Another year of writing articles has passed and I want to step back and share some lessons learned. Fret not, there will be plenty of material here that will apply to your church website. I just feel it is important to remark on what areas of life have helped this blog progress over the past year.
This second year of writing has been nothing shy of amazing. My professional life has continued to provide plenty of inspiration and education. As I continue to grow as an information architect on a user experience team, there is more and more I want to share with the larger community. Here are some of lessons I have learned both as an IA and a writer:
Seek to Serve
We arthe e all given talents. As I said in my article on finding hidden talent within your church, there is a lot of it at your disposal. Photography, writing, and experience with social media are all easy to find applications. However your church will need “boots on the ground” to create the stories worth writing about. See where you can use your talents and passions to reach out to your community and love them. Love is the ultimate door opener when it comes to sharing the Gospel.
Seek New Channels
Shortly I am launching a new podcast to accompany this blog. This is one of many channels I can use to reach my audience. It is one that I am grateful for, since podcasts have been a source of entertainment and education for quite a few years. I hope that your church can explore the many ways you can reach people as well. Broadcasting both audio and video recordings of sermons as well as publishing daily devotionals on your website and social media are some of the many ways you can reach your audience and grow your congregation.
Seek Your Audience
Whether you are researching a target market, broadcasting on social media, or buying online ads; you need to seek new ways to draw in new visitors to your website. This includes adding the address of your website to all printed materials. Also, consider printing business cards or flyers to hand out to your congregation. They can pass it along to friends, co-workers, or anyone they meet that might be interested in attending a service. Having one of these available just might be what helps get another seat filled. This concept, in the form of business cards, is something I have used over the past year to grow my local audience.
Seek Inspiration
I know I mentioned this in my last year in review article, but it still applies. There are so many places to find new ideas. Join a professional group on LinkedIn, follow other blogs on church technology, listen to a podcast on social media outreach, or take a leap of faith and dig into scripture. All of these have helped me grow and expand my ideas here.
Action Item
Buckle up for another year of articles and a brand new year of podcasts! I have enough ideas currently started to last another year, and I am constantly adding more to my list. There is plenty more of good ideas and direction you can get here and other places on the web. Pay special attention to my blog posts that mention a note on the inspiration for that article. They are but one of many of the places I seek out for ideas. Love is the ultimate door opener when it comes to sharing the Gospel. Seek, find, and advance the Kingdom of God.
Note: Thank you again to my growing audience of readers, Twitter followers, and Facebookers. You continue to encourage this, and remind me to remain as humble as possible; since none of this would happen without God.
Photo courtesy of Meaghan Bee
