Digital In Denver
How Denver Seminary uses Web-based technology to connect.

DJ Turner | posted 9/10/2009

Having been in marketing communications for over 20 years, I have witnessed tremendous changes in the ways businesses communicate: from the boom of desktop publishing to the dot-com frenzy to the dawn of social networking. However, the most significant of these changes is not about the technology, but about the level of connection institutions can have with their constituents.

Gone are the days when institutions present a monologue to a faceless crowd. Communication today is an active dialogue with nameable people who have venues in which to share their opinions. At Denver Seminary, we are intentionally leveraging technology to establish these connections in appropriate and relevant ways.

At the center is our website, DenverSeminary.edu. It remains the number one way that our constituents find information about us.

Since teaming with Monk Development for a redesign and search-engine optimization in 2007, we have seen a 150 percent increase in website traffic. But effectiveness is more than increased visits and visitors. Our website is more than a billboard of information; the goal is to encourage greater levels of connection. Behaviors may include requesting admissions information, applying for admission, registering for an event, interacting with a blogger, making a donation, and myriads of other activities.

The amount of activity in each of these areas has also risen. For example, inquiries from prospective students have increased exponentially, contributing to three straight semesters of record enrollment. Since 2007, online event registrations are up 500 percent, and online donations are up 300 percent. Our efforts to connect are providing measureable results.

Internet Presence Management

Our presence on the Internet does not end with the website. Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and a host of other sites help define the institution through the lens of our constituents. Denver Seminary shows up on these sites, regardless of our participation in them. The most effective way for us to manage our Internet presence is to be active in these communities, connecting with constituents in real, personal ways.

With limited resources, however, we cannot be active in all social networks, so we conduct surveys to help us learn where our constituents are already spending their time; for the seminary, it is the blogging community, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. The survey helped us to narrow the scope, making our efforts in the realm of social media more effective and manageable.

Community Engagement

An important shift in business communications is that it is no longer about us but rather about our participation in the global community. Don't misunderstand me: Denver Seminary still exists to provide theological training; we still need students and financial partners. But the ways in which we approach these relationships are changing.

Community engagement must be a priority. We participate in networks to connect our constituents in arenas in which they share us with their community. We have increased our community engagement efforts on our website, from offering an online community for alumni to allowing comments on articles and blogs. We also launched a free job board to serve the greater community. Throw into that mix streaming audio, video, RSS feeds, blogs, event registrations, and online donations, and we have the opportunity to connect with our constituents on many levels. Community engagement invites them to participate with us in the mission of the school.

Management Tools

Denver Seminary uses many tools to help us manage these technologies. Google Alerts and TweetBeep help us stay on top of what people are saying about us, providing the opportunity for us to engage the authors of that information when appropriate. Insights from Facebook, YouTube, and Google Analytics help us track and measure activity on our website. Ekklesia360, our content management system, helps us manage the community engagement opportunities on our website. These tools are essential for helping us set goals and measure the effectiveness of our efforts.

As our culture changes, it is imperative that we adapt and learn to utilize the tools available to us to further the mission of the seminary, and, more importantly, the gospel. Our website, the tools for Internet presence management, and our efforts to engage the global community are helping us in the mission to advance the kingdom.

DJ Turneris director of communications at Denver Seminary (DenverSeminary.edu). A one-woman department, she is responsible for the website, social media, broadcast e-mails, publications, advertising, PR, and the quarterly magazine.

Copyright © 2009 Christian Leadership Alliance.