This second full podcast episode is based on my second article, “Yes You Are Selling Something“. It introduces the idea that churches are both a service and sales organization. We offer many great services to our community; which is a demonstration of the item we “sell”. That item is eternal life through faith in our savior Jesus Christ.
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Tag: Marketing
Walking the Tightrope of Content Desires
Your church website strategy is a balancing act; defining the tension between the church’s wants, the user’s needs, and the content displayed on the site. Your church leadership has a certain set of objectives and missions they expect to execute via the website. Your website visitors expect yet a different set of needs to be met. Stuck in the middle is your content, which you mold and craft over time to meet everyone’s desires. Read on to see how this might be accomplished so that everyone considers it a win.
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Re-Think Content: Conversion Paths
When you talk to someone who has questions about Christianity; you do not spout off the entire Gospel, hoping to convert them right there on the spot. Unfortunately many websites do just this. They do not understand that just like an eCommerce site, you need to build interest, trust, and value before you can ask for any level of commitment from a website user.
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Invest in Content First
Before you launch an online ad campaign, have a SEO agency make you rank #1 in Google, or start yet another re-design of your website; consider investing in your content. If you cannot engage your audience with good information, articles, videos, audio, and social media interaction; they why waste money by driving users to an empty space?
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Repurposing Your Content for Maximum Impact
One problem most church websites face is consistent content production. Regular updates tell users you are an active congregation, regardless of your size. It also gives search engines new pages to index, and active pages will rank higher in search results. But who has the time to create regular updates? You do, and I will show you where you can easily repurpose content for multiple channels of communication.
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Do Not Just Retain, Recruit!
At the beginning of every worship service, my church welcomes all of the new visitors; regardless if they know of any visitors or not. Sometimes we even applaud for them. Many church podcasts that I listen to also make a point to welcome all of their listeners. What does your website do to welcome new visitors? Do you simply have a statement that says “Welcome to our church”, or do you structure your site so that their needs are immediately met with lots of information and content?
You Are Unique, Just Like Everyone Else
Simply running down the list of beliefs and a few pictures of volunteering at a soup kitchen is not enough to get new members into your church. Just like an eCommerce site, you need to establish yourself as a leader in a particular area. What makes you special? If you give your visitors an honest reason why they need to try your church out, you will distinguish yourself online and attract new members.
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Effectively Using Church Microsites
In a previous article I talked about landing pages and how your church can use them. Some projects and campaigns require more breathing room, so perhaps a microsite is the solution. Here you can create a unique user experience, strengthen your church’s branding, and even drive traffic to your primary website… and of course fill seats in your church.
Pause for a Cause
During a recent trip to Disney World I noted a few things that translated to an article on church websites. This article is about how to help your audience pause at the right spot to notice something on your website. This pause will help them focus on something important, and hopefully cause them to take action.
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Structuring Your Call to Action
When creating a call to action, the order you present your content matters a great deal. If you get your customer emotionally invested with the task they are completing, they are far more likely to complete it. By saving mundane tasks to the end of the process you greatly increase the chance that the submit button will be clicked.
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Timing is Everything
Timing is everything in comedy… and church web marketing. If you can guess when your customers will be online, you can more effectively market to them. Whether it be Email or social media, there are several ways we can utilize this information to increase the number of clicks your communications get.
Creatures of Habit
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The primary motivation for viewing a website is to consume content. That content may exist to inform, persuade, or compare; but it should have a purpose that is aligned with your overall web strategy. Yet regardless of your intent or your audience not everyone will wish to consume this content on your website. By providing multiple mechanisms to view it, you maximize your audience exposure and increase the odds of adding new members to your church.
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