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Learn all the latest tips, tricks and techniques regarding social media and marketing for your business and ministry. Just the facts and not a lot of sales hype. I want your business to grow exponentially.We have a bunch of fun (a lil dancing will be required) and will have information you can apply directly to your business or ministry. Belt up it is going to be a great ride. |
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Day 2 Creating an Editorial Calendar (30 day content creation challenge)
Welcome back. I hope you guys had a wonderful day yesterday creating phenomenal content and creating schedule. Here is another quick tip for you. In order to keep track of what you want to create it is always a good idea to have an editorial calendar. It doesn’t have to be anything that’s huge or complex. It can be real simple.
One of the things that I like to do is just say
Week 1: I’m going to concentrate on social networks.
Week 2: I’m going to concentrate on technology. Etc.
You may be working on a book so your editorial calendar may look like this.
Day One: table of contents
Day Two: Finish Chapter 3
Day Three: Finish Chapter 4, etc.
The idea behind editorial calendar is not to stifle creativity but to give you some structure so that you don’t spend as much time thinking about what you want to write about, rather than what you’re going to write. (wow that was a crazy run on sentence) So below find some helpful places where you can learn about how to create a editorial calendar and we will see you on tomorrow.
Articles -
How to Create an Editorial Calendar for Your Blog – My favorite from Rod Kirby
Episode 20 – How to Create an Editorial Calendar – Podcast
How to Create a Successful Editorial Calendar ( has some great WordPress Plug-in)
For Book Writers:
How to Write a High-Quality eBook in 30 Days
J. Richard Byrd
Action Steps:
1. Create an editorial calendar for at least the next week.
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Social Media Revolution 2012 (Video)
Here is a great video that outlines the Social Media Revolution. I thought it would be great for you to see. And let’s talk about how we can help your business make the leap into Social Media.
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Twitter in Plain English
Many of my clients have asked me what is Twitter – How does it work – and why is it important. I happened to find this video on YouTube that just breaks it down in bit size pieces. I love Twitter and it reach is amazing. Here take a look and leave me your comments. our team would be more than happy to get you started and Kingdom Connected
ChurchBrand Architect
Your Urban Church Marketing Specialist
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Motivating Mondays-Fields Wicker-Miurin: Learning from leadership’s “missing manual”
Leadership doesn’t have a user’s manual, but Fields Wicker-Miurin says stories of remarkable, local leaders are the next best thing. At a TED salon in London, she shares three.
htpp://www.churchbrandarchitects.com
htpp://www.macyourministry.com
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Help Me Name My New Client Course
Help Me Name My New Client Attraction Course
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How to Make Gmail Your Ultimate Productivity Center
How to Make Gmail Your Ultimate Productivity Center
Guest Blogger Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter. used by permission from Zenhabits.com
These days there are a proliferation of digital tools we use for productivity, for time management, for communication, for social 
networking, for keeping track of our lives, online and off.
It can be a nightmare to keep track of it all, and frankly, it’s a bit unproductive to keep switching between a dozen different tools.
Enter Gmail, my favorite solution for just about anything. OK, maybe not for things like solving marital problems or spending time with my kids, but … give it time. 
It’s already pretty clear that Gmail is the best tool for email, and integrations with calendar and chat have made it the go-to place for much of our information. But Gmail Gadgets have allowed us to bring the rest of the pieces of the puzzle together. Now we can do just about everying in one place – Gmail.
Here’s how:
1. Email: Gmail is how email should be done. With great filters, you can keep your inbox fairly clean. With keyboard shortcuts, you can get through the inbox in minutes. With labels and archiving, you don’t spend time filing. With threaded conversations, your email stays organized. There are dozens of smart little innovations, from automatic contacts to a “send and archive” button and much more. If you’re not using Gmail for email yet, you should strongly consider a change.
2. To-do: Gmail only recently added a Tasks feature, something most of us have been wanting for a long time. It’s just about the simplest to-do list there is. You add a task. You check it off. You can re-order them. That’s about it. But it’s incredibly useful, because here’s the trick: you’re zooming through your inbox, and when you find an email that requires and action … you add it to the task list in Gmail. Then you archive the email, instead of leaving it in your inbox. Result: clear inbox! Cool feature: you can turn an email into a task, which means the task is linked to the email, and you can easily open the email by clicking on the task. Enable Gmail Tasks by going to Labs (in the upper right corner of Gmail). For Remember the Milk users, there’s also an RTM gadget of course.
3. Calendar. Google’s Calendar (Gcal) is hands down the fastest, easiest and best calendar I’ve used (and yes, I’ve tried iCal, Outlook, 30 Boxes and Sunbird). It just works exactly like you’d want it to work. And now it’s in Gmail’s sidebar, so you can see your events at a glance while in Gmail, and even add tasks quickly without having to go to the calendar. Also cool: Gcal, like Google Docs and Gmail (see below) now has an offline mode, so you don’t have to worry about being connected to the Internet. Enable the GCal gadget in Gmail by going to Labs.
4. Docs. Are you still using a desktop word processing or spreadsheet app? Consider switching to Google Docs & Spreadsheets, which I use exclusively now. It’s online (with offline access now), it’s simple, it opens the usual formats, and it’s so much better for collaboration. Seriously — no more emailing different version to people. Best yet, no need to sync docs between computers or carry them around on a USB flash drive. And now, with the Docs gadget in Gmail, you can open your docs from within Gmail, making it even more of a one-stop center for all your productivity and information needs. Enable the Google Docs gadget in Gmail by going to Labs (in the upper right corner of Gmail).
5. Twitter. A lot of people are finding Twitter to be an incredible place to connect with others, to find great things to read, to keep in touch with what’s happening now. But keeping your Twitter app open all the time can be unproductive. Enter Twitter Gadget, which takes seconds to install into Gmail and lets you have the most important functions of Twitter right within your all-in-one productivity center — you can see your Twitter stream, replies, direct messages, and favorites, and send out Tweets quickly. Granted, it’s not as nice and fully-functional as other great Twitter apps (Tweetdeck comes to mind), but it does the job quickly and painlessly.
6. Bookmarks. Want to look up a site you bookmarked earlier? I’ve been using the delicious gadget for Gmail, and it works pretty much as you’d expect — you can see a list of your most recent bookmarks in the Gmail sidebar. You can even see the most popular bookmarks on delicious right now, which is cool. Having your bookmarks right within Gmail is a nice feature that brings together a lot of your online life.
7. Text, voice and video chat. I use the Gmail chat for all my chat needs (which are fairly minimal), because I can do it from within Gmail. And now you can use Gmail chat for video and voice — I’ve done it, and it’s super simple and works great. With these additions, Gmail takes care of all my communication needs.
8. Social media. What about other social media you might use, such as Facebook, MySpace or Friendfeed? Put them right in Gmail with the Facebook, MySpace and Friendfeed gadgets. There are even gadgets for Digg and Flickr.
9. RSS feeds. I think Google Reader is the best RSS reader for its speed and simplicity. However, while you used to be able to add Google Reader to Gmail using a Greasemonkey script, with the newer version of Gmail that script became unusable. So what I do now is add Google Reader to my Firefox sidebar, so I can easily check my RSS feeds while in my all-in-one Gmail productivity center (only works in Firefox afaik).
10. Managing your gadgets. As you can tell, this is a lot of gadgets to add to Gmail. You can end up with a ton of gadgets running down the left side of Gmail’s window. I recommend, if you have a fairly wide monitor, that you move the labels and chat boxes to the right side. Also, you can minimize any of the gadgets with a click (there’s a minimize button at the top of each gadget), to keep things manageable. Finally, get rid of gadgets you don’t use very often, to simplify things.
11. Offline Gmail. One of the problems people use to have with Gmail is that it’s online — meaning that if you can’t connect to the Internet (if you’re on the road, on an airplane, or your connection goes down), you can’t use Gmail. Well, that’s now changed with Gmail’s offline mode — you can read, compose and organize messages while offline, which is nice.
Most Important Tip
Finally, now that you’ve set up Gmail to do everything you need it to, here’s the most important tip for staying productive: don’t keep it open all the time.
Ideally, schedule certain times to use Gmail and the other gadgets you have set up — maybe 2-3 times during the day. Or close it when you’re ready to work on an important task, and then open it when you’re done with the task, but only for 10 minutes. Find what works for you, but set your limits and stick to them!
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New Facebook Pofile And Timeline (Sneak Peak)
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Branding: The next level in effective church communication.
By Richard L Reising
What is branding? Take a piece of iron, shape it through fire and toil and place it on the raw flesh of an animal. That’s branding. It’s a pretty painful process. So is branding your church. However, in both cases, it leaves an indelible impression that deepens a sense of belonging and sets one apart.
I can hear the shrieks of horror. I know, I actually said “church” and “branding” in the same sentence. If you think marketing is a controversial word in the church world, try talking about branding. The reality is that branding is critical for your church. A well-branded church is one that is current and attractive, where people are proud to attend, where they feel connected and they see the vision clearly. Modern branding is not just about slapping a logo on something; it’s about making the vision plain for all to see. It demonstrates a sense of who you are and where you are going as a church. The pure essence of branding is communicating the essence of who you are in all you do.
Allow me a moment to dispel the concept of branding and break it down. What is a brand? To the person outside the organization, it is the perception of what the organization stands for and is all about. We trust the name, Dell. We feel safe in a Volvo. We feel hip if we have an iPod. We believe in the longevity of Craftsmen tools. A brand has meaning. A well executed brand has the precise meaning that the organization desires us to embrace.
In a similar way, all churches have their own brands whether they know it or not. Some are appealing and some are repugnant. Church “A” might be the church where all the upper-class people go. Church “B” is that “seeker church” that does not go very deep. Church “C” is that flamboyant church where the services last for three hours. Every church has a brand—every church has a vibe within its community. What are some of the “brands” of church in the community around you? What is your brand? Are you communicating it effectively? You might say that a church that no one knows about is without a brand—nope, its Church “D”—the church that no one knows about. (Be leery of that one!)
So if a brand is how you are perceived, then just what is branding? It is the use of design and communications consistency over time to create a deliberate impression. Design plays a part; architecture plays a part; communications play a part; and church culture plays a part. If you are being strategic, the line between who you are as a church and your target audience becomes the plumb line for your communication and your brand.
To be effective with branding you have to integrate your look and your message into every touch point you have with people. Go to your local Cadillac dealership, soak in the atmosphere and then grab every brochure you can find. Now, go to a Saturn dealership and do the same. Guess what? Cadillac stuff looks and feels like Cadillac stuff and not like Saturn stuff. Now go one step further… Go into your church and pretend you were seeing it for the first time—grab all of your handouts, fliers, bulletins and brochures. What story do they tell about you? What about your signage, your website, your foyer? What message are you consistently sending? Is it cohesive or is it hodge-podge. Wondering why no one knows what to think about you and you struggle to get people to follow the vision? You have to make it plain when you set it before their eyes (Habakkuk 2:2).
Why then, do we have six different logos and fourteen different layouts and six paper types and nine color schemes? Why is our website outdated and unrelated to everything else. Do we not realize how much time and money we would save if we just chose “our style” and “our logo” and stick with it? Why are we re-inventing the wheel over and over?
One of the reasons branding is not utilized in the church is because it forces us to take a determined stance on who we are. It is risky. Branding is essentially a highly concentrated use of communication. It has only one downside. To the extent a well-crafted brand can assist in growth, an un-strategic or even poorly aimed brand can keep people away and even disassociate your members. I’ve seen it happen!
So how do you create a branding strategy and ultimately a brand that is truly effective? This is a portion of the process we walk through with churches as we help them to establish a branding strategy.
First, become determined. Branding does not just happen. It will require a major commitment. It takes setting your sails hard. It requires a sense of integrity (consistency). It requires knowing who you are and who you are trying to reach. It requires making decisions with short and long term goals in tact.
Second, make sure you connect. If you are not achieving at least a 10% growth rate before you start your branding initiatives, you might have issues with connecting. If your members are not actively inviting people, or visitors are not staying, there are reasons why that have nothing to do with design. Advertising and branding will not help a church in this position; it will only expose the disconnection between you and the outside world—causing visitors not to return and to tell all their friends to avoid your church.
Third, renew a commitment to the lost in your community. You start with who you are trying to reach. What do they think about you church? If you want to affect what they think, you have to know it. What are there needs—perceived and real? Where do they shop? What do they eat? What do they wear? What are their challenges and their successes? You need demographic information on them, but it won’t suffice. You actually have to learn their lifestyles well enough to “become as one” as Paul challenges us to (1 Corinthians 9:20).
Fourth, know your strengths and your weaknesses. Remember, man looks on the outside. If you do not take stock in what you have been showing people—the good and the bad, you will not know the basis for how to connect with people. This means knowing who you are most adept at reaching in this season of your church. This is not being “exclusive”. Be like Paul. He was “all things to all people”, but he was also the “Apostle unto the Gentiles”. Know when to be broad in your reach, and know when to communicate to the red hot center of those with whom you have influence.
Fifth, connect the dots. The successful brand for you lies on the bridge between who you are as a church and the people you are called to reach. Make sure your communication does not abandon who you have been. You need to hold the hand of yesterday while you reach out for tomorrow. If you don’t, you will disassociate your congregation and confuse those around you.
Sixth, gain an external perspective. You will be more accurate if you enlist third party assistance in determining your branding strategy. Why? “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). God and the precious believers around know our hearts—but the outside world does not—it is their very nature to look on the outside. What this means is that it is nearly impossible to self evaluate how people see you. You are too close to the action. You see your intentions; they only see your follow-through. To look at your church “on the outside”, you need the help of outsiders.
Whether you realize it or not, your church’s marketing materials tell a story. They are windows into your culture and tell us what you value. They are not always read, but they are always evaluated. Are your materials telling the story that is on your heart? Are they conveying the experience with excellence? Are they relevant to me as an outsider? What do they communicate to the unchurched? The mischurched? The member? The staff? What do they say about you? Is it consistent? Do you really know who you are and who you are called to reach? Do you know what to tell them? Are you doing it in everything you do? Define it. Design it. Train it. Maintain it.
Article by Richard Reising
Richard Reising is the author of ChurchMarketing 101: Preparing Your Church for Greater Growth (Baker Books). Reising is a recognized authority on church marketing and branding and the founder and president of the Dallas-based Artistry Marketing Concepts, an organization that helps churches and ministries make wise use of marketing, design, and technology. He has helped hundreds of ministries in the United States and worldwide through speaking engagements and training seminars.
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Coffee Shop Community: Small Groups at Starbucks
Courtesy of DN C
God seems to be directing a lot of Christians to coffee shops so they can make Jesus famous. The latest statistics are showing that millions of people meet in coffee shops for “spiritual conversations” on a weekly basis. Many of these people will never come to church or an in-house small group meeting. This pre-existing audience in need of Jesus is almost untouched. The groups are already there discussing various belief systems, not necessarily Christianity. Many of these groups are mixed groups made up of agnostics, atheists, Muslims, Buddhists, and people who are simply apathetic about any belief system at all.
Joining or starting of group of this nature will allow an individual to insert the name of Jesus into the conversation as well as sharing the Word of God with the group.
If you decide to start of group of this type you may be wondering how to recruit people to join you… a few ideas:
- Simply ask the coffee shop if you can put up an announcement telling what day and time. They will most likely be excited about this as you are bringing consistent business to them.
- Invite friends from work, people you meet at the grocery store, neighbors of yours, etc…, anyone who you start a conversation with and you sense a chemistry with them. That sense of oneness may well be from God.
- If you are near condominiums or an apartment building go door to door and place a personal letter from you under the doors of people living in the complex. The letter should be written in very personal language inviting people into the conversation. Don’t give your address though. This could be dangerous. And, if possible, follow-up by going door to door asking people if they got your letter and seeing if they’d like to join you. It would be best if you didn’t go into the apartment or condo even if invited until you know the persons you are talking with.
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Promoting Your Faith Based Venue with Guest Larnel Satchell (aka Kaptn Prayze)
Hey we interviewed Larnel Satchell from LAS Productions (the leading faith based concert promoter in New England) today on our Urban Brand Radio Show. This is the first part of a multi part series we will be conducting with Larnel. Larnel discussed some of the in and outs of properly promoting concerts and events in the faith based community. Definately a must. click the link below or go to our radio page for other interviews.
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