An Opportunity Unparalleled in History
The internet and social media allows us great opportunities to share the Gospel. It has changed not only how the game is played but the game itself. It has caused huge disruptions across traditional media, business, healthcare, journalism, government and politics, and has touched many facets of our personal lives. Many of us enjoy sharing our lives with our friends and coworkers on social networks such as Twitter, Vine, Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest among others. Social Media gives us a live stream of relevant news that engages us hour after hour.
We can instantly connect through mobile phones, tablets and laptops with social friends around the world. While many of us are savvy social media users a few of us have begun to look at the possibilities for using these tools for Christ. To use these tools effectively, it is important for one to know how to build social networks and audiences, understand the nature of online search and how to leverage these tools individually and as a Church.
To get a good foundation let us understand some history behind mass communication and its effect on the world.
A Brief History of Communication
In the beginning, we (human beings) remembered every thing we said thus there was no need for writing things down. After the flood, with life spans significantly shortened, we began to jot things down on Papyrus so that others might read of our experiences and learn from us. This mode of communication remained fairly constant with few changes for several thousand years. The Eygptians innovated and wrote on stone, the Chinese invented paper and ink, the Europeans figured out the printing press and moveable type. Books were rare and considered a prized possession of the rich. When Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Cathedral, it took several months before the news traveled around the world. By the 17th Century, newspapers helped shorten the news cycle to a few days or months if you had to cross the ocean to the New World (America). By the late 18th Century, the wire (telegraph) and the telephone had completely revamped the way we communicated. The rise of radio and television allowed those with a lot of money or political clout to engage in mass promotion. Live events, like the Kennedy Assassination, the Space Age, wars and conflicts began to stream into homes. Now you didn’t have to be ‘there’ as long as you were able to see it on TV or hear it on the radio. Media still remained an expensive proposition and one that rested firmly in the hands of the rich and the powerful. Computers, which at one time, took up several rooms got progressively smaller and a small network, the internet, began to show promise of big things to come. By the middle of the 1990′s, the computers now fit on our desks and we began to “Get Mail” (Emails) and mobile phones were getting slimmer and less bulky by each passing year.
The early 2000′s brought a perfect storm as we hit the sweet spot between science, technology and search engines. Suddenly, any one with a connection to the internet could write some easy lines of HTML code (Website Development Language) and build a rudimentary website and attract investors and buyers. Technology experienced an influx of cash as private and corporate investors threw money at every idea to see what would be the next big thing. Few of those early dotcoms were the real big thing but it created a massive movement of the world’s economies from the Industrial Age to the Knowledge Age. We have entered what I like to call the Connection Age where everyone and everything is instantly connected through communication networks.
The Process of Making a Decision Unchanged
Despite the fact the tools for sharing knowledge have increased the way our brains process information and make decisions has not changed since God created us. We begin by realizing we have a shortage or lack of something. This is the first stage known as ‘awareness’ or the process of becoming aware of our lack. We then begin to search for information. Our search usually begins with a question in our mind that we may express outloud to some one nearby or we might type a shortened version of it known as a ‘keyword’ into a search engine search bar such as Google. As information about our question becomes aparent we begin to take interest in the various answers with some taking precedence over others. Once we have consummed all the information we need on a certain subject we then move to make a decision. The decision could be to accept or reject the options available to us. Once we make a decision we then take action such as pressing “like” or “share this” or clicking “buy”. This decision making process is the same for purchase decisions made at the grocery store and online on stores like Amazon. We use parts of this decision making process when we are choosing a life partner. It is important to realize that Social Media and the Internet are just tools. Its what we do with those tools is what counts.
The Equal Opportunity
There was time when books were scarce and only the rich could afford them. Now with the rise of the technology a young adult can carry all of Mrs. White’s writings, hundreds of Bible Versions thousands of online sermons, podcasts, and Bible Commentaries in their pocket. Knowledge has not only increased but it has become accessible to any one who is connected to the internet.
Now any one can access free courses from some of the world’s top universities in any subject they choose at a time they choose. I have “sat” in classes at Oxford University, Masschusettes Institute of Technology, and Harvard Business School to learn from the very best in the comfort of my home, in my car, or on my Ipad and Iphone for free.
How to Gain an Audience
The old way was that you had to be ‘found’ by some talent agent and ‘selected’ by a network before you could begin to do your thing. These days anyone with an access to a web cam or HD camera can begin streaming content online and attract not only the attention of other interested individuals but corporations as well. Building an audience has never been easier and it is easier to create content that goes ‘viral’ (spreads fast) overnight.
Many people today have launched huge enterprises from their homes and garages online. People have leveraged the power of the Internet and the reach of Social Media to start home fitness programs, gourmet cuisine shows, blogs, and consumer advice sites. These ‘home grown’ enterprises not only reach audiences in the millions but are also sources of good income as well.
How to Leverage Influence
It is said that the most important commodity in the world is attention. Corporations spend billions of dollars to gain the attention of consumers which is often fleeting and hard to come by. As content is delivered on ever increasing channels consumers are developing increasingly sophisticated ways to bypass and block messages that are not relevant or interesting to them. Celebrity endorsements do not have the same power they once did. These days online Yelp reviews can sink the revenues of restaurants faster than the paid restaurant critic of the local newspaper. People put more stock on in individual experience rather than paid advertisements with little relevance to them.
Influence online is just as powerful as it is in-person offline. Influence is developed through authenticity, personalization, and cannot be bought. Influence is built on results which in turn bring greater credibility. As more people try your workout program, diet, or gadget and like it they will be more likely share it with their friends. Some are early adopters who are willing to try products or services delivered in the beta stage or development stage. They like to give feedback and enjoy seeing their insights incorporated into the final design or product. Others are middle adopters who jump onto a bandwagon after a trend has matured. Still others are late adopters who stubbornly cling on to what works for as long as they can til they are forced to change. The early adopters tend to be product evangelists and have established audiences whom they influence through their enthusiasm, knowledge, and abillity.
The key to influence is to differentiate between early adopters, middle adopters and late adopters and implement strategies that are specific to their needs and wants . It is important to develop relationships with people online that are based on mutual trust before offering them services or products that they have to pay for. For example, if you are selling a workout regimen, have your audience try out the first 3 workouts to see if they like them and then those who want to buy the whole 21 workouts will buy them. Or better yet, provide months of free content so that you not only develop an audience and educate them so that they are able to make smart decisions about some of your deeper level product or service offerings at a price they can afford.
How to Use the Internet & Social Media to Get New Friends
Christ’s method of winning souls applies to the age of Facebook and Twitter. Our level of influence is limited only by how interested we are in gaining others’ trust and by meeting their needs.
Authenticity online is very important. I remember in my younger years, I once attracted a girl in college, online, through my college yearbook photo. Unfortunately, the photo I gave the yearbook was several years old did not represent my current image that I had created myself in, after all-night studying, and living on fast-food. She was clearly disappointed in my current level of fitness as she had fallen ‘in love’ with a very fit man in the picture. In the same way, who we are in everyday life should be the same we are online. Any failure to do so will result in mass condemnation online and a loss of trust that is hard to gain back as a fact that many fallen celebrities will readily attest to.
Create content that you have the most knowledge about personally. The reason why God has called so many different people in to His Church is because we were meant to attract others like us. I have tastes and interests that are probably very different from yours however we can both use our personal experiences and likes to attract very different sets of people.
Leverage your gifts online. Some of us are great on camera, others are better at writing or drawing, singing or taking pictures. You can research the demand for anything before you commit to something or you can experiment before you develop a niche. All social platforms and search engines offer analytics data where you can type keywords relevant to your area of interest and you will be most likely surprised that there are so many others who share your interests or are looking for content that only you can provide.
You can begin by researching who else is providing the same service or expertise in your chosen area. Evaluate them for professionality, consistency, level of engagement of their audience, and reach. Note what works for them and see how you can do it better or fill in gaps that they are not able to fill. Make a reasonable investment in research, education, and technology that is comparable to your level of involvement online. Don’t go out and buy a ten thousand dollar HD video camera on the first day but as your audience grows you might want to invest in better equipment, lighting, cameras etc.
Treat your audience with respect. Acknowledge that you are a ‘newbie’ or an expert if you are. Make sure you are consistent with your production. If you blog once a year or post a video of a cooking episode in your kitchen once every three months it will be hard to develop and maintain an audience. Be consistent with your production level and as your expertise increases make sure you the content you produce is still inviting to those who are new to your field.
How To Use Social Media and Search Data for Local Evangelism Planning
Search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing provide a free and enterprise level Search Analytical services to their users and advertisers. Programs such as Google Analytics, Omniture give robust solutions for analyzing website traffic or in helping to research key demographic data to assess demand for products and services in a given area radius. Local Churches can develop content strategies based on the needs of those searching in their immediate vicinity or develop ad campaigns to drive interested folks to events or microsites that contain information and a chance to connect.
Social Media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter can help you to develop audiences through direct offers, videos and written content. They can help you refine your seminar offers to specific types of people such as a parenting seminar for parents with kids less than than 5.
For advanced ministries or churches solutions such as Hubspot, Radian6, Hootsuite and other marketing analytics software platforms could prove useful.
How to Cross Borders & Enter Countries Closed to the Gospel
The internet can reach behind walls of separation set up by oppressive regimes and governments. We may not be able to preach and teach freely in many countries but that doesn’t mean that the citizens of those countries aren’t searching for something better. People in closed countries have ways of accessing information that astounds me and it is important that we make our information accessible to such groups. For security reasons I cannot go into detail about the ways that information filters through censors however it is enough to say that God will work with what you produce for His glory. Only in Heaven will we will learn about the far reaching effects of our humble efforts for Him.
Social Media and the Internet have proven to be game changers. What remains to be seen is if we through the power of the Holy Spirit can see a vision of what can be accomplished for God and resolve by His power to make that vision a reality. The world is dying for the want of a Savior and through the tools of Social Media we can use the Health Message, the Principles of abundant living in Proverbs, and the three Angels Messages to warn this world and prepare it for the Soon Coming of Jesus.
