly widely ignored in ministry.  Consider it akin to witnessing to someone with your testimony; it adds believability and reliability to your witness and your ministry.

Liking & Sharing – To increase your exposure, you will need help.  Today’s term is ‘going viral’, or spreading your message like a virus spreads.  The easy way is to get your friends and readers to “Like” or “Share” your content with their friends.  See The Reality of Liking and Sharing for additional details.

Business (Ministry) Plan – Have a clear (written) business plan including your target market (watch for future articles on this).

Other Ministries – Look at other websites and social media pages to see what they are doing.  Don’t forget to check out what your competition and companion ministries are doing for additional ideas.  Check out How BackLinks Help for more info.

As always, thank you for reading Linked4Ministry.  If you are new here, the best way to receive all the new posts is to subscribe for e-mail updates at the top right.  If you have been following Linked4Ministry and find it helpful, please consider sharing it with other ministry partners that it could benefit.  It’s easy to do by clicking on the following buttons, and it’s OK to click more than one !

Blessings,
Bill Bender
Linked4Ministry & Anothen Life Ministries

 

Have You Published a Book? Here’s a new way to list it on your LinkedIn Profile!

Image via Wikipedia

Have you published an article, a research paper, or a book(s)?  Do you have Certifications, Languages, Patents, Publications, or other Skills that you don’t know how to highlight on your LinkedIn profile? 

LinkedIn has just added a new, more visual way, of highlighting these activities and letting your LinkedIn connections and profile viewers know what you’ve done.

I first noticed the new Publications category on the well known business and leadership author, John C. Maxwell’s LinkedIn profile.  The clip on the right is partial of what John’s included on his LinkedIn profile.

Why add your Publications to your LinkedIn Profile?

It could help you sell more publications.  If you are active on LinkedIn, as people view your profile, they will see what you’ve written.  The more your publications are advertised, the more potential sales you will have.  If you are actively increasing your LinkedIn connections, and “extending your reach into the kingdom”, the more potential new customers you will reach.  This involves sending quality invitations, joining and participating in appropriate group discussions, asking and answering questions, and sending and receiving recommendations.

The better your LinkedIn profile exhibits your expertise, the more attractive and interesting your publications will be to those that don’t already know you.  This means your LinkedIn profile must be great.  If your profile includes just the basic information, you should consider adding additional information and applications in every category.  I’ve made some suggestions in my “LinkedIn Quick Start Guide for Ministries” that you can find in the box files of my LinkedIn profile at http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/billbender.

Having publications adds to your credibility.  It certainly matters if the publication is credible, but assuming it is, those familiar with it will gain additional respect for you and your work, possibly recommending it to others.  LinkedIn, facebook, and twitter are great places to talk about your publications, allowing your connections can “Like” or “Share” them with their connections.

It’s all about exposure, and asking your connections to “Like” or “Share” your posts with their connections multiplies your exposure exponentially.

How to begin:

Let your mouse hover over the “Profiles” tab at teh top of your LinkedIn page, then click on “Edit Profiles”.

Just under your “Information Table”, before your Summary, you will see the following line “Are you published? Own a patent? Display it on your profile”

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Click on the   “+ Add sections” button on the right.

This allows you to add multiple sections including; Certifications, Languages, Patents, Publications, Skills, as well as new applications.

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Click on Publications to add the following:

• Publication Title
• Publication/Publisher (if appropriate)
• Publication Date
• Publication URL – if it’s an e-book, on-line publication, or a web address to order
• Author –  you will automatically be listed as the Author, and you can add another author
• Summary: – You can add a summary description to help others know more about the book.

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If you want to add additional publications, just click on the “+ Add a publication” button.

Your Publications will appear on your profile between your Experience listing and Education.

Don’t forget to consider adding appropriate Certifications, Languages, Patents, Publications, & Skills.

As always, thank you for reading Linked4Ministry.  If you are new here, the best way to receive all the new posts is to subscribe for e-mail updates at the top right.  If you have been following Linked4Ministry and find it helpful, please consider sharing it with other ministry partners that it could benefit.  It’s easy to do by clicking on the following buttons, and it’s OK to click more than one !

Blessings,
Bill Bender
Anothen Life Ministries

Top 5 Points from “How to Avoid the Great Social Media Crash of 2011”

The bottom line is Social Media is here to stay.  It will surely undergo many changes as technology and users change, and our challenge is to keep up with what’s available, and understand how to utilize the tools made available to us so we can “extend our reach into the kingdom”!

Here are 2 excerpts from a blog (link below) that I found interesting and valuable to us all:

1.  A realistic Social Media “time vs productivity” chart.  This chart shows how our initial excitement can lead us to unrealistic expectations, not only in social media but many things in life.  It also warns us not to get discouraged, that productivity will increase as we learn how to better utilize them:

 

  

 

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2.  Analogies for the Big Five Social Media platforms:
Facebook = Social Event (casual)
LinkedIn = Trade Show (formal)
Twitter = Cocktail Party (energetic; many conversations)
YouTube = Times Square on New Years Eve
MySpace = Woodstock

Here’s the link to read the entire blog: http://linkd.in/9raRYF 

As always, thank you for reading Linked4Ministry.  If you are new here, the best way to receive all the new posts is to subscribe for e-mail updates at the top right.  If you have been following Linked4Ministry and find it helpful, please consider sharing it with other ministry partners that it could benefit.  It’s easy to do by clicking on the following buttons, and it’s OK to click more than one !

Blessings,
Bill Bender
Anothen Life Ministries

Hitting the Target with Persuasive Copy!

My last posting was about getting your e-mails read.  Now it’s time to talk about getting the content to deliver the results you want.  This post focuses on the first key factor from last week, “The Message”.  Whether you recognize it or not, even though most of us are in ministry, we’re always selling ourself, our products, and our services. 

Writing a persuasive message is the key to achieving the results you want.  Whether its for e-mails, letters, newsletters, blogs, website content, web directories, book introductions, facebook fan pages, twitter, conventional advertising, or even your LinkedIn invitations, you are selling, and your message must be persuasive to get results!

Here are five easy steps that will help you get the results you desire:

1. What do you have to offer?
2. What will it do for your readers?
3. What does it contain?
4. Who are you?
5. What are the next steps?

 

1. What do you have to offer?  The most important thing to getting results, and for that matter, getting the reader to keep reading is to capture their attention.  Tell the reader what your message is about in the first or second sentence.  What is your product or service?  What does it do?  Who is it for?
2. What will it do for your readers?  The second step should tell the readers what the benefits will be if they take action on your offer.  Put simply, what it will do for the reader?  How will it make their life better?  Examples might be; “you will have less stress”, “you can eliminate bad habits”, or “you can overcome fear”.
3. What does it contain?  This is about the features of your product or service.  What’s in the box?  The benefits in #2 are the most important, but telling the reader what’s involved builds trust, and helps the reader justify the expense.
   a.  Some examples of features might be:
        i.   3 hours of teaching and 2 hours of personal ministry
        ii.  10 hours of MP3 or DVD teaching
        iii.  275 pages of information packed pages and 10 action plans for bringing blessings and favor
   b.  Compelling “teasers” can create a curiosity to encourage action, some examples might be:
        i.   The three most damaging actions and how to overcome their results
   c.  If possible, attach a benefit to each feature, some examples might be:
        i.   Each lesson comes with prayers (or action plans) to break curses and achieve life changing results
4. Who are you?  This step is for those without an established following or those trying to reach a new target market where establishing your trustworthiness and credibility are key to your success.  A great LinkedIn profile with a photo gives you an element of trust to new contacts.  Including your training and education is important to show your expertise.  Recommendations tell new clients what they can expect from their involvement with you.  Including your payment options, return policies, cancellation charges, shipping and handling charges, and other policies “up front” can eliminate any reluctance to proceed by cautious readers.
5. What are the next steps?  Call this a “call to action”.  What do you want your target contacts to do next?  It might be order your product, contract your services, or fill out an interview form.  Tell your reader (don’t just suggest) the exact steps you want your contact to take.  Most people like to get a bargain, offering a limited time discount or suggesting scarcity can encourage quick action.  If you are offering a “free” product or service, don’t overlook the fact that you will have to “sell” those as well.
    

Bullet points work well because they allow you to highlight information in a powerful skimmable format that focuses the reader’s eyes on exactly what you want them to see. 

Don’t forget to use the suggestions from “Get Your Emails Read: from my October 22^nd posting.

 As always, thank you for reading Linked4Ministry.  If you are new here, the best way to receive all the new posts is to subscribe for e-mail updates at the top right.  If you have been following Linked4Ministry and find it helpful, please consider sharing it with other ministry partners that it could benefit.  It’s easy to do by clicking on the following buttons, and it’s OK to click more than one !

Blessings,
Bill Bender
Anothen Life Ministries

Don’t Lose Your Important Social Media Work!

Social Media Maintenance

Social Media like facebook and LinkedIn are on secure servers, and some even have several backups, but “stuff” can still happen.  It takes hours, if not weeks & months, to get your LinkedIn profile, your facebook page, and even your website just the way you want it.  I just read a story today about how a malicious hacker changed an entire website with their own propaganda.  Perhaps you will never be hacked, but you might want to change your website host, or have your contact lists and references for use in another application.

Here are a couple of simple guidelines that will save your data if you ever need to recover losses or duplicate information:

First:

Protect Your Contact Lists – Regularly export your e-mail address books, facebook friends, and LinkedIn Contacts to a CSV file.

Use the previous two Linked4Ministry posts (invite facebook friends as LinkedIn connections) and (How to add facebook friends to GMail addresses) for methods to export facebook, Gmail, & Yahoo! Mail files.

For LinkedIn, under Contacts, “My Connections” at the bottom right, click on “Export connections”, select Microsoft Outlook (.CSV file) or another selection, enter the security text, and Click Export.  The instructions for importing the file are on the same LinkedIn page.

Second:

Protect your Profiles & Web Pages – Regularly export your Profiles, facebook pages, website pages, etc. as a .pdf file.  This captures all the text you’ve taken so much time to get right, and saves the valuable LinkedIn recommendations.  The easy way to capture a webpage is to go to http://pdfmyurl.com and enter the address of the page you want to capture.  Remember to save all your website pages.  If you want to capture the full LinkedIn profile with recommendations I like a program called PDF995.  You can download the basic PDF995 program for free, or pay $30 for the complete program.

The basic PDF995 program saves anything you can print as a pdf file.  To save a file in pdf format, print it as you normally would, but select the “PDF995” printer.  You can save the file anywhere you would like and name it as you choose.

PDF files are easy for anyone to read, they keep the formatting they way you intended no matter what type computer they are viewed on, and tougher for others to modify.

Third:

Protect Your Network – No matter who you are connected to, you should treat your contacts as a valuable resource.  Nurture the relationships as you would with a close friend.  Communicate Often, i.e., when you see something change in their profile congratulate them or let them know you saw the change, send links you think they would enjoy, send anniversary and birthday wishes, etc.

 

Abbreviations:
CSV – Comma Separated Values
PDF – Portable Document Format

As always, thank you for reading Linked4Ministry.  If you are new here, the best way to receive all the new posts is to subscribe for e-mail updates at the top right.  If you have been following Linked4Ministry and find it helpful, please consider sharing it with other ministry partners that it could benefit.  It’s easy to do by clicking on the following buttons, and it’s OK to click more than one 🙂 !

Blessings,
Bill Bender
Anothen Life Ministries

Can your Blog bring Profits into your Ministry?

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That’s a great question.  The answer is, it depends on how you define what “brings” your ministry profit.  A blog rarely brings in revenue by itself.  Even the largest blog writers say revenue directly from their blog doesn’t represent the bulk of their income. 

So, why do so many bloggers equate blog success with their financial success?  A blog makes them popular, and brings fame, more correctly called “expert recognition” or “authority status” for a Christian.

If it’s purely a sales tool, it probably won’t have many readers.  If it’s a “sharing”, “teaching”, and “informing” tool, then it will attract more attention.  A blog should give value to the readers so they will keep coming back, and hopefully even subscribe.

A blog can be a great marketing tool for a ministry or church.  A great blog will be shared by readers to friends they believe will find it interesting or helpful.  A ministry or church that is helpful will usually have more visitors, clients, and referrals.  That’s where the financial benefit lies, in being valuable to others.

This Linked4Ministry blog is a little different, it’s not tied to any revenue seeking venture, except in the eternal kingdom benefits realm.  My motivation for Linked4Ministry began with the Holy Spirit’s leading to help other ministries reach more people for the kingdom.  It has evolved into research for my Master’s thesis and I suspect that was also part of His plan!  No matter what the goals for a blog are, it’s important to not only keep current readers, but to increase the number of readers.

Keeping current readers is easiest done with subscriptions.  WordPress offers e-mail subscriptions and RSS (really simple syndication) subscriptions.  E-mail subscriptions send your readers an e-mail copy of your new blog additions shortly after they are posted.  RSS feeds usually go to a RSS Feeds folder in your e-mail program (like Outlook), and are not as obvious to unfamiliar users.

Since we all know only so many people, we must rely on our current connections to share our blog with others.  WordPress just introduced several ways to make that much easier.  You can now add buttons at the bottom of a WordPress blog so readers can easily share your blog with their Twitter, Facebook, Press This, Digg, StumbleUpon, and Reddit connections, or just e-mail it to a friend or print it to share personally.  If you use WordPress, you can add the buttons to your blog on your dashboard by going to Settings > Sharing.  You can choose which of those services you want to display in a range of different formats. 

If you are new to this blog, please consider subscribing to e-mail updates at the top right.

As always, thank you for reading and I pray that this information blesses you and your ministry.  Please consider sharing this ministry with others you think it might benefit.  I’ve made it very easy to do with all the “share” buttons at the bottom!

Blessings,
Bill Bender

Anothen Life Ministries

What Exactly is a Social Media Strategy?

Why start anything without knowing what you want to do, or where you want to go?  That sounds obvious, yet many of us begin our online presence without knowing those things.  That’s OK for a while, but for growth or success to happen you really need to know those things and have a strategy that will get you there.  It’s like having (and using) a map to find your desired driving destination.

So, just what exactly is a social media strategy, and how do you get one?

Begin with knowing what you are after.  That will help you determine what your ‘brand’ should look like.  If you are looking for a job, your brand will be what you can do for a target employer.  What kind of job do you want, where should it be located, and what kind of benefits are required.  If you are promoting a business or a ministry, your ‘brand’ is your ‘unique offering’, or what makes you different or better than the competition.  That will help you determine your target market.  Who do want to attract, or who do you want to notice you?  A church, a business, or even a job seeker might answer with anyone, but that might not be the most efficient or productive strategy.  You want loyal followers, ones that share your interest or need your products.  For a business to have a thousand followers that don’t need your product doesn’t accomplish much, unless of course they would refer their friends to your business.  If a church was noticed by a thousand people of a different belief or denomination, it probably wouldn’t help much.  If a job seeker was known by a thousand people who weren’t ambitious enough to get out and look for a job or even network, they wouldn’t help much.  I use the three analogies of a business, a ministry, and a job seeker to help you understand exactly what a target market might look like to you, and what your ‘brand’ might be. 

Find Your Target Market by Considering:

• who would be interested in your skills, your product, your services,
• how often would they would visit, potential objections they might have,
• where they go to find information (internet, friends, magazines, media, etc.),
• what influences them (their friends, heroes and idols, websites they enjoy, magazines they read, and TV shows they watch),
• and finally where they live (can/would they actually take advantage of your services and products?).

Even if your “brand” appeals to almost everyone, the old 80/20 rule still applies.  20% of your followers will generate 80% of your activity or revenue.  So, it’s critical to figure out who that 20% is, and what is your target market!

Now, you need to determine Where to find your target market.  Since this article is about social media, you need to know where your target market might hang out online.  Determine which sites they use frequently and you will have a better chance of being noticed by them. Look for:

• blogs they read
• LinkedIn groups they are members of
• other social media sites like facebook or twitter they use
• entertainment, or non-work related sites they frequent

If your target market is using your competition, determine why the competition has their attention.  Don’t be a me-too; determine what they are not currently receiving, and what you might offer to meet those needs.  If you are missing some things the competition has, what can you do to add them, or even provide more value?  You want to position your ‘brand’ to stand out from the competition.  If the competition has a better website, how can you improve yours?  See past posts on Linked4Ministry:  https://linked4ministry.wordpress.com/2010/05/12/is-a-website-or-social-media-really-important-to-ministries/ , and https://linked4ministry.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/how-backlinks-help-your-website-traffic-increase/ to understand what makes a good website, and how to use backlinks to draw more interest or find out where your completion gets their backlinks.

Whether you are putting a resume together, building a website, putting a LinkedIn group together, or doing an e-mail newsletter, you need to consider how it looks and what it includes:

• Is it professional looking, and easy to read? 
• Does it include key words and magnetic headlines that will attract your target audience?
• Is the content valuable to your target audience?
• Does it make your target audience feel like “this is for me”?
• Is it easy to navigate, and quick to find or retrieve information?

Retention – Will what you are doing cause your target audience to remember your name, qualifications, business, or ministry benefits?  Just getting your social media outlet in the hands of your target audience doesn’t mean they will bite; you must make an offer “they can’t refuse”!  Offer something so great that it’s almost unfair to the competition.  Just make sure the offer is really that good, and you can back up what you tell them.

Existing vs. New – Most businesses and ministries know it’s easier to keep current contacts than to find new ones, so don’t forget the value of your existing friends, clients, and partners.  Send them information you believe they will find interesting and useful.  Tell them about upcoming events (yours and others) they can take advantage of.  In other words, remind them frequently why they like you and find value in your relationship.

Find a Partner – There’s a reason that Jesus sent His disciples out ‘two by two’.  Having a friend or partner to help you on the journey not only can give you encouragement when you need it, they can give you perspective you might not otherwise see, they can give you referrals that can bring in additional help, they can listen and think when you are busy speaking so you don’t miss opportunities.

Are you ready to use Video to “expand your reach into the kingdom”?

Have you ever considered video to promote your ministry?  For newcomers it might sound daunting, but my friend Steve Hartkopf makes it simple with several of his recent blogs. 

Today’s post includes 12 video tips, including what kind of video camera is necessary, and what you can start recording as your first post.

Here’s today’s 12 tips:  http://www.aligned-marketing.com/_blog/Aligned_Marketing_Blog/post/12_Online_Video_Tips/ 

If this gets your attention, it’s worth checking out his entire series:
http://www.aligned-marketing.com/_blog/Aligned_Marketing_Blog

Is a Website or Social Media really important to Ministries?

Do Churches and Ministries really need a website, and does Social Media really have a benefit for them?  These are excellent questions, and important to carefully consider before making the leap.  Here are some things to consider, and decide how they affect or apply to your ministry:

• What is your ministry’s internet strategy?  If you don’t have a strategy, it shows to visitors.  Is your website designed for current members, to attract visitors, provide information or education, solicit donations, or to sell products?  Does your website tell your ministries vision, and are all areas easily located?  Is your ministry internet presence limited to a single website, or do you take advantage of multiple social media avenues?  Each social media presence also needs a strategy if it’s going to be effective, and your ministries ‘brand’ should be clearly highlighted and displayed on all sites.

 

• If you were looking for a new church or counseling center, would you visit their website before attending?  Would you “judge” them by the appearance and/or quality of their website?  Service times and dates (including special events) are obvious, as is location and contact information.  It’s important that all content is up to date (calendar, events, prayer requests, testimonies, etc?)  Does your ministry’s website encourage visiting or send visitors to continue searching the internet?

 

• What information should be on a ministry’s website?  Here’s some things that might encourage (or discourage) attendance:  This week’s sermon topic, archived sermons, church beliefs, counseling strategies and specialties, child care, children’s programs, youth programs, type of worship & music, church ministries, mission involvement, outreach involvement, seminars & education opportunities, & special programs, and photos of the facilities and events.  Not keeping a website current or complete can do as much to discourage a potential member as a poor reception at the door or inadequate parking.

 

• Consider what would attract current members to visit the website:  church calendar, upcoming programs, past sermons, seminars, weekly ministry needs and opportunities, discussions that can be joined, prayer needs for fellow members, open positions, etc.

 

• Do members and clients send friends to the website to learn more about the ministry?  If they are reluctant or embarrassed to recommend your ministry’s website to friends, it hurts growth, and retention.

 

• Is the website easy to navigate?  Can visitors find all the information easily, and how quickly does it load.  A slow loading or updating website will lose impatient visitors to the next website.

 

If you are still deciding if you need a website or social media presence consider the following:

How much do you use the internet, and for what?  Do you purchase items online, or read product reviews before purchasing?  Do you use the internet for local, national, and international news?  Do you search for new and additional information on the web?  The answer is overwhelmingly yes for the younger generation, and growing dramatically for older crowds as baby boomers are reaching retirement age.

How do new visitors or clients find ministries with your focus?  Word of mouth might still be the strongest influence, but do you get enough word of mouth referrals?  If someone is new to the area, how will they find you?

Where do potential visitors spend time?  This could be a selling point for facebook, twitter, or LinkedIn.

Where are other similar ministries spending their advertising dollars?  Newspaper circulation is decreasing rapidly so where are people going for information, and what avenues are successful?