Sink or Swim
When it comes to online success, there's no treading water.

Ron Weber | posted 9/10/2009

After working in the technology and Internet industry for 26 years, I've seen many ministries ride the waves of Web trends. While some maximize its resources effectively, others seem consumed by the volume of possibilities. At Trinet, we see firsthand how a strategic Web presence can open amazing doors for kingdom work. To establish not just a website but also a large online presence, consider these steps:

(1) Step Away From the Computer: Too often, people get stuck in the details. Think of your website like a house. A contractor cannot start building until he receives blueprints. Likewise, your website needs the same attention to detail and planning before you start building.

(2) Strategy: You will find more success if you treat the Web element of your ministry like a business. Your website should meet both your ministry's short-term and long-term goals. Also, plan your website around the needs of your users. There are several ways to gain user insight:

• Numbers Don't Lie: Look at your current analytics to see what section of your website receives the most traffic. High usage typically points to the main priority. Google Analytics (google.com/analytics) provides a free program to track these key indicators.

• Survey: The best way to determine user intent is to ask your Web visitors what they want from your website. Conduct a constituent survey requesting responses to your current website.

• Observe Other Ministries: Does another church or nonprofit always seem to lead the way with its online projects? Write down what captured your attention about its site.

(3) Analytics: Remember, you cannot manage what you do not measure. Your analytics program should measure how well your online initiatives achieve your ministry's goals and objectives. Some elements to consider:

• Traffic: the number of Web visitors, new visitors, returning visitors, search engine visits, and referral site visits

• Donations: the total online donations, number of first-time gifts, and average gift amount

• E-mail Performance: open and click-through rates

• Engagement: the average time visitors spend on your website, number of page views, and new registration

Once you establish your key performance indicators, identify industry benchmarks to assess your performance.

(4) Integrate with Offline Efforts: Just like a church family that's united, a well-connected website is more fruitful and successful. Integrate your online and offline programs for exponential results. A common example might include creating an e-mail version of your monthly mailer that links to related videos, materials, or event registrations.

(5) Customized Trend Report Program: Analytics feedback is worthless unless you use it. Use the numbers to add focus and clarity to your online initiatives. Invest more time and energy into your best-performing projects.

(6) Information Architecture: Allocate the most valuable space on your website to what matters most. Base your information architecture on your goals, user interaction, and desired actions. Also, make user interaction a priority for your website (i.e., volunteering, donating, or subscribing to e-mail updates).

Notice all the calls to action on the Fred Jordan Mission homepage (fjm.org).

(7) Design: If you thought websites were all about design, you might be surprised to find out that it is the seventh step in the process. Design typically gets the most attention because it provides an immediate visual representation of your ministry. Consider two often overlooked points:

• People: Even though churches and ministries revolve around people, smiling faces are often missing from websites! Even if you have to use a stock photo, be sure to include people on your website.

• Color schemes: If your ministry were a color, what would it be? While this question may seem elementary, various colors evoke different moods and emotions for site visitors. Once you select a color scheme, use complementary colors to draw attention to your "calls to action." ADRA Kids (kids.adra.org) features a playful design for their younger target audience. The engaging look and interactive features teach children about helping others.

Extra Features

Small Group Application: If your church hosts small groups, forget the patio signups. When Calvary Chapel-Fort Lauderdale first wanted to penetrate the social-networking arena, Trinet built a small-group application that allows church members to search for small groups by relevant filters: average age, location, whether or not they have children, book study, Bible study, times, and so forth. Members can then send a request to the group leader to join the group. Also, group members have access to private pages, where they can upload study materials, contact information, prayer requests, and more.

Formatted E-mails and Newsletters: Let your e-mail recipients be picky. How often do they want to hear from you? Every week, month, or quarter? What topics interest them most? Devotionals? News stories from the field? Your contacts will be much more likely to read your e-mails if they dictate the frequency and types of contact. Also, use formatted e-mails to deliver familiar, aesthetically engaging design and increase your brand recognition.

Spiritual Concierge: Reasons To Believe (reasons.org), a science-and-faith think tank, publishes scholarly articles on creation science. To better understand the interests of its audience, Reasons to Believe hosts a cutting-edge "spiritual concierge" on its website. This interactive survey asks visitors to agree or disagree with various statements of faith. Once completed, the concierge offers articles and content relevant to a visitor's level of spirituality.

"After 20 years, we have an incredible body of content and information," said Kathy Ross, senior vice president of Reasons to Believe. "When people come to our website, we can use the spiritual concierge to help them find a pathway into our deep pool of content. With so many choices, we can help guide people according to their spiritual interest."

Cheerful Giving: In order to leverage online trends, ministries should make the giving process creative and fun—especially since online donors typically give more than offline donors ($57 vs. $33). A great giving strategy includes displaying donation progress. PlayPumps International (playpumps.org), a nonprofit that powers water purifiers with kids' play equipment, features a dynamic water-tank widget on its homepage, which splashes toward its fundraising goals with each donation.

Even if your ministry hosts a talented Web team, consider outside strategy consulting for specific projects and goals. Love Worth Finding (LWF), the radio ministry of Adrian Rogers, turned to Trinet's strategy consultants to help reach its online giving goals for the fiscal year end.

"Finding a partner for areas like strategy consulting has resulted in measurable improvements in our online performance," said Cathy Allen, vice president of marketing for LWF. "This kind of partnership allows the LWF team to spend more time in our areas of strength and to be more effective."

Trinet crafted a custom online giving campaign and corresponding e-mail campaign, which aimed to reach LWF's fundraising goals within a one-month period. With its own team implementing the various steps of the plan, Love Worth Finding saved thousands of dollars just by outsourcing for strategy consulting and achieved the following results:

• Surpassed online fundraising goal by 121 percent;

• 23 percent e-mail click-through rate achieved for the e-mail campaign (12 percent industry average); and

• 40 percent of donations resulted from this e-mail campaign.

Adapting to Audiences

As society transforms, churches and ministries need to adapt to connect with their changing audience. If you feel a little computer-challenged, follow these guidelines to connect with your Web-savvy constituents:

• Invite younger members of your congregation to staff meetings. You will be surprised how much you can learn from their technical knowledge and intuition.

• Take baby steps. Do not try to run before you crawl. Like the house-building analogy, construct a solid foundation before you consider crown molding and granite countertops.

• Turn to an expert. Let a professional handle your online strategy so you can do what you do best.

Online strategy provides obvious benefits to all types of churches and ministries. Yet to find success, ministries must treat their website like a living creature. While this may sound a bit like science-fiction, consider the process "Plan, Do, Check, Act." Most ministries simply build their website with little planning and follow through with almost no checking and acting. With a new Web generation emerging every three months, you must evolve with growing ministry needs, new Web trends, and innovations in technology. Change is the one consistency in life, and the Web is no exception.

Ron Weber is the chief operating officer at Trinet Internet Solutions, Inc., an award-winning ministry Web firm. Founded in 1995, Trinet helps America's best-known ministries impact their organizations through innovative Web technology. Ron has a 25-year technology industry background, speaking regularly on impacting the kingdom through the Web at events like the Christian Leadership Alliance national conference. Reach Ron at ron@trinetsolutions.com.

Copyright © 2009 Christian Leadership Alliance.