Few thing are more important or more frequently neglected when it comes to planning a church event than getting the word out. It seems so simple—if no one knows about it, no one will come—and it seems so often that very little it put into.
How often are flyers, posters, and other attempts to announce an event prepared last minute? I know that I’ve certainly been guilty of this a time or two…or three or four.
That’s why I’m so thankful that our lead pastor has a very web-centered approach ministry. For the past year, we’ve been experimenting with event-specific websites tied to Facebook ads. We created one for Easter and one for the fireworks celebration we hold every year.
Here are some screenshots:
Now, there are always pros and cons to everything that you do, and this is no different.
- Pro: Present all relevant event information on a specific website so as to not clutter your ministry’s website or lose people to a complex site structure.
- Con: Your ministry site misses out on increase page views.
- Pro: Set up a site, change the information, and let it sit until next year. Super low maintenance.
- Con: It is one more thing you have to do, have to keep track of, and have to remember each year.
- Pro: For events like our fireworks celebration, the event takes center stage when it has its own website.
- Con: Some events need to be closely associated with a church/ministry. Having a separate site might make that associating less obvious
I’m sure that there are tons of other issues to consider on both sides of the equation. For us, one of the greatest pro is that our town has such a unique name—every heard of another “Bethalto”?
Didn’t think so.
Incorporating that name into our events’ domains gives us an SEO advantage. That may not be an option for you, but if it is, I’d consider taking advantage of it.
Does your church use event-specific websites to promote its events?
Why or why not?
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