How to market Jesus
I recently picked up Smart, Faster, Cheaper by David Garland. It got great reviews on Amazon... famous last words. ^-^
I'm just getting into it. It's essentially a modern guide to using social media for public relations. I'm trying to think through what he's saying as it might apply for pastors and churches. In the first bit I found something interesting and I'm thinking about the implications for evangelism.
He suggests that instead of trying sell a product through social media, you try to sell yourself or better yet you position yourself as a trusted resource in your area of expertise. So for example...
So what are the implications for a pastor who blogs?
(1) Share in the blog the same kind of spiritually rich advice you might give in a sermon or a counseling session. (Except for me at least the sermon starts with the Scripture and works out, but I think for the social media it has to work the other way. It has to start with whatever people in the world are feeling and then use biblical wisdom to provide guidance thereby pointing back to the Scriptures and ultimately to God.)
(2) Make it personally enough so that people feel they are sitting at your dinner table.
(3) Stop trying to sell YOUR church. Stop bragging about YOUR church. And write for the benefit of the kingdom.
So based on this... I would need to change some things about the way I blog.
I'm just getting into it. It's essentially a modern guide to using social media for public relations. I'm trying to think through what he's saying as it might apply for pastors and churches. In the first bit I found something interesting and I'm thinking about the implications for evangelism.
He suggests that instead of trying sell a product through social media, you try to sell yourself or better yet you position yourself as a trusted resource in your area of expertise. So for example...
If you are a persona trainer... you wouldn't write a blog about your buff body and how awesome your personal training sessions are; you wouldn't push people to buy, buy, buy. Instead, you'd be much better off providing fitness tips, demonstrating various routines on video, interviewing clients about their own experiences, and so forth.Now I know this works because I've fallen for it. And to the credit of the book, it makes clear this can't be a gimick. You have to be genuinely interested in helping people.
So what are the implications for a pastor who blogs?
(1) Share in the blog the same kind of spiritually rich advice you might give in a sermon or a counseling session. (Except for me at least the sermon starts with the Scripture and works out, but I think for the social media it has to work the other way. It has to start with whatever people in the world are feeling and then use biblical wisdom to provide guidance thereby pointing back to the Scriptures and ultimately to God.)
(2) Make it personally enough so that people feel they are sitting at your dinner table.
(3) Stop trying to sell YOUR church. Stop bragging about YOUR church. And write for the benefit of the kingdom.
So based on this... I would need to change some things about the way I blog.
