You can’t ignore the power of your website or blog. It is the first thing that most people check out before visiting your congregation. It is also a place where your existing members go to find important information or read inspiring posts.
Updating a blog or a site may seem daunting and time consuming, but it is well worth the effort to add more than your location, worship times, staff bios and the calendar of events. If you want visitors to check out your congregation you MUST keep the content relevant, inspiring and engaging — perhaps a bit edgy.
Here are five simple ways to freshen up your existing content:
- Know what’s popular, needed and what people want. This means paying attention to your analytics. See where your visitors are heading; find out what attracts your members. For instance, Google Analytics will give you fresh insights into how visitors use your site, where they came from and how you can keep them coming back.
- Edit and proofread! It is essential to reread your blog posts and webpages. Check for clarity, spelling and grammar. Most importantly, keep it simple. If you can say something with less words, do it. Brevity is the key to the benefit plan.
- Make it interesting by interviewing real live people, such as a member of the youth group who recently returned from a service trip. Consider drafting questions for response by email. This will give the interviewee some time to think of their answers, giving you a focused and concise response. You can then craft the responses into a blog post or a short story for your website.
- People are always interested in reviews of movies or books. Try your hand at writing about your reaction to a movie — how Christianity ties into it or not. Have you read a new book? Why not review it?
- Ask your audience what they would like to find on your website or blog. You might be surprised by their answers. Facebook has a free polling section or you might want to look into using Survey Monkey. While you are asking, you can also find out what members think about your ministries.
You might also want to read:
The Ten Commandments for congregational websites
Which mat is at your door?
Social media sparks a new worshiping community
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