"Partnering with Insight, Delivering Ideas for Increase"
The latest internet buzz offers some real opportunities for ministries, but only if used correctly. The Pew Research Center reported that 11% of online American adults said they used a service like Twitter — and that was last December. Adults ages 18 to 34 dominated the survey with 20% reporting usage. Celebrities and politicians boast the most followers, but ordinary people also “tweet” with varying levels of success.
Here are some guidelines to consider if you want to use Twitter:
Know your audience. You can only communicate effectively when you understand who you reach, whether they are donors, Bible study participants or church volunteers. Segment your targeted audiences into appropriate groups so that you know who you’re engaging. Remember Twitter is niche marketing limited by using only 140 characters, mainly targeted to mobile users.
Make the message count. Don’t “tweet” just for the sake of “tweeting.” The fastest way to lose followers is to abuse their trust by sending them boring, irrelevant or unnecessary information. Every message should have value and only enhance your Ministry Brand.
Allow feedback. Don’t look at Twitter as a one-way sounding board. It can only be sustained over time when you engage in dialogue.
Be careful what you say. As a few visible people have recently discovered, the casual atmosphere of Twitter does not mean your messages can be poorly worded or ill-conceived. The internet is almost as permanent as ink, but travels at 100 times the speed, and can be forwarded. So say what you mean to say and only say what you want the whole world to read.
Twitter is a great opportunity to go vertical with your ministry’s niche marketing and communicates instant information. But it can also be an exercise in futility if executed poorly. So before you “tweet,” draw up a 360 degree marketing strategy and stick to the plan.
If you don’t know what a 360 degree marketing plan is, then contact BMCFerrell today, and let us help formulate a plan that can blend traditional marketing with the latest digital marketing opportunities.