CONNECT

Diving into Text Messaging

 

Another fantastically fun session I had fun leading on Thursday. There was free candy galore on the seats, [prior experiments of hurling candy into the audience proved dangerous given my complete ineptness with hand-eye coordination] and great questions on how texting is being used in church.

Slides are available::

Download Diving_into_Texting_Echo_SLIDES_09

But do yourself a favor and get the complete scoop with Tim Schraeder's notes. [Yes, again. He's amazing & could seriously have a smokin' side biz for speakers... but let's keep that a secret]

Thanks again to all who participated & if you'd like to read more about churches texting check out Jarbyco or email Mike@Jarbyco.com

Leveraging Social Media in Ministry

This was an insanely fun breakout. Cynthia & I explored the landscape of social media and how it can be used to help churches connect with people more effectively. She's just brilliant & it was such a joy to tag team with her.

Participants texted in questions [courtesy of Jarbyco] & we had a blast. If you missed it but want to feel like you were there, check out Tim Schraeder's recap. [I'm pretty sure his notes were posted as we were walking off stage. The man has a gift, friends]

**AND** as promised,here are the slides which are a nice side dish to Tim's notes.

Download Echo_social_media_SLIDES_09

Thanks to everyone who participated! [and to Tim for the slick title graphics]

Cultivate Conference '09

A gathering of mavericks in ministry communication is convening at the end of this October. And registration is officially open. [after registering, your Twitter avatar will show up in the "who's in" section]

The facilitators vary in the focus of their expertise--some from the marketplace, some from ministry--but everyone has been carefully selected because of their impact and heart to make a difference.

We'll be highlighting their backgrounds in the weeks to come, but in the meantime here are just a few that I'd like to introduce you to:

Matt Knisely is a multi Emmy® award-winning Photojournalist and Storyteller focusing on social-awareness campaigns with non-profits around the globe.

He served as director of photojournalism for FOX Minneapolis and made it one of the best stations in the country for television photography and visual product. His work has been featured on the BBC, NBC, ABC, and FOX News Channel and he has received the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award in electronic journalism.

Clint! Runge is the co-founder and creative director of Archrival, a distinguished mid west youth brand strategy and design firm.

He's served a diverse roster of clients that include Red Bull, SPAM, Walgreens and Microsoft and has a reputation for winning numerous national gold ADDY'S, Art Directors Club, Young Guns, AIGA awards and One Show appearances including multiple One Show Pencils. His work has also been featured in publications like Communication Arts, HOW, Print, Graphis, STEP and the One Show Book. Runge teaches at the University of Nebraska in the advertising and architecture colleges.

 
Phil Cooke is considered one of the most insightful resources on issues of faith, culture, and media. His production and consulting company: "Cooke Pictures," works specifically with non-profit and religious clients, and as a founding partner in the commercial production company "TWC Films," he also produces national advertising for some of the largest companies in the country - giving him a unique perspective on both religious and secular media issues.

His online blog at philcooke.com features insight into issues of media and faith, and his book: Branding Faith: Why Some Churches and Non-Profits Impact the Culture and Others Don't is changing the way non-profit and religious organizations use the media to tell their story. He's lectured at universities like Yale, University of California at Berkeley, UCLA, and is an adjunct professor at the King's College & Seminary, and Biola University in Los Angeles.

And there's more to come... some focus in ministry, some are social entrepreneurs... all want to help others tell their stories more effectively.

Seriously--you won't want to miss this.

Let's Hear it for the Little Guy :: #Tribes

 Welcome to Day 8 of the Tribes group blogging festivities, initiated by John Saddington. I'll be focusing on pages 35-39, which deals with initiative, leverage, followings, factories, and my favorite--Innovation. (Which I believe it's at the heart of it all.)

What I love about innovation--the power of an idea--is it can come from anywhere. It's not dependent on what you've done before, your talents or bank account size. In fact, too much of any of these things can actually inhibit the process. That's why I'm a huge cheerleader for the little guys.

The little guys are typically the ones to challenge the status quo. They don't have the resources to do it the way it's "supposed" to be done. (Or they're fortunate enough not to know any better.) 

Large established organizations are frequently boxed in [perhaps self-contained?] by this type of thinking. There's too much at risk to try something new. The stakes might be too high with much to potentially lose. The early days of Southwest Airlines was a brilliant example of challenging the status quo. They refused to hire industry professionals who knew how it was "supposed" to be done. They were masters at asking, "What if".

"What if we standardize our planes to make servicing them easier? What if we could turn them around in 10 mins instead of 40? What if we focused regionally? What if the flight attendants had fun with the passengers?"

They changed the game.

Little guys are nimble enough to shift gears if something isn't working. They're forced to get creative when solving problems because throwing more money or people at it isn't an option. They cast vision and create passionate tribes that are crazy enough to realize they just might be able to make a difference.

This is one of the reasons why I love church planters so much. They're entrepreneurs. Underdogs. Ministry MacGyvers, if you will.

"[You have] ... everything you need to build something far bigger than yourself. The people around you realize this, and they are ready to follow if you're ready to lead." -Seth Godin

The challenge is to maintain this mindset as the organization begins to mature. Marketplace companies have R&D labs; what about the Church? This is something we need to be intentional about because it's inevitable. Once we discover something that works, we systematize it. So what are we doing to overcome the Factory mindset that is inherent with larger organizations?

Fellow Triiiber, Eric Murrell did a fantastic job painting a picture of the unfortunate results in his post of an organization consumed by the Factory mindset:

"The lack of enthusiasm was even evident from the demeanor in the break room; instead of discussing the latest technologies and wildly daydreaming about it’s implications on our field, folks sat around passively drinking their coffee and checking the clock to see how much time remained before they could escape their fluorescent prisons."

How many churches does this describe today?

My take away from this section is that innovation is born out of initiative, which leads to increased leverage and a following. Factories can be the unfortunate byproduct of success that cripples future growth if not handled with care. True, efficiencies can be fantastic but at what cost?

*Tribes banner courtesy of Media Salt

"Can" versus "Should"

Lots of people are talking about Starbucks' recent entry into the instant coffee market. The packaging & roll-out is slick, and apparently it tastes really good.

But just because we can do something, should we?

One of the key issues I run into when working with clients is the challenge of focus. Sure you may be able to execute a fantastic youth program, red-headed quilters' group or coffee bar. It might be making an impact and even change some people's lives.

But if it splinters the core of your unique positioning, you'll dilute the essence of who you are in the long run.

When times get tough, it can be tempting to start grasping at straws that reach outside your sweet spot.

Starbucks used to have one of the strongest brand positions on the block. But unfortunately a series of eclectic choices have left people wondering who they really are anymore.

If you don't understand an organization's identity, it's hard to apply their value proposition to your own needs.

How often do we do this in the ministry space?

Know When to Say When

Lately, it's been crunch time for me... literally. When I have a ton of deliverables I'm stressing about working on it helps to have hard candy to gnaw on. Today was of the chocolate persuasion & a kind soul gifted me with some peanut M&M's, which usually I love.

Although it seems these particular M&M's were Indiana Jones-themed in some pretty horrific colors of baby poop, dark brown, and a few accent red & yellows. Who wants baby poop and dark brown M&M's? I mean, a few browns mixed in with bright bold orange, green, red & blues is okay. But this is going too far. I'm a visual person. Part of the fun of eating this particular bent of chocolately goodness is the happy colors.

Someone in product development needed to pull aside the brand manager and say, "Psst--Seriously? Do these look yummy to you?"

Some brands are just not meant to be extended into some channels. I recently read Sears is teaming up with MTV to attract teens. Will this make MTV more or less cool?

Likewise, who you align with also needs to be a fit. If it's not enhancing your core, don't do it just because it's possible.

Lesson in Customer Service

What is the purpose of a reward program?

Some say to increase customer loyalty. Others want to show their appreciation for their best customers. And some probably think it's just a great marketing tactic.

So why would lots of money, time and energy be invested in these programs only to have service reps point to policy manuals with a no-can-do attitude? All that work quickly unravels when the organization frustrates [or even angers] their most precious audience [loyal advocates] they've worked so hard to win over.

During my high travel seasons, it's not uncommon for me to fly every week... all through United Airlines. [lots of miles & upgrade certificates piled up] But I ran into some problems trying to upgrade my 13 yr old daughter's one-way ticket using my "rewards." I escalated the call to speak with a supervisor. Surely, they'd understand the reason the reason I wanted her upgraded was because she was flying solo & it was her second time flying. Apparently, this can't be done unless I'm on the flight as well. [Which defeats the purpose of the upgrade]

It gets better. The attitude of the supervisor was unbelievable. Snotty, condescending, "How dare I make such a ridiculous request" tonality and just kept pointing to the blanket, no-exceptions policy for how members are allowed to be rewarded. [Felt more like a punishment than a reward]

It seems the role of a supervisor would be to assess the situation and make a judgment call. If an organization's policy doesn't allow for this, why employ supervisors?

Reward programs should do just that. Reward your audience & encourage their continued loyalty to your organization. Ministry or marketplace--how are we encouraging people to be even more involved and more committed to our organizations?

If we're not delivering on that assumption, [or worse, turning people against us] why bother?

Hurdles or Open Doors?

How easy is it for your "customers" to go deeper in their relationship with your organization? Are opportunities to get even more involved and committed intentionally accessible? Not just the get-'em-in-the-door type of intentional, but what about for those already on board?

I just spent [versus invested] a pretty painful amount of time trying to upgrade my Comcast subscription. No dice through my online account [which should have giant "upgrade today" buttons, but alas, no], so I bit the bullet and called the 800 number. Got halfway through the endless prompts aaaand had my call dropped. Tried again, waded through more prompts, sat on hold & finally connected to a service representative. She was friendly and got me set up, at which point the Internet in my bundled service immediately goes down. More teleprompts & disconnected calls.. lather, rinse, repeat. I was so sorry I tried to upgrade.

Contrast this experience to one with a Sirius telemarketer who called earlier today:: I had a 3 month subscription that came with my car and over those few months I came to the conclusion I couldn't live without an All Blues All the Time station ever again. I'm not a big fan of telemarketers in general, but they already had my attention, called when my free subscription was nearly up and made it easy for me to take it the next level. The whole thing took about 5 minutes. No interruption in what I already had, no pain.

"So, Dawn," you say, "enough with the whining. How does this have anything to do with me?"

The best customers are the ones you already have. And they help find new people for you when they become raving fans, which typically happens when the organization invests in them. This can come in flavors like an easy to navigate web site, customer service that goes a little bit further than expected, making exceptions to the "rules" when it makes sense... you get the picture.

And yes, this absolutely applies to churches. Every time someone steps forward to volunteer, get involved with a small group, sign their child up for MOPS, participate in a class, etc., let's ask ourselves, "Did we make that easy or hard for them?" Or better yet, let's ask them.

What Does an Engaged Consumer Look Like in Your Church?

I read a great article this morning by Laurie Sullivan of Marketing Daily that highlights the key points of a new report unveiled by Forrester Research at a forum in LA. Lots of juicy stuff for mavericks in ministry--highly recommend taking the time to read the whole thing. But here's a couple of key points that really jumped out to me as they relate to churches:

Marketers have lost control of what consumers say about brands, and "many have begun to realize they never had control in the first place,"  

While many of us already know that, this next quote was even more interesting

'After consumers discover and evaluate products, marketers typically move on to sell to someone else. Now, analysts like Haven say, it's not enough. While the four "I" metrics provide insight into why consumers buy products, marketing professionals must also understand what happens after the sale, so they can assure the consumer has a positive relationship with brands and products from cradle to grave.'

First, what brands truly serve people from "cradle to grave" other than the church? If the marketplace is thinking about this, it seems we really should be joining the conversation. (okay, off the soapbox)

How often do we as churches focus on getting people in the door, but neglect to check in as the relationship progresses? I'm not talking about spiritual growth.. (which is always a good thing to be developing) I'm speaking from an engagement point of view. How engaged are people with your church? Is it increasing? Decreasing? What does that even look like?

The study highlights four "I" concepts: (there may be no "I" in team, but there's four in "engagement") I've italicized some additional thoughts as they relate to ministry growth

•   "Involvement" tracks site visitors, time spent, page views and more through software & stats
  I think we can also take this a step further by looking at small group involvement, length & frequency of volunteer opportunities, spiritual development and weekend/midweek participation

• "Interaction" measures the contributions to blogs, purchases made, or upload a photo or video.
  Or consistency of tithing... in the ministry and nonprofit space, I think Involvement & Interaction can be combined or at least interchanged, (another "I" word) as the depth of interaction typically equates the level of involvement

• "Intimacy" tries to understand consumer attitudes, perception, and feelings about a brand through surveys.. Or periodic focus groups. Or first impression info cards

• "Influence" measures the likelihood that consumers will recommend or advocate products or brands. People who are new to your church (as well as Christianity in general) tend to be your biggest raving fans & want everyone to know about the impact that's been made in their lives. Do you know who they are? How are you equipping them to get the message out?

Haven's final point in the article explains engaged consumers will look different in different organizations. And they key is to define what that looks like for you & develop metrics to track progress. (The full study, "Measure of Engagement" is set to publish this May)

Revolutionary Thinking

Ok, I just got off a conference call with Seth Godin about the new revolution we're finding ourselves in. Call it a information, media, social revolution... whatever. The world we live and market in has changed.

Appealing to the masses used to be a strategy that equaled success.

• Control the story
• Push it to as many as possible in the hope a few would be interested & engage
  • (TV advertising, direct mail, telemarketing, food samples in grocery stores.. you get the picture)
• Create products that have been watered down to the lowest common denominator with the intent of having the broadest appeal

Things have changed.

Not one consumer brand in the last 10 years has been built using these methods, (examples include Starbucks, JetBlue, Google) .. and yes, churches are a consumer-driven brand structure.

This isn't about just layering social media tactics or new marketing techniques on top of what we're already doing, but adapting HOW we do WHAT we do so our organizations can thrive and reach people more effectively.
(*note: not just "reach more people" but "reach people more effectively")

In the call, 14 emerging trends were discussed in Seth's latest book, Meatball Sundaes but I want to highlight six here with a bit of adaptation as they specifically relate to ministry.

1. The right to be heard needs to be earned
   1. Not everyone cares what we have to say, so find the ones that do
      
2. Their voice is powerful
   1. All "customers" are capable of amplifying good and bad news. It's not just reporters that have the power to control what's newsworthy. Many churches have a point person to deal with PR and the media... how does that look today or tomorrow?
      
3. We need to tell stories
   1. We can't control how we "market" ourselves anymore.. it's no longer a one-way conversation.
   2. People like, believe and tell stories--it brings who we are on a personal level that's much more meaningful than an "About Us" section
   3. These stories need to be true. The viral effect has made transparency more critical than ever before. If the experience doesn't live up to who we say we are, it'll be discovered quickly.
      
4. Time management is key
   1. ...of their time, not ours. Google & Amazon have changed people's expectations. People will not tolerate endless clicks to find information on your website, or layers of people to get plugged in to a volunteer opportunity
   2. This is not about doing things faster, but reorganizing what's important (to them) to streamline the process & git r done
      
5. Learn from Google
   1. We can't control the path to entry any longer. The homepage or weekend service aren't necessarily the first interaction people will have with our church. Their first impression may be through a small group, serving opportunity, podcast or Facebook link. Is the story and experience consistent?
      
      
6. Learn from PayPal
   1. How can we connect people to each other & remove the organizational structure of the church when it makes sense?
   2. Granger created an online "swap" section where members can trade services, information & just stuff amongst themselves without needing to go through staff. Seacoast created a tool for folks to search & get plugged into a small group. Fostering community & relationships organically makes sense and is effective

Lots of "things that make ya go hmm...."