I did not want to give the impression in my previous episodes on the subject of return on investment (ROI) were always about dollars and cents. Ultimately the return you will most thoroughly enjoy from your church’s website is emotion. This emotion hopefully will be positive and result in someone becoming interested in attending and even joining your church. Read on for examples of how to integrate emotion and your website in order to influence your ministries.
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Category: Podcasts
A (currently) inactive podcast that explores various topics and perspectives of church web strategies. Each revisits an article on the website with some updated content and ideas.
CWS Podcast – Ep. 55: Your Opinion Does Not Matter
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you are a pastor in your late 40′s, your opinion of a website aimed at an early 20′s audience really does not matter. Well now that the awkward part of this article is over, I will move on to what really counts; and that is if your church website is meeting the established business goals. In this article I will explore different ways the decision makers can provide good feedback and shape a great experience for your target audience.
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 54: Can I Have a Minute of your Time?
In today’s hectic schedules and busy lives, it is often hard to take a step back and examine things from a distance. However, I bet you can find a few people that can spare one minute to review a page on your church website. One minute of questions can provide some low hanging fruit; which offer huge returns for minor fixes and edits.
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 53: A Website that Deals with Sin and Shame
Forgiveness of sin by faith in Jesus is an essential foundation of Christianity. Some non-believers think they have sinned too much to be a Christian. Yet this is not the only obstacle they face. A staggering number of men and women feel they cannot have a relationship with God because of sins committed against them. Websites need to not only address how we can be cleansed of the sins we commit, but also the heavy baggage of shame for those committed against us.
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 52: Selling a Subscription
The second episode I recorded for this podcast had a bold message that churches are in the eCommerce business. You are indeed marketing and selling something. While I maintain that is still true, I did not yet realize the type of sale it was. You are not selling a good, as much as you are selling a subscription. Why a subscription? Well, because Christianity is a is a lifestyle, not a one-time thing. You do not go to church once, you do it on a regular basis. You do not worship once, you do it throughout your entire life. And your visitor hopefully will not just visit your website once and be done.
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 51: Customer Service – Getting Connected
In a previous episode I gave some tips for making someone’s first visit more comfortable. Now I will give some ideas for getting new visitors quickly and easily connected to the church. Of course, when I say “church” I mean the people, not the building. Getting connected with your church’s community may not always be easy, and I hope to share some ideas for using your church website to draw people into relationship.
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 50: Customer Service – In the Door
The primary objective of your church website is most likely to invite people to join your congregation. You give them times and locations; then hope they come walking through your door. If they show the interest in attending a service or function; have the courtesy to remove all their obstacles. Listen to this episode to get tips on how your website can help facilitate this.
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 49: Writing an Effective Tagline
When someone lands on your web site, you only have a few seconds to grab their attention. This does not mean bright colors or animation, but something easy to spot on the page that answers the question “What’s in it for me?” You can accomplish this with the combination of your church’s name and its tagline. While this is something your leadership, communications, and marketing teams will weigh in on; the web team should have some input, as thee website and social media outlets will be greatly affected.
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 48: Equip Members and Engage the World
The first time I tried to take the Gospel into the world was very scary. I was in my early teens and was handing out flyers for my church’s Vacation Bible School. We decided to target our surrounding neighborhood, going door-to-door with small pamphlets. I recall only one feeling, fear. What if they want to talk to me? What do I say? I was ill prepared to say the least. I was pretty lucky and the vast majority of houses had nobody home. My hope is that you utilize your church’s website to better prepare your members for engaging the world in a discussion about the church and Jesus.
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 47: Social Media Marketing and Engagement
Many questions arise when a church decides to do that “social media thing”. Who should your church market to, what platforms are the best, how should they push content, and why should they respond to their audience? These and many other problems can be solved by creating a two-pronged attack plan. This plan should include both social media marketing and social media engagement.
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 46: Landing Pages and Your Church
If you are trying to promote an event at your church, one great tool for this is a landing page. If done correctly, they focus visitors on a much narrower scope and nudge them toward a single decision more quickly. But what do landing pages consist of, and how can my church use them in its overall strategy? Read on my loyal reader while I hopefully answers all these questions and more!
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 45: Constrict Content, not Your Audience
Christianity is unique in many ways, but one that was controversial for early Jewish believers was the inclusion of the Gentiles, or non-Jews. Faith in Christ was not be restricted to any group, race, or nation. So how do you market your church website to a particular demographic if you want to welcome everyone? Instead of narrowing your market, constrict content to answer the most frequently asked questions of potential members.
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