Social Media For Ministry (2)

Slide 2: Social Media Insights • What is different about Social Media? Web 2.0 • Social Media are positioned shape the online world for the near future • Social Media have transformed the conversation in theology, ministry, and convention life. • Social Media are changing the ways professional communicators work • Social Media are here to stay!

Slide 3: Why Use Social Media? • People in online communities need ministry too! • Social media open up two-way communication channels • You can share the gospel, deepen relationships with believers, and network with other ministry leaders

Slide 12: Tips for Your Profile

Slide 14: Tips for Your Profile • Please upload a photo!

Slide 16: Tips for Your Profile • Please upload a photo! • Post profile information about yourself

Slide 18: Tips for Your Profile • Please upload a photo! • Post profile information about yourself • Make friends – Find them (“Add to Friends”) – Inviting them through email – Through your (G-mail, Hotmail, AOL, and Yahoo address book)

Slide 20: • “You can make more friends in two months by becoming really interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you.” – Dale Carnegie

Slide 22: Using Blogs to Reach People

Slide 23: Background • Started officially blogging in July 2006 • ChurchCommunicationsPro.com • Forum for ideas • Help churches and pastors with church communications

Slide 24: What Is a Blog? • Short for weblog • Technorati says: A blog, or weblog, is a regularly updated journal published on the web. Some blogs are intended for a small audience; others vie for readership with national newspapers. Blogs are influential, personal, or both, and they reflect as many topics and opinions as there are people writing them. • An easy-to-use, interactive website

Slide 25: Blogs … • Lowered the bar for what it meant to create and publish Internet websites for millions of people … • Have an idea? Blog it. • Have a beef? Blog it. • Have pics of your cat? Blog it. • If you can run Microsoft Word, you can maintain a blog …

Slide 26: The Blogosphere • Technorati: Currently tracking 75.2 million blogs • Christian blogs … no telling … but we did an informal survey and got around 380 responses • More Senior Pastors are blogging! • More Christians should redeem this technology for ministry & Gospel witness

Slide 27: Blogging Platforms Three Most Popular Blogging Platforms: • Blogger.com • TypePad.com • WordPress.org / WordPress.com • WordPress is THE Best!

Slide 28: Costs • With WordPress, you could buy a year of hosting and a domain name for around $50 a year! • Thousands of free templates available to easily customize

Slide 29: Example Uses of Blogs • Spread vision • Share ideas • Share news and feature stories • Internal brainstorming • Run smaller websites • There’s good and … ugly uses too.

Slide 30: 6 Benefits of Blogging • Connect with people • Organize your thoughts • Reach the world • Simple and easy to use • Search engines love them! • Exposure

Slide 31: 10 Blogging Ideas • 1. Blog your city • 2. Blog the news, pop culture, issues • 3. Blog on money and personal finance • 4. Blog on marriage, family, and parenting • 5. Blog devotional comments throughout week • 6. Blog about people • 7. Blog your sermons • 8. Blog on resources for the Christian walk • 9. Blog to inform • 10. Blog the Gospel

Slide 32: What To Blog About • Blog your passion … first and foremost • Can be a spiritual journal … • But if you want to develop a readership, pick a topic and “own” it • Blog your passion and what you know most about … I chose church communications and marketing

Slide 33: Blogs to Check Out • http://evotional.com • http://micahfries.com • http://problogger.net • http://copyblogger.com • http://churchcommunicationspro.com • http://ministrymarketingcoach.com

Slide 34: Contact • cory@corymiller.com • chris@ministrymarketingcoach.com