Facebook has become the most popular social networking website on the Internet. Millions of people have a profile and most people have lots of friends. Their friends may range from family members, to people they work with, to friends from college or high school. Most of your church's members who are on Facebook have friends who are not church members. So, how can this help you in your church marketing strategy?

The Power of a Network:
One of the best features on Facebook and probably the reason Facebook has done so well, is the News Feed feature. The way the News Feed works is that whenever a person does something on their profile, whether it's posting pictures, saying what they are doing, or one of their friends writing on their wall, a news story is created and added to the profile's News Feed. That story is then not only posted on that person's profile, but it is also distributed to all of their friends. So, if you post a picture to your profile, all of your friends are instantly made aware of that. That could be tens or hundreds of people…even thousands of people (if you're really popular). If your friends post something about the photos, then their friends are made aware of the photos. You can see how word can spread very quickly to a lot of people.

Stealth Church Marketing and Evangelism:
I'm sure by now every reader of my articles has created a Facebook Page for their church . And, of course, once you created your Facebook Page, you announced it at church and every one of your members who have a Facebook profile went home and immediately became a "fan" of the church. Members who weren't on Facebook went home and created a profile so they could become a fan. Maybe that's an overly rosy picture, but when each one of your members signed up as a fan, a news story was created on their profile and their news feed sent out a message to all their friends telling everyone that they are now a fan of your church. So, if your church has 100 members on Facebook and each of them has only 10 friends, 1000 people could have had a message come up on their Facebook profile that told them about your church. Not bad for a minute's work. And it was done in a completely natural way.

Most people who are on Facebook live out their lives to some extent on Facebook. It's part of the fun. People post comments about what they are doing at any given time like, "Kurt is watching his dogs destroy their new toy" or "Bob is getting his Jack Bauer on. 24 Rocks!" or they post pictures from their trip to South Dakota. With people living out their lives on Facebook, it's completely natural for members of your church to post things related to your church and their relationship with Christ. After all, that's part of their lives. Whether it is becoming a fan of the church, posting pictures from a church event they attended, or posting a comment how Christ is working in their lives, your members can be adding things about your church and their faith to their profile and spreading the word about Christ and your church to all their friends in a way that is not invasive. Many people are uncomfortable approaching someone directly to tell them about Christ. While that is still something we should be doing, Facebook provides a way to share our lives with Christ indirectly. It doesn't seem like marketing or evangelism, but it is.

A Recommendation and a Sneak Peek:
In addition to the fact that this form of church marketing on Facebook is stealthy, it is also a subtle recommendation for the church as well a sneak peek into what the church is like. One of the best forms of marketing for any church or business is the recommendation of that church or business to a friend. We don't always believe what a company or organization tells us, but if a friend tells me that he really likes a particular product, I'm much more likely to get that product. By posting positive things about their experiences in church, your members are in effect recommending the church to their friends. That can have a profound effect. Your members are also providing a window for their friends to see what your church is like. If their friends are not familiar with church or had a bad experience at a church, this can be a great way to show them what your church is like and make them feel more comfortable visiting.

It's the secret power of Facebook for church marketing and evangelism. By encouraging your members to include their church lives on Facebook, they can be telling others about the church. More importantly, by including their life with Christ on Facebook, they can be sharing the love of Christ with their friends. After all, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." (Matthew 5:14)…even on Facebook.

Popularity: unranked [?]

www.MyVMTeam.wetpaint.com My BlogLog How To In Better Detail Step By Step

Popularity: 5% [?]

You have probably heard about websites like MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube and you may even be aware of social bookmark sites like Delicious and Digg, but is your church using these social media as part of its online marketing strategy? What exactly is social media and how can your church utilize social media as part of your online marketing strategy?

The Winds of Change:
Over the past several years the web has undergone a transformation. It used to be that the "website" was the top item on the Internet, but over the past several years that has been changing. Now things like blogs, video sharing websites, social networking, and social bookmarking are the hot items. This is known in many circles as "Web 2.0" signifying that the change of how people use the Internet has been so dramatic, it's like a whole new version of the web.

There are now companies, organizations, and churches that do not even have a website, but rather their online presence is a network of these various social media sites:

• They have a MySpace and/or Facebook page for information.
• They upload sermon videos to YouTube or GodTube.
• Articles are posted in a blog. 
• Pictures of the latest pot-luck dinner are uploaded onto picture sharing sites like Flickr.

What's The Big Deal?
The main idea behind Web 2.0 is the sharing and discussing of ideas and information with others. It's a way for people to interact online and a way to distribute information to the masses. Both the opportunity for interaction and the chance to have their voices heard have made social media extremely popular, especially with the younger generation. For the first time in history anyone can break a story, create a funny video that millions will watch, become known as an expert their field, or shoot breathe-taking photos and show them to people from around the world in a virtual gallery. Social media has given unprecedented access to people and ideas.

Having all this access to people and being able to distribute messages around the world is a great opportunity for churches. Does the idea of your church being able to reach millions of people for Christ sound appealing? I would certainly hope so. But ask yourself:

• How is your church utilizing social media in church marketing to spread the Word?
• How can your church use these online tools to reach people with the Gospel and grow your church?

I'll take a look at some ways your church can use social media in the next several articles.

One last thing I want to point out is that, while these social media options have become very popular, the "old fashioned" website has not lost its importance. Websites with good search engine marketing are still great opportunities for churches and other organizations to present information and reach people. In addition, many websites now incorporate elements of the social media, such as blogs and message boards. So, don't go canceling your website just yet, but do start looking at how you can expand your online ministry by using the social media in concert with or on your website.

Popularity: 26% [?]