The Best Way to Present Yourself Online
Digital Marketing for Progressive Ministries Resource Library
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This article is for those who work with churches, spiritual communities, organizations, or spiritual entrepreneurs who need to improve their digital presence in order to connect with their ideal audience more effectively.
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Imagine scrolling on Facebook and you come across a post by a church that basically says, “Come to our chili supper on Friday! Only $5/bowl.”
How do you think most people would feel about that, especially given the general aversion to churches that the younger generations have?
I bet they would say it’s “a little sus”.
It probably looks like a way to get people into the church to give them money. After all, if strangers are calling you off the street and inviting you into their home, it might not be wise to take them up on the offer.
But, let’s say that you really like chili and are indeed interested. What do you do then?
Since you found the post on Facebok, more than likely, you will go to their Facebook feed to find out more about who this church is. What kinds of things do they post? And, like any Facebook feed, you’re going to find a lot of disjointed, incoherent information.
Not very helpful.
What you find is probably not going to help you feel safe enough to go there.
So, what next?
Let’s try again…
Now, imagine the same basic scenario, only this time you are interested and they have a webpage. On this webpage, you can find out which denomination the church belongs to, what values they uphold, and how they contribute to the wider community.
Now you have some real information to help you decide whether this Christian community is safe to visit.
Social media is no substitute for a well-crafted website
From a marketing perspective, social media is a vital component. It serves specific functions within the context of a marketing strategy. When you have a full marketing system in place, your social media helps you…
Get attention
Generate brand awareness
Build a sense of relationship
Drive traffic to the website
Note especially that last one. We live in an information age. When people encounter something you post on social media and they want to know more, they want to know more right now. This is exactly when your website becomes your primary online presence.
Think about these numbers : 80%, 62%
Believe it or not, 80% of people check out a church’s website before they visit. If you are a congregation who wants to connect with those interested in attending a church, that’s an important statistic.
What if you are a spiritual entrepreneur? Well, if you don’t have a web presence, 62% of potential clients will pass you right by.
Why is a website so important?
It really all comes down to the reality of marketing. Marketing isn’t just about being effective. It’s also about being efficient because if your marketing isn’t efficient it won’t be as effective.
Websites (when they are done well) are both efficient and effective.
They serve several functions within the context of your wider marketing strategy.
1. A website highlights your uniqueness
A church is a church is a church.
A spiritual director is a spiritual director.
Both true and false at the same time.
Sure, there's something that makes a church a church. But every community is unique in its own way. That uniqueness is what makes it a better option for some and not others.
Let's look at Emanuel United Church of Christ, Hales Corners for a moment. They exist in a sea of Evangelical churches with theological and political stances unfavorable to LGBTQAI+ people. In that context, they stand out as a mainline, open-and-affirming congregation. So, when I wrote and designed their website, I made sure to highlight that information. That way, anyone looking for a church that is friendly toward LGBTQAI+ people knows exactly which one to go to.
What if you're a spiritual director? Again, not all spiritual directors are exactly the same. If you emphasize a Celtic spirituality, that is naturally going to resonate with those who are attracted to a Celtic spirituality. Highlight that on your website. It can make you a better option than that spiritual director down the road who comes from more of a Benedictine perspective.
2. A website connects you to your ideal audience
The reason you're emphasizing your uniqueness is because like attracts like. Certain people are going to be more attracted to that which makes you unique. So, to be honest, highlighting your uniqueness really isn’t about you, but about your audience.
Knowing your audience is vital to marketing your community or services. After all, what you do isn't for everyone.
That’s important, so let me say it again…
What you do isn’t for everyone.
I realize it’s a hard pill to swallow. After all, Christianity is supposed to be about everybody on some level, right? So, shouldn't everybody feel like they can belong in every congregation?
Sorry to say it, but the answer is “no”.
Congregations all have their strengths and weaknesses. If someone looking for a church has a special passion for helping the poor, then participation in a church community that does hands-on work with the poor is going to be a more meaningful spiritual experience. Those who like an academic approach to the Bible are going to be more fulfilled spiritually in a congregation that offers them the opportunity to roll up their mental sleeves and dig into that historical-critical method.
Whether you facilitate a community or run a spiritual business, it's vital to know who your ideal audience is and what is important to them. This enables you to speak to them through your website copy (and “copy” means the text on your website. It's where “copywriting" comes from.)
3. A website casts your vision of possibility
Back when I was ordained, a friend gave the sermon for the service. In the end, he reminded me that my task as a minister was to bring something very specific to people…
Hope.
What hope do you offer to those who participate in your community or services?
Healing?
Belonging?
Guidance?
Another term for this (if I may lean into my leadership materials) is “vision casting”. A vision of possibility is an incredibly powerful way to let people know whether you are in alignment with them.
Life is a journey. We all want to travel with those who're going in the same direction as us. When you cast a compelling vision, it helps those who want to go in the same direction take notice and draw closer to your side so that you can venture forward together.
4. A website becomes the hub for all your community information
Imagine that you are a potential church visitor who is familiar with a congregation. You have not yet decided whether you want to walk through the doors. But, let's say that you want to know whether the church has anything happening this week.
Where will you go?
Another scenario…
Imagine that you are visiting from out of town for a weekend. You want to know where you're going to worship on Sunday morning. The question is, “Who is doing what and when?”
How will you find that information?
A church website is the best place to keep all the information about the church activities, worship services, mission work, and everything else in one place so people can get to it easily.
Same thing for spiritual entrepreneurs. What services do you offer? What are your hours of operation? How do people contact you? Keeping all this information in one place (on your website) makes it easy for potential clients to find it when they want it.
5. A website helps visitors to feel safe
All of this culminates in my final point.
Human beings are wired to survive. We have a natural fear of the unknown. Furthermore, many people today are exceptionally skeptical and cautious about organized religion.
When you highlight your uniqueness, you communicate something very important about yourself. This gives them the opportunity to either identify with you or dismiss you.
When you know your ideal audience like the back of your hand, you can write your copy in a way that demonstrates that you get them. This will help those in your ideal audience to resonate with you, and those who aren't can walk away.
When you cast your vision on your website, those who are going in the same direction as you are more likely to want to join the journey with you. And those who don't can go in a different direction.
When you use your website as a way to consolidate all the information about your community and what it does, it gives visitors the opportunity to decide if this is something they want to participate in or not.
All of this helps to eliminate the fear of the unknown.
All of this is ultimately about helping those who are in your ideal audience feel safe enough to be able to approach you and give you a chance.
But, it only works if you do it right
When it comes to website design and copy, quality matters.
Oftentimes, when websites are created using popular free platforms with their templates, the final product looks nice, but those looks can be deceiving.
Remember, the ultimate goal of your website is to motivate people to enter into a relationship with you, whether through participation in your community or hiring you for your services.
In the marketing world, this is called writing and designing for “conversion”. (I have to admit, the religious overtones always makes me chuckle.)
If you would like me to look over your already existing website and tell you how you can improve your design and copy to increase conversion, I would be glad to help you out.
All you need to do is sign up for a Website Design & Copy Audit. It is “pay what you want”, so you could get it for free if you really wanted to. However, I ask that you consider giving at least $50, and I recommend $150. After all, these typically go for no less than $300. Also, the amount you send my way will influence how much time and energy I spend auditing your website.
If you are not sure whether you want to sign up for that just yet, no problem. You can also get on my calendar for a Discernment Call. On it, we can talk and determine whether we are good match for one another.
I hope you found all of this information helpful for your ministry.
Peace, Bo
www.evolvingchristianfaith.net
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Credits
Thanks to NightCafe for the cover art