Is your church missing out on over $150,000 in resources per year?  Here at CMU, we want to help you get the best results from your time and money spent so we asked our Church Marketers community to help us round up some discounted and free resources for non-profits (including churches.)  They delivered!  Read on to discover how your church can get thousands and thousands of dollars of resources each year – for highly discounted, or even FREE prices. Our estimates in this article are based on having a team of 5 members.

Google Resources for Non-Profits

Google Ad Grant

Across the world, people make over 350 billion Google searches every single day. People are constantly searching for answers, how-to, help, and resources. Wouldn’t it be great if your church showed up at the top of those search results?

The good news is you can, and it won’t cost you a dime — with Google’s FREE Ad Grant!

Here’s the deal: Google offers $10,000 a month (you read that right, the $10,000 renews every month!) of free advertising money to registered nonprofits.  CMU offers a course devoted to this grant, as well as a team of Google Grant Certified professionals who can run, or help you run your grant account. So, if you’re currently missing out on this fantastic outreach tool, learn more here:

Google Workspace (formerly called GSuite)

Google also offers discounts on its Workplace (previously known as GSuite) package for nonprofits, which give you access to awesome stuff like additional storage and an email address with a custom domain name.  The Business Starter equivalent is free for nonprofits, saving you $72 per user per year, and Business Standard, Business Plus, and Enterprise equivalents are all steeply discounted (75%, 72%, and 70%+ off, respectively). 

YouTube Nonprofit Program

Google’s YouTube Nonprofit program offers nonprofits the following features: Link anywhere cards, YouTube giving, and nonprofit-specific Creator Academy courses.

Google Maps

Finally, Google offers a Maps for Nonprofit, so organizations with multiple physical sites can help people find locations near them.

Technology Discounts and Resources

Techsoup Software + Hardware Discounts

A TechSoup account opens a world of opportunities for nonprofits.  Offerings vary by country, but for U.S. users the offerings include Microsoft, Adobe, vmware, Intuit, Cisco Meraki, Lenovo, New Relic, Amazon Web Services, Techsoup Courses, and Asana.  Some of these offers, such as Microsoft donated cloud offers, have very specific usage requirements, while others such as Norton Lifelock exclude religious organizations in their eligibility requirements.  Some companies, such as Adobe, require participants to provide information for case studies, surveys, or testimonials. 

Techsoup isn’t just for software deals, it has discounts on the physical components of tech as well.  Check out the Hardware tab in the product catalog to browse new or refurbished products like tablets, monitors, internet hotspot beacons, and computers from major brands like HP, cisco, Dell, and Samsung all available at steep discounts. 

It’s hard to say exactly how much you can save here–the admin fee varies by product and organizations are at the mercy of what is available–but hypothetically let’s say you requested and received the five brand-new HP laptops available at the time of this writing.  You would save $2,000 over buying comparable laptops from traditional retailers!

Microsoft Tech

Microsoft 365 comes in three flavors, Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Microsoft 365 Business Standard, and Microsoft 365 Business Premium. 

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic normally costs $5.00 per user per month, but nonprofits can apply for a grant that makes it free for the first 300 users. 
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard is normally $12.50 per user per month, but the nonprofit version is just $3.00 per staff member. 
• Business Premium normally costs $20 per user per month, but nonprofits get free access for the first 10 staff members, and only pay $5 a month per additional member.

These discounts mean a team of 5 staff members could save up to $1,200 per year. Click here to compare offers and here for terms and conditions. (If you want volunteers to be able to use it too you’ll have to contact Microsoft and inquire about a discount). 

Azure Sponsorship

A $3,500 (USD) per year credit toward Azure products and access to all Azure cloud services is available through the Microsoft Azure grant.   If your church’s resident geek is interested in improving the security and efficiency of your data and documents, this could be the tool for them.  Click here for more information and to find training resources.

Apple Non-Profit Discount

According to this article by iMore, Apple exempts nonprofits–including places of worship–from paying sales tax.  We called Apple customer service and were told that there is a form that charitable organizations can fill out at the time of purchase to apply to be exempted from paying sales tax.  Unfortunately, the customer service representative we spoke with was unable to direct us to any further information, so we’re not sure what the exact eligibility requirements are or if it is available in every state.  However, if you buy any new Apple products, be sure to inquire about this (slightly mysterious) perk.

Graphic Design and Photography Resources

Canva Pro

Word on the (church marketers) street is that Canva is easier to learn and use than Photoshop.  As if that alone isn’t enough of a blessing, organizations with a 501(c)3 designation can apply for access to Pro membership for free.  This allows you all the time saving features of Canva Pro without the $119.99/year fee.  More information here. 

Ministry Designs Free Church Graphics

Ministry Designs’ free resources for non-profits include their graphic library. This library offers solutions to all your church media needs — from worship backgrounds, motion backgrounds, stock photos, high quality sermon series bundles, graphics for your social media posts, church marketing materials or flyers for your church, you’ll find it here. And they’re continually adding new materials monthly so it never goes out of style. 

SEED Sermon Series Graphics

SEED provides churches with professional sermon series graphics and marketing materials. Simplify your mid-weeek and Sunday planning with SEED. By our calculations, SEED will save 800+ hours a year in planning, asset creation, meetings, collaboration, team communication, revisions, team re-communication, quality assurance and implementation. SEED is included for free for Omega website members. Learn more about the Omega website here.

Unsplash

Unsplash is free for everyone (not just non-profits), but it’s such an amazing resource that we couldn’t help but mention it! On Unsplash, you’ve got access to over a million photos under the Unsplash license—which makes them free to do-whatever-you-want with.

Financial Resources

Digigiv by Ministry Designs – Digital Giving

DigiGiv by Ministry Designs provides churches with powerful data, robust reporting systems, and interactive giving options that will skyrocket your church’s giving. With industry-low transaction rates and world-class support, DigiGiv’s powerful suite of tools is sure to not only increase giving and generosity but also save you time. Processing for credit and debit cards are 2.5% + $0.30 per transaction. ACH transfers fee is just 1% + $0.30. There are no monthly, annual, or set up fees. Sign up for Digigiv for free here.

Marketing and Communication Resources

Church Marketing University

Is your church under 200 in attendance, a church plant, an international ministry, or hit with financial hardship due to COVID-19? If so, you may qualify for a Church Marketing University scholarship. With this scholarship, you will receive access to all of Church Marketing University’s kits, conferences, and courses – including the Foundations course, which will help you get your foundations in place to see new visitors every week.

Even if you aren’t struggling financially, you can still get access to Church Marketing University at a discounted rate. Learn more about the CMU scholarship program and pricing here:

Grammarly Premium for Non-Profits

Save $150 a year on improved communication!  Through December 31, 2021, Grammarly’s premium-level features are free to qualifying nonprofits with teams of three or more people.  If you’ve already paid for a Grammarly subscription sometime after January 1 2020, it’s not too late!  Contact Grammarly Support with an explanation, proof of purchase, and documentation of your nonprofit status for a refund.  More details here. 

Omega Website Builder

Do you have a website that accurately reflects your church, looks current, and is super easy to edit? If not, check out the Omega Website Builder. It was voted #1 by Worship Leader magazine and has helped hundreds of churches reach more people. The Omega builder is included in CMU’s Ultimate Package, giving you an incredible value for the price. Learn more about the Ultimate Package here:

Linktree for Non-Profits

Charitable Linktree users who fill out the correct form and provide proof of not-for-profit status can receive a free Linktree Pro account. The Pro account allows greater customization, more integration with other apps, link scheduling, and performance tracking.  That’s a $60 savings per year!

One-By-One by 4imprint – Promotional Products

There are no guarantees with this one, but 4imprint may be able to help you out with some promotional products.  Apply for a grant at least two months before your special event and tell the company how your church is making a difference in your community and how you would use the products you are requesting.  If you are one of the few accepted, you will receive $500 worth of customized promotional products for your event.  Apply here.

Click-Up Non-Profit Discount

Clickup helps you manage your people, projects, and other software tools in one integrated app.  They offer a free plan with 100MB Storage, Unlimited Tasks, Unlimited Members, and Two-Factor Authentication or a paid plan with Unlimited Storage and a few additional unlimited features, such as integrations.  Clickup’s site is noncommittal about which nonprofits qualify for a discount, but some nonprofits receive a 35% discount.  That’s a yearly financial saving of $21 per team member plus more time in your schedule.   Explore more here.

Physical Resources

Naeir

Naeir is a subscription service that allows nonprofits to request items from an ever-changing assortment of office supplies, tools, crafts, clothes, shoes, toys, toiletries, books, party décor and more.  Members request everything they think they can use and Naeir ships it for a small shipping/handling fee (described here).  The most basic membership level costs $59 per year, and their premier membership costs $529 per year. However,  Naeir estimates that premier members receive an average of $18,000 worth of supplies per year, for an average annual savings of $17,471.  Check it out here. 

Good360.org

Similar to Naeir, Good360 grants nonprofits access to physical goods (like office supplies) for a minimal fee.  Unlike Naeir, membership to Good360 is free.  Make sure you read the terms carefully–there are strict rules about how you can dispose of supplies you don’t need, so think things through before you order.  Get the details here. 

The post Free Resources for Non-Profits (including churches!) appeared first on Church Marketing University.

The Church Marketing University Facebook Favorites Playbook will give you a quick guide on the Facebook Favorites features. We’ll show you why this one tip can make a big difference for your church. We’ll also cover strategies to get a large portion of your church to turn these features on for your church’s page.

Currently, a very low percentage of people who like your Facebook Page will actually see your Page’s Posts. This is a great article from Sprout Social that says the average is 6.4%.

So, on average, if you have 1,000 people who like your page, your page’s post will only reach 64 people.

But, there is a feature that can put your page’s content on the top of people’s news feed every time you post. It is called the “Facebook Favorites” feature.

Here is the updated and extended Facebook Live Coaching Video on this feature.

Here is where you can start a free trial of Church Marketing University!

Favorites Facebook Live Strategy

Viewers of your Facebook Live can easily turn on the “Favorites” and “Live Notifications” by clicking on the video from either the desktop or their mobile device. This only works right now on a Facebook Live video. (There is another way for people to turn on “Favorites” for your page and it will be discussed down below.)

This is what the Facebook Live viewer will see on their mobile device:

Facebook Favorites Promotion Strategy

How you roll out the Favorites / Live Video Notifications at your church will make a big difference if your people will actually turn these features on. So let’s talk about your strategy!

*updated video coming soon!  The strategy is still good- just substitute “Facebook Favorites” every time Ryan says “See First.”

Promotion Steps

This coaching video was created before Facebook integrated the Favorites feature with Facebook Live videos, back when Facebook called it “See First.” So the written steps below have been adjusted to reflect both the ability to use a Facebook Live or pre-recorded video.

1.  Do a Facebook Live / Post the video at a strategic time.
2.  Within the first half hour leadership engage on the Facebook Live / video.
3.  Within the first hour email your entire church the direct link to the post.
4.  Run a paid Facebook Ad campaign to extend the reach of the video.
5.  Promote the video / feature in your services.
6.  Leverage big events like an incoming snow storm, huge announcements, special updates, etc.
7.  Cross promote throughout all your channels of communication: small groups, volunteer team, ministry team, Facebook Group, leadership, text messaging, YouTube, website, etc. (Check out the Church Marketing University Communication Matrix for 125 communication channel ideas.)

Facebook Favorites Facebook Video Post Strategy

This is the previous way we recommended people turn on Favorites and Notifications.

We are now recommending that you use the Facebook Live strategy. Go Live as the churches page with a great script and ask people to turn the feature on. (We will provide an example script inside the CMU Social Media Course.)

We highly recommend still using the 7 step strategy playbook outlined above and discussed in the video even if you use the Facebook Live.

This is an example of the custom videos we make for Church Marketing University churches! (Church Marketing University churches can request their custom video inside the CMU Members Only Facebook Group.)

Go Deeper

Jump in the ongoing conversation inside the Church Marketers Facebook Group.

The post Facebook Favorites appeared first on Church Marketing University.

  Get your free ticket to the church marketing conference here. 

What if you could start all over in your ministry?

Would you do things differently? What changes would you make? Are there any new ideas you’d try?

There is something powerful about A New Beginning. That’s a huge part of what makes New Year’s Day so magical- we all get a chance at a fresh start. 

This past season in ministry has been tough. COVID and divisions about everything from politics to masks have torn our congregations, families, and communities apart. Some church leaders have given up. Some are thinking about throwing in the towel.

But if we truly believe that building God’s Kingdom is the most important calling we can give our lives to – then for us, giving up is not an option. At the same time, we also don’t want to go through ministry miserable. If we’re going to give our lives to this, then let’s do it in a way that is sustainable and- dare we say it?- fun!  

That’s why we’re choosing to look at the optimistic side of this season. Yes, it has been hard, but what if we committed to flipping the script? What if we look at this moment in ministry not as an end to our dreams, but a chance at a new beginning?

The 7 Essentials

If it is a new beginning, then what do we have to get right going forward?

That’s the conversation we are going to have at this year’s Church Marketing Conference. We’re not going to overwhelm you with 150 sessions filled with ideas that will leave your team more overwhelmed than when you began. We’re going to have a conversation about the 7 essentials we have to get right. 

Wondering what they are?  You can see the schedule and a preview of the topics here.

It’s time to begin asking God to speak to your heart about what the future holds-

It’s time to dream again!

What to expect from the Church Marketing Conference

September 20-22th, 2021, is when our first-ever Church Marketing Conference is happening.  It’s a 100% online, totally free conference designed to help you refocus on the right things for this new season. We’ve drawn from our community of experts who will leave you encouraged, inspired, and equipped to do ministry differently!  Plus, your ticket comes with a TON of valuable resources, including the conference workbook, access to the session replays, and some other super helpful resources that will help you implement everything you’ve learnd.

Get your free ticket to the church marketing conference here.

The post Church Marketing Conference appeared first on Church Marketing University.

Across the world, people make over 350 billion Google searches every single day. People are constantly searching for answers, how-to, help, and resources. 

Think about it:

• A tired parent Google searches “things to do with kids”
• A lonely college freshman searches “looking for community”
• A brokenhearted woman searches “how do I find hope?”
• A confused man searches “who is God?”

Wouldn’t it be great if your church showed up at the top of those search results?

The good news is you can, and it won’t cost you a dime — with Google’s FREE Ad Grant!

IS MY CHURCH ELIGIBLE?

Never heard of the Google Ad Grant?

Here’s a quick summary: Google gives nonprofits $10,000 per month in advertising money to rank first in search results. So, when someone in your area searches for “things to do with kids,” or “local events,” or whatever other keywords you choose, your church ad would show up at the top of the page — you’d be one click away from drawing someone in from your community who’s searching for answers.

Now that’s a game-changer!!!

The Quick Case for Google Ads: 5 Reasons Your Church Should Use the Google Ad Grant

Not convinced the Google Ad Grant is worth it? Here are 5 reasons we passionately believe churches should utilize this tool to reach more people:

1. The Google Ad Grant is Free. That’s right, it’s $10,000 in FREE advertising every single month. It’s a free way to reach more people!
2. Google Search Ads let your church show up in search results when people are asking a question. This is huge. You know that the church is the answer to people’s deepest hurts, needs, and struggles. But not everyone searching the internet knows that. With Google Search Ads, your church can show up right when someone’s searching.
3. Billions of people make Google searches everyday. Google is the most visited website on the internet, processing over 3.5 billion searches every. single. day. Your church could show up in some of those search results. 
4. It’s easy to target Google Ads. Only want to reach people of a certain demographic? Only want to talk to people in a certain geographic area? Only want to target people searching for “online church”? Google has detailed targeting options available.
5. You only “pay” for results. We put “pay” in quotation marks because with the grant, you’re not paying out of pocket. But one great aspect of Google Ads is that you don’t pay until you get a result from your ad (such as someone clicking on the ad). So you won’t waste any of the Ad Grant money on people who don’t connect with your church website.

We could go on, but this list should give you some reasons to consider applying for and utilizing the Google Ad Grant! Keep reading if you want to learn more about the Google Ad Grant’s effectiveness and how to make sure your church is getting the most impact possible.

Is the Google Ad Grant Effective?

This is one of the biggest questions we get asked about the Google Ad Grant. You don’t have to take our word for it. In this section, we’re going to share some stories from churches that we help utilize the Google Ad Grant:

“We noticed a definite increase in the number of visitors we’re seeing each week now as soon as CMU started managing our Google Grant.  We even had new visitors during the high point of Covid when we had to move our services outdoors and are continuing to see a steady stream of new people every week.”  

“[CMU] started running our Google Grants about a week ago (we’ve had an account for several years). It’s been unmanaged for the last 20 months… during that time we had significant decrease in guests. Last Sunday we had one of the highest guest counts in a long time in part from what we do on FB but also… because we are seeing increases in Google Grant ad clicks”

The list goes on. We’ve worked with churches who:

• Connected with a woman searching for community who had never been to the church before. She joined a discipleship small group and heard the Gospel message
• Grew a young adults group with new members joining every single month, all because they saw a Google Ad for young adults community nearby
• See new visitors every single week because they show up first in search results
• Receive calls for prayer and ministry through Google Ads, extending the church’s impact

How Does My Church Get The Google Ad Grant?

Now that you know what the Google Grant is, we know what you’re probably asking – “how does my church get the Google Ad Grant?”

The good news is that it’s not too hard! Google gives churches and other eligible organizations the Ad Grant through their Google For Nonprofits program. 

• Log into your Google For Nonprofits Account. If you don’t already have one, apply here. 
• Click “Activate Products” and activate the Ad Grant.
• If Google denies your Ad Grant application, make changes and reapply.

Here’s a little more detail. The Ad Grant is considered a “product” in the Google For Nonprofits program. If you already have a Google For Nonprofits account, log in and Activate the Google Ad Grant product! If you think you have an account but can’t find it, make sure you’re logged in with the right Google account.

IS MY CHURCH ELIGIBLE?

If you don’t have a Google For Nonprofits account yet, visit this link to make sure your church is eligible. Eligibility requirements vary by country, but in the United States your church must be recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization formed for charitable, educational, religious, literary, scientific, or other tax-exempt purposes (chances are, you’ll fall in that religious category!). If you’re tax exempt under a group exemption, such as a denominational affiliation, you can get more info here. 

Once you confirm that you’re eligible, visit the Google For Nonprofits website, click Get Started, and follow the steps to apply. Google will confirm your application and let you know when your application is approved. Once it’s approved, log into your account and Activate the Google Ad Grant product. 

Activating the Google Ad Grant will require filling out a second, short form with information about your organization and advertising goals. Google will review your request (as well as reviewing your website) and either approve or deny your application.

If Google denies your application, don’t worry! You can make changes to your website, or follow any other feedback provided, and reapply. If you aren’t sure what specific changes to make, post in the Ad Grant Community and experts will jump in to give you suggestions.

Options to Utilize the Google Ad Grant

Okay, so you’re convinced. You see the value in the Google Ad Grant and you know how to access it for your church. In order to continue to qualify for the Google Ad Grant, organizations must meet Google’s ad performance requirements. Here are 3 approaches churches take to make sure this happens:

Option #1: Hire a Team of Experts to Run the Google Ads Account

Most churches choose to hire an agency to run their Google Ad Grant account. Why? Because worrying about click-through rates, keyword quality scores, maintaining account performance, creating new campaigns, building new ads, and taking care of the account can quickly become a huge task on someone’s plate. Many churches choose to outsource their Ads Management so they don’t have to think about it, and so they can trust that someone’s handling it who knows what they’re doing.

• Pros to this approach: You don’t have to stress about meeting Google’s performance requirements. You can trust that an expert is taking care of the account and helping you get as much impact as possible.
• Cons to this approach: Hiring a team to manage it costs money. (Scroll down to learn about our Google Ad Grant Management program, that we intentionally make affordable for churches). Also, many companies copy-paste ads from other accounts or use very broad, irrelevant targeting. We never do that.

Option #2: Run the Account Yourself

Through a combination of free and affordable courses and resources on the internet, someone on your church team or a high-capacity volunteer can learn to maintain and manage the account. It takes some learning, but some churches choose to go this route to save money and keep the Ad Grant Management in-house.

• Pros to this approach: You’ll save money, rather than paying someone else to manage your ads. It gives a willing volunteer or leader an opportunity to serve the church in this way.
• Cons to this approach: Maintaining an account takes time. On top of that, learning to manage Google Ads can be a big project. It’s often hard to find resources other than Google’s technical training, which will only take you so far. Most available resources are not designed for churches. That’s why we created our Google Ad Grant course for churches, and offer additional coaching options to help you get started. Keep reading to learn more.

What Does CMU Offer to Help My Church Utilize the Google Ad Grant?

Why Should You Utilize CMU Resources and Experts?

Our CMU communications, church, and Google experts are adept at not only securing the grant, but putting it to use for churches who’ve achieved life-changing results. Here’s what they’re saying:

“I was blown away when I saw CMU was offering a Google Grant Management service. We were paying way too much for this service and the people that were running it were targeting people 150 miles away. When I switched to CMU, we quickly saw a huge change — more personal ads targeting people in OUR community at half the cost! If you want personal Google ads for your church at a great price while also being effective, then talk to CMU” 

–Ryan Keller, Lead Pastor, Church on a Mission, New Orleans, LA

Church Marketing University has a team of Google Ads certified professionals who run Google Ad Grant accounts for churches. These team members maintain the accounts to meet Google’s account requirements and check in with churches to create ads for new ministries and events.

• Trained professionals manage the account so you have one less thing on your plate
• Grant Managers build all ads custom to your church, rather than copy-pasting ads from other accounts
• Grant Managers create ads that match your church’s website copy, branding, and advertise to your geographical location
• Work with a responsive, relational team that cares about your church ministry success

What Options Does CMU Offer?

Remember those options we listed above? Church Marketing University has options to help churches with both of those routes.

Google Ad Grant Management Program 

Want to maximize your impact with the Google Ad Grant – but don’t have a volunteer or team member who wants to take on that project?

1. If you don’t already have the grant, we’ll walk with you through the grant application process
2. We’ll build out local and national ad groups based on your website landing pages
3. We’ll monitor your Ads account, update your ads, and manage your monthly grant spend so you get the most impact
4. We’ll connect with you regularly to create custom, keyword-targeted Ad Groups based on your current events, ministries, and more
5. Our team will take care of everything – you don’t have to worry about it!

SIGN UP NOW

Google Ad Grant Course

While you’re enrolled in the Google Ad Grant Management program, or as a CMU church, you’ll have access to our Google Ad Grant Course. This course is helpful if you, or a high capacity volunteer, want to learn to run your Google Ads account.It’s hard to find quality resources designed specifically for churches using the Google Grant, so that’s why we created this course.

UNLOCK THIS COURSE

Further Resources

If you’re still not convinced that showing up in Google search results is important, take a look at these stats about how many people use Google daily.

Want to become Google Search Ad Certified? Check out Google’s free Search Ad course and certification.

Google gives qualifying non-profits the Ad Grant through Google For Nonprofits. Learn more about the Ad Grant and GFN here.

As you’re managing your Google Ad Grant account, you’ll want to make sure the account is meeting Google’s requirements. They’re listed here (this list changes periodically. Be sure to stay up to date on Google’s requirements at this link and by doing your own research).

Are Google Search Ads really beneficial? Check out this article to learn more.

The post The Ultimate Guide to the Google Ad Grant for Churches appeared first on Church Marketing University.

Is your church ready to rock SEO?  In this article, we’ll cover the four most important factors for your church’s SEO ranking .  Or, check out the article below for Pro Tips for ranking FIRST in Google searches!

SEO- the Key to More Visitors at your Church

“Siri, What Churches are Near Me?”

People are searching for churches in their area every day. Places where they and their family can belong, connect with God, and grow in their faith. Help when times are tough and stress is high. Wouldn’t it be amazing if they found YOUR church when they need you most? Not just at Christmas or Easter, but … every … single … week?

A good search engine ranking for your church’s website means you’ll have a consistent stream of new people finding your church all the time. 

Here’s a question to ask yourself:

If you were to do a search right now for churches in your city, where does your church rank in Google?

Although 90% of website traffic comes from search engines, 99% of churches put NO EFFORT into even the basics of search engine optimization (SEO), and that’s why it’s such a good opportunity for churches!  There’s basically no competition. Plus, many on-page elements are simple things to do.  Basically, you’re telling Google what your website is about.

In this article, we’ll explain how you can improve your search engine ranking in a matter of minutes. We’ll also give you foundational tips for what matters most in SEO and — most importantly — teach you how to keep from getting overwhelmed. 

Four Easy Tips to Improve SEO for Your Church

Tip #1- Don’t be Overwhelmed

While some industries may need staff on board to specialize in SEO ranking full time, don’t be scared off thinking you can’t compete with multi-billion dollar companies like Nike or Amazon. Churches don’t compete at that level.  Most likely, you can do what you need to do within your current website platform, in just a few easy steps and at little to no cost. 

Don’t believe me? If you’re updating your site on a regular basis (think events, sermon videos, services, etc.), all you need to do is make sure you’re telling Google what you’re all about. And all that takes is manipulating a couple of key factors in your current website technology. 

You may not rank #1 from doing these simple things, but you most likely will rank on the first page.  Plus, you’ll be leaps and bounds ahead of where you were — that’s the foundation. You can do the deeper, more complicated techniques down the road, but most churches don’t even need to do that. All you really need to do is show up on the first page of a Google search. And that’s relatively easy, even for an amateur.

Tip #2- Build a Firm Foundation First

Many people focus on things that truly aren’t important in SEO ranking at all — things like personalization, citations or website behavior. Those factors have such a minor impact on your overall church ranking that you shouldn’t even bother thinking about them at all, certainly not before you have your on-page SEO down pat. 

What’s on-page SEO, you ask? I’m so glad you did because it’s the foundation you need for all other variables to work. Simply put, on-page SEO is the process of helping Google identify what your website is all about. The key thing to look at is, “What are the local ranking factors for the specific area you serve?” They tend to be different for every community. You can get a professional assessment of those factors from a subscription service like Whitespark, but it’s not necessary. You can get similar results from the free tools outlined below.

It all sounds so simple.  But that begs the question: why should Google care what you’re all about? Well, Google makes money when it sells ads. But they can’t sell ads if they don’t have the consumer’s trust. How do they build trust? By giving consumers exactly what they are looking for, literally in seconds. So it’s advantageous for Google to show the best results — it allows them to build trust and sell more ads. According to Tyler Rominger, founder of Ministry Designs and all-around SEO guru, “When you don’t tell Google what your site’s about, it prevents them from showing your website. That’s why fixing the little tags and description of your site is so critical.”

If you’d like a deeper teaching about on-page SEO, listen to this episode of Website Wednesday Church SEO Basics.

Tip #3- Add Google Analytics

Another plank for the firm foundation you are building is to make sure you’ve connected your website to Google Analytics and the Google Search Console. Google Analytics tells you what people are looking at on your site and Google Search Console helps you understand which terms people use when they end up on your website. When you connect Google Search Console and Google Analytics together, you get a clear picture of all of the data associated with Google as it sends traffic to your website. That will tell you what simple changes to make that will drive people to find you when they’re looking for a church in your area.

Google uses these tools to provide information to you about how they understand your website to help you give them the best information about you for search purposes — you tell Google enough about you and Google will send you people looking for what you offer, a win-win-win for everyone involved. We’ll go over Google Analytics in a future article, but for now, if you’d like a complete step-by-step training in SEO, including Analytics, check out the full CMU Search Engine Course.

Tip #4- Focus on On-Page Optimization

What do we mean by on-page Optimization? Well, on the web–as in life–there are things you can control and things you cannot control. Obviously, we want you to focus on the things you CAN control. To be effective, your page has to load in under 2 seconds. You have to tell Google what you’re about or you won’t ever get the opportunity to connect with people in your community. And you have to make sure people are getting the information they need to stimulate that connection.

There are four things your website should do to make it successful. Your church website should help people:  

• Discover you: People have to be able to find you — this is truly most important.
• Like you: People make instant decisions about whether they like you, 90% of that decision comes from the design of your site and happens within the first few seconds.
• Trust you: People have to know they can trust your church; you can start building that trust on your website.
• Engage with you: Once people like you and trust you, it’s time to connect with them and get them plugged into your ministry. These days ministry often starts online, and the entry to that relationship is your website.

Why SEO Basics Matter for Your Church

When people search on Google, roughly 91 – 93% don’t go past the first page of Google search results. If you’re not returning on the first page of Google, your location is nowhere to be found.  You simply do not exist. Websites that are optimized for search engines will get more visitors. That means an optimized website will get more people who will potentially visit your church.

Tyler Rominger explains it this way. “If you take this seriously over the next couple years, you’re going to have community members “driving by” your digital location week-in, week-out, and it’s your opportunity to tell them about the Good News.”

Start With A Website Audit

Your website is simply a tool to attract visitors and get people to come to your church. An audit scans everything about your site and spits out a report that shows what you need to tweak with a list of what you need to do. CMU Partner Ministry Designs offers a free church Website SEO Audit.  Click here, SEO Audit, enter your church’s URL and in 15 seconds you’ll have a report that says “here’s what you need to tweak” or what you need to do.

Don’t worry about everything — some things you won’t be able to change (or may not want to change). And you can easily do a side-by-side comparison to see what other churches in your area may be doing to rank higher. Here’s what you should pay attention to:

• Site speed — do whatever you can to have your site load in 2 seconds or less. Some platforms may have plugins that slow the site down (WordPress, for example). And large images on your site can slow it down as well. Use this free tool to see what can be changed to speed up your site: GTMetrix
• URL structure — Domain authority affects ranking; make sure you use keywords in your URL to help search engines find your site
• Title tags (description tags) — include keywords 
• Images URLs — upload specific file name for the photos you have on your site, this adds additional reinforcement of the purpose of your page — for example, (churchincity_keyword) — Dashes are best; or dashes between same idea words and underscore when not the same idea. So, “Church-On-A-Mission_Worship” — “Church-Name_photosubject”
• H-Tags — Applying H tags to your website doesn’t necessarily help with load speeds; but it helps Google understand the content on your website. Use this free tool to help you come up with keywords that work in your community: Ubersuggest
  • Use your main keyword in H1-tag (i.e., church in CITY) – do at top of page, only 1 (purpose of your page)
  • Use secondary or sub keyword in H2 tags (i.e. Ministries, Events, etc.)
  • Use third level or sub, sub keyword in H3 ( i.e. Students, Young Adults, Childrens)
• More important are Meta titles — titles (church name), descriptions (who you are)
  • Make sure key words are in your meta titles and meta descriptions
  • This is what tells Google the main purpose of your page
  • Has to make sense both to humans and to Google
  • Title — never more than 70 characters
  • Description — keep to 150-160 characters

All this and more is covered in the Church Marketing University Search Engine Course. There you’ll find additional help for taking your church website to the next level, but really all you need are the basics to get you 80% there, the basics covered in this article.

In Summary- Church SEO isn’t Complicated

If you’re looking for an “aha” take away, it’s simply this: search engine optimization isn’t complicated, doesn’t take IT professionals or internet gurus to accomplish and doesn’t cost a boatload of money. It’s just the basics of telling Google who you are, what you do and why people in your community would care.

“It pains my soul to see churches overlooking search engine optimization because 90% of local website traffic comes from search engines and the majority share of that is from Google.  What an incredible ministry opportunity we’re missing because we don’t want to put in a couple hours of work to just get the basics going.” -Tyler Rominger

Don’t miss this opportunity to drive new visitors to your website and ultimately to your church every single week.

Additional Resources

Links

• Site Speed Analysis: GTMetrix
• Key Word help: Ubersuggest
• Ministry Designs Website  SEO Audit
• Church Marketing University Search Engine Course
• Website Wednesday SEO Optimization Coaching
• Local SEO Tools (subscription): Whitespark

Facebook Live Coaching

• Website Wednesday SEO Optimization Coaching
• Website Wednesday SEO Digital Sync

The post Church SEO on website page appeared first on Church Marketing University.

Overview: Why Juneteenth matters historically, why we should be talking about Juneteenth as Christ-followers, and how you can care thoughtfully for the Black community every day of the year.  Join the conversation inside the Church Marketers Facebook Group here.  

This article recaps an interview with Pastor Larry Weathers.

What is Juneteenth?

“Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image,  in the image of God he created them;  male and female he created them.” Gen 1:26-27 

June 19th, also known as Juneteenth, is the date that hundreds of thousands of slaves were freed in Texas. Taking place three full years after the Emancipation Proclamation, Juneteenth is largely regarded as the longest-observed African American holiday. 

As you’ll see in this interview, Junteenth is highly important, not as a political day, but as a day to pause as all of humanity, and remember. As humans, we must ask ourselves what the ideals of Juneteenth mean practically. (3:40)

How to commemorate Juneteenth thoughtfully, especially as a non-Black person.

As a Christ-follower, what compels us forward in understanding those who have different life experiences? It must be more than posting on social media one day a year, when it’s expected. 

If you’re looking for practical action steps, one great way to start is by supporting Black Owned businesses in your community.  Second, be intentional with speaking up and out against racism in your spheres of influence.  And finally?  Be educated. 

“I’m more concerned with what happens June 18 and June 20th than I am June 19th. June 19th is going nowhere. But it’s what happens the day before and the day after.” (9:10)

“We all have to take upon ourselves to say, ‘If I am truly going to celebrate the essence of a holiday and what it means then it has to become a part of my lifestyle.” 

Why education is, perhaps, the best way to celebrate Juneteenth.

(11:00) “If anything, if you take the time to be educated and understand: here are slaves who didn’t even know they were free….It has to make all of us stop and think about how powerful education is. The difference was education, It wasn’t money or social standing, per se. It was: I haven’t been educated.” 

(12:45) “When you become patrons of that black-owned business, you now are joining in celebration, not separation, in a celebration of this ideal: that we’re all equal.”

This is how celebration, education, and agitation come together in a culmination of moving forward in harmony. 

(15:00) “Be intentional in understanding the plight of individuals that look differently than you.” Both historically and presently.

First Steps

If your church is hesitant to address issues of race–hear Pastor Larry speak wisely on a solid first step:

(16:30) “I choose to believe that so many people desire to see celebration of all races. They have a heart for minorities.” 

(18:58) For those looking for a how-to on a Juneteenth post from Pastor Larry, here’s his advice:

• Talk to your Church about the Emancipation Proclamation & connect the goal to the goal of Jesus Christ; freedom for all people. 
• Remind that we are all one in Christ, all the same. Gen 1:26-27
• Talk about the beauty that the Emancipation Proclamation brought.  God can use all things for good
• All men are created equal, and all have equal standing in Christ. Celebrate that the Emancipation Proclamation is the first time in history this is recognized.
• This proclaimed freedom to an entire group of people who didn’t know they were free: the message of the gospel. 
• History doesn’t stand alone, outside of the purview of God.  When you talk about Juneteenth, tie those two together.
• Instead of just celebrating the ‘holiday’, celebrate + educate; yield is agitation.

Additional Resources

Recommended resources from our community.

Join the conversation around Juneteenth in the Church Marketers Facebook Group.

Juneteenth graphic from Larry Weathers! 

Books

The Birth of a White Nation by Jacqueline Battalora
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Slavery by Another Name by Douglas A. Blackmon
On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reid (published in May of this year)

The Historic References Pastor Larry Mentions:

Emancipation Park
Jim Crow era
Poor People’s Campaign (MLK)
Resurrection City
Solidarity Day March (1968)
2012 death of Trayvon Martin
2020 George Floyd

The post Juneteenth: What Churches Need to Know appeared first on Church Marketing University.

Church photography is an amazing tool for sharing the gospel, which is why we’re so passionate about teaching it at Church Marketing University.  

However, despite the advantages of church photography and videography, there are two major factors you must consider:  your people’s safety and privacy rights.   

So, how do you respect people’s privacy while authentically showcasing the life of your church?

If you’re like most of us, you didn’t get into ministry to wade through legal documents.  You’re in this to share the good news of Jesus!  So, in this guide, we’ll help you sort out the privacy issues associated with church photography so you can start using photos to reach more people than ever before.  In addition to researching this guide, we’ve compiled some sample privacy policies that you can access in the Church Marketers Facebook Group.

The good news is, we’re not lawyers, so the information you’ll find here should be easy for anyone to understand.  But that’s bad news, too.  Because we’re not lawyers, you’ll need to make sure you check that your system is legally acceptable in your area.  However, you’ll find plenty of examples in this guide to help you create a plan that will comply with your national and local regulations, whatever they are.

At this point, you might be questioning if this is worth it- after all, do you really need photos of your people?  So, before we talk about how to make sure you’re respecting people’s privacy while using photos of them, let’s talk about why church photography is important.

Included in this guide:

• Why your church needs photos
• Approaches and Case Studies
• Tips from Industry Experts
• Special Cases, like photographing teens or documenting which adults cannot be photographed
• For further resources and examples, check out this post inside the Church Marketers Facebook Group!  

The Quick Case for Church Photography: 5 Reasons You Need Photos of your Church

If you’re reading this guide, there’s a good chance that you’re convinced your church needs photography.  You probably already know that it’s an amazing tool for reaching the unchurched, giving them a chance to see what your congregation is like before they attend.

But, in case you haven’t thought much about it, here’s the quick case for church photography:

In our survey of over 2,000 churches, good use of photography was one of the factors that set growing churches apart from the pack.  Why?  Here are a few reasons:

1. Photography gives people a preview of what it’s like to attend your church.  There’s a difference between telling people about your church and showing them what attending is like.
2. Good photos increase trust.  Good photography demonstrates that what you’re saying about your church is true.  It also helps reassure people that you have nothing to hide.  Because we live in a culture that is increasingly post-Christian, this is more important than you may think!
3. Photos reduce fear.  Especially for those who are nervous about attending or meeting new people, your photos can help them prepare themselves before they come.  
4. Photography helps you tell the story of life with Jesus in a compelling way.  Stories are much more powerful when people can put a face (or a face and voice, in the case of video) to the person telling it.  
5. Photography empowers your artistic members to use their gifts for God.  If you aren’t developing and empowering people to use their artistic gifts for God, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to help them grow in their faith.

We could go on, but this list should give you some points to consider as you move toward taking more photos of your church.  If you want to make sure you’re taking photos in a way that respects people’s privacy, keep reading!

Church Photography Approaches and Case Studies

In this section, we’ll explore some broad approaches that churches take to privacy and photography.  Then, we’ll dive into specific case studies so that you can see how different churches deal with these issues in the real world.

Approaches to Church Photography and Privacy

Churches choose to deal with photography/video/media rights and usage in different ways.  In this section, we’ll give an overview of some of the various strategies you can use. Of course, every strategy has countless variations, so later in this guide you’ll find specific case studies so you can see how this works in the “the real world.”  

Option #1:  The “No Photography” Zone.

Some churches will deal with the issue of privacy by not using photography- either throughout the entire church or by banning it from specific areas.  No one’s photo is taken or circulated without their consent because no photos are being taken.

• Pros to this approach: It simplifies things quite a bit, since you’re not running the risk of violating anyone’s privacy by using their photo.
• Cons to this approach: You miss out on a huge opportunity to make people comfortable with your church before they ever show up.  If you’re trying to reach people who have never been to church before, your lack of photography could be a major turn-off.  It also means that it will be harder for you to help your artistic members use their gifts to glorify God.

Obviously, we’re not big fans of this approach.  If you aren’t either, don’t worry!  There are plenty of other options. 

Option #2: Post Disclaimers and Take Only Group Shots.

While it’s still a good idea to obtain consent from the parents of children before using their photos, people are usually more comfortable when they (or their kids) aren’t the sole focus of the photo.

• Pros to this approach:  It’s really easy to take photos.  Just snap, snap, snap, done!
• Cons to this approach:  It’s hard to take compelling shots when you can’t focus on individual faces.  If you do run into a problem down the road, it’s difficult to remove photos of specific people who ask you to take down any images in which they or their children appear.

Option #3:  Post Disclaimers, take whatever photos you want, and obtain consent for minors after you figure out which images you want to use.

If you’re dealing with new photographers or your church is fairly small, this strategy can save you a lot of time and hassle.  For the purposes of this guide, we’ll be calling this and similar systems reactive strategies.

• Pros to this approach: It can save you a lot of time and hassle.
• Cons to this approach:  As your church grows, it can be a pain to continually obtain consent.  Depending on your relationships with the individuals involved, it might also be awkward to admit that you already took a photo of someone (or their child) and would like to use it.  This system also means there will initially be a waiting period between when the photos are taken & when you’re able to post them, because people need time to give consent. 

Option #4:  Post Disclaimers and obtain consent for minors before taking photos.

This approach gives people a chance to let you know if they don’t want their photo taken, and is proactive because you get consent before ever taking a photo of a child.

• Pros to this approach:  It reassures people that you are respecting any privacy concerns they may have regarding themselves and their children.
• Cons to this approach: You must have a highly organized system in place in order to implement this strategy.  You also have to be diligent about keeping things updated and communicating changes to all those involved in the photography, editing, and posting process. 

Option #5:  Obtain consent before taking and/or using any photos, ever.

Compared to some of the other options we’ve discussed, this one might seem a bit extreme.  However, in the European Union and other places, it can be legally required.  Basically, the idea is this:  it’s not enough that people don’t stop you from using photos of them when you post a disclaimer.  They have to actually give written consent before you can use their photos.  At the time of this writing, churches in the U.S. and other countries may not be legally obligated to follow these guidelines, but many believe that it’s only a matter of time before it is required.  So, even if you choose a different approach, just be aware that you could be required to change strategies in the future.

• Pros to this approach:  It’s extremely respectful of people’s privacy rights.
• Cons to this approach: It can be a nightmare to implement at first, especially if your church is large.

Of course, not every church’s system fits neatly into one of these categories.  Some of them combine elements of each.  We’ll take a look at some real-life strategies later in this guide.

Photographing Kids: Proactive & Reactive Strategies

As I interviewed church leaders from across the country, two distinct patterns emerged in how they handle the issue of photographing younger children.  Some churches employ what I’m calling a proactive strategy- that is, they do everything in their power to make sure that they never take a photo of a child whose parents have denied consent.  In proactive situations, responsibility tends to fall on the photographer to make sure they’re not taking photos of the wrong kids.  

Other churches use what I’m calling a reactive strategy, where they have systems in place to make it obvious after the fact which children can have their photos taken.  In reactive situations, responsibility falls primarily on the people who post the photos.  They sort through images to make sure the church doesn’t post or store any photos of kids whose parents don’t want their pictures used.

Ultimately, no matter what type of strategy your church chooses, the end result is the same- you’re respecting the privacy of families and children by only using photos you have permission to use.  Depending on your church’s culture and current systems, you might find that your actual process for photographing kids and obtaining consent is a mix of proactive and reactive strategies.  That’s how life works, and there’s no shame in experimenting with different methods until you find one that works.

In the next section, you’ll hear from different churches about how they handle the issues of photography disclaimers and photographing kids.  We’ll say it again- there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to this issue.  It’s all about making sure you’re following state and local laws regarding photography, as well as fitting your plan to the culture & current infrastructure of your church.  Please consult a lawyer before enacting any of the strategies we discuss.   

Church Photography Case Studies

I reached out to church leaders via our Church Marketers Facebook group, and asked how they handle photography disclaimers & photographing minors.  As expected, each church has a slightly different take on how they handle these issues, and we’re hoping that their strategies will help you figure out your own.  Here are some in-depth examples from just a few of the church leaders I interviewed:

Faith Lutheran Church (Appleton, Wisconsin)

Faith Lutheran Church in Appleton, Wisconsin (Go Packers!), uses their kid’s registration system to get consent for photography from parents.  When parents register their kids, they’re given three options for consent:

• Any photography
• Group photos only
• No photos

Kids who are registered as “Group photos only” or “No photos” have that information printed on their name tags.  If the photographer doesn’t see a note on the kid’s name tag, they know that the child’s parents have given full consent for their photos to be used. 

A perk of using the registration system is that it keeps this information organized.  The photographers can pull lists of “No Photography” kids and “Group Photos Only,” so they know approximately how many are in each classroom and can identify them when they arrive. 

During Sunday services, teachers help the photographers remember which kids can have their photos taken, and which can’t.  While the photographers are shooting group shots, teachers give special attention to the kids who can’t have their photos taken, so they don’t feel left out. 

Of course, all bets are off during larger events like VBS.  When the kids are all mixed together, running around, or if there are simply more of them than usual, they use different colored dots to signify “No Photos” or “Group Photos Only.”  The dots are easier for the photographers to spot on the fly, and make it possible for them to delete photos if they notice a kid with the “No Photos” dot has slipped into a shot. 

So, when it comes to photographing kids, Faith Lutheran has what we call a proactive strategy.  That is, they try their hardest to make sure that they never take photos of kids whose parents have withheld consent.  The responsibility for making sure this happens is shared by the photographers and the children’s ministry workers, who work as a team to make sure the “no photo” kids aren’t photographed.  When it comes to big events, they simplify things for their photographers and switch to a reactive strategy.

Fairhaven Church

Unlike Faith Lutheran, Fairhaven Church has a less structured approach to photographing kids.  Because they only take photographs a few times a year (usually 4-5), they notify parents via email before the weekends when they’ll be taking photos.  This way, parents have the option of talking to someone if they don’t want to have their kids photographed.  When a photo of a particular child is selected to be used prominently on social media, the website, or anywhere else, they seek out the child’s parents for permission first.

Fairhaven’s strategy contains proactive and reactive elements.  By giving parents a heads up, they’re proactively giving them a chance to speak up and let someone know if they don’t want their child photographed, or if there’s a reason why they can’t be photographed.  If it’s a Sunday where they’re only photographing in the children’s area, then parents always have the option of keeping their kids with them that day.  

However, as a last failsafe, they also make sure they seek permission from parents before they use an image.  This guarantees that the parents are aware of the fact that their child was photographed (after all, it’s easy to miss an email), and gives them one last chance to let the church know if they have any objections to their child’s image being used.  That’s a solid reactive strategy.  It’s also a really smart “heads up” for parents, so that they’re excited instead of surprised when they see their child’s photo being used by the church.

First Sundays

First Sundays is a church plant.  As such, they’re a smaller congregation that meets once a month in another church’s building.  They don’t have the systems in place to automatically get written consent from parents right now.  However, their marketing director, has a personal system that she uses to make sure she’s using only approved photos:

• She focuses on times of worship/singing and speaking during the service, but is sensitive to the Spirit and tries to never intrude when He is moving.  She also keeps parts of the service (such as prayer time) private.
• Most of her shots of their community are posed, so she makes sure she obtains verbal consent from people before taking a close-up picture of them or their kids.  
• If she has kids in a shot, she makes sure to check with the parents before posting it.
• When they have special guests, she makes sure to introduce herself and ask if she can tag them in the church’s posts.  Most of the time, they’re excited to have the exposure.
• She also asks permission before sharing other people’s posts on social media.  She’s so diligent about this that some people have told her, “Whatever you see me post, just use!  You don’t have to ask!”

As a church plant, First Sundays does have an advantage when it comes to capturing photos.  Photography has been a part of the culture since their launch, when they hired a professional to take pictures for them.  Ever since, their marketing director has carried a camera with her, so members are used to being photographed.  This certainly makes her job easier, and she’s found that she’s been able to be less conservative about the shots she takes and posts as time goes on.

GT Austin

This positive graphic is the centerpiece of GT Austin’s strategy for communicating about their photography and videography.  They post it everywhere- as a slide in their scrolling announcements, in their weekly handout (bulletin), and on their kids’ registration forms.

When parents it comes to photographing kids, they employ several strategies to protect their privacy:

• During the image editing process, they “white out” the names on kids name tags.
• They make sure that the “no photos” label is easy to spot on the nametags of the kids whose parents have requested that their image not be used.  As Christopher Rixon says, “It’s too much for my photography team to remember who not to take pictures of, at least in the moment.”
• During posting, they delete any photos that contain images of kids who aren’t approved.

GT Austin’s system is almost totally reactive, since they want to empower their photographers to be able to focus on getting good shots.  The responsibility for making sure no photos are posted without consent rests on the social media team, who have to make sure that the church’s records are up-to-date and that they delete or crop any images with people whose photos they cannot use.  

Summit Park Church

Summit Park Church sees photos as a crucial element of their online marketing plan, so they make getting them a priority.  Throughout their history, they’ve hired photographers to make sure they’re getting good shots of their people.  At the same time, they’ve recruited a volunteer photography team, with members serving every weekend and during special events.  Disclaimers, like the one above, are posted throughout the building, and obtaining consent for photography is built into their kids registration system.  Additionally, they make sure that all photographers are screened prior to joining the volunteer team, and are easily identifiable with an official Summit Park lanyard.  

In order to empower their photographers to get great shots, Summit Park uses additional volunteers, called “hosts.”  Hosts have bubbly personalities, are leaders in the church, and work with their photographers to answer questions, help them stage shots, introduce them to people, and explain why they’re there.  Hosts are also trained on photography etiquette (such as no-photo zones and times of the service that should be kept private) and are familiar with the photographer’s shot list so they can help the photographer get the right images, every time.  Finally, they also steer photographers away from any children who cannot be photographed, address lighting concerns, and help set people at ease so that they can get a life-giving shot.

As you may guess, hosts make a BIG difference in how people perceive photography at Summit Park Church.  It’s a relational approach to making sure the church has the photos they need to create killer social media posts and website content.

Before they upload images to the church’s photo organization system, Summit Park also performs one last check to make sure that they aren’t posting any photos that include people who have denied consent.  This means that, at any given time, they have a library of images that are approved for use by their social media team.

Summit Park Church’s strategy is mostly proactive, but has reactive elements when it’s time to upload the photo files.

Ready to write your own church photography policy?  Check out the resources in the Church Marketers Facebook Group!

Recommendations from Experts

Quick Tips from Ben Stapley

Here’s a great explanation of the issues involved and a recommended approach from Ben Stapley, the Weekend Experience Director at Christ Fellowship Church:

• First, don’t give release forms to your photographers. You want them taking great photos, not running around trying to get a bunch of signatures. 
• Instead, include a release statement on your intake form for your family ministry. I say “intake form” because it only has to be done once. And I say “family ministry” because parents are the only ones really concerned with this. Here is a sample. “Our church uses photos and videos of our guests for communication purposes. Signing this release grants us permission to use your and your child’s image for these purposes.” 
• To cover your butts legally for general church events you could have small disclosures printed and posted at your welcome center saying something like “Photos and videos are taken at our events. By walking onto our site you grant us permission to use these for communication purposes”.

Ben’s suggestions are a well-rounded plan for addressing the two main concerns your church will be trying to balance when it comes to this issue: getting consent without inhibiting your photography team from doing their work!  If you’re interested in learning about how other churches balance this, too, keep reading!  In the next section, we’ll dive into the two main approaches that churches take when it comes to photographing kids.

If you’re ready to get started, you can check out the Photography Disclaimer examples inside the Church Marketers Facebook Group!

How Real Churches Get Photo Release Forms | 5 Ideas from Brady Shearer

Now that you’ve heard from some real-life churches, what are leaders in the church communications space saying?  Let’s dive into this video from Brady Shearer:

• Add a photo release disclaimer to your kid’s check-in process.  No surprises here.  This is the most convenient time to inform and obtain consent from parents about using their child’s photo.

• Use red wristbands so that photographers and photo editors can easily identify kids whose parents do not want their photos taken. One piece of advice that the church leaders in our Facebook group gave on using wristbands or similar items is to make sure that whatever you use makes the child feel special, not excluded.  This principle carries over into how you take photos, too.

• Add a disclaimer statement to your bulletin and/or website.  Let people know that photographers may be present at the church and during events, and that if they want to opt-out of having their picture used, to stop by the table in the church lobby to let the church know.

• Post a sign as you enter the auditorium.  Hang a sign in front of the doors to your auditorium, announcing that entering means you’re giving consent for your photograph to be taken.  If you go this route, it’s thoughtful to also create a photography-free area where people can go if they wish to opt-out while still attending service.
• Be aware of national, state, and local laws.  In some areas, asking people to “opt-out” if they don’t want their photo taken is not strictly legal.  Instead, the burden is placed on your church, as the organization taking the photos, to make sure that people “opted-in” to have their photos posted.  In these cases, posting a disclaimer won’t protect you in the event of a lawsuit.  Consult a lawyer if you’re not sure what laws apply to your church.

Church Marketing University Recommendations

Now that you’ve read all these ideas, you might be wondering if there’s one particular system we’d recommend.  In fact, there is!  These recommendations are based on helping you to increase trust and forge healthy, respectful interactions between your congregation and your photography team.

However, please remember that we are not lawyers. While objections are far less likely if you communicate well, you should always consult a lawyer to be sure you’re covered.

Okay, with that disclaimer out of the way, here are our recommendations when it comes to navigating privacy issues with your church photography:

• Post disclaimers in prominent places so that people know cameras are present and how to avoid having their image used. 
• Announce your photography policy 2-4 times per year from the stage.  (More often if you’re getting started in a church that isn’t used to having photographers)
• Have a system in place for gaining consent and taking photos of kids and identifying them later.
• Train a team that can take photos consistently, so that you always have a cache of authentic images of your church.  Every weekend is ideal.
• Use hosts.
• Have a plan for making all the kids feel included when you photograph in the children’s area.
• Stage shots, whenever possible, and take advantage of practice times and mic checks to get photos onstage.  (This helps keep your photography team from being a distraction during service).
• Respond with empathy & be quick to take down shots when people request removal. 

If you’re interested in learning more, check out the resources inside the Church Marketers Facebook Group.  

Special Cases: Photographing Teens, Adults Who can’t or don’t want their photo taken, and Foster Care Situations.

Photographing Teens

Throughout most of this guide, we’ve focused on making sure you have permission to photograph minors, but the conversation has revolved around minors who are involved in your children’s programming.  What happens when you’re dealing with minors in your youth or student ministry?  Since teens often come with friends (and some students can even drive themselves!) it’s uncommon to have a registration form when teens start attending.  So, if you can’t rely on your pre-registration process, what can you do?

While we don’t have any *perfect* answers on that, here are 4 ways you can address this issue:

Tactic #1: Avoid photographing teens until you have consent from parents.

While this will not be easy on your photographers, you can do it if you have a core group of kids whose parents have given consent.  Staging photos, focusing on faces, and other tactics can help you get great shots that you’re allowed to use.

Tactic #2: Encourage teens to photograph themselves 

You can provide backdrops, create fun, photo-worthy activities, host hashtag contests, and try other ideas to get your youth creating buzz about your church.  Middle and high school students love online content- both creating and consuming it- so if you empower them to be your church’s mouthpiece for ministry, they will take it and run with it.

While you should always ask permission (and give credit) before reposting content, these posts  can help you populate your church feeds with authentic, crowd-sourced images.  However, the real value will be the fact that they’re talking about church where their family and friends can see it.

Tactic #3:  Use medical release forms as an opportunity to get photo release forms signed, too.

Even though you might not have a check-in system for older minors, you likely do host events that require medical release forms from their parents.  Find a way to integrate adding photo release forms to this system, too, and you should be able to get those forms into the hands of most parents.

Tactic #4: Leverage emails to have parents opt-in to photographs.

This strategy is courtesy of Nathan Teegarden.  

If you provide weekly or monthly email updates for parents, use your email list to deliver photo release forms and request signatures from parents.  If you’re able to tie why you’re asking for permission to the mission and vision of your church.  

For example, you could say something like, “As you know, we’ve been teaching over the last month about sharing your faith.  While the connection might not seem obvious at first, having photos that show what our youth group is like on the church’s social media makes it easier for your son or daughter to invite their friends.”

Adults Who Can’t be Photographed

Another issue when it comes to church photography & privacy is adults who don’t want their photos taken.  

We know, we know- you’ve posted disclaimers!  While you may or may not be legally entitled to take photos of people who are on your church’s property (that’s a question for a lawyer!), the kind and respectful thing to do when an adult asks not to be photographed is to honor their request.  Plus, you never know what could be motivating their request.  Here’s one of our favorites stories from a conversation in the Church Marketers Facebook group:

Now, we’re not saying that you have someone in the witness protection program in your church.  But if an adult requests to not be photographed, whatever their reasons, do your best not to take photos of them- and, be 100% sure you aren’t posting pictures of them!

Here are a few strategies you can use to make sure all your photos and video are good to use:

Tactic #1:  Have a “no-film” area

This will help you proactively make sure that you’re not filming or taking pictures of anyone during your church’s live stream who doesn’t want their picture taken and posted.  While the exact location of your “no film” area will depend on your sanctuary/auditorium layout, it’s usually simplest to choose a specific side, or an area in the back, where cameras are not allowed.  You can hang signs from the ceiling or attach them to your seats to make it clear to people attending and photographers where the “no camera” zone begins and ends.

Similarly, you can have “no camera” zones in specific classrooms or areas of your children’s department, depending on your needs.  We strongly encourage you to figure out a system for obtaining consent so that you can photograph kids, but your church might have special considerations or areas that you want to keep free of cameras. 

Tactic #2:  Keep a record

A “no camera” zone really only works in certain areas.  If you want to have good photography of your church, some of those shots will happen in areas that are impossible to cluster- like your lobby or parking lot, for example.  This means that you’ll have to employ a reactive strategy when it comes to making sure you honor the wishes of adults who don’t want to be photographed.  For most churches, this means asking people who don’t want their picture posted to submit a photo of themselves for internal use.  That way, the people managing the church’s social media accounts know exactly who doesn’t want their photo to be used, and can delete any images that contain their photo.

If you live in an area where posting disclaimers won’t cover it, you might want to employ a reverse of this record-keeping system, and keep a file full of images of people who have given their consent for their photo to be used.  Google photos does a really good job of pre-sorting images with faces, so you could use it to create a system for your church where you only post pictures of the people with labeled faces in your Google photos account.

Foster Care & Other Situations Where You Can’t Obtain Consent

In some cases, the adult accompanying a child can’t give consent for the child’s photo to be used.  (Examples include when children come with friends and, depending on your state’s laws in the US, foster parents).  If that’s the case, you have to refrain from using photos of specific children until you can obtain legal consent.  

For example, when we started discussing this topic in our Church Marketers Facebook Group, Duke Senter shared this story, 

“We had a foster parent ministry at our church. We did a video (not photo) project with kids and got releases from parents. A parent forgot that in our state no public photography or videography display is allowed of foster kids. Had to re-edit the final project to cut that cute little guy out. Anyway, consult laws first, but perhaps remind/reach out to groups/categories that may be impacted beyond ‘just’ their preferences on how to easily opt-out?”

Even if you don’t have foster kids at your church yet, it’s a good idea to think through how to handle situations like this- you never know when it might come in handy!

Example Church Photography Release Forms, Disclaimers, and Media Policies

In the Church Marketers Facebook Group, we’ve included links to some additional church photography release forms, disclaimers, and media policies that we’ve found online.  As you review these documents, you’ll find some characteristics they have in common, mainly:

• A promise to remove photos of people or their children, if requested.
• A statement that they will not knowingly post something embarrassing.
• A line saying that they will not tag people on social media without their express consent.
• An explanation of how you must go about requesting that your photo not be used, i.e., “We will honor your request for privacy if you fill out this form, contact this person, etc.”
• In some media policies, you’ll see a definition of acceptable behavior for photographers during services.  While you don’t have to post this information in your media policy, you should have a plan for this and review it frequently with your photography team. 

Further Resources

Free Church Photo Release Forms by Patrick Bradley

Aimed at church planters, this article is a quick summary of the issues surrounding photographing minors & why you need photo release forms at your church.  The post also includes four example releases.

Guidelines for Using Photos of Congregation Members from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

This PDF covers some basic courtesies and guidelines for church photography, and is a quick read.  It could be a great resource for helping you explain your photography policy to members of your photography and social media team.

Legal Guidelines for Photo and Video Use by Brotherhood Mutual

This article does a great job of explaining when you need permission to post and covers many special cases, such as photo and video of a guest speaker, live streaming your worship service, and, of course, photographing children.

Why Your Church Needs Photo Permissions by Joe Porter

This blog post on Church Marketing Sucks covers several considerations to keep in mind when considering whether or not you need a photo release.

The post The Ultimate Guide to Church Photography Policies appeared first on Church Marketing University.

Download Church Social Media Policy Template

Below is a dynamic list of all the social media policies for churches we could get our hands-on. Thanks to all these churches and ministries for providing so many great examples. (Want to connect with our amazing community? You can join the private Church Marketers Facebook Group here.)

1.  Social Media Policies for Churches

Want a Social Media Policy Template you can implement immediately at your church? After examining tons of documents, we’ve combined the best of the best to create a comprehensive social media policy template for your church.

2.  Social Media Policies for Denominations

3.  Social Media Policy Tools & Resources

If you have a policy you’d like to add to this list, please send us a message on the Church Marketing University Facebook Page and I’ll make it happen.

Bonus Resource! Be sure you also check out The Ultimate Guide to Website Privacy Policies for Churches.

The post The Ultimate List of Social Media Policies for Churches & Ministries appeared first on Church Marketing University.

Websites: The “Hub” of Your Church

Are you happy with your church’s website? Is it getting you new visitors every week? Does it accurately reflect your church’s culture? 

We’re past the time when you can get by with an “OK” website. The fact of the matter is that your website is the first interaction would-be visitors have with your church, it’s the focal point through which all of your church’s activity is connected. If it’s not drawing visitors in, you could be losing them for good. Do you want your church’s front door to be inviting or offsetting?

Website Problems

If you’re struggling, you’re no doubt experiencing the following common website problems: 

• Takes too long to update
• You have a hard time getting a hold of your designer & can’t make even the smallest of changes
• Costs too much
• Doesn’t produce the results you want
• The editor is out of date and costing new visitors
• Bottom line, you’re not reaching enough people

You can fix that with the CMU Website Solution called Omega, by Ministry Designs. 

This platform, rated the #1 website design by Worship Leader Magazine, is built on the same principles and philosophy as Church Marketing University, so all the things we tell you to do from a communication or marketing standpoint are already incorporated into the Omega Website Solution. 

And, like CMU, it’s easy to implement for any church — large or small, technically proficient or not, no matter your skillset or lack thereof. It comes with a ton of built-in features you can just drag-&-drop. 

How to Get the Omega Website Builder

Schedule a free consultation today: Omega CMU Website Solution.

Sound too good to be true? Don’t believe it? We’ll prove it to you in just 3 days with the CMU Website Bootcamp.

Take a test drive without an upfront commitment or investment: sign up for the CMU Website Bootcamp on Feb. 23-25, 2021 and build a site in 3 days for just $7. After three days, you’ll have a brand new, highly functioning website that can go live, if you desire, with a landing page ready for Easter! Membership in CMU is included with the Website Bootcamp as well as access to SEED Sermon Series from Ministry Design.

Do I really need another website change?

Your website is the most critical aspect of your church’s marketing and communications strategy.

But it’s not enough to just have a “nice” website. It must be effective…

As ministry leaders, we know how fast things change, and that your church website design is hard to keep up to date. New events are scheduled or ongoing information needs updating, your calendar needs changing, last Sunday’s sermon needs posting for Monday morning, and the list goes on and on. With Ministry Designs’ drag & drop website builder & editor, you can keep your church website current from wherever, whenever. It utilizes the most up-to-date tools to help you reach, teach and grow your ministry. And it stays current, new features and designs are loaded monthly so you don’t have to know how to stay up to date yourself.

Sign up for CMU’s Omega Website Solution today and get ready to welcome the visitors it will bring to your church each and every week. 

Or, test it out at the CMU Website Bootcamp on Feb. 23-25, 2021. 

What Makes Omega Special?

In order to be effective, your website must accomplish four critical functions:

1. It MUST help people find you (be search engine optimized)
2. It MUST make people like you (be well designed)
3. It MUST develop trust with visitors (they need to feel comfortable with you)
4. It MUST compel people to take action (what do you want them to do next?)

Having a highly EFFECTIVE church website has never been more critical.

Communication that Leads to Effectiveness

Strategic communications is the game-changer you need to achieve your vision. Omega uses the  DISCOVER – LIKE – TRUST – ENGAGE strategic formula to give you a proven step-by-step blueprint that has helped thousands of churches around the world achieve their online goals and ministry missions. Those four pillars are critical to website success:

1. Discover: People have to be able to find you — this is the most important foundation! No more “best kept secret in town” for you. Your church website is the primary piece of marketing collateral your church has. With Omega, your website is fully optimized for search engines (SEO) allowing potential visitors to find your church and discover you in the exact moment they need you most!
2. Like: In today’s fast moving world of the internet people make split-second decisions about your church’s likability. According research, 90% of that decision is influenced by your design. Omega will always be stocked with the most up to date and relevant website designs regardless of your church size, demographics, age or denomination affiliations.
3. Trust: People have to know they can trust your church. After people make the split-second decision to like your church based on the design of your website, they have to know they can trust you! Omega’s church website design tools and data backed designs have everything you need to start forging a trusting relationship the moment visitors hit your page.
4. Engage: OK, so a possible visitor has discovered you, they like you, they trust you — what’s next? It’s time for them to engage with you. With the Omega drag & drop church website builder and pre-designed layouts, you can easily lead people through the next logical steps you want them to take — scheduling a visit, signing up for a life group, registering for an event, volunteering, anything you do to engage people in your ministries.

Easy Implemenation & Updates

Creating a church website used to be hard enough, but then you had to keep it up and that probably felt impossible.

Most church websites have been built on the “template” philosophy — you get a template from a website developer and you’re limited in what you can design based on the template. And it typically takes hours to create special items, like Landing Pages for Christmas, Easter or other special events. And let’s not talk about how quickly the design becomes out of date. 

All that is left behind with the Omega platform. If you’ve struggled to maintain a quality website for your church, take comfort, friend, you’re not alone. Thousands of ministries struggle with their websites on a regular basis. The world changes so fast and you have a lot to do. Omega keeps you relevant and effective.

This truly is the last church website you’ll ever need!

We want to see the church thrive in these crazy, trying times that we have. We believe this year — 2021 — is the year you take your church to the next level and reach more people for Jesus than you have ever done before. Come see what could happen if you optimize your web presence today.

Where can I go to get more information?

Facebook Reviews

Sign up for Omega Website Solution here

Sign up for CMU Website Boot Camp here

The post Pro Upgrade: Omega appeared first on Church Marketing University.

If somebody offered to give your church $10,000 … 

a month … 

You’d probably ask, “What’s the catch?”

Just one — you need to use it to advertise your church and events in Google Search Results. 

That’s it? 

Yep, that’s it. 

Well, sign me up!

To do it effectively, though, you need to understand how the system works. You need to register and get a validation token. Then, you need to enroll in Google for Nonprofits, apply for the grant and get your Google account set up.

That’s when you need to understand how to best structure and design ads to be effective in the system, utilizing Google’s keyword algorithms and such. You’re also required to meet Google’s click-through rates and keyword quality score requirements.

Sounds complicated? Not when you let us do the work for you.

At CMU, we’ve got your back with our monthly Google Ad Grant Management services. Schedule a free consultation with Molly Pelic today and be ready to engage your community for Easter. We’re only allowing 100 churches to jump on board, so schedule that consultation now!

Set up free consultation with Molly Pelic here, or sign up here for the Google Ad Grant Management program at CMU.

Why You Need the Google Ad Grant this Easter

You might be tempted to say, “What’s the Big Deal? Churches Don’t Need to Advertise!”

Did you know that last Spring, Google received hundreds of millions of searches for keywords like “Easter event,” “Easter church service,” and “Easter activities near me”? And yes, it happened in your community too. Next to Christmas, there’s no other time of year when people are most open to hearing the Gospel message. But you already know that this is just an opportunity to make the most of the season to help your church reach more people than ever before.

Think about it, someone Google searches “Easter events” and gets a whole list of stuff going on near them. Wouldn’t it be great if your church showed up at the top of those search results?

The good news is you can, and it won’t cost you a dime — with Google’s FREE ad grant! If you’re not already using the ad grant, we’d highly recommend you get it set up before Easter so your Easter information will show up at the top of search results.

What’s the Google Ad Grant?

Never heard of the Google Ad Grant? Google gives nonprofits $10,000 in advertising money to rank first in search results. So, when someone in your area searches for “Easter services,” or “Easter events,” or whatever other keywords you program, your church ad would show up at the top of the page — you’d be one click away from drawing someone in from your community who’s searching for answers! Now that’s a game-changer!!!

You can use that money to show up first when people search for Easter keywords (and kids ministry keywords, and event keywords, and small group keywords, and more!). Basically, this is a FREE opportunity to tell more people about your Easter services, your events, and your church.

Thousands of people in your area will be searching for a church this Easter, or looking for Easter activities for their families. Using the Google Grant, make sure you show up first in their Google Search with relevant info about your Easter events and services!

If you have any questions about the Google Ad Grant, or want to learn more about the resources we offer at CMU to help you manage the grant, schedule a free consultation here. We’d love to help you get it set up in time for Easter! If you’re ready to sign up for the Google Ad Grant Management program at CMU, sign up here.

Why Hire CMU

Why Should You Hire CMU?

Well, frankly, you don’t have to. You could just run a few Google ads yourself, you may already be doing that; but what if you took the money you’d spend on Google Ads and instead used it to hire CMU so you could advertise so much more at Google’s expense? Get more, pay less.

Or, you could try for the Google grant on your own, but our CMU communications, church and Google experts are adept at not only securing the grant, but putting it to use for churches who’ve achieved life-changing results.

Here’s what they’re saying:

“I was blown away when I saw CMU was offering a Google Grant Management service. We were paying way too much for this service and the people that were running it were targeting people 150 miles away. When I switched to Molly at CMU, we quickly saw a huge change — more personal ads targeting people in OUR community at half the cost! If you want personal Google ads for your church at a great price while also being effective, then Molly is your person!” 

–Ryan Keller, Lead Pastor, Church on a Mission, New Orleans, LA

“We noticed a definite increase in the number of visitors we’re seeing each week now as soon as CMU started managing our Google Grant.  We even had new visitors during the high point of Covid when we had to move our services outdoors and are continuing to see a steady stream of new people every week.”  

–Cheri Pelic, Friendship Church, Canton, MI 

Where can I go to get more information?

Set up free consultation with Molly Pelic here, or sign up here for the Google Ad Grant Management program at CMU.

If you’d like information about our other paid services, check them out here.

The post Easter Kit Pro Upgrade: Google Grant appeared first on Church Marketing University.