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I wonder what John the Baptist would say? John was one of the greatest evangelists of all time. He was a bold man that prepared the way of the Lord in a difficult time. If John lived today with our technology what would he use to communicate his message? Church Bulletins? Website? Facebook? Text? Twitter?

As bulletin editors and church administrators we are the modern day apostles spreading the Good News. There are countless ways to digitally spread information. Defining your audience will help you decide the best way to communicate. Your goal is to create a presence with media that your audience will access.

Define your presence in a digital world
If John lived with our technology would he embrace the Internet and social media with enthusiasm or would he continue speaking from his riverside pulpit. Something tells me that when he was not preaching to a live audience he would blog on his website, pick up his phone and send a tweet. And much more such as Blogs, White Papers, instagram, EBooks, Podcasts, Info graphics, Graphics, Webinars, Videos, Email Newsletters, Email Sequences, Native Ads, Sponsored Stories, Social Ads, Case Studies, Teleseminars, Photographs, Print Newsletters, Mini courses, Live seminars, Social media posts, How tos emails.

John prepared the way of the Lord
Defining your audience is the first step in directing your line of communication. The audience will help you discern what is the best way to communicate. To over simplify defining your audience you have the regular worshiper, their youth, the visitor, the Ash Wednesday, Easter and Christmas only worshiper and the Internet surfer looking for a church. Understanding whom you are trying to message will help with your choice to communicate.

Choosing the right media
It takes more than armchair analysis to know your audience but modifying your current method to include other delivery systems is your best bet. For instance, your weekly bulletin should be short blurbs with eye-catching images and bold headlines. It will get more response than lengthy articles.

For your parishioners that need more information they can access the website. After all it is available 24/7. There they can find forms, details of ministry activity, tithing, and registration, podcasts of homilies, video and much more.

Keep your website updated
There is nothing worse than having an outdated website. It shows neglect and says you don’t care. Editing the bulletin and website well is better than adding many medias and letting some fall unattended. Once the bulletin and website work in tangent then you can add another delivery mechanism such as e-newsletter or social media.

Stay in touch
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are three of the most commonly used social media sites and are a great way to keep in touch with parishioners. Most importantly social media adds another way to alert parishioners of important updates. It also can be used to post daily prays, reflections, and ministry events. Most youngsters do not read the church bulletin, but would follow the Youth Group on social media.

Hire a communication specialist
This person is blessed with writing and editing skills. They write quality articles to engage audiences while keeping continuity of tone and delivery of content. This person can store, index, retrieve and update content in your bulletin and on the website.

Do not confuse a communication specialist with a computer savvy programmer or developer those services you can hire as needed. What we are referring to is a content creator with a keen sense of marketing analysis. He understands the pastor’s style and can meet with the administrators, ministry directors and help deliver their message.

Bartleby Press has published bulletins for over 25 years and has an established reputation for delivering a quality bulletin. We are a leader developing church websites since the advent of the Internet. A service you can afford. For more information contact Bartleby Press.

About the Author:
Thomas Miner is the President of Bartleby Press, Austin. TX. Bartleby Press is a bulletin publishing company and website support service.

For more information, please visit http://www.bartlebypress.com/

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