We are pleased to announce Xpiritmental wallpaper #54 entitled, Sin That So Easily Entangles, inspired by Hebrews 12:1 and 1 Timothy 6:11. If you look carefully, the web is actually made up of sins. 1 Timothy 6:11 instructs us, "But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness."
Download the new wallpaper below or visit the Xpiritmental Archives for more wallpapers.
Xpiritmental No. 54 Sin That So Easily Entangles Hebrews 12:1 / 1 Timothy 6:11
I love the magazine Fast Company so you might see me reference it from time-to-time – today being one of those times.
Jim Sinegal, the CEO of Costco was interviewed in a past issue and some of the comments he made really caught my attention.
“Wall Street grumbles that Costco cares more about its customers and employees that its shareholders; it pays an average of $17 an hour and covers 90% of heath-insurance costs for both full-timers and part-timers.”
I love that quote because it speaks of a corporate culture that “gets it”. If you treat your employees well, they will serve you well and they will serve your customers well which, after all, is the goal isn't it? But I think we lose site of this in ministry and non-profit contexts sometimes. Sadly, there are organizational cultures out there where the attitude is that since they are doing such noble work, it's ok to over-work and under-appreciate the employees.
The far-reaching implications of this kind of culture for a ministry or non-profit is that donations dry up, volunteers are no where to be found, people get burned-out and the very needs your organization exists to address don't get met.
And at the end of the day, it becomes an issue of bad branding and that can be incredibly difficult to repair.
Oh, and I should probably mention that despite being so focused on employee and customer care, Costco's revenues grew in the past five years by 70% and its stock doubled.
Costco might be a for-profit entity, but the principle applies regardless. Do your employees, the people you serve, your brand and your bottom line a favor – it's a win-win-win-win.
A number of weeks ago, our design team came up with a few creative desktops for the Xpiritmental community. One of those desktops was an absolutely amazing image called “Thy Kingdom Come”. You can view it here.
As soon as that desktop was posted, I set it as my background and as I was doing so, I remember thinking to myself, those guys are really going to have to come up with something amazing to knock this off my desktop over the next few months. A few weeks later, to my surprise, it happened that a new desktop really caught my imagination and impressed me enough to switch over to it.
The desktop I'm referring to is called “rooted and built up” (seen above) and it's based on the verse, Colossians 2:7.
What I like about this image is that it's a different and creative approach to the design problem. As evidenced by the work you can see on Xpiritmental, our design team has a firm grasp on the art of creating an environment and visually communicating a concept through things like stock photography. But what you might not appreciate about the “rooted and built up” desktop is that it was developed entirely out of paper textures.
From an artistic perspective, this concept works to communicate being rooted and built up by using a tree and earth image. But the creativity in it extends not only to the visual communication, it went even further to the medium that was used to generate the image – paper.
Think about that for a second...and if you do, it might just strike you as it does me, how perfect a paper texture is to further augment this image. The image concept seeks to communicate a number of elements of nature, things that are tangible and real. In particular, it communicates the idea of being rooted and built up via a tree. What medium is better to communicate that concept than something as tangible and real as a paper texture? Not to mention the obvious fact that paper is a product of trees...
I love this kind of creativity and I hope that it inspires all of you as you think about how your ministry communicates itself through it's imagery. Being too literal with your messaging can often hurt your brand more than it helps. So strive to find those levels of creativity that will lend depth and breadth to the messaging.
By posting this, I'm not indicating that anyone around here is having a down day. What I am thinking though, is that everyone can use a good smile/laugh and I'm pretty sure this will do it for you. Enjoy! And Happy Casual Friday!
Over the last week or so, we’ve been working on making the functionality on the “Choose My Template” page of AdvancedMinistry a little easier. We are pleased to announce that those changes are now complete and we think you will be pleasantly surprised.
For those of you that are familiar with AM 3.0 templates and/or the beta feature of AdvancedMinistry, you will notice that you no longer have to go to a separate page to manage your custom sites. (Note: For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term “beta site”, we are simply referring to a testing environment where you can work on a new website design/layout in the background, without affecting your live website.)
Everything can be managed in one easy control panel. Additionally, you can now use a 3.0 template as your live website, and have another 3.0 site as your beta website. To see the new changes, login to your account and select “Choose My Template”. A screenshot is listed below:
We are pleased to announce two new Xpiritmental desktop wallpapers entitled, Red As Crimson and Rooted & Built Up, inspired by Isaiah 1:18 and Colossians 2:7. Download the new desktops below or visit the Xpiritmental Archives for more wallpapers.
Yesterday, I tackled the first part of my response to the question: what is the value of creating a Facebook page for your organization given that you’ve already got a working, freshly updated website?
The second thing I wanted to say about this is that Facebook is by nature a relational platform – it’s all about connecting and relating with other people in a way that your website doesn’t. Obviously, your organizational website facilitates a relationship between you, the organization, and your audience(s). If you’ve got a more advanced site, there might even be some elements of interaction between the people that make up your audience, but in general, it’s a one-to-many relationship – Facebook takes it a step further.
Facebook profiles for individuals are by nature a mash of connections that people have with others they know. But more importantly, those networks are already established and flourishing. As such, it’s already set up to be a perfect vehicle for word-of-mouth which everyone knows is the best form of advertising because it’s real and it’s trusted.
If you can get one person to sign up as a fan or a member of your organization on Facebook, their friends will then see that reference as an endorsement of the quality of your organization. To put it in different terms, what this means is that every person that becomes a fan of your organization, by virtue of that small step to identify themselves as approving what it is that you do, is becoming an advocate on your behalf.
That is an endorsement that you can’t buy or convince people into – they genuinely have to like you and care about your organization which only lends credibility to your affiliation with them.
I imagine that there must be at least a few of out there that wonder about the value of creating a Facebook page for your organization given that you’ve already got a working, freshly updated website…and that’s a fair question. I’ve got two thoughts on the issue; one of which I’ll outline today and the other will come tomorrow.
First off, as a general rule of thumb, once you’ve identified your audience and the message you want to (or need to) communicate to them, it’s really important to consider where you’re going to connect with them best.
I just recently read of a specialty bakery in Toronto called Eini & Co. which focuses on cupcakes. Their media plan included putting advertisements in local newspapers as a broad-based method of getting their message out. But then they also included specialized strategies in their plan such as direct mailers to luxury hotels, posters near wedding and event venues and wedding boutiques and online ads at wedding websites. The result was that traffic to the company site increased 73% and sales were up 32% on the year.
Your ministry or non-profit website is in some ways like the newspaper advertisement in the above case study. It’s a no-brainer as part of your strategy simply because it is such a foundational element of the integrated marketing plan. But just because you’ve built your website, doesn’t mean they will come. That’s why it’s important to have an off-site strategy to reach out to those people who are more likely to get exposed to your brand and messaging in other places.
So for properties like Facebook, the question has to be asked, is my audience hanging out in this location and if they are, then you need to seriously consider being there as well so you give yourself a chance to be found. From there, you have a choice to engage them right then and there or you can drive them back to your website proper in order to continue the interactions there.
In tomorrow’s post, I’ll deal with the other thought I’ve got on this topic.
Last week I was re-reading the April 2009 issue of Fast Company in which there was a feature called “10 Ways to Jump-Start the Auto Business”. Each of the 10 ideas came from a different person with a unique perspective on the auto industry. The most intriguing submission to my mind was that of Mike Rowe, star and Executive Producer of the television show Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. Here's a snippet from the thoughts that Mike submitted:
I believe the majority of people in this country are deeply disconnected from the Americans who still make our stuff. Forty years ago, it was easy to buy American. Not just because our stuff was better than theirs. We bought American goods because we actually knew the people who were making them. It was a powerful and personal connection that tied us to the products we bought.
The seismic shift from manufacturing to services has not only changed the composition of our gross domestic product, but also changed our national mind-set toward work. We no longer celebrate the way things get made, we are more interested in the way things get bought. In this global economy, we focus only on the finished product, which makes the Americans who still make them largely invisible.
I love these comments because I think Mike is right on...5 years ago.
Thing is, the times they are a-changin' folks and as they do, they are starting to come full circle back to a model where the relationship between the buyer and the seller is as important as the quality of the product or service they offer.
Social Media is an example of this truth. What we're seeing on the Internet is a huge push by many organizations to begin to build person-to-person relationships with their customers. More and more, we no longer interact with faceless companies who patent every idea and bunker themselves in so as to be impenetrable to the very people who pay their bills. Rather, CEO's, Project Managers and even front-line employees are creating Twitter and Facebook accounts and beginning to represent their companies online.
And whereas this brings with it elements of great risk, as tends to be the case with risk, it also comes hand-in-hand with such amazing potential. And when I think in terms of a non-profit or faith-based organization...well, your relationship with your audience(s) is what you live by and for, is it not?
All of this leaves me very excited about the future of marketing and communications for ministries and non-profits. We love to advise our clients to be real with your customers and this new/old wave of relational marketing forces us all to be real, transparent, considerate and responsible – all the kinds of things that faith-based and non-profit organizations need to be in order to succeed in their work.
So an old idea is becoming new again and there is great potential here on the cusp of this new cycle - a perfect time to get involved.
Today marks the first birthday of the Xpiritmental blog!
It's hard to believe that a year of blogging has already gone by and all things considered, it's been a really successful year for the blog. Readership has increased and we've been able to have a number of really great conversations with the community of people that keep up with us. The need to moderate comments that didn't serve the conversations well were minimal and conversely, the feedback we've been able to generate, especially on posts that pertain to AdvancedMinistry, have been incredibly useful.
So Happy Birthday Xpiritmental community. We're looking forward to grow and improve alongside you all in the years to come!
We are pleased to announce four new updates to AdvancedMinistry users that are using AM 3.0 templates! They include the ability to:
1. Add transparency to your columns. For example, if you had a blue column and wanted the background behind it to show through, you could set the Opacity of all components to 50%. (This feature is compatible with most newer browsers, i.e. Firefox 3+, IE8, Safari 3+, etc.)
2. Change the number of primary items that appear in your menu. Before, you were limited to 8 total menu items. You now have control of how many items you want to be displayed. (Be careful not to increase it by too much or your navigation may overlap. It’s in your control.)
3. Position the Home button wherever you want it. Yes, this has been a long-awaited feature! No longer does the Home button need to be the last item in your navigation. You can now make it the first item or remove it all together – it’s up to you.
4. Remove the text links (footer) at the bottom of the page. This is handy for people that don’t want their menu repeated. The AdvancedMinistry logo will still appear at the bottom of your site. Note: If you are an organization that really doesn’t want the AM logo on your site, you can now pay a $10 per month service fee to have it disabled. The reason for this fee is because we rely on this logo/link to promote AdvancedMinistry to other churches and ministries; it’s our way of minimizing fees (to you, the user). That said, if you really don’t want it, this option allows you to have it removed.
Enjoy the new features! If you’re not using an AM 3.0 template yet, click here for more info.
We are pleased to announce Xpiritmental wallpaper #51 entitled, A Strong Tower, inspired by Proverbs 18:10. Download the new wallpaper below or visit the Xpiritmental Archives for more wallpapers.
This morning, we received a trouble ticket from one of our AdvancedMinistry clients indicating that the system was telling him that he had 5,000 MB instead of the 500 MB he originally signed up to receive. This was of course no mistake at all as it was due to the big upgrade that we did to the system last week which gave all our AdvancedMinistry clients a big boost in the file space available to them.
After responding to this customers concern and letting him know the good news, he responded with the following comments:
“No way! I was just thinking about how we really needed a lot more space and just don't have the money for it right now. Thanks a lot guys. You have all really been helpful as we've planted this church. We started in February with 6 people and now have around 180 people each Sunday. We have not passed out a single flier, just let people know about the website. This easy to navigate and update back-end has made it possible for me - the only paid staff and church planter - to keep our people and those interested in us up to date and informed. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks again.”
The reason I share this with you all today is to key in on the amazing fact that this person started in February with 6 people attending his church and in 7 months, with no advertising to speak of other than the site itself, the church has grown to 180 people. That is an awesome story and one which reinforces for us the power of the web as a tool in a church's communications arsenal.
We are pleased to announce a substantial increase in file space for our AdvancedMinistry customers using the Orange, Red, Blue and Purple Suites. How “substantial” you ask? Anywhere from 250 - 2,000%!
The additional cost to each user: $0.
Here is the breakdown:
Orange Suite users go from 200MB to 500MB
Red Suite users go from 500MB to 5,000MB (5GB)
Blue Suite users go from 1,000MB to 10,000MB (10GB)
Purple Suite users go from 2,500MB to 50,000MB (50GB)
Our goal is to continually serve our AdvancedMinistry customers with the best products and services in the industry. Increasing file space is one of the many ways that we are growing with our ministries.
I don't know if you've ever heard of Chad Javon Johnson, but I'm guessing some of you will be familiar with the name "Ochocinco". For those of you who don't already know, they are one and the same person.
Chad Johnson is a wide receiver in the NFL. His number is 85 - and although "Ochocinco" isn't technically 100% accurate as the Spanish spelling of 85, as of Aug 29, 2008, it is in fact what he has changed his last name to and what he'll be sporting on the back of his jersey this coming season.
I love this story for a lot of reasons - not least of which is that Chad is a great example of a guy who gets branding. Chad is an excellent wide receiver, which is key to note because a guy that changed his name to a Spanish version of his jersey number and couldn't play the game, would undoubtedly look pretty ignorant to his team and fans alike. But this guy can catch a ball and he knows that he's marketable - for that reason, the name change not only works, it's a brilliant strategy to increase his brand.
But this post isn't just about Ochocinco, it's about the fact that many people, when they hear the word branding, seem to immediately think in terms of the external things that organizations/companies do for their public image. And although the external stuff is an important part of how you communicate who you are, your logo, your annual report and the ads you run in different mediums are only a reflection of what the brand represents...you!
You are the person/people behind the brand of your organization. You don't just wear the team jersey...you are the team.
Once you understand that truth, it will fundamentally change how you approach all of your branding - change it for the better that is!
I often hear people say stuff like “I don’t get Twitter” or “I don’t understand how Facebook could help my organization”.
And in all honestly, I can understand that sentiment because a fundamental shift in how you think about communications is required in order for a person to appreciate the opportunities that properties like this offer.
The most powerful thing that you can have in your communications arsenal these days is the realization that your marketing and advertising efforts are not simply tantamount to you shouting out to the world through a bullhorn. It’s far more strategic than that.
It’s about listening and learning about what’s going on “out there” in the world and coming to an understanding of where your advocates are. By that I mean that each organization needs to find the group of individuals that are already primed to be massive advocates of what it is that you’re doing and then resource and facilitate those people as brand advocates. This is word-of-mouth 101 and goes back to the very beginnings of marketing and advertising.
The difference today though, is that if you’re willing to put in the leg-work, the web, and in particular properties like Twitter, give you the ability to find those advocates and create a mutually beneficial relationship with them.
Over the past number of weeks, I’ve been working with a good friend of mine as he bounces ideas for his new church name around. It’s been a really interesting conversation and I’m excited at the direction it’s headed – as I am to see the fruits of the work he and his wife are being called to.
Then today, I read this article over at Church Marketing Sucks - a really interesting approach to naming a church.
Obviously I have my own thoughts and ideas based on my experience in working with churches on their brand of names that will and won’t work. But that’s not to say that just because I do this for a living, that my thoughts and ideas are definitive.
So, I’d like to ask you, the readers of this blog, your ideas on what makes a good church name and how did you arrive at yours? Or better yet, give me examples of how your church name is working for your church brand and its growth in your community.
We are pleased to announce a new feature that enables AdvancedMinistry users to create their own rotating Flash feature banners. Provided that you are using an AM 3.0 template, you can automatically scroll through five different image/Flash banners and accompanying text! To use the new feature, login to your admin, select “Choose My Template”, edit your AM 3.0 template and click on the Banner tab.
You can view a sample of how the Banner Rotator works by clicking here. A screen shot of the admin can be found below:
We are pleased to announce Xpiritmental wallpaper #50 entitled, Walk By The Spirit, inspired by Galatians 5:16. Download the new wallpaper below or visit the Xpiritmental Archives for more wallpapers.
Xpiritmental No. 50 Walk By The Spirit Galatians 5:16
So here’s a really practical tip for you to help with your Public Relations efforts:
Its one thing to fire out press releases for all of the stuff you’ve been busy with and since it’s such a basic thing, it’s probably a good idea to do it – we still do.
But the problem with press releases is that everyone knows that it’s simply a document that organizations write about themselves in the third-person in order to grow their brand, which can make it seem disingenuous.
What’s more real and impactful is to be the kind of organization that others, like reporters, go to when they have questions about the sector that you are in. The challenge here is how to become that kind of organization. Enter HARO – or, as it’s known in full, Help A Reporter Out.
HARO is a simple service that allows you to sign up as an organization that is willing to help a reporter with a story. On the other side, reporters sign up and submit short descriptions of the story they are working on and the kind of experts they need to interview to garner research and quotes for their article, story or book.
It’s a free service that sends an email to your inbox three times every work day for you to scan through for any pieces that you are qualified to speak to and that by contributing, helps your brand.
I just wanted to take the time to follow up regarding my post last week in regard to the official release of Snow Leopard – the new OS for Apple. Any time you upgrade to a new OS, it’s important to review the software incompatibilities before you endanger your mission-critical applications. It doesn’t matter if you’re on Windows or Apple; it’s always good to know what you’re getting into before you dive in.
Long story short, my copy of Snow Leopard arrived on Friday and as per my last post, I was ready to jump two feet in. But then I started reading… and reading… and reading…. It turns out that there are a number of developers that got caught off guard by the early release of Snow Leopard meaning that there are a number of incompatibilities that frankly, I need. Therefore, my copy will stay shrink-wrapped for a little while longer until some of these items get worked out.
Here is a great article on ZDnet entitled “Regretful upgrade: Snow Leopard incompatibilities”. If you’re an Apple user, I would encourage you to read it before you install Snow Leopard – just to be safe!
When Microsoft releases Windows 7 on October 22, Windows users will be in the same boat; there will be incompatibilities and it will take time to fix them.
If you’re a user that’s already installed Snow Leopard, I’d appreciate your feedback as to your experience so far. Similarly, if you’re running a beta copy of Windows 7, I’d love to hear from you too. If there are some headaches that you think you can save readers of this blog, share away!
Xpiritmental is a resource. It's a place to learn and to share thoughts on marketing, ministry, design, service, the Web, culture and more. We'll start the conversation, but we're looking forward to hearing what you've got to say.
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A number of weeks ago, our design team came up with a few creative desktops for the Xpiritmental community. One of those desktops was an absolutely amazing image called “Thy Kingdom Come”. You can view it 
Today marks the first birthday of the Xpiritmental blog!
I don't know if you've ever heard of Chad Javon Johnson, but I'm guessing some of you will be familiar with the name "Ochocinco". For those of you who don't already know, they are one and the same person.
So here’s a really practical tip for you to help with your Public Relations efforts:
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