77% of active internet users read blogs. 900,000 is the average number of blog posts in a 24 hour period, according to Business Week.

LYNCHBURG, Virginia. – May 5, 2009 – A ‘Blog-Off” competition will be held on May 22nd at The Muse Coffee in Wyndhurst at 9:00 in the morning. Local business networking group, Friday 2.0, has put together a panel of four judges to evaluate the main criteria that makes an effective blog. Submission deadline is May 15th.

Lynchburg Blog-Off

The purpose of the event is to evaluate the effectiveness of local bloggers, while educating local business owners that those who fail to embrace social media technologies for business will be left behind. Through the month of May each judge will get a chance to share their criteria for blog sexiness, usability, search engine optimization and community engagement.

In a Coleman-Parkes Research study, companies currently using Social Media reported the following:

• Improved Feedback 78%
• Improved Customer Satisfaction 66%
• Improved Customer support 71%
• Increased Sales 40%
• Improved public perception of company 75%

The panel of judges include ShoutOut LLC’s director of marketing, Andrew Potter, Marketing-Helper.com’s Jennifer Bailey, BrowseLynchburg.com’s Phil Tucker, and Nannette Saunders from RE/Max. 

“More and more companies are using social media and blogging to position themselves as industry leaders in their fields,” said Marketing-Helper.com owner Jennifer Bailey. “A lot of companies are afraid of this thing called social media, but the truth is that if we can learn how to adapt in an effective way then we can not only cut our marketing costs but increase sales leads.”

Those interested in learning more about the competition can visit The Blog-Off Fact Sheet >

About Friday 2.0
Friday 2.0 is a local Virginia networking group who meets on Friday mornings at 9:00 a.m. at The Muse coffee shop in Wyndhurst. Friday 2.0’s goal is to get educated about social media tools and opportunities. The most passionate and curious professionals attend this un-meeting as a way to connect with like-minded individuals and discuss the topics and trends relevant to technology, social media and the future of social media. Everyone from the freshly-minted twitter-er, to the tech-advanced executive managing 500 people are encouraged to attend and participate. All voices are equal and welcome at Friday 2.0! Join our Facebook Friday 2.0 Group.

Other Resources:
Coleman-Parkes Research Findings
Definitions of Social Media

No… not even close…

Maybe a better way to describe what I am talking about is: fundamental.

I had actually started a blog on “Creating a Church Marketing Plan” and realized that I had not yet expressed the MOST important piece of church communications: relationships. 

One of the churches I am working on building a website for, Truth Community Fellowship, is a prime example of an organic church. They don’t do marketing in terms of mail campaigns or advertising. They market the heart. By creating healthy relationships among the body, God opens doors to new relationships in the community! When Christians are engaged in healthy relationships that means that they not only accept each other for who they are, but are confrontative and honest about their feelings. Its a natural way of building people’s trust. And trust is not something you can gain from a cheap, colorful postcard. It is absolutely something that has to be earned. 

So, tell me something more fundamental than trust? 

With that said, I think the most important groundwork churches, ministries and Christian nonprofits can set is to make sure our hearts are in the right place, with a motive of love. I think the team at ChurchMarketingSucks.com said it perfectly with their mission statement: “The blog to frustrate, educate and motivate the church to communicate, with uncompromising clarity, the truth of Jesus Christ.” 

Another important piece of the groundwork is to really evaluate where you are in terms of marketing. Step into reality about your communications: Do you have branding and is it good? How does the community see and feel about your ministry? Can you answer the million dollar question: “What is your mission?” in one minute or less? Do you understand the people in the communities around you, and are you regularly communicating with them? (The Compassion by Design blog has a lot of really good ideas and information about how to reach your community.)

Now, you are probably thinking, “No problem, I know exactly where we are and what we need to do to improve.” But the truth is that most things are subjective, and you may not be able to see the big picture until you bring someone else into it. Find a trusted colleague, bring your staff together, or hire an outsider to help you see clearly. 

Now, let’s rehash: 

1. Evaluate your own heart and motive;
2. Do your own communications audit; and
3. Bring someone else into it 

These are just a few steps in laying the groundwork for your church marketing plan. Stay tuned as there will be more to come!