Media Outreach

I thought this post from Michael Hyatt was very practical and wanted to share with you guys…plus add a few thoughts of my own on how to make it more relevant for your church. You can read Michael’s  original post HERE.

1.    It will enable you to experience social networking first-hand. One of my pet peeves is people who pontificate on new technologies but have never actually used them. This is particularly annoying—but common—among CEOs. Real users can always tell the difference. There is no substitute for personal experience.

-I would also add:  make sure you understand how social networking works and that you’re willing to jump on board before promoting yourself or your church. Don’t get your congregation to follow you if you’re not going to be dedicated to giving your followers something to read.

2.    It will make you a better writer. Twitter only allows you to post 140 characters at a time. As a result, you are forced to be concise. In my opinion, this is one of the hallmarks of good writing. Short messages. Short paragraphs. Short sentences.

- Think about your looooong sermons. Think how much shorter and more precise they would be if you had to get your message across in short phrases. Your readers will appreciate a thoughtful, yet concise Tweet.

3.    It will help you stay connected to people you care about. This is one of the few technologies I’ve found that actually contributes to community-building. In today’s busy world, it’s difficult to keep up with others. Twitter makes it easy—and fun.

- If your congregation starts “following” you on Twitter, then you have another avenue in which to stay connected in their daily lives. So, next time you see “John” at the church you can ask him how his daughter’s softball game went.

4.    It will help you see a new side of your friends. In an odd sort of way, Twitter “humanizes” people and provides a context for better understanding them. If you follow me on Twitter, for example, you’ll quickly see that I get excited, bored, frustrated, and confused—sometimes all in the same day. You’ll also learn what is important to me and what drives me crazy.

- Be real and honest when you tweet. Don’t be afraid to let your followers see the real you.  Sure, you might be a ministry leader, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t human.

5.    It will introduce you to new friends. I have now met several new people via Twitter. These have contributed to my life in small but significant ways. Gail and I have even had dinner with a couple that we met via Twitter.

- What a great way for people in your congregation to get their friends connected to the church. They might start following you on Twitter before they ever set foot in your church.

6.    It is faster than text-messaging. In a sense Twitter is a universal text messaging system. You can broadcast to all of your “followers” (i.e., people who subscribe to your Twitter feed) or send a direct message to just one. As a result, I have almost completely stopped text messaging. The only time I use it is to reply to someone who messages me outside of Twitter.

- Send out words of encouragement or a snippet from your upcoming sermon series to your followers- all at once.

7.    It will make you think about your life. As you answer the question, “What am I doing?” you start to see your life through the lens of the people following you. Interestingly, it has made me more intentional and thoughtful about my life.

8.    It will help you keep up with what people are talking about. Via Twitter, I have learned about hot books, cool software, breaking news, and even great restaurants. Because the information is coming from real people who care enough to Twitter about it, I have found it more valuable and authentic.

- Sometimes it’s tough to get outside the bubble of being a ministry leader and stay up-to-date with what’s going on around you. Twitter allows you to get short updates about anything and everything without having to spend tons of time reading through long articles.

9.    It can create traffic for your blog or Website. I have noticed a 30% uptick in my blog traffic in the last 30 days. It may be related to the fact that I have been in the news more or have been writing on more controversial posts. However, I also think it is related to the fact that I am Twittering every time I post a new blog entry. This seems to have a viral effect.

- If you have a church blog, this is a great way to send out a message to your followers that you’ve posted something new. Or, maybe you have a guest blogger one day…send out a tweet to let your followers know.

10. Requires a very small investment. Twitter itself is a free service. In terms of my time, I probably invest less than 20 minutes a day. Since “tweets” (i.e., posts) are limited to 140 charters or less, you can scan them in a second or two. Writing them usually takes less than 30 seconds.

- As a ministry leader, you’re probably busy. Sending out a short message to your followers once a day can be meaningful yet not time consuming for you.

11.    It is fun! Twitter is just plain entertaining. Following your family and friends is kind of like watching reality TV. The difference is that you know the people and actually care about them. In this sense, it is even more fun, because you know more about the people from other contexts. Don’t believe me? Give it a try.

Photo by Moriza