ChurchMag

The #1 Resource for Church Technology and Creativity

Web Hosting

Creative

ChurchMag / Archives for Creative

Ipseity Personal Branding WordPress Theme Launched


by

I've released into the "wild" the new Ipseity Personal Branding Wordpress theme. I thought I'd post about it here as well since I believe it could be a powerful tool for you and your personal ministry online. Personal branding is not necessarily a passion of mine but I find it extremely important in the online world. I've discussed a number of times how quickly someone, or some people, can hijack your brand, as a ministry or a person. With a few clicks of the button someone's personal thoughts ... Read More

VideoTeaching.com Unveils First Round Speakers


by

VideoTeaching.com has recently released an updated version of who's going to be giving away their teaching for free. The list is extensive and I'm pretty excited that these gifted communicators are offering their gifts to the general public. From their eBlast: Are you ready to see the list of gifted teachers and pastors who will be sharing their messages on VideoTeaching.com? New communicators are continuing to come on board, but we’re too excited to wait any longer. Because you signed up for ... Read More

TokBox Gets Facelift and Improved Features


by

Tokbox has recently gone under the knife and recovered to provide a number of features that'll make you smile, some of which we've suggested previously! It's great to see web services that really take into account the user's/community's opinion. Micky O'Brien, one of the marketing managers, and I tried to connect a number of times so that I could get an advance preview but apparently I'm really busy (Sorry Micky!). But it looks great Micky, so hats off to you guys! Some of the ... Read More

Must Read for Ministry: Social Media Marketing Industry Report


by

The Social Media Marketing Industry Report has been recently released and it's an amazing resource for ministries and a must read for those who are interested in getting (and making) the most out of Social Media for their organization. Although it's a report built for the marketplace, it's application and value can be easily seen once you jump in a few pages. There's some good information for both the "veteran" and "novice" so read it with an open mind. You can download it from his site or ... Read More

A New Form of Marketing and Advertising


by

Selling the "experience" as a few have called it. I've heard it before but I haven't considered it in the ministry context until this morning as I sat down and began developing a "marketing" plan for another ministry initiative. This long-winded and exhaustive blurb helped a bit, but not much. As blogs become more and more of an "experience" and less of a platform for one-way-diatribes, it's changing the way we communicate "products" and "services." The trusted blog persona can sway thousands ... Read More

Why Blogging is 1,000 Times Better than Google Adwords


by

I read a recent article in Christianity Today and a referring blog post here (and their apparent "sister" site...?) about that shared how one congregation experienced a "large increase of traffic" because of their use of Google Adwords. Let me just put it down that any advertising, regardless of channel, will give you more traffic. That's a given. The question is whether it's worth it. The answer is a definite no, from my perspective. ... Read More

How To Build The ‘Groundswell’


by

[Image from Mick Ø] Everyone wants to build the groundswell around their blog, social media strategy and/or initiative, marketing campaign, or their programmatic buzz blitz. People spend tons of money, man hours, and "strategy sessions" to map out their roadmap to success. That's good and all. I'm all for it. Especially in ministry, we should be wise and think long term. We should have a plan and a strategy and metrics for success. But let me clue you in to the secret of creating the ... Read More

The Church Could Learn From Etsy


by

Etsy, for those who may not be familiar, is a mega online marketplace where individuals and small businesses can set up shops to sell their personal wares that are made by hand. It's raised more than $30 million in venture funding and is growing like a weed. Although there is a lot of things that have contributed to its success, it's Word of Mouth marketing strategies have made it a force to be reckoned with. Their internal survey which was recently released is a stunning proof of their unique ... Read More

A Case for The Church Blog – Some Facts


by

So, you've been thinking about creating a blog for your church but you're still in the "mix" about the "why." You've been told a thousand times over that you should by "everybody" but your leadership team needs a bit more "concrete" reasoning other than "Hey, everyone's doing it and they say it's awesome!" speech. Perhaps the chart on the left can help? What it explains are the fundamental reasons why large enterprise businesses choose to do "Social Media Marketing." Also, what their ... Read More

Couple of Design Updates


by

I'm constantly tweaking and changing the back end code to streamline the blog and make it as fast as possible. In addition, I have a nasty habit of redesigning "stuff" without any real need. I'm getting better at it though. You may have noticed a number of substantial changes that have occured on ChurchCrunch.com. I'll list them out and explain a bit: ... Read More