Churches create content on a weekly basis. Graphics, audio, blog posts, video… Yet, typically it is only seen by the people in the seats on a Sunday morning. Worse, regardless of how good the content is, it is usually forgotten about in the rush to put together content for the next Sunday morning. But it doesn't have to be that way. Here are three ways to maximize who sees your content:
1. Develop an archive system.
Everyone in church production knows what it is like to look for "that file." You know, the one you created two years ago but can't remember exactly what it is called or where you filed it. Being meticulous about metadata in your scripts, images, audio and video files is key to access. In addition to metadata, you also need a coherent directory structure and file naming system. Yes, setting it up can be time consuming, but it treats what you produce as if it is valuable. Once you get an archive system in place, content becomes accessible and reusable. What do you do if your files are a mess? Set up a system and start with good practices from today forward; then clean up the past if you have time later on. To quote a Chinese proverb, "the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is today."
2. Package content around keywords.
If you happen to have a famous pastor, there is a good chance their blog or podcast is wildly popular. But if your pastor doesn't have a high profile, then how do you get content discovered? Well, the same way everything else gets discovered on the internet…through keywords. Chances are, no one at this exact moment is Googling the name of your church; however, there may be thousands searching how to cope with the death of a loved one or how to find meaning or how to heal a broken relationship--topics that churches speak to all of the time. Rather than thinking about content based on "the date it aired" think about content related to keywords; then package that content around those keywords so that people can find it. What might that look like? Well, you might purchase a domain name like healthymarriage.tv and pull together video clips that speak to building a healthy marriage. Did you develop graphics for that sermon series? Use them to create a unique look for the website. You might even start a podcast around that topic adding intro music and commentary, then post the podcast URL to iTunes. Whatever content you post, you have to make sure the target keywords are heavily featured in the title, description and any text written so that the search engines find your content when people are looking. If your site is on Wordpress, check out the Yoast SEO plug in which will help grade you on the keywords you select.
3. Post inspirational graphics to Pinterest.
Want to know what Pinterest does awesomely besides make you hungry or highlight that you are clearly skimping out on your child's birthday parties? It drives traffic to your website. Pinterest is one of the few platforms that doesn't try to capture all the clicks for itself. So, if you produce graphics for Sunday morning anyway, go ahead and post a graphic to your Pinterest account that includes an inspirational quote or verse, then link back to the relevant blog post, video or audio on your church's website. If your church doesn't produce custom graphics for Sunday morning, you can still do this. Check out canva.com for a free tool that can help you create a Pinterest-worthy image in moments.
Pastors and church technical staff create content all of the time. And now that we live in a digital world? That content can get to exactly the people who need it--even if they don't walk through the doors to your church.
