Social Media and Ministry

Steven KosterTodd Hertz

NRB 2010, Nashville

PHILOSOPHY

It’s About Ministry

• It’s about God’s Story– Already unfolding in your life– Wherever you are

• It’s not about technology• It’s not about marketing or fund raising• It’s about doing your ministry

We Speak Differently to Different People

• By Demographics– Children– Youth– Younger Adults– Older Adults

• By Faith Journey – Pre-Evangelism– Evangelism– Teaching

discipleship– Devotional

discipleship

Brand = Experience

• Brand = an expected experience– It’s not your technology, it’s you. – What makes you special? – what experience do you promise?

– If you hang out with me, you can expect…

Brand = Experience

• So where can I hang out with you? – Go where your audience hangs out already. – Don’t expect them to come to you.

• Go to Your Audience wherever they are!

Multi-Channel

• One channel is a commodity. – You are only one of many. – Having a channel does not make you

special or compelling. – Technology does not make you special

• Multi-channel can be a presence– in which you demonstrate your promised

experience.

Use all the Tools for Ministry

Media Technology talk• Radio [push]

• Video• eNewsletter• Internet Web [pull]

• Fixed Media (CDs)• Print• Online Forum listen• Email [2-way]

• Social Media• Phone• In-Person

Social Presence

• First Contact

• Awareness

• Engagement

• Relationship

Marketing Funnel

Awareness

Knowledge

Interest

Donor

Sustainer

Payoff!

Social Media ROI• http://mashable.com/2009/10/27/social-media-roi/

• ROI = (Return – Investment) / Investment• If not dollars, trends• Use analytics to spot trends• Look for inflection points

• “Finding trends and tracking them back to their point of origin is the key to measuring ROI.”

It’s about Ministry, not Dollars

• Ministries don’t measure output in $– Dollars are a necessary input– But not a measure of success

• How do you measure ministry?– In your main channel? – Same rules for other channels

– Cf. Good to Great for Social Sectors monograph

It’s about Ministry, not Dollars

• Ministries don’t measure output in $• There’s more than

registration => donate.

• comment• rate• vote • like / dislike• subscribe

• download• read more• petition• advocate• participate

Ministry Funnel

Awareness

Knowledge

Interest

Investment

Sustainer

MinistryConversations

MinistryStewards

Payoff!

comment, vote, advocate, participate

Donate

Registration

Summary

• How can you meet your audience • where they already are • through all the channels available• to do more ministry?

EXAMPLESOur Strategy @ ReFrame Media

Blogs

• Whom is it for? • No CEO Blog (unless already blogger)• Find your bloggers and let them go• It’s a content monster; commit to feeding

– Groundworkonline.com (no blog!)

Blogs Examples

• Shine.fm Blog• johnnymornings.wordpress.com• Under the Radar: radarradio.net

Social Networks (= facebook)• In US,

facebook is increasingly the place to be

Social Networks (= facebook)

• 350 Million people log in once a month

• Averaging 662 pageviews a month

Our Facebook Strategy

• Facebook ‘pages’ – for all programs– and corporate (ReFrame Media)

• Goes to where the fans already are• A dialogue and extension of discussions• Not necessarily driving people to ‘our’

website

Facebook

• Needs investment– It cannot just be there– Use your people as advocates– Cultivate your biggest fans

• Do something at least once a day• Essential Apps on Facebook

– http://Mashable.com/2009/05/13/facebook-brand-apps/

Twitter

• Microblogging 140 letters at a time• 50 Million tweets a day

Twitter: not just for kids!• Historically,

mid-age adults were largest segment

• Ages <24 are only now catching up

Our Twitter Strategy

• Twitter identities for all programs• Plus corporate • Plus personal identities

• All identities have a personality• It’s a dialogue, not advertising

Twitter Tactics

• You’re there…Where’s the people?– Find followers by being a follower– It’s dialogue: who’s interesting?

• Broadcasting vs. Relating – Be a “good date”, not a robot– It’s dialogue: stop preaching or promoting– If you’re only talking, they stop listening– Auto-tweets are usually bad

Twitter Effectiveness

• Measuring Effectiveness– Tools

• Raven• Klout• Twitalyzer

– What receives attention? – What can you learn from that?– It’s not the stats, but what stats mean

Twitter Tools

• Tools– HootSuite, Co-Tweet, or Tweet Deck– Twubs.com or Twibes.com

• Interest Groups

– NearbyTweets.com– WhoShouldIFollow.com

• Find friends of friends

– 30 Twitter Tools: http://cot.ag/9EhYXF

Niche Networks

• In-house network or message boards– Good for privacy– Good for narrow focus

• BUT, why not go where audience is?

Niche Networks Examples

• The Christian Reformed Social Justice Office (justiceseekers.ning.com)

• Conversations at www.spotlightradio.net• More from CIO.com

– StachePassions.com (Mustache fans)– VampireFreaks.com – LineForHeaven.com– MatchADream.com (dream interpretation)– http://www.cio.com/article/551513/Ten_of_the_World_s_Strangest_Social_Networks

Video

• YouTube: 1 Billion Videos a day• Viral: What can you leverage?

– What are you already doing that could be on video?

– Like DVD extras: “Behind the Scenes” – BlendTech: Will this blend?

Our Video

• What we do:– WalktheWay.net Daily Video Blog– RadarRadio.net Exclusives– NRB vids for behind the scenes

Mobile

• Media in small formats on the run

• Text and Photo messaging• Smart Phones, iPhone

– Apps– Mobile Web browsing

• Kindle, Ebooks

Mobile Uses (US adults)

86% have cell phones

25% of cell users browse web, email, etc.

That’s 21.5% of all US adults

Mobile Devices (US)

• Blackberry 42%

• iPhone 25%

• WinMobile 17%

Mobile Devices (Worldwide)• Nokia

biggest,• Blackberry

second, • But Apple is

growing fastest

Mobile and kids

• A third of US middle schoolers have mobile phones

• And growing fast

Mobile Strategy

• Who’s the audience, why would they want it?

• Why would they want it on the run?• What are we publishing already?

– Web– RSS– Podcast– Simple Apps

Our Mobile Strategy

• List in stores (iTunes, Amazon Kindle)• Simple apps for iPhone

– RSS based, ala AppMkr.com• Mobile-specific web sites for other

platforms (m.thinkchristian.net)

Mobile Resources

• appmakr.com– Simple iPhone app based on RSS

• whoop.com– Mini web sites for mobile devices– Not device dependent

RESOURCES

Resources

• Mashable.com– Stats and News and what it means for you– The Mecca for Social Media

• SmartBrief on Social Media – Daily email digest of Social Media stories– socialmedia@smartbrief.com– http://www.smartbrief.com/socialmedia/

Resources

• Silicon Valley Insider (SAI)– businessinsider.com/alleyinsider– Chart of the Day!– businessinsider.com/newsletter

• Social Media Examiner– socialmediaexaminer.com

• Un-marketing.com– Stop marketing, Start Engaging

Resources

• Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff

• Good to Great for Social Sectors

ResourcesOn Twitter:

@ReFrameMedia@RadarRadio@ThinkChristian@WalktheWay@TodayDevotional   @ChurchJuice@SpotlightRadio@GroundworkRadio

On Facebook:facebook.com/ReFrameMediafacebook.com/RadarRadio facebook.com/ThinkChristianfacebook.com/WalktheWayfacebook.com/TodayDevotionalsfacebook.com/ChurchJuicefacebook.com/SpotlightRadiofacebook.com/GroundWorkRadio