Yesterday, I blogged about the generational differences in online activity according to the latest research by the Pew Research Center. Today, I look more closely at the rapid growth in one specific category of online activity: social networking. In just eighteen months, the percentage of adults who use social networking sites has risen 74%. The graphic below shows the rates of increase by generation, which range from a high of 377% for older boomers to a low of 24% for Read More …
Social Media
The Christmas Story: Creativity + $500 = 400K+ views (#0230)
On this the second Sunday of Christmas, I invite you to watch one of the best Christmas videos you may not have seen. The video was created by St. Paul's Church in Auckland, New Zealand to market their annual Carols by Glowstick event. According to Joshua Cody, who interviewed one of the creative folks behind the project, the church spent only $500 to produce the video since "everything else was supplied by the individuals, families and businesses of St. Paul’s. That goes Read More …
Churches Fail the Twitter Test (#0226)
Mickey Mellen, a freelance web developer who works with small businesses, churches and individuals to help them further their reach on the Internet, recently wrote about a Twitter experiment he conducted. The article, "Churches Aren't Paying Attention on Twitter", appears on churchmarketingsucks.com and should be considered a "must read" for any church already on Twitter and those considering expanding their social media strategy to include Twitter. The Experiment Reach out to 25 Read More …
Bringing Twitter into the Classroom (#0225)
For generations, students have known that the classroom is the place to go for instruction. This has been true for both university education as well as Christian/religious education. In larger classrooms, the instructors are limited in their ability to interact with a large number of the learners. Twitter offers a creative way to facilitate interaction during and beyond the class session. Consider the example of Dr. Monica Rankin, Professor of History at the University of Read More …
The Nativity: A 21st Century Tale (#0218)
As we begin Christmas week, I invite you to watch a short video: The Digital Story of the Nativity. My thanks to the folks at ExCentric for creating the video and Andy Sahl, who blogs at Unpackthis.com, for bringing it to my attention. It was posted one week ago and already has been viewed over 2 million times. So What? How do you leverage the power of new media to help you tell biblical stories in fresh ways that allow people to hear something familiar as if for the first time? Read More …
The Limits of Social Media for Ministry (#0214)
Maurilio Amorim is CEO of The A Group, a media, technology and branding firm in Brentwood, TN that consults with some of the country’s largest ministries, leading churches, and Christian publishers. Founded in 2001, The A Group has transitioned from a traditional marketing agency into a marketing technology and branding firm, leveraging social media and mobile technologies. To connect with Amorim, friend him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, or read his blog. Amorim recently Read More …
Leveraging Facebook – 7 Suggestions for Your Church (#0205)
Roughly half of all American congregations now have a presence on Facebook. While creating a presence is an essential first step, leveraging that presence requires effectively utilizing it and educating those who have affiliated with your page. Randy Vaughn, one of two real life twin brothers who have teamed up to create The Marketing Twins, recently blogged about how churches can effectively utilize Facebook as a part of their social media strategy. He recommends churches Read More …
An Advent Conspiracy (#0196)
The Advent Conspiracy is an international movement centered around bringing a deeper meaning to Christmas. It started in 2006 when five pastors decided to make Christmas a revolutionary event by encouraging their faith communities to unite around four principles: Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love All. Over the last several years, this ecumenical alternative to consumerism has grown to include more than 1500 congregations representing a variety of Christian Read More …
Should Your Church Buy Ads on Facebook? (#0195)
Earlier this week, Justin Wise wrote an article for Church Marketing Sucks about his congregation's experience using Facebook ads. It is a brief but informative look at both the basics of setting up an ad and his congregation's positive initial experience. He concludes his article recommending that all churches consider trying Facebook ads: If you’re in a church that has a small budget for marketing, you need to give Facebook ads a try. If you’re in a church that has plenty of Read More …
Churches Embracing Social Media (#0185)
Catholics and Protestants are uniting around the importance of social media. Earlier this week at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops annual Fall General Assembly, Bishop Ronald Herzog of Alexandria, Louisiana, a member of the Communications Committee, gave a speech in which he said: Although social media has been around for less than 10 years, it doesn’t have the makings of a fad. We’re being told that it is causing as fundamental a shift in communication patterns and behavior as Read More …