2017 has been an interesting year with many changes. With those changes come lessons your church can learn from. This is a collection of the four most important topics. I covered some in previous articles. But I wanted to highlight them due to their recent real-world impacts. These stories have affected the audiences you serve. Be aware and let them know you are trying to be proactive.
Continue reading “Year in Review: 2017”
Category: Articles
Your source for digital ministry and church communications articles since July 2011. Perspectives range from strategic overviews to tactical walkthroughs. Topics include websites, social media, website, web teams, integration with your church, and many more.
Helping Digital Ministries Avoid Privacy Disasters
The design decisions you make can have life-altering repercussions. We like to think that our actions are always good and will bring someone closer to God. Yet our digital worlds are very connected. Not everyone is ready to broadcast they are a Christian. How you design your campaigns and features impacts your users. This article explores are few digital privacy pitfalls, and how to avoid them.
Continue reading “Helping Digital Ministries Avoid Privacy Disasters”
The 90-Day Church Website Plan
Working on a church communications team can be both exciting and intimidating. You cannot wait to have an impact. You are now the digital voice of your church. Getting off to a good start is important. But where does that journey begin? Where will that path take you? Start with understanding your website. This article is based on recent success in my professional career.
Continue reading “The 90-Day Church Website Plan”
Creating A Successful Digital Ministry Onboarding Plan
Not having a plan for integrating new team members is a recipe for losing money. The longer it takes someone to start doing their job, the less impact they have. Unfortunately, many groups do not plan for this until the task is upon them. This sends a message that your people’s time and efforts do not matter. Keep reading for some common new hire pitfalls you should avoid.
Continue reading “Creating A Successful Digital Ministry Onboarding Plan”
Essential Church Communications Tools
You cannot build a house without tools. And good tools make it go even faster. The same is true of building a successful digital ministry. The right combination of hardware and software will accelerate productivity. This article explores eight things your church communications team needs.
Continue reading “Essential Church Communications Tools”
Applying Customer Interview Results
New customer insights do not help your digital ministries unless you do something. Your church staff gave up valuable time to make these interviews a success. They will want to see the results. Explore how to apply customer interview results and help your church communications.
Continue reading “Applying Customer Interview Results”
Analyzing Internal Church Interview Data
Internal interviews are a great way to discover existing corporate knowledge. You get first-hand accounts of customer feedback from church staff and volunteers. Yet it may not be clear how to analyze the notes you took during those interviews. This article explores how I analyzed results of interviews I recently conducted.
Continue reading “Analyzing Internal Church Interview Data”
Creating Useful Internal Interviews
Internal interviews help whether you are starting out, or are a seasoned professional. They help you better understand the corporate knowledge that exists in your church. Plus it further cements you as a digital advocate that cares about your church’s problems. Your church’s staff has plenty of information to share. Rediscover your audience by following the steps below.
Continue reading “Creating Useful Internal Interviews”
4 Most Important Words for Church Communications
We all want to succeed. Charge ahead, break new ground, and take the world of digital ministry by storm. But saying four words more often will help us do that better and faster. They are not rules, but guidelines to approaching work in digital ministry.
Continue reading “4 Most Important Words for Church Communications”
Making Readable Text for your Church
Imagine that your sound system did not work. Your pastor could deliver an amazing sermon. But few people would hear it. The same applies to printed words. Text is the primary method you convey information. Thus, it makes sense to use it in ways that are most effective. The concepts in this article will make your physical and digital text easier to read.
Continue reading “Making Readable Text for your Church”
When Your Church Should Use Animation
Animations are often thought of as a trend of the early web. This is because many developers discovered animation techniques. But few bothered to learn when and why to use them. Yet in many situations, animation is still helpful. This is true in church websites, social media and mobile applications. Here are situations where you should consider using animations.
Continue reading “When Your Church Should Use Animation”
Recharge your Empathy to Create Better Experiences
Understanding your users’ needs is the biggest part of creating a good experience. But what happens when you cannot understand their perspective? You lose sight of the real goal. Even worse, you insert your own desires into the process. Solve this by recharging your empathy.
Continue reading “Recharge your Empathy to Create Better Experiences”