Communication strategies(Shhhh. It’s evangelism)

We are commanded to go and tell the others.

Mark 16 Jesus Has Risen

6 “Don’t be alarmed,” the angel said. “You are looking for Jesus the

Nazarene,who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the

place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell the others, ‘He is going ahead

of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

Why communicate? Because . . .

Christ has no online presence but yoursNo blog, no Facebook page but yours,Yours are the tweets through which Love touches the world,Yours are the posts through which the Gospel is shared,Yours are the updates through which Hope is revealed.Christ has no online presence but yours,No blog, no Facebook page but yours. Saint Teresa of Avila (adapted by Meredith Gould, 2010)

We don’t live in a vacuum

We do not live and move and have our being in a vacuum, nor do our websites or social media platforms.

People googled “What do Episcopalians Believe?” The result?

And then Wikipedia and then this:

The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth

We come up third beneath The Episcopal Church and Wikipedia. Not bad SEO. If these 2000 people had come to your website, what would they have found?

Google rules us all

Google searches

Google maps

Claim your Google listingThis blog post https://bit.ly/2PBpBOd will show you how. But WHY?

Simple things to change:

● Clear exterior photo (preferably with sign visible), clear interior photos● Description, hours, respond to reviews● Statistics, so you can see what people respond to● Users - at least 2 from your parish, and possibly one from the diocesan office

You can do this!Google your church. Is your listing claimed?

If not, first, click ‘suggest an edit’ and add an email address for the church. This will make the verification step easier.

Then, come back a bit later to click ‘Own this business?’

Start customizing to make yourselves easier to find

The goal for y’all?

Develop and execute comprehensive communication plan/strategy for both internal and external contact (to include forming and sustaining a volunteer communications working committee)

Five things a parish can do1. Maintain/update website & social media – make sure you make it easy for people to find where you are, when your worship services are, and how to contact you.

Make sure your website serves outsiders with truth & welcome, plus insiders with details of activities. Write for the people not yet in your pews, NEVER for insiders,who generally presume too much. Email on your domain, not cobbled together at att.net or gmail.com. This affects perception. Practical too so assets do not get lost. Have a Calendar that people can trust. Make your calendar the authoritative source for what’s happening in your congregation. Have many photos of everyday church, with captions/descriptions, shared on web & social media. Show what your church really looks like.

2. Email news sent weekly, able to be read on a phone. No pdfs ever. Email and web both have all the details; can link email to web for ONE version of truth.

3. Build and maintain relationships within the community making up your geographic parish to ensure your voice is part of the ensemble in the beloved community that composes your immediate neighborhood

4. Cover or arrange for coverage of parish events (making sure, for example, that photos will be taken.) This is the material you need to post on websites, put in press releases, print in parish newsletters, hang on parish bulletin boards, incorporate into flyers and mailings. Cell phones have cameras now that are better than most camera people own. Encourage people to use them.Create and oversee maintenance of an organized filing system for photographs of previous parish events, clergy, etc.

5. External communications: publicizing parish events, particularly to local media.

Start with strategy (audience, goals, messages).Then tactics (when, where) Then choose tools. Start with the WHY, then go to the HOW

A good communication strategy comes from a deep knowledge of your target audience. For instance, you might want better serve the needs of the neighborhood around your church, or to grow a specific ministry in some way.

Creating a communications team

If you don’t have a communications team, Jesus has already shown us how to create one. He sent evangelism teams out two by two to spread the Good News. That’s all you need, at least two people willing to take on the job. You need more than one person so that more than one person can access your website, your Facebook page, your Twitter account and your Instagram account.Make sure your communications team gives input into your strategy. They have to own it and consistently uphold it.

Tactics (when, where) or initiatives work together with strategy

Write down your tactics: ● “Connect all the people interested in our church with the worship,

education, service and fellowship activities of our congregation.”● “Empower our people to speak with certainty about the welcome

of our church.”● “Show the people of our church engaging with worship and with

each other”Brainstorm a list of these. Write them down. Share them.

What tools may your strategy involve?

Of course, it’s never about the tools - it’s always about how you use them. That’s why we brought up strategy and tactics first. But these are tools to consider:

● Verbal announcements by trusted church leaders - always must be on point and not undermine strategy

● Ditto on printed things● Website● Email

○ Domain email○ Email marketing

● Social media○ Facebook○ Instagram

Embrace the evangelism opportunities now. You have a new audience (already)

● What do they perceive about you? ● What messages will they find? ● How can you reach them? ● Will your current communications strategy actually work to a

bunch of new folks? Get ready to serve an expanded, changed audience who doesn’t know or necessarily love you.

You’ll need… ● Consistent, clear messaging accessible to everyone● People may need a new vocabulary - speak

English instead of Episcospeak. Talk about worship, not Holy Eucharist.

● People need ways to share & evangelize

Email Marketing● MailChimp, Constant Contact are 2 notable providers● We recommend email marketing vs. a mass member email from a

single email address● Compose attractive, compelling email compliant with marketing

standards. ● Offer email subscription to grow your lists & your reach

Things to consider about email -Domain Email at your church’s website domain

● Does your email LOOK like it comes from your church (same domain as your website)? Branding matters.

● Use church email, not personal email, for church business. Accounts held in personal email accounts can’t be accessed by the church.

● Can you get in to your domain managed email to change passwords, add email?

Website basics

● Can your team (2x2) change it quickly? Do you know how to reach them quickly by cell, etc?

● Do multiple people (2x2) have login and account information for○ Your website domain○ Your website host○ Your website content

● Multiple people with access & how-to knowledge future-proofs your church communications & protects these valuable assets

Social media

Taking photos with your phone? Clean the lens

Dirty lens = cloudy photos

Oils and dirt diffuse light entering the lens.

Clean with a microfiber cloth (or a clean part of your shirt - but clothing fibers can scratch the lens)

Rule

Of

Three

Grid

Find a steady support

For a lot of mobile photos, a steady hand is crucial—particularly in low light situations. You can buy mobile tripods if you want to get the best results, but it’s just another thing to carry around. If you don’t have a tripod then use something else to keep your phone steady: a wall, a table, a mantelpiece. The self-timer in the camera apps for Android and iOS can help too, letting you leave your phone up on a shelf somewhere without having to get behind it.

Change your focus

Whether you use an iPhone or an Android device, you can tap the screen anywhere to change the focus of the shot. This will also change the exposure level to match the spot you’ve selected, so it’s a handy way of brightening a darker area (or dimming a light one). Those of you with iPhones can tap and hold to lock the focus and exposure, so it stays fixed even if the phone then moves, or tap, hold, and drag up or down to manually change the exposure level yourself. You’ll see a small sun icon showing the changes.

Pay attention to lighting

Often light sources are more or less out of your control. So take advantage of the light you have. Make sure that the primary source of light, whether it’s the sun or a lightbulb, is behind you, shining on the subject of the photo. Try viewing the subject from different angles as well - the light hitting the side of a person’s face can result in a very different portrait than if the lighting is hitting the front of their face.

Avoid using flash

In general, using the flash on your phone tends to make your photos worse than if you go without it. The flash can produce glowing eyes or overly-lit skin. So try to use natural light as often as possible.

Never use digital zoom

Avoid using the digital zoom function on your camera. The only good way to photograph something far away is to actually get closer. If you can’t move closer, you’re better off taking a regular photo and cropping the final image in post-production. You’re effectively doing the same thing the zoom does.

Use the physical shutter button

Trying to hold your phone in place and then tap a software shutter button in the middle of the screen can cause your phone to wobble. The solution is to use either of the physical volume buttons to snap your picture instead (the trick works on iPhones, Nexus devices, and most other Android phones too).

Apply HDR mode automatically

The latest versions of the default camera apps for both Android and iOS now include auto HDR modes that apply a High Dynamic Range filter as and when the situation suits it. You can see the HDR toggle switch located right on the shutter screen itself on both OSes. High Dynamic Range in mobile photography refers to keeping the darkest and lightest parts of your image in balance (so a bright sky doesn’t completely obliterate a dark landscape). It requires a longer exposure, so keep your phone as steady as you can.

Work the scene

Working the scene is just that – moving around to get the most interesting photo.

Use a lower angle, or a higher one. Getting down to eye level when snapping people will massively improve your photos. Don’t be afraid to take multiple photos, as you can always delete them later. Most smartphones now have burst modes that can capture dozens of photos in a matter of seconds. Use it!

Save your photos off your phone - Photos take up vast amounts of storage room on your phone. Both Apple and Google have cloud storage available. iCloud allows 5GB of free storage to iPhone users, but once that’s done, it will cost you $1.49 per month for 50GB of cloud storage.Google Photos has an ‘auto backup’ feature for Android users, which can be automated by toggling the switch on in the phone’s settings. Alternative cloud storage options like Dropbox and Google Drive are also available. Apps for Dropbox are available for all platforms and comes with 2GB of free storage.

Shooting good video with your phone

Good Lighting is Critical. Shoot your video in brightly lit areas to avoid unnecessary shadows and grainy areas. Don’t point the camera directly at bright light sources - causes flaring. Lighting should be stable and steady.

Stay Steady

Use both hands to hold your smartphone as close as possible to your body as you record the video. Stabilizers, tripods and camera cages allow you to keep your smartphone still when taking a video - they have perfect handles to accomplish this. Otherwise rest your phone on tables, chairs, desks, shelves, etc.

The quality of your audio is more important than the video.

Shoot your video in a quiet place, preferably indoors with less ambient noise. The best audio is almost always captured with a separate recording device. Try to get an external recording device or at least a directional microphone that will work with your smartphone. Otherwise get as close to the audio source as possible.

Get Close to Your Subject

Staying physically closer to your subject ensures better image quality, less digital noise and better focus in your videos. If your video requires super zoom close-ups of tiny details, they make clip-on macro lenses that will fit any iPhone or Android.

You have a great story to tell

So step out in faith and tell it!

IF YOU CAN DO ONLY 5 THINGS…DO THESE Develop and execute comprehensive communication plan/strategy for both internal and external contact (to include forming and sustaining a volunteer communications working committee) 1. Maintain/update website & social media – make sure you make it easy for people to find where you are, when your worship services are, and how to contact you 2. Oversee production of weekly bulletin 3. Build and maintain relationships within the community making up your geographic parish to ensure your voice is part of the ensemble in the beloved community that composes your immediate neighborhood

4. Cover or arrange for coverage of parish events (making sure, for example, that photos will be taken.) This is the material you need to post on websites, put in press releases, print in parish newsletters, hang on parish bulletin boards, incorporate into flyers and mailings. Cell phones have cameras now that are better than most camera people own. Encourage people to use them.

Create and oversee maintenance of an organized filing system for photographs of previous parish events, clergy, etc.

5. External communications: publicizing parish events, particularly to local media.

Taking good photos with your phone

Keep the lens clean

A dirty lens can result in pictures that seem cloudy, as the oils and dirt can diffuse and

diffract light entering the lens. If you have a microfiber cloth, use it. If you don’t, a

simple wipe with a clean, dirt-free area of shirt should get the job done in a pinch, but

clothing fibers can scratch the lens.

Use the Rule of Thirds

The “rule of thirds” is a compositional “rule” in painting and photography. It’s a

helpful guide for getting a decent composition. Photos are more interesting when

their subjects align with imaginary lines that divide the photograph in thirds, both

horizontally and vertically. Photographing subjects slightly off-center often creates a

more “balanced” image, and gives a greater sense of space and motion. Most camera

apps, including the stock camera apps in Android and iOS devices, come with the

option to show a three-by-three grid. The intersection points along the lines are also

useful. The viewer’s eye is drawn to these points; placing an important feature

near one of these intersection points – a person’s eyes, for example – will focus the

viewer’s attention on that specific feature.

Find a steady support

For a lot of mobile photos, a steady hand is crucial—particularly in low light

situations. You can buy mobile tripods if you want to get the best results, but it’s just

another thing to carry around. If you don’t have a tripod then use something else to

keep your phone steady: a wall, a table, a mantelpiece. The self-timer in the camera

apps for Android and iOS can help too, letting you leave your phone up on a shelf

somewhere without having to get behind it.

Change your focus

Whether you use an iPhone or an Android device, you can tap the screen anywhere to

change the focus of the shot. This will also change the exposure level to match the

spot you’ve selected, so it’s a handy way of brightening a darker area (or dimming a

light one). Those of you with iPhones can tap and hold to lock the focus and

exposure, so it stays fixed even if the phone then moves, or tap, hold, and drag up or

down to manually change the exposure level yourself. You’ll see a small sun icon

showing the changes.

Pay attention to lighting

Often light sources are more or less out of your control. So take advantage of the light

you have. Make sure that the primary source of light, whether it’s the sun or a

lightbulb, is behind you, shining on the subject of the photo. Try viewing the subject

from different angles as well - the light hitting the side of a person’s face can result in

a very different portrait than if the lighting is hitting the front of their face.

Avoid using flash

In general, using the flash on your phone tends to make your photos worse than if

you go without it. The flash can produce glowing eyes or overly-lit skin. So try to use

natural light as often as possible.

Never use digital zoom

Avoid using the digital zoom function on your camera. The only good way to

photograph something far away is to actually get closer. If you can’t move closer,

you’re better off taking a regular photo and cropping the final image in post-

production. You’re effectively doing the same thing the zoom does.

Use the physical shutter button

Trying to hold your phone in place and then tap a software shutter button in the

middle of the screen can cause your phone to wobble. The solution is to use either of

the physical volume buttons to snap your picture instead (the trick works on iPhones,

Nexus devices, and most other Android phones too).

Apply HDR mode automatically

The latest versions of the default camera apps for both Android and iOS now include

auto HDR modes that apply a High Dynamic Range filter as and when the situation

suits it. You can see the HDR toggle switch located right on the shutter screen itself

on both OSes. High Dynamic Range in mobile photography refers to keeping the

darkest and lightest parts of your image in balance (so a bright sky doesn’t completely

obliterate a dark landscape). It requires a longer exposure, so keep your phone as

steady as you can.

Work the scene

Working the scene is just that – moving around to get the most interesting photo. .

Use a lower angle, or a higher one. Getting down to eye level when snapping people

will massively improve your photos. Don’t be afraid to take multiple photos, as you

can always delete them later. Most smartphones now have burst modes that can

capture dozens of photos in a matter of seconds. Use it!

Save your photos off your phone

Photos take up vast amounts of storage room on your phone. And although you can

always transfer them to your computer, or save them onto an external hard drive,

other backup options are available.

If you aren’t too keen on using up your computer’s hard drive, both Apple and

Google have cloud storage available. iCloud allows 5GB of free storage to iPhone

users, but once that’s done, it will cost you $1.49 per month for 50GB of cloud

storage.

Google Photos has an ‘auto backup’ feature for Android users, which can be

automated by toggling the switch on in the phone’s settings. Alternative cloud storage

options like Dropbox and Google Drive are also available. Apps for Dropbox are

available for all platforms and comes with 2GB of free storage.

Shooting good video with your phone

Good Lighting is Critical

Try as much as possible to shoot your video in brightly lit areas. This helps avoid

unnecessary shadows and grainy areas. Conversely, don’t point the camera directly at

bright light sources, which will cause overexposed footage and lens flaring. Lighting

should be stable and steady; the image sensors in most smartphones do not react to

dramatic changes in lighting very quickly. Most phones also offer “touch focusing” if

your camera is focusing on the wrong area of your composition. After setting the

focus on the most important aspect of the video, the automatic exposure control will

have an easier time making small adjustments if lighting condition begins to change.

Stay Steady

Use both hands to hold your smartphone as close as possible to your body as you

record the video. Stabilizers, tripods and camera cages allow you to keep your

smartphone still when taking a video - they have perfect handles to accomplish this.

Otherwise rest your phone on tables, chairs, desks, shelves, etc.

Audio Matters as Much as the Video

The quality of your audio is more important than the video. The built-in microphone

in most smartphones is both low quality and improperly placed. Wind and

environmental noise that will compete with any important audio while shooting

outside. So shoot your video in a quiet place, preferably indoors with less ambient

noise. The best audio is almost always captured with a separate recording device. Try

to get an external recording device or at least a directional microphone that will work

with your smartphone. Otherwise get as close to the audio source as possible.

Get Close to Your Subject

Staying physically closer to your subject ensures better image quality, less digital noise

and better focus in your videos. If your video requires super zoom close-ups of tiny

details, they make clip-on macro lenses that will fit any iPhone or Android.

And last BUT NOT LEAST

NEVER SHOOT VERTICAL VIDEO. Hold your phone horizontally so that videos

played back on other screens (virtually everywhere) will look fine.