Strategic Evangelism Solutions For Global Impact
Ministry Media Tips
Here’s how to promote your next Ministry Conference Event
Oct 19th
Happy Wednesday!
Wow, I can’t believe we are ALREADY at Wednesday! Had to drop my 7th grader off to school EARLY this morning for Basketball Conditioning and here I am wondering, if it is really HUMP day already!? lol
Had a jam-packed weekend and was glad to see my youngest enjoy her first swim meet! She won ribbons in 3 of the 4 races she entered. Woohoo.
Now time for your Wednesday Ministry Solution!
When churches, ministries & Pastors plan ministry conferences, I’m often asked, “Dwann, how can I get sponsorship?” or “Dwann, how can I promote my event? I believe I get this question at least several times a month, so I decided it was time to do a blog post on it.
Unfortunately, the biggest mistake I see many faith-based organizations make when planning a major event is NOT, truly laying out a marketing or promotions plan and NOT really understanding that there will need to be some $funds$ set aside for ADVERTISING the event.
When planning a major event, no matter how great your congregation is or your supporters are you can NOT and SHOULD not rely solely on these familiar folks as your EVENT AUDIENCE.
It will hurt you every single time!
The other thing that will hurt you is NOT developing strategic partnerships with media, other ministries and even businesses.
Yep, these type of PARTNERSHIPS can be great ways to GET THE WORD OUT and to inject some excitement around your conference.
Every once in a while, I come across some great information that is WORTH sharing with you and today, I’d like to share a short video from Expert, Peggy Morgan Collins, that I believe will really INFUSE YOU WITH IDEAS.
If you have a ministry event coming up in 2012, give me a call or book a COMPLIMENTARY INTRODUCTORY PHONE CALL with me, so that we determine your ministry needs and we can determine together if we are a good fit! It’s easy, just go here or do so via the CONTACT page on my website.
Here’s a question for you, What is the most challenge you have when planning a ministry event?
Lastly, speaking of events (smile) If you’re in Jacksonville or know folks who are join me for Signs, Wonders & Miracles 2011 – Friday October 28 at 7:45.
Ministry Outreach Mistake #1 – Pt 2 :: Count Up The Cost Before You Invest!
Sep 22nd
What Am I Really Paying For?
I want to take this time to explain exactly what you’re paying for, when you choose to invest in your own customized online home otherwise known as a WEBSITE. (smile)
For some of you, I know this is basic and standard information. However, trust me when I say “ There is still a large group of your ministry colleagues who really have no idea about all the steps it takes to have a basic website.”
When I explain all this I like to use real estate as my first-choice analogy.
Domain Name: This is essentially your online address AKA www.yourministryname.com This tends to cost anywhere from $8.00 – $10.00 However, depending on the hosting company you choose, you may buy a package that gives you the domain name FREE. Or run into specials on domains as low as $4.00 per domain.
Hosting: This is essentially the land in which your online home is built on. Just as you have to pay a price for the land on which your brand new church will be built on, so too, must you pay for the land on which your online “digital” church home will be built on.
However, it is a cost that will be assessed every year. Therefore it is generally in your best interest to pay for the hosting up front by the year for a least expensive rate. The complexity of your site, including the “bells & whistles” will determine which hosting package may work best for you.
You can realistically expect to spend anywhere from $8.00 to $20.00 per month to host your basic site.
Email Addresses: Many hosting packages include at least 500 email addresses with your hosting. However, there are some “a la carte” hosts that charge according to the number of email address you want to purchase by groups of say 10 – 20 etc
Design & Development: This involves the actual artistic direction and customization of your site, including incorporating your logo, all of your ministry photos and of course your content. Ie: ministry vision, mission, in-house ministries, monthly events etc… These charges are normally separate design fees and increase depending on the complexity of the design and functionality of your site ie: flash elements, online forms, online forums, ministry photo galleries, user maintenance etc… Depending on the complexity, your site development could be a project that will involve a 1 – 3 person creative team.
How To Count Up The Real Costs
Many small organizations, settle for online template packages that cost anywhere from $15.00 + per month, not to mention one-time set-up fees that run from $50.00-$90.00 Unfortunately, if you don’t truly “count up the cost” you could essentially end up paying the exact same price you’d pay for a customized site and more, without owning anything.
For example, one “create your own ministry site” company charges a $50.00 set-up fee, $15.00 per month for hosting and $25.00 per month for a member services section. If you add all this up for (2) years you end up spending $1010.00 and at the moment you discontinue services, you walk away with nothing. No files, no artwork, zilch.
Are you satisfied with your online ministry home?
What was the biggest mistake you made when you invested in a website?
Please share your experience by LEAVING A REPLY in the COMMENT SECTION.
Ministry Outreach Mistake #1 -No Ministry Website! Really?
Sep 15th
At least once a year, I’m led to readdress MOUNDS of questions I get every year from Ministry Leaders about NEW MEDIA and OUTREACH
STRATEGIES. One of the first topics I like to address is the importance of having a website as an EVANGELISM AND OUTREACH TOOL.
Yep, that’s my FIRST STRATEGY, for all the RIGHT reasons!
Strategy #1 : GET A WEBSITE!
Do you feel like you can’t afford a customized website that you can be proud of?
Do you still have trouble understanding why the world is so excited about having an online presence?
Let’s face it. Even though we live in the digital age with new technology and multimedia all around, there are still many legitimate churches and ministries that don’t have an online home.
That’s right, even though “Do you have a website?” or “What’s your website address?” is generally the first question most folks ask when they learn of your ministry or church, you might be surprised at how many pastors of smaller ministries, think a nice customized website is out of their reach.
But, that is FAR from the truth!
As I dive into my first strategy, I think it’s important to explore all aspects of web development, I like to call this web development 101.
By the time I’m done dissecting this strategy for evangelism outreach and ministry marketing, I hope you’ll close this chapter with a wealth of new found understanding, that will allow you to make informed decisions as you explore all the possibilities of having a great online presence by starting with the basics and getting a website.
What’s So Great About Having A Website, Anyway?
From a ministry outreach perspective, I believe there is no better way to reach the masses than by having a website and taking advantage of the Power of New Media.
Month after month and year after year I hear great testimonies about how using new media, particularly having a website has positioned ministries in front of audiences they never would’ve imagined.
For instance, one of the best examples I can give on “What’s so great about having a website?” has to do with one of the first case scenarios I’d ever been involved with years ago back in the early 2000s.
Here’s what happened when I and my former business partner helped provide a website presence for a small church in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Church Example #1
The ministry was transitioning with a new name and new location, that capped off with a new website. The goal was to give online visitors instant access to the church’s vision, mission, style of worship and pastoral philosophy.
In one case, a woman was relocating from New York City to Terre Haute and was looking for a church. She searched the internet, found the church’s new website and then visited the church as soon as she moved to town.
As you can imagine, that was a pretty great result for this small ministry and reiterated, why it was so important for that ministry to upgrade and
“GET A WEBSITE!”
Church Example #2
Another example that comes to mind has to do with a pastor who was very excited about being a guest on a national television broadcast. He was being interviewed about a new book and was also going to discuss the new prayer initiative God had given him.
After the broadcast thousands of people visited his site and within 24 hours more than 3 thousand people committed to being a part of his prayer initiative through his website. Again, more evidence in this Pastor’s eyes of why it’s so important to GET A WEBSITE!
Next time, I’ll address the question: “What Am I Really Paying For?” & How To Count Up The Real Costs & ROI
Can My Faith-Based Organization Really Prosper Online?
Sep 7th
One of the questions I receive the most from Pastors and Christian Entrepreneurs is “How can I or my organization really prosper online?” The see how “Household Name” Preachers appear to be leveraging their ministry following online or how some secular sales person somehow was able to get 5000 people on his teleconference and they begin to wonder, “can this really be done?”
I’m here to say YES, INDEED!
But the key, is are you willing to do what has to be done and to follow specific instructions in order to see and experience the results that others are experiencing.
Last year by dear friend and colleague Karen Swim hosted an online event entitled “ How To Go From You’ve Got Mail To You’ve Got Money!” One by one, we went through the list of top 10 action items that need to be taken in order for ANYONE to be READY to prosper online.
One of the top mistakes I see being made by many of the entrepreneurs I coach and consult with is the fact that they will not consistently capture the email addresses of those who visit their websites.
For anyone who wants to truly develop a revenue stream online, this is key! People come to your website for a specific reason. You have something they need or something they have been searching for!
Let’s look at this deeper from a ministry perspective:
One of the biggest challenges in ministries large and small is information dissemination, especially when it’s connected to fund-raising. How do you get accurate information out to a concentrated group, quickly in order for them to ACT on the information you’ve provided.
I mean, I have seen it all.
It used to be that ministries would rely on the phone. As a matter of fact, I’ve seen ministries create dynamic “phone tree systems” that never seem to work quite right because one of the branches of the tree seems to always break off.
And while direct mail is definitely effective, if you don’t have the financial structure and foundation to accommodate thousands upon thousands of dollars it costs to develop great direct mail campaigns, like some of the household names in mega ministry, the whole process can be daunting.
Why Supporters Want To Hear From You
Nevertheless, one way or the other you have to be able to communicate with your congregants and those who support your ministry. You need to be able to contact them and tell them about the implementation of the vision God has given you. You need to be able to let them know about the ministry issues and concerns you need them to continue covering in prayer. You also need to be able to let them know about all the great things God continues to birth forth through you and the ministry.
Believe me when I say, not only do they NEED to know, but they want to know as well. Despite your challenges of getting information to them, this is very important.
Don’t Forsake Your Online Home
Once you have your ministry website up and running it’s vital that you leverage your contact with the people who visit your site. If they’re coming to your site, that means they are very interested in what you are doing.
Unfortunately if your ministry doesn’t have a resident “web guru” or can’t afford to pay an outside agency or person to keep your content up to date, many times this part goes overlooked.
Many ministry & marketplace ministry website owners don’t seem to understand the importance of keeping information up to date on their site; Or at the very least sending that new information out to the people who want and need to know the information the most.
One of the easiest ways to do this, is through an email list. Simply put, email weekly or monthly ministry updates to your online audience. The good thing is, it can be as simple or as fancy as you want it to be.
The Biggest Mistake Ministries Make
By far the biggest mistake I see ministries make once they get a website is not capturing the email address of those who visit in order to start an email newsletter or what we can an ezine.
Yes, having an e-newsletter is that important.
It’s so important to non-profit organizations that there is a large percentage of non-profits actually developing and successfully employing fundraising campaigns online.
According to MRSS/Advocacy Institute ENonprofit Benchmarks Study (2005)
Organizations generating the most online advocacy actions had several key characteristics in common:
* larger email lists
* longer-lived online advocacy programs
* larger online communications budgets
* a higher volume of advocacy email messages.
Look at those key common characteristics: larger email lists and higher volume of advocacy email messages.
That’s what you as a pastor or media director has to keep in mind.
“How can I build my email list?”
And, “How can I work my email list?”
Answering these two questions will definitely help usher you in the right direction of developing an effective financial stream online. I’ll help you answer these questions next time I post. But in the mean-time, you TELL me, How Can You Build Your Email List? What Specific actions can you take to work your email list?
Almost forgot, if you need an AFFORDABLE STARTER WEBSITE for your personal ministry or new business be sure to check out AFFORDABLE STARTER WEBSITES. Or if you need a FREE “Get To Know You Session” to chat about your vision and how I may be able to assist you moving forward be sure to BOOK ME ONLINE via my online calendar system. I’d love to talk with you!
