A Powerful Thing
Zig Ziglar famously said, “In many ways, effective communication begins with mutual respect that inspires and encourages others to do their best.”
The power of communication is a big, interesting, important topic. And while many of the things we do to communicate are simple in practice, they can have long lasting effects on our relationships. The challenge churches face is walking out individual member engagement, is the magnitude of walking out individual church member engagement with hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of individual people.
Sundays have, let’s face it, a pretty good reason for getting so much attention from the people who plan out a church growth strategy. But limiting communication to just “in person,” from the stage, on Sundays is an approach unlikely to bring in new members, deepen weekday interactions or spread the gospel message very far beyond the building.
Limiting communication to just “in person,” from the stage, on Sundays is an approach unlikely to bring in new members.
Fear not- there are some simple things you can put into practice digitally that will reinforce church member engagement and allow you to have those micro conversations with your members. And when you do, it will reinforce your respect and consideration of them. It sounds basic, but by building out trust in small things, people desire help and input in big things.
If you feel like you might be a little late to the game with focusing on your church’s communication tech stack, you’re not alone. For varying reasons, many have hesitated to adopt successful church engagement in the digital age. The good news is: it’s never too late to get started and there’s new solutions popping up that tackle the challenge of church member engagement from companies like The StudioC.
Let’s jump into 3 ways to communicate with your congregation during the week.
1. Literally, Just Repeat Yourself
At face value, the phrase, “literally, just repeat yourself” doesn’t sound like a successful church engagement strategy, but consider this…
In all the distractions in our daily lives, it’s easy to think of our phones as a constantly beeping gadget in our pocket. But in truth, Americans rely on technology for remembering essential daily tasks more than ever. From calendar apps to note taking software, being reminded of our schedules is a major player in why technology has become such a huge part of our lives.
It’s simple, but taking the weight off of having to remember a date or event can have an incredibly positive effect on someone’s emotional health.
Taking the weight off of having to remember a date or event can have an incredibly positive effect on someone’s emotional health.
But why let the phones have all the glory? If you utilize personal reminders as part of your free church marketing, your visitors and members are not only more likely to remember and take action to show up, they’ll also appreciate you for reminding them.
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2. It was… William, right?
Have you ever been in that awkward situation when someone called you by the wrong name? Of course you have – we all have! It’s not exactly a great feeling for either party involved, but it’s usually pretty easily shaken off as long as it doesn’t happen every time you see them.
Remembering someone’s personal details is so basic, we tend to do our best to at least remember their names. Fortunately, those handy dandy computers we’ve got everywhere remember a whole lot more than that for us!
Take the time to build in basic, personalized outreach as part of your church marketing plan with simple messages for things like birthdays, wedding anniversary or even the passing of a loved one. It’s a fantastic way to show someone how significant their memories are to you.
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3. Be You
If you’re not used to it, sharing personal details that feel off topic from what you “usually” talk about can be about as comfortable as when the nurse says, “Now just relax…” right before they draw blood.
But remembering that you are more than your job (yep – even you, pastors), is actually a really liberating thing. You matter even outside of your deep, theological opinions. I’ll bet you have a favorite brand of spaghetti sauce and an opinion on what’s utterly captivating right now on Netflix.
Don’t discount the things about you and your staff that make you silly, personable, regular ‘ol weirdos
Don’t discount the things about you and your staff that make you silly, personable, regular ‘ol weirdos and share them in funny stories and messages via email or your church’s mobile app. Letting your members get to know church staff and administration for their light hearted, day to day quirks reminds them that their church is made up of more than just “Sunday” people and that the relationship their church wants with them is more than just a “Sunday” relationship too.
What you do says more than you may realize
Saying the simple stuff might convey more than you realize. The use of a reminder email or “Happy Birthday, Jamie!” as part of your church marketing plan might sound insignificant, but the act of offering the reminder might actually brighten someone’s day or help decrease their stress. When you give someone a giggle that also makes them feel closer to you in their shared preference for Marinara over Vodka sauce on your spaghetti, you reinforce their importance in just being who they are.
Making sure people get the message “You are important” is a pretty important thing, which is why taking the steps that get the message delivered is too.
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